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Posted By: CRA91 on January 12 2014 at 12:39:35 PM
I'll agree that 8 dollars to park is a little high,but how do you think us racers feel,by the time we buy pit passes, a RR tire,fuel for the race car and hauler we're already out 5 to 7 hundred dollars and we haven't even unloaded the car yet! If you don't run in the top 4 you're not going to break even,it's no wonder why car counts are down,very few people can afford to absorb a loss like that week in and week out.
I guess what I'm getting at is,before you complain about having to spend a 50 to 200 dollars at the races,stop and think about the amount that the people giving you entertainment to watch and what they're spending,that might help to put it into perspective.
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Agreed. Racing is expensive. We need to keep the car owners, drivers, and sponsors in mind. They do provide one hell of an exciting show. Without them, my life would never be the same. The race teams have a huge expense to factor into their budgets. Today's costs versus today's purses makes it really, really difficult to break even.
However their is a difference...
THEY GET TO DRIVE A SPRINT CAR!
Racing will always have competitors that are gonna do it for the thrill of it...not for a paycheck. The car counts will dwindle down for sure once less people can afford to do it, but the simple fact is this: They are not doing it for the fans...they are doing it for the thrill of it. In California, there are very few that are doing this as an occupation...and those that are doing this to make money are not the best at practicing good business decisions...haha. Racing is an expensive hobby. Always was...always will be. If there was potential for anyone to put a car on the track and leave the joint with a profit there would be 100 cars on the track every night in each division.
I feel your pain, man. I could never afford to own a top-notch sprint car team. I cannot afford the time or money to rent a car and participate. Otherwise, I would join you in a heartbeat. However, we cannot forget that WE NEED THE FANS or this whole deal goes away! The fans that are voicing their concerns for the increase in prices each year must be heard. Otherwise, we're all gonna have to travel out of town/state to get a taste of dirt in our beer and methanol fumes in our faces.
All I am saying is this...it is extremely important to keep the car owners and sponsors happy, but don't forget how important it is to keep the front gate healthy and try not to criticize the fans for wanting value for their hard-earned dollars. Every one of us needs to be heard. The car owners/drivers have a bigger price tag, but a much larger reward too. The fans have zero chance of going home with more money in their pocket than they came with...unless they buy a lucky 50/50 ticket...haha. We need to keep that in perspective too. Sure, they receive value in exchange for their expense, but if the expense exceeds the reward, the non-hardcore fans are going to stop making the effort to support it.
With that said, "Sponsor" has a point. The existing venues have dialed in what they believe is the best supply and demand formula for their prices balance their operation costs. Apparently, they feel that an increase in costs each year will still allow them enough income at both the front and back gates to keep the doors open all year long. We haven't much say in that. We just need to fork it out and show up. The only concern I have is that It appears the tracks are only banking more on the back gate incorme. The front gate financial numbers are calculated on the amount of hardcore fans that will show up regardless of the cost. This makes it financially difficult to attact newbies.
In the past, I loved to bring a co-worker, neighbor, or buddy to a race track, buy a couple of pit passes, and get them hooked on the sport by giving them an up-close look at just how crazy this sport really is. Once they saw the cars without the hoods covering the monster motors, watched the drivers strap into their cars, and witnessed hot laps firsthand from a trackside view, they were hooked. The next race, some of these people brought their families to the events and some have even continued to do so. Nowadays, it's hard to get a 1st-timer to cough up the cost of a pit pass, and even if they did, its hard to get them to bring a car load of 4 adults to the track the next month when it is $108.00 just to get past the front gate for a weekly race.
We're all in this together, brother!
Doug Bushey
Passionate Fan / Announcer / Media & Public Relations
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