Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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USAC will be going against Knoxville Saturday May 5th....

Iowa Speedway begins an active 2007 Racing Season on Saturday, April 21, with the Grand AM Cup KONI Challenge on the challenging 1.3 mile Allan Wilson-designed road course. Races on the track’s wide, fast 7/8 mile oval include the USAC Triple Crown for Midgets, Sprint cars, and Silver Crown on Saturday night, May 5. Other races include the ASA Late Model Challenge, May 19th, the NASCAR Grand National East/West, May 20th, the Prairie Meadows 250 ARCA RE/MAX Series, Saturday night, June 2, the IndyCar practice and IndyPro Series Qualifying on Friday, June 22, the IndyPro Series Main Event and IndyCar qualifying on Saturday, June 23, and the Iowa Corn Indy 250 IndyCar Series race on Sunday afternoon, June 24. In addition, the MOTO ST Endurance Motorcycle Road race will be held on July 13th and the Grand American Rolex Road Racing Series – featuring Daytona Prototype and Grand Touring sports cars – will be held on Saturday, July 14th. The season ends with a return of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series on the big oval, Saturday night, September 22, 2007.

Apples vs. oranges.....you decide......I'm guessing Knoxville will be the choice for most fans......

Chuck.....

At least two different fan bases at work here.

Pavement Non-Wing Sprints versus Dirt Winged Sprints

Did the non wing guy forget his at home ?

Two different fan bases? Maybe...

but I think the key is getting NEW fans or general racing fans to attend one or the other race event. The hard-core fan will probably be there anyway.

So...I guess the battle is on to determine which track can entice the general public and race fan to come out to their place. Should be interesting....

It is competition for the fans, at least some will stay home to watch the Iowa Speedway races on TV or choose to check out the new track. I realize that most Hosers will easily choose the greatest racetrack in Iowa over the newest one, but we are a small minority of the fans either track needs to attract to be successful. Those events will affect the stock car races at West Liberty on those same nights, Oskaloosa's weekly Weds night modified show and the go karters at English Creek on those weeks before and after. (few can afford to attend races several times a week, especially at the prices that the new track and it's high profile series will bring)

It's no different than NASCAR's trend towards night races....I betcha most promoters can tell you within a 100 how many tickets the Firecracker 400 or the Bristol night race will cost them. Believe me, it costs every race track running against a night race on TV.

But you have to deal with it, it isn't going to change just because Cappy or any other promoter doesn't like it. It's why I was intially opposed to the Iowa Speedway. I have softened a little on my opinion recently when reminded of the quote "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger". I think Knoxville and the tracks with good management will survive and maybe even benefit by closing down the weaker shows.

Good new way to look at it Bump. Will make Knoxville maybe do some old fashion style promoting. Maybe get back things like...what was it..? Uncle Don..? Give some stuff away and maybe remember that those free tickets they get everyweek to give out to new fans are meant for fans and not family members. Might help bring back the old days of Knoxville trying to promote to get butts in the seats.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Well that sucks!!!!! I would have liked to have gone to the USAC races, specially since they are running practice and mains all the same day. I sent them an email respectfully asking why they would schedule heads up against Knoxville on Saturday night (per their race schedule). If they reply, I'll post their response

From what I saw at the last USAC race at Newton, don't bother. Talk about strung out and boring. Too fast, everyone had to tip toe around each other to keep from having huge crashes. Never been much of a pavement fan, went to support racing in general, been there, done that, don't need to do it again.

I was there for the practice day. Just want to give it 1 more try. Surely the people running things learned something about running this kind of race. I have hope......lol

I would consider the 450 mile drive to Iowa Speedway to watch the USAC midgets and sprint cars because I don't believe that race cars should have wings on them. But to pay extra at the gate to see those butt-ugly Silver Crown Zambonis ? No, thanks !!!

See y'all at Gas City and Sun Prairie.

Fenders ? We don't need no stinking fenders !!!

I thought the races were decent except for the Silver Crown cars.

Had looked into getting seats in Newton because it's only a couple of hours drive. I have the Club seats in Kansas City and the comparable seats in Newton were a lot higher than I paid in KC and Newton don't have the Bush and Cup races.As far as Sprints at Newton save you money and go to a regular Saturday night show at Knoxville if you want to see good racing.

Some Des Moines T.V. station's don't know that NASCAR Grand National racing isn't Cup, Busch, or Trucks. It is such a joke to listen to Rusty Wallace talk about all the big races coming to "his track" All Wallace invested for his 16.66 % was his name and some time. ISC or Speedway Motor Corp. are waiting in the wings like vultures eyeing a fresh road kill to scoop the place up for pennies on the dollar in the very near future. Doing the math, if they have spent as the track has reported 70 million dollars to build it, you couldn't service the interest on their investment with ALL THEIR TOTAL revenues. Then you got little issues like payroll, purses and utilities to pay also.

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R.A.

S.H.S.

Regardless, you hav eto admit that the Iowa Speedway PR staff has done an outstanding job of getting the track on the local TV news.

They really know how to work the media.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I presume most of the racing at Iowa Speedway will be during daylight hours. Did the Iowa Speedway install lighting? Some of the big paved tracks don't even have lights.

I think a lot of racefans will check out Knoxville while they're down there so it might benefit them to some extent, especially if Knoxville is promoted up in Newton. We were thinking about going there the IRL weekend and watching Midgets for a couple days leading up to the IRL cars.

Stan Meissner

The Track has the lastest Musco lighting all around it...They have had a couple of night shows already..

I'm not sure about the USAC schedule of events at Newton but I know the IRL race is an afternoon deal with TV.

The lighting system is state-of-the-art at that facility. Very nice.

The fans that want to go to Knoxville will go to Knoxville, those that are interested in Iowa Speedway will do that...it's the mainstream fans that are in play.

Iowa was scheduled to get the track at Kansas City but we wouldn't give the tax breaks to ISC. It was so close that I had aready purchesed tickets with the option if we didn't get it I would get my money back. Well I got my money back and bought the seats in KC. Then Iowa gives all the tax breaks to a track that isn't going to amout to anything but a bunch of lower bracket racing. Rusty sure did a job of pulling the wool over their eyes.