Humpy Wheeler Contrasts NASCAR Downturn With Short Track Success

[Returning to Dirt]

http://insidedirtracing.com/humpy-wheeler-contrasts-nascar-downturn-with-short-track-successespart-i/

Legendary promoter Humpy Wheeler discusses his early days in racing and what he believes short track racing has that NASCAR does not.

Interview taken from the TV show Three Wide Life

[Hoosier]

Humpy says there is a 12-15 year cycle. I think it's more like a 40-year cycle.

When I was a kid, the BIG THINGS were the World Series, KY Derby, and Indy 500. Now the NFL, MMA, and college basketball are UP. In 40 years, all the NFL stadia will look like NASCAR's empty seats (and the taxpayers will still be paying.)

[ride height]

NASCAR is in trouble. Its a total joke now, and old man France has to be spinning. Short track racing has an opportunity on a gold platter right now to explode, but it cant seem to get out of its own way.
Id much rather see a good late model or even modified dirt race than that nap fest Brian France product.

[Returning to Dirt]

Here is the link to Part II of that interview

http://insidedirtracing.com/humpy-wheeler-contrasts-nascar-downturn-with-short-track-successespart-ii/

[TackyTracker]

really prices need to come down and people will come back..

[MI Dirt Fan]

NASCARs decline started with they introduced the C.O.T

[vande077]

While Humpy may be partially correct, he is only interested in his bottom line with his Speedway Benefits company, and this is directly on the backs of short track operators across the US

I perused his website again yesterday just to remind myself about how "concerned" he is for short track racing. The we'll get a $3000 sponsor and keep $1000 of it for our work and give you $2000 proposal tells me everything. If they need to take 33% off the top they have zero interest in helping the short track operators, they are interested in the $$$ going in their pocket.

[tsand]

What's wrong with him keeping 33% if you contract with him and he finds you 3000 dollars and he keeps a thousand that's 2000 free and clear in your pocket for basically doing nothing. If he don't find you anything it don't cost you nothing. Most contract driver take 40 or fifty percent of the winnings.

[Bubstr]

NASCAR's decline started when they shut out the racers that started NASCAR. The short track guy has to have a franchised ride now to race. Then Milked every cent out of the loyal fans that supported NASCAR in the early years. It didn't help, when they took money from networks that weren't main stream and it cost the fan to have that network. They sucked the life out of it and wonder what happened. The got paid for their advertising, when ABC and FOX had it. Lots of people said it was the straw that broke the Camel's back when they had to get cable to just watch a already watered down show. They slowed everyone down. They needed to do that, but they didn't need to make everyone the same speed. They made it politically correct to cater to the new Yuppy fan and took the color out. Now the Yuppy fan is bailing out to other new things and the old guard fan went to the short tracks. Looks like NASCAR got what it deserved. This was a touring series that Bill France formed from short track racers, to get more money for the racers. It became a cash cow, which they milked dry. Greed even out weighs continued success.

[ptown]

I posted this in another thread, it's a good article from The Wall Street Journal.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/long-in-victory-lane-nascar-hits-the-skids-1487686349

[70satomic]

Nascar has many problems the one on my mind right now is how they only wanted 20 year old kids driving, it's like they were trying to sell America shaving gel & razor's

[TS FAN]

There is plenty to complain about with Nascar, but they will survive and I hope they do. They grew too big too fast and now they have gimmicked up their championship and lost contact with the older fans of the sport. But the bottom line is that they need some real stars to replace Dale Sr, Jeff, and Tony. Dale jr is certainly a fan favorite but he doesn't win much. I also think this will be his last year. the lady racer is also getting less and less attention. She is clearly over matched and the novelty is wearing off. Nascar needs some star power more than anything. I certainly expect the manipulation of the road to the championship to be ever changing, so one can decide whether they want to continue to watch. Personally I would rather have it than not have it. That is a far better thing IMO>
More racing, not less

[huskerdirt]

While Humpy may be partially correct, he is only interested in his bottom line with his Speedway Benefits company, and this is directly on the backs of short track operators across the US

I perused his website again yesterday just to remind myself about how "concerned" he is for short track racing. The we'll get a $3000 sponsor and keep $1000 of it for our work and give you $2000 proposal tells me everything. If they need to take 33% off the top they have zero interest in helping the short track operators, they are interested in the $$$ going in their pocket.

Speedway benefits program is a sham. As someone who worked in distribution for 10 years. Some of stuff he said the program can do is illegal in mine and surrounding states. For example a beer distributor can't give you a better deal because you are part of the program to buy in bulk. Distributors already have so called bulk prices and it's a helluva deal. The state liquor commission dictates the bottom line price. Furthermore even if you find a distributor to give a better deal. That distributor won't and can't go outside its territory to deliver to said track. Think of resources and money wasted to send one beer truck a track 200 miles away to deliver even 300 cases of beer. The distributor is still losing money, big time.

Going to Sams club or Costco to buy beer and then reselling it also illegal.

[kidrock]

Nascar Decline in my opinoin is from corporate america and greed by all

[TS FAN]

That is true for all popular sports. It is always about the bottom line.

[vande077]

Speedway benefits program is a sham. As someone who worked in distribution for 10 years. Some of stuff he said the program can do is illegal in mine and surrounding states. For example a beer distributor can't give you a better deal because you are part of the program to buy in bulk. Distributors already have so called bulk prices and it's a helluva deal. The state liquor commission dictates the bottom line price. Furthermore even if you find a distributor to give a better deal. That distributor won't and can't go outside its territory to deliver to said track. Think of resources and money wasted to send one beer truck a track 200 miles away to deliver even 300 cases of beer. The distributor is still losing money, big time.

Going to Sams club or Costco to buy beer and then reselling it also illegal.

I agree, it's about lining his own pockets, not about "saving short track racing" as he touted when it started it up.

While a poster above thought them taking 33% wasn't a big deal, I don't think he realizes that they may work with Pepsi or Coke Corporate and get a Corporate Sponsorship for $1 Million they take $333,333.33 of that and then distribute the remainder to tracks based on their attendance (and the tracks pay a "fee" to be part of the program as well). The local distributor may be willing to sponsor the local track and give them $2000 for the season and be involved with the track, while Humpy's group may give you the same $2000, you miss out on so many promotional opportunities it's crazy.

We have a local bottler of Pepsi 25 miles from my local track. They PROMOTE the local track on cans, bottles and in local stores as part of their partnership with the track (as well as selling their products there, having personnel on site during the races, and signage at the track). If the track went with Speedway Benefits they lose all of that promotion and assistance) and get a sign in it's place.

I am yet to see any local tracks in my area take him up on his offer and one of the tracks is promoted by a guy that worked for him.

[BloomerHarvickFan]

NASCAR's decline started when they shut out the racers that started NASCAR. The short track guy has to have a franchised ride now to race. Then Milked every cent out of the loyal fans that supported NASCAR in the early years. It didn't help, when they took money from networks that weren't main stream and it cost the fan to have that network. They sucked the life out of it and wonder what happened. The got paid for their advertising, when ABC and FOX had it. Lots of people said it was the straw that broke the Camel's back when they had to get cable to just watch a already watered down show. They slowed everyone down. They needed to do that, but they didn't need to make everyone the same speed. They made it politically correct to cater to the new Yuppy fan and took the color out. Now the Yuppy fan is bailing out to other new things and the old guard fan went to the short tracks. Looks like NASCAR got what it deserved. This was a touring series that Bill France formed from short track racers, to get more money for the racers. It became a cash cow, which they milked dry. Greed even out weighs continued success.

You do realize that before the Fox and NBC deal of 2001, most of the NASCAR races were on Cable. ESPN, TBS, TNN, TNT. There were only a few of the bigger races on Network TV.
Personally I liked it better when you had more people showing races. Each one had their own broadcast crew, with a little overlap.

[Bubstr]

You do realize that before the Fox and NBC deal of 2001, most of the NASCAR races were on Cable. ESPN, TBS, TNN, TNT. There were only a few of the bigger races on Network TV.
Personally I liked it better when you had more people showing races. Each one had their own broadcast crew, with a little overlap.

NASCAR got their biggest growth from TV that was Mainstream network or basic cable. When people have to pay a hundred dollars a month to see their favorite type of show, they change favorites. If NASCAR had a choice, they made the wrong one. Lucas oil started LORTV because it gave more fans a chance to see their product. This move may well be the start of something big. The all powerful cable companies just got a chink in their armor. We, now don't have to watch, what the preferred networks think we want to watch. Between LORTV , NETFLIX and a few others, I dumped Cable TV. I see what I want and saved a few bucks. NASCAR had to go. It wasn't my NASCAR any way and I went to races since 1964. They haven't had a Champion since they changed the points race. If they didn't win them like Richard Petty and Dale Sr. they just didn't win them.