Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

This is an article that was in my latest issue of FlatOut Magazine. The article is written by Bryan Autullo. I thought I would pass this along because it seems like we are not the only ones dealing with this "situation".

What does it take to be a "promoter" in the world of dirt track racing? With the competition for everyone's hard earned dollars in an economy that is in a recession, promoters need to work extra hard to give fans more bang for their buck. However, it has become a growing trend for promoters to do less and less, wishing not to spend their own hard earned dollars to advertise and promote this sport we all love.

Too many times some promoters feel a couple of black and white ads in the local paper will bring people by the carload to there tracks. Some might shell out the extra cash for radio ads, and a rare few will find a way to at least put the ads for their bigger events on cable television. Most times those ads run in off-peak hours where very few people actually see them, which is why they are so cheap.

However, aside from the bigger shows that do tend to get a piece of the advertising pie from the promoter's budgets, what about the regular weekly racing events? The promoters need to realize that there bread and butter is their weekly racing program. Also, throughout the country, I see a disturbing trend of tracks refusing to work together for the common good of the sport.

Where has all the innovative ideas to catch people's attention and interest. Earl Baltes was one of the greatest promoters of our time- a living legend in the sport. Mr. Baltes never thought any idea was too wild as long as he thought it would get people's attention and get them to buy a ticket to his race track(s). If dressing up in Gorilla costumes wasn't too wild for Earl, then why is it that there is virtually nothing these days to make the fans stand up and say, "What the heck is he up to now?" There is no "wow factor" anymore.

Our economy has pinched many budgets to where some people must choose between going to the racetrack or buying another tank of fuel for the SUV. What are todays promoter's doing to get teams in the pits and fans in the seats? Most track point funds are barely enough to cover anyone's budget to put things back together to race again the following year. Without the teams and drivers, there are no fans paying to get in the gates to be entertained.

So what needs to happen to turn things around? If the time is spent to build a fan base that keeps coming back weeks after week, that investment is well worth it. The residual effect of giving people just a little bit more for their dollar goes a long way in ticket sales down the road. Clean restrooms, reasonable prices on concessions, affordable children's prices and a good racing surface are huge factors in the eyes of the average fan. These things do more for promotion of a racetrack than the racing itself and should not be overlooked.

The next important key, as was mentioned above, is the placement of advertising for the casual fan or first time fan. Placing ads on Internet racing sites and racing print publications is fine as a reminder to the already alert racing community, but very few reach out beyond that group. Local newspaper ads are the simplest form of a large scale campaign, but have proven to be only about 10% effective. Many tracks will buy small newspaper ads and think that is enough. It is not. Simply buying a newspaper ad is not promoting a racetrack.

Television and radio make a huge impact. Radio is a fairly cheap alternative to television ads because you can hear the excitment in the announcer's voice. You've heard all the ads I am talking about. They work. Television advertising is expensive, but if a tracks budget will allow, cable television deals a softer blow to the wallet. The beauty of television and radio is catching the casual or first time fan by surprise. They may now be curious enough to buy a ticket to an evet they didn't even know they wanted to go to until they heard it on the radio or saw it on TV.

I have always said that targeting the next generation of fans has been an area that has been blatantly disregarded. Promotional tickets to the local schools can make a new young fan who begs Mom and Dad take them to the races each weekend. The average age of Sprint Car fans has grown older as the years go by and the younger market is at home playing video games on Friday and Saturday night. If we can just get the young potential fans out to the track once or twice and chances are they'll keep coming back. I have come to the conclusion that most promoters in this day and age have grown complacent and have just accepted that this sport has slowed in growth over the past several years and have come to expect fewer sales at the ticket window. Why? If nothing is being done to reverse that trend, then where will we be in another five years? Innovative ideas are what made dirt track racing great. People, in general, want to be entertained. Find a way to make each week an "event" and not just another race and the growth potential of Sprint Car racing will be realized.

"They're steering them sum bi***es with their right 
foot!"

There are a lot of good points hear and I don't think our promoter does a terrible job, but there are some areas he could improve on and make our weekly shows one of the best once again. I think the promotional tickets to the schools is an awesome idea. Maybe then the twenty or so people out of 3 or 4 thousand could bring their own coolers. I'm tellin ya, the guys misses dollars chasing dimes. Getting rid of the half mile is another great example of trying to condense. People think, Oh no profits are down, we need to downsize and try to cut back spending, when actually, innovative ideas are more fruitful in the long run. That ticket window in the 80's would be back to where the bikes park and our safety crew and officials were awesome! The facilty was great! Now there's mud and grass everywhere and two tractors are our tow trucks and not one official wears anything fireproof in case of an actual disaster. I will end here....blood pressure is high. And that damn puppet we have for a flagman......

"They're steering them sum bi***es with their right 
foot!"

I guess the last of the real promoters is C. Ray up at 81. When I was a kid the Mar-Car Nationals in July was always a big deal. Out of car driver intro, a lot of spectacle & build up. The promoters even used to get out & hustle up lap money. Even at $10 or $20 bucks a lap, when real men drove 50 lap features it added up. One year at Tulsa for an NCRA 50 lapper they had $100 dollars a lap. Big doins.

Yeah saftey is a real issue. When I worked turn 3 at SFS we had to wear fire suits. Look at all the track people at Knoxville, they all wear fire-suits. It's real easy to forget, but after a few years of hanging around with Aaron Madden I was always real aware of fire.

I've talked to people who even miss the trophy dash & the chance the driver used to have to SWEEP the program for extra bucks. It can still be done, just need some-one who will put out a little sweat & effort. Start with cleaning the joint up!! Just what crop is that, they are trying to grow on the old 1/2 mile??

Amen jimmessmer.!!! As a racing fan at SFS since 1969,practically growing up at the place I feel like I have an opinion that is shared by most of the long-time fans. If it weren't for my friends that race & own cars,I have to ask myself,"If I were not a fan of this sport,WHY would I & what would bring me out here ???"

Look at things from the perspective of someone whose entertainment $$ 's are spent on the monthly cable or Dish Network bill.

If I were a casual auto racing fan who attended some of the events this summer I would have to ask my self, "Why do we want to come back "??

Oh to chyme in and this time I think I will.

nonwingbill (Bill Armstrong) worked under Larry Hill in '84-'85 (I think it was) and was there when Larry done all that he had done. The KXY showdown where Bill would call drivers from Tulsa and Kansas to come down and do the three car race challenge. He could tell you some stories but that is for our stories during the winter time. Larry came up with the $1.00 admission and packed the place. Heard he didn't make alot of money but if it brought ten new people back the next week, that was ten new fans to the sport.

Shane Carson and MARCAR. I don't know how many times the WORLD OF OUTLAWS!!! would be coming to town and there Shanes "Western Wheel" sponsored sprinter would be at Hibdons or wherever promoting his show. Noticed how packed the stands were for his WoO races?

Yes on 81 Speedway in Wichita. They actually give sets of tickets to schools or would get with businesses and give them a discount to have their company picnic there at the track. This year they started tailgating party for the fans who want to get to the track early and just hang out. He has the concession stands open for those people during these times and I hear it is really a hit.

Lanny really does allow a good job to be done at SFS as far as trying to get the new fans to the track. Connie and I have never really seen eye to eye (for some reason) but she does a pretty good job with special events for the fans.

Now days it seems there are those who think they can just put something out on the internet and they will come. While this information is four years old, at that time only 1 in 3 people in the U.S. had the internet so your not reaching everybody. Your definately not reaching the new race fan, just those of us who are deep in this sport we love so well.

My friend Chris Smith, director of competition for the NCRA late models, started last year having his drivers go into the grandstands before each race and sign frezbees and when introduced, through them into the stands. This gives the fans a chance to see those drivers up close, something you should see the kids and how they act. Right there up close to a real racecar driver. Remember, normally your average race family don't have time to go to the pits after the races because now days it is necessary to not be out of a racetrack by 11:00 pm. That is too late for a family.

I may be stepping over my bounds but I think that is what we are going to try to do next year for our NCRA/Oklahoma modified and sport mod series. First try to get drivers to go to those tracks early, setup there car on display and help promote that nights event. Then do the same in the stands to help the promoter, fans and our series.

And trophy dashes, they would be okay but have you noticed that in earlier years they would have the trophy girl in skimpy bikini (thank you Shane!) or have a lady not ashamed and would get kissed by that nights trophy winner? Remember Hershall "Hotlips" Thompson up in Tulsa would always kiss the trophy girl. Back then it was almost a nono to have something like that. Now we have almost full nudity on tv and morals are low but we have a trophy girl in a bikini and all is wrong with the world.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

After you clean up the 1/2 mile you start racing on it. Talk to the people involved with racing years back and they will tell you the 1/2 mile was the idenity of state fair speedway. I hope we will get a promoter who loves racing before we lose the speedway. Bill Bishop always said this place could be another Knoxville or bigger with a real promoter. Maybe we need to get a campaign going to find that person. Let's start with Shane C. I already asked and he said NO but everybody start asking.

This is at least the second time someone casually mentioned something that I think is advertising genius in its most simplest forms. In "the day" it was common for drivers to park their racecars out in front of their business or their sponsors business for at least one day a week. Why doesn't anyone do this anymore?? Is it really that risky???

The KXY Showdown was before my time. 1983 if I remember correctly.

The three car, three lap, 300 dollar to win match race came out of necessity. When Larry looked at our car count early in the '86 season he knew we had to do something. He came up with the idea of the match races. I tried my best to match up cars and drivers of the same skill/speed level. I spent many hours on the phone trying to convince Bob Ewell, Mike Gigot, Jay Maupin, Dennis Park or even Donnie Crawford to come to the speedway for the match race. Tow money and a motel room went a long way in those days. I don't care if it was Steve Gastineau/Bert Woodring/Jett Starr or Shane Carson/Bob Ewell/Bruce Jennings the match races created a buzz. As the match races gained popularity, it was not uncommon for fans to call me on Monday or Tuesday asking who was racing that Friday night. It was a lot of fun.

Trivia question:

We took those match race winners and put them in a $1000 winner take all race. Who took the win?

Last year at the Choctaw "Old Timer's Day" parade Don Strawn had a flatbed trailer with his cars strapped down on there & had the drivers up there with the cars throwing candy to the kids. Now how cool is that???

Oh, and speaking of trophy girls, I found OKC's best for the '86 NCRA/USAC show. Even ended up making Open Wheel. Plus we dated for a while..... Those were the days.

To easy

Us golfers would say that you have "local knowledge". You don't count.

How bout a bounty for anyone that can beat the Allens? Enid used to do this when Ted Shepard was the man in the late model class. This is just an example of course. I have talked on here before about promoting. It just isn't gettin done any more. KXY is the only station we hear it advertised on. I think it needs to get out to the younger people that listen to the most popular music genre to be affective. JMO

Man I fully agree. I had talked to dad about this before. We need new fans, so why not try to get some of the younger generation interested. A good contemporary radio station might be a good way to do that.

Promoters that charge adult prices for those over 12 years old are not helping to build a future for the sport. On average a regular weekly show charges $10 for adults and the same for those over 12. How many of these young possible future fans can even work to be able to go to the races? So who has to pay? How many families of 4, Dad, Mom and 2 teenagers can afford $40 to get in plus concessions? What there doing here is shutting out the very future that will make up the fan base in coming years. Hell, let these teens in for free or at a reduced rate if accompanied by an adult or offer a family package of around $20, regardless of how many teens the adult brings. Get there butts in the seats first and they will be paying full price for admission in a few years.

Right on !!! I think the the same.

I agree fully. The things we do now effect the future tremendously. You may lose a little at first but you will winn in the long term. Also, I'm a little rough on the cooler idea, I mean, hell, if I would've picked up all my cans it may not have been that big a deal but I'm sure they got tired of picking up everyones trash that they didn't even buy at the track.

"They're steering them sum bi***es with their right 
foot!"

Amen! My husband and I take our 2 kids every weekend to OKC and Lawton. They almost always bring a friend. A reduced rate for kids 11 and younger is available. But the price goes up for 12 and older and they're considered adults at 15 - so that makes for an expensive weekend when they bring their friends. A family package would be great!!!

We went to 81 Speedway last weekend for the NCRA race and it was an awesome program. It was only $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for the kids. It was great! At intermission the drivers pulled their cars to the front straight and signed autographs and gave away free stuff for 20 minutes. The fans ate it up - it was really awesome. The facility was clean and bright - super atmosphere for the whole family.

I would certainly go again!

GOD, Family, Dirt Track Racing,  OU Football, and the 
Dallas Cowboys is what we live for:)

I know Kellyville used to do that kind of stuff all the time. Not sure if they still do, haven't been up there in a couple years. During intermission the drivers have to come out and throw frisbees, shirts and whatever freebie stuff they throw and some will sign autographs at the fence. It's pretty cool.

SFS is the first place I came to when I arrived in OKC way back in '91. I drove from New Orleans to OKC on a Friday and timed my arrival to get here in time for the races. I was a regular there every Friday night up until 2000 when I moved to Kentucky to work at "the major horse racing facility". Since my return to OKC in '05 I have been to SFS about a half-dozen times because of how Lanny ruined the place. My latest trip was for the recent TNT show. The racing itself was great - the two tractors for wreckers taking nearly 20 minutes to clear the track after a heat race wreck simply reminded me of why I rarely go there anymore even though it is only 10 minutes from home.... truly and utterly pathetic! SFS has been on a downward spiral since Bud Carson passed. I thought Bruce Hotz was ruining the place - he looks like a saint compared to Lanny...

Phil Taylor

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