Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

There's plenty on that list....check with the Texas group of guys (over 70 cars registered and ready to race) but they only allow 30 to come race, and they make the calls on Wednesday of race week to determine who "can" come. That leaves roughly 40 cars searching for some other place to run, and often times that means they hit the road.  This isn't the only scenario, but one that comes to mind rather quickly.

He might be a perfect example for 360's but the topic was 305's.

Hey trecraft, check out my response just above this. The 40 plus travelers I'm referring to in TX are ALL 305 cars.

If your purse is at least $300 for third,  that is a good start.  Is that 25% constant?  In other words, good for increased purse races also?

We can run two tracks within a 60 mile radius.  Average 305 car count this year was 16 at one and 7-10 at the other  They must have more money in Texas. To win here is $325-$350.  Some are going 410 because they can't afford to run the 305's.  And they are local cars.

That is about the same purse the Iowa State Fairgrounds paid Late Models for a Thursday afternoon show during the fair in 1974 with 6-10K in attendance.

DesMoines only averaged about 700 people a week in grandstand in 2013.  I got this from promoter.  That is pretty bad for a city the size of DesMoines. 

This from the book Sharon Speedway  The First 50 Years  1931-1980.  May 29, 1967 4,261 fans   June 12, 1967  3,689 fans  July 10, 4,352 fans   July 17,  1967  4,575 fans.  Sharon Speedway was and still is in Hartford, Ohio.   In defense of your promoter,   Sharon doesn't  get those kind of numbers now either.  And you are correct, that is pretty bad.  We must have cared more about racing.

What do you expect?  6 divisions, no promotion at all, races have a curfew and start too early.

State Fairgrounds is not exactly in the greatest part of DesMoines and they run on Friday night (the demographic of families that attend races don't live in that area (they live in West DesMoines or Waukee).

My guess is that things will improve this year with a new promotor, but DesMoines is a tough sell (the concessions are overpriced, the car counts aren't stellar, and they are competing against the Barnstormers and I-Cubs for fans - and almost always on Friday Nights, the I-Cubs have some sort of family deal and fireworks once a month).

Tony will get more fans and cars, but it's gonna take time to recuperate from the complete lack of promotion that Mick Trier did.....

Racers are racers, it doesn't matter the division.

There are drivers of open wheel modifieds that live in DesMoines and don't race there.  There are drivers that live in Osky and don't race there.  There are drivers that live in Knoxville that don't race there (Wayne Johnson, Kerry Madsen - however they are following a Touring Series, so hard to use them as a great example).

Same can be said of pretty much EVERY division of racing.  Guys are gonna race where they are TREATED fairly and with respect.  Purse has very little to do with where people race (outside of the big dogs that do it for a living, everyone else is doing it for fun).

Heck, Mark Dobmier probably spends more $$ on fuel, upkeep on the hauler and pit passes than he can ever recoup by racing @ Knoxville and Huset's every week.  yet, he does it and it seems to me that they do it becuase of how they are treated (it sure can't be for the purse $$$, they are still losing $$$ even if they win).

I would say the same thing goes for fans.  I know people that drive 250-300 miles ONE WAY every week to come to Knoxville, yet they don't even attend their local track EVER - even if they are running a sprint car show.  Why - becuase the promotor of that track doesn't respect the fans.  They drag out the shows as long as they possibly can to squeeze every last penny out of their wallets.  Knoxville doesn't do that, they push off the next heat race as soon as the one before took the checker (and they have the first heat race lined up and ready to go while the Invocation and National Anthem are being done, so we don't have to "wait" for an intermission once the pre-race festivities are over).  Concessions are reasonably priced (when you compare to other "entertainment venues" such as Wells Fargo Arena, Iowa Speedway, the Iowa State Fair, Iowa Hawkeye Athletics, ISU Athletics, etc..

In the world we are living in, people expect "instant gratification", which means you can not have dead time just to have dead time.  Having a 5-8 minute intermission following the heat races to give away prizes is OK, but to have a 5 minute intermission BETWEEN EVERY HEAT RACE runs fans off (they don't want to get home after midnight - especially if they have kids).

The Fairground is a great venue..and i am sure the people behind this venture are smart enough to see the problems of the past are corrected..but they sure need to get moving with encoraging  owners and drivers to commit to racing there this first season with the 305 Racesaver division

Racesaver does not allow them to pay this purse. To be legal with Racesaver the last place car must receive no less than 50% of what the winner gets. Expect a call from French Grimes.

But these are IMCA 305 with Racesaver engine rules.  I could be wrong, but do not think Racesaver  guy will mind.

i am in total agreement..put up the good purse and get good car counts

kustomincorp, you are correct...get good car counts, get more fans...get more fans, purse has a CHANCE of going up...purse goes up. get more cars....and so on. I'm looking forward to this season with the 1K team!

Rumor I heard is they are gonna construct a new high banked 3/8 mile track at the Iowa State Fairgrounds for the 2015 season..... does anyone know if this is really gonna happen?

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

vande77, Dusty Zomer does the same thing.

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

Yes, I read an article in Hawkeye Racing News that stated this in an interview with race promoter Moro.  That is the plan but guess it could change if cars and fans do not improve this year.  My advice is support Des Moines in every way you can.

yep, and there are tons more if someone would do the research (although Zomer does race some around Huset's (the car he races @ Knoxville stays in Knoxville 365 days a year) with his own car).