Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Any thoughts on the best track promoters in the country for weekly and big shows?

What do fans look for in today's entertainment climate to bring you to the track?

I am a simple man.

1. A racey surface for the feature with more then one line

2. No more then 3 classes total

3. Have the show moved through in 2.5 to 3 hours

4. Start at your posted time

If you do those things, you will keep people interested as the product is good and it isn't too long. You can create the next generation of fans as kids will make it through the show. The teams may not like the pace but it is part of the give and take. More people will show up if it isn't a marathon event. More people, maybe the promotor will share some of the gate by putting it in the purse. More purse, more teams. Maybe its a pipe dream too?

Kenny Dobson, Jacksonville, IL.

This!   I wish I could find this in Texas but I can't.   Definetly not at any weekly races anyway.   We get the Outlaws once a year, and ASCS a few more times.   Unfortunately even Devils Bowl is running five classes total with ASCS now, and they haven't got any of these four things down.   They rarely have a racy track.   Seems like they've gotten less efficient at keeping the show running too.   Add a couple more classes and no thanks...

I think the OP was looking for people or tracks that are getting right, not tracks that get it wrong. Along with what fans look for. 

I personally would like to see massive amounts of cars in few classes opposed to a few cars in many classes. Of course the racy surface and nice facility but as far as cars, I want more per class less classes. 

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

The best promoted track in C PA wasn't even a Sprint car track that was Silver Spring. The method was simple 1 top class Super Sportsman 2 lower classes Ltd Late Models and Street stocks. Had them consistently every week the drivers called the place home. Low admissions Kids under 12 free and good affordable food. Car counts were always full with the supers pulling 50 almost 60 every week. Sadly it's gone and so are most of the fans and drivers.

Parnelli, you are so right, that place had a loyal following for so many years. The racing was some of the best in central pa

Tony Noceti, promoter of Stockton Dirt Track and the asphalt Stockton 99  Speedway in CA.  Gives you a decent track, prompt show, good concessions, payoffs usually at the track and often more than was advertised.  He also treats every class like they're the headliners, a pleasantry not found at a lot of speedways, doesn't throw in the towel on a show a week early when there is a minimal chance of bad weather.  He's also a tireless promoter for the area and opens his joints for all kinds of charities.  He's a pleasure to race for and we try to run every show on the dirt track that he'll have for our class.  Need more like him.

Wasn't a super sportsman sort of a limited sprint car? What changed that a successful track like that would go away?

I think the crew at Husets Speedway does a pretty darned good job. 

I'd also agree with many on here about timeframes. How about this? Try your hardest to start at the posted time. Then run the show as if there was a storm coming.

Related thought- I think they could widen Husets by 20 feet on the bottom.

Sort of like a Sprint car but they have steel small blocks with a carburetor and a starter a small top wing with the lower frame rails 2x4 I believe not tubing. The reason it went away was the value of the land it sat on it's a Home Depot I believe now. The division races at Baps now but is shadow of what it once was case in point the opener this year drew 14 cars.

To be fair the division also started a wingless series that tours various tracks and racing at Path Valley several times on Friday nights that seems to be doing well but the winged cars are dwindling it seems. It's sad because this division goes way back and was truly a working mans division. Several C Pa stars started in them long before limited sprints.

I would say there are a number of places that are great and put on pretty solid shows from a weekly perspective. Big show wise Knoxville and Eldora usually hit it out of the park. Many other tracks do not have the resources that those tracks have though but do a great job with what they have whether its putting on a weekly show, regional (all star), Outlaw, or other big time class.

For me I look at quality of the overall field of cars for the race. Here in Ohio we have some solid guys that run on a weekly basis and the tracks usually give them a good surface. I am fine with there being 2-4classes as long as they are not junk classes used specifically to get backgate money. As one wiseman once said if you are looking to make more money through your backgate sometimes you will lose your frontgate.

I don't really have a set quota as far as classes or time span for the show to last. It can be 2.5-3hrs, it can be 5-6+, as long as the show keeps moving with no dead time. Meaning is there racing for a large amount of time from beginning to end or are we having to take 10-15 minutes to get each heat started because of the amount of push trucks and the tower having to line cars up, or taking forever to clean up.I have been at a race for 6hrs before and felt like there was racing going on nearly the whole time, and I have been there for about 4hrs and felt like they only raced for about an hour. I am fine with a little down time here and there to give guys enough time to work on the cars but if there are 2-3classes going on that usually takes care of itself. 

Restrooms. No I do not need to have a 5star accomedation bathroom but please clean them. Having worked at a hockey rink and having to clean disgusting locker rooms and bathrooms every night for many years, I have no sympathy or feel that anyone is above having to clean a toilet. You own a business, clean your restroom. Especially if your restroom is a porta john, have it serviced. With that said, as race fans let's do the owners a favor and treat the restrooms like they are our own. That means gentlemen do not put an entire roll of toliet paper in the toilet expecting it to flush, and it does not mean that you get to relax your aim and let everything fly anywhere. If there aim is to keep the place clean then your aim will help them do that.

To echo Nick, I don't really care how many classes or length of show most times out.  I usually attend with my camper because all tracks are a haul for me living in a sprint car dead zone.  As long as the show moves at a decent pace and there are no ridiculous down times, I am fine.  Also, keep the facility and bathrooms clean-----agree.

As far as racing goes, I'm not real sentimental about the 80's and 90's.  I don't enjoy watching 2 or 3 cars come through and inverted field of inferior cars.  I like shows where there are 10-12 cars that can win, and drivers are rewarded for unloading fast.  The race starts for me when the cars hit the track for hot laps and qualifying.  I know---I'm a weirdo because the majority of race fans (for some reason) are stuck in the Kinser/Sammy/Wolf era when they enjoyed watching one of those 3 come through an entire field of under-funded cars.  I like seeing Gravel, Sweet, Macedo, and Schatz line up in the front 2 rows of the feature and battle it out while Sheldon tries to come from 8th or 10th to join the fight.  I have never been amazed watching a big gun show up at an invert show, start 8th, and blow the field away in 6 laps.  Yawner.  I also don't like seeing a show with an 8 car invert only to stick what is clearly the fastest car in an eighth starting spot on a one-lane track and watch him finish 7th.   Yawner.  I'd rather see that car lap the field.  

There are only a handful of 410 Sprint Car races, all special events, close to home.  I go to a few of the 410 shows at Cedar Lake and have a couple road trips to Knoxville and Husets planned.  Weekly shows are mostly Stock Car and Modified classes with some limited winged and non-winged and I go to a couple of those or catch them as support class for the bigger shows.

Aside from that I currently have Dirtvision and Floracing.  I watch a lot of Knoxville and Husets weekly but only drive those kinds of distances and get a room a couple times per season.  When all is said and done the best race is often on one of the streaming channels due to expense and distance.  I don't trust my night driving enough to do red eye trips like I used to do through my 50's.  

Stan Meissner

I perfectly understood what the OP was asking Rod!   He asked two questions, not just the first one.    Maybe you missed the greater point, that in North Texas we don't have any tracks or promoters who are getting it right!  Your "few cars in many classes" is exactly what racing is like here.

Apologize in advance as I meant basically the same thing.  Most weekly multi class shows don't interest me regardless of how good the track is.  We have a bunch of dirt tracks in Minnesota and western Wisconsin that I never mention because they never have any Sprint specials.  

Stan Meissner

I did not read everyone's post, but let me state that the question was, who is the best promoter. I take that as pre-race communication, and how the event is ran, not my thoughts on the facility. 
My "home track" is Knoxville, and any spectator there has been spoiled from the top to the bottom. I do wish Knoxville would do better about moving the program along. I understand that's a juggling act of giving the drivers time and getting home at a decent time. Kendra Jacobs understood the importance of trying to finish at 10pm. 
Little things like calling the cars to the staging area, minimizing time after heats, comms over the radio, and giving the drivers 2 laps max to get lined up can speed up a program. Obviously the on track events will affect overall time. 

Like Nick said, Knoxville has the resources to spend more money on marketing, tv, radio, posters etc, which all help IMO, but ONE thing I think most tracks fail to do is utilize social media, including Knoxville. The drivers are understanding the value and potential revenue from videos on youtube and Knoxville is doing it more and more, however I think there could be more. 

I would love to see a short 20-30 second clip of what is going on Saturday night, kind of like a commercial only not the same everrrrytime. Stuff like points update, drivers showing up for the week, start times,  something short about the track, maybe a special that concessions is running or serving. Go holler at Big Jared with Ascent Media, and do some short videos and pictures with him. The kid is talented and a good editor. Get a schedule down for the media and communications that will be released during the week leading up to Saturday and weeks leading up to the bigger shows. 

Keep It Real