low car and fan counts,,why?

With what seemed like a dismal year of mods at local tracks,what do you think the cause is? I think a lot of it is payout. The backmarkers are paid peanuts and can not afford to go every week.They know when they show up it means they lost money. Pit passes have went up almost every 2 years and class payout sucks. If you win you are fortunate enough to help ends meet. A $1000 to win race is good but do not pay 2nd place $200. Tires,fuel for car and truck,oil changes,safety equipment,just everyday parts have risen dynamically. I think car counts dropping has an effect on fans as well. There has been times when promoters have had to use b mods to get 10 cars so they can give UMP points. That is sad.Why? What are your thoughts? What can be done to help the sport out? I do not think the economy is the big reason. Racers are still buying new cars and toters. I for one will not go to track and pay $12 to $15 to see 6 or 7 classes of cars when there is not enough cars to have a 12 car feature. I will travel and spend my money on tracks that will have. Promoters are not what they used to be. They rely on social media for their tracks and as it may help it also plays a big part in low cars etc.

good post/topic. I went mainly to FALS this season and Plymouth twice, these must be the two standouts as both had good crowds. I did see times with less the 20 A Mods, but never less than 18. I see costs being a factor for Mods, with engine and chassis being high on the list. This year UMP is making crates mandatory for B Mods too and this could force teams to come up with 4k or switch classes if they are running open motor now.

Car counts will continue to drop due to the cost of racing, and the number of people in the stands will drop due to the internet, and kids not being introduced to racing like they once were. It's inevitable evolution and unless someone does something, it'll continue to decline. Think back to the late 90's. There were Late Models running at most tracks every Saturday night. Not so any more. You can't find many tracks in the mid-west that run Late Models. Maybe for a special, but not weekly. There are exceptions but those are far and few between.Why? Cost. In the Southeast, you find Late Models in many classes, but no modifieds. Same thing. The Super Late models have gotten so expensive that many have dropped to a steel block Late Model class or Crate class (just bit my tongue.)

IMCA mods are still going strong here in Iowa. Late models are almost dead, but mods and sport mods are the two strongest classes at our local tracks.

IMCA mods have given the option for the 604 crate and it has helped alot of guys based on the cost. Wish UMP would attack the motor situation to be comparable to IMCA. This would help alot of guys instead of spending $20k+ to race for $600-$800.

People are still spending $20k+ to race IMCA mods. A brand new Rage mod with all name brand parts can go as high as $40k race ready. They are still less maintenance than an IMCA late model and are easier to travel with, so late model drivers are moving to the modified class.

I was talking about 20k+ for the motor. Car costs are getting ridiculous as well, I agree. Guy complained during his victory lane interview about running for $800 and yet had $40-50k modified at his local Saturday night track.

No one forces a guy to buy a $20k motor. What happened to a guy doing his own?

Some guys throw as much money as possible at their cars then quit when the money doesn't translate into wins...

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Originally Posted by kingmod5

IMCA mods have given the option for the 604 crate and it has helped alot of guys based on the cost. Wish UMP would attack the motor situation to be comparable to IMCA. This would help alot of guys instead of spending $20k+ to race for $600-$800.

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UMP already pushing the CT525 at I think $7500 each or so, not sure this will really save money but it will for sure make UMP lots of cash