BIGGEST effect of dirt racing COST or the ECONOMY or is it about equal?

[HoosierDirtFan]

YOU THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF RACING AND DIRT RACING IN GENERAL.

BIGGEST effect on the current state of dirt racing the COST or the ECONOMY or is it about equal and what can possibly be done to fix it.

[Okfine]

Lackluster promotion ........the guys that are good at it have healthy stands and pits......the guys that aren't, not so much.

Economy and cost are certainly a contributing factor, in my opinion though, it's the promotion of the sport that's weak.

[Pops15]

It's by far the cost to run competitively.
It can be fixed but the cars would be late models not super late models. If, and that's a big IF, weekly LM racing is to make a come back here in UMP territory it will have to with WISSOTA or IMCA type rules.
If anyone is serious about reviving weekly late model racing it's going to involve spec engines, restrictor plates for open engines, hockey puck tires, and spec shocks.......and a serious effort when it comes to tech inspection.

[buster83]

for someone just starting out unless they got abundance of cash it`s tough,and for the ones in the middle are racing but struggling but hanging on, the fellows that have been in it a long time and have excess parts decent sponsors are also trying to keep head above water.it`s a great sport but inflation cost has hit the wallet on everything.just compare prices say few years ago and today, and wages have not went up as fast and i am not talking about hamburger flippers.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

It is costs, period. In the 90s, a good shock was $125. You could build your own competitive engine for $8k. You raced for $1200 weekly.

Today, a good shock is $1200. Your engine costs $10k just to rebuild it after you paid $40k for it. You race for $1200 weekly.

And the only way we get new racers is the rich kid who buys the blueprinted crate and the most expensive roller from the boutique builder. The guys who are 4th generation are hanging it up.

[formercrewguy]

Pittsburger admission prices: GA- $50 Pit- $75. This is insane.

[RoundNrOUND]

To the guy that said go to Wissota or IMCA type spec motor rules, wrong. Some of them guys are spending almost or over 30k for those things too. The hockey puck tires, yeah those slow down every time on the track. It's not like you can run them to the chords and still be competitive, you will still have guys on new tires every time on the track. I don't know what the answer is to "saving" super late models, maybe there isn't one.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

To the guy that said go to Wissota or IMCA type spec motor rules, wrong. Some of them guys are spending almost or over 30k for those things too. The hockey puck tires, yeah those slow down every time on the track. It's not like you can run them to the chords and still be competitive, you will still have guys on new tires every time on the track. I don't know what the answer is to "saving" super late models, maybe there isn't one.

Maybe they will let us put aluminum wedge bodies on our Honda Preludes?

[cgrace]

seen fegers fb page Allen thomas from 1998 cost always problem https://www.facebook.com/JasonFegerRacing/photos/pcb.10153473760398567/10153473759873567/?type=1&theater

[Pops15]

roundnround, So you're saying cutting engine costs 25% isn't a good idea? What about the cost and frequency of freshening engines? Those spec engines are definitely cheaper.
The hard tire rules aren't meant to get racers to run a tire forever. Those rules are to eliminate the need for expensive engines.
I do agree that there might not be any "saving" super late models.
Supers have become too expensive for the racers and the tracks for weekly racing.

[Dante Toledo, OH]

I agree that cost, and lack of any real increase in payout over the last 20-30 years, along with the economy dumping are all big factors. It also seems to me (just an opinion) that in areas where their is 5-6 tracks all in a hundred mile radius, scheduling on top of each other hurts car counts. That hurts fan counts. Areas like southern Ohio or perhaps in Illinois where their are so many tracks and not enough cars. Othe areas that only have a 2-3 tracks in a 100 mile range and the promotion, ownership etc kinda work together. Mention the other tracks big shows during breaks, having little mini series that include the other area tracks. Take weeks off when the neighbor tracks are having a big show etc. those things help a lot. Where i live Attica and Fremont both work together with the 410 and 305 sprints. The both take weeks off when Eldora is running the Kings Royal. Attica runs Fridays Fremont runs Saturday. Oakshade also runs Saturday but only run Lates, sportsman, bombers, 4cyl. Fremont Saturday runs 410's 305's, crate models, dirt trucks. Limaland runs in the same area they run 360 sprints with Mods. Millstream runs some Sunday races. They have a few Late Model shows a few 410 shows and a few non wing shows. Waynesfield runs non wing and mods etc. so all these tracks are basically in north central, north west Ohio and they all have their own fans and own thing going on. Nobody is running the same class on the same night and all these tracks are making it work at the front and back gates. AND Eldora has there ALMS shows before The other tracks open or run on sundays on holiday weekends and the other tracks bow to them for the Dream, World, Kings Royal. But all these tracks I mentioned are owned, ran, or promoted by people that love the sport and pour their hearts into it year after year. These other tracks not doing prep, or scheduling on top of each other, all trying to run the same classes on the same nights. Etc. they are killing themselves.

[fastford]

It is costs, period. In the 90s, a good shock was $125. You could build your own competitive engine for $8k. You raced for $1200 weekly.

Today, a good shock is $1200. Your engine costs $10k just to rebuild it after you paid $40k for it. You race for $1200 weekly.

And the only way we get new racers is the rich kid who buys the blueprinted crate and the most expensive roller from the boutique builder. The guys who are 4th generation are hanging it up.

ahh , the good ole days , the late 90s and early 2000s were some of my best years, even though 1200 wasn't really enough back then. my problem is economy and my income, which is no better than back then, he!!, maybe worse.

[Bubstr]

ahh , the good ole days , the late 90s and early 2000s were some of my best years, even though 1200 wasn't really enough back then. my problem is economy and my income, which is no better than back then, he!!, maybe worse.

Why stop at the 90s? In the 50s you could have a competitive car for $400. Now the money is worth less and prices are going up. It wasn't easy to scrape that $400 up back then either.

There is no real fix, racers will spend all they can to win. I can remember spending four weeks of paychecks to buy a stroker kit for a flat head ford. Today someone will spend four weeks of paychecks on shocks.

It has priced the guy at the local gas station out and with him went his fans. Worse it discouraged the young guys from their dream to race. There are fewer of them in the stands, pushing the go pedal for their favorite driver, because they know, they can never afford it. I say, enjoy it for what it is and while it lasts.

[Hoosier]

Five years ago I thought that crate engines would really take off, but the car counts aren't growing. Surprises me. Another thing is sponsors - NASCAR has sucked up everything. Every track used to have cars sponsored by Coke, Pepsi, Wynns, Bud, STP, etc. Now most cars have little or no sponsorship.

[RoundNrOUND]

I'm not saying cutting the cost of motors 15% isn't going to help, but I would expect a heck of a lot cheaper for a motor producing 200+ less HP. The hard tire gimmick that they sell is bull because they picked the biggest piece of crap tire to put those guys on. I love some of the tracks when getting to go thru those parts of the country but I absolutely hate having to deal with the tire, or now tires, they have to chose from. That's another thing, so the drivers apparently complained long enough about the 55 version they were given so wissota this year has aloud their version of the 30 and 70. The 30 is the same as the UMP 30 just stamped different, the 70 is the same as down south except just stamped different. Here's the kicker, no siping and no grooving. Anyone on here who has ever dealt with those two tires knows how that turns out, so much for helping the racer.

[RoundNrOUND]

They helped the lazy guys, they didn't help the true racers.

[W2Racing09]

They helped the lazy guys, they didn't help the true racers.

I wouldn't call people lazy because of a no siping and grooving rule.

There are not enough "true racers" (as you put it) left to fill the fields at local tracks. There is a big group of people (myself incl.) who have the money to race, but time is our issue with a 45-50 hour work week, a 1-2 hour (one way) commute, and kids, etc. These are the type of people for whom time is a lot more valuable than money (that is why we buy services like Maids, Landscaping, etc.)

I can't spend 10 hours a week on tires, because I only have 10 hours a week to spend on the car. My answer to that is to race less (I'll probably be lucky to run 12 races next year) which is fine with me, but the tracks on the other hand would much rather see me run 20-30 races to help the car count. If siping/grooving tires is not allowed then I might be able to make 20 shows because of all the time it saves me.

Times are/have changed. A very large portion of the people who can afford to race fall into the category that I described above. Unfortunately I don't see that changing any time soon (at least not in the area I live in).

Thanks,
Jeff.

[Bubstr]

The problem is, transfinantial. That's like transgendered, but we are rich men born in a poor mans body.

[Okfine]

Oh brother............