Ponderosa Speedway 2011

Ponderosa Speedway for 2011
This is Donnie Sullivan. I am a race fan, race car driver, now track owner, long time self employed business owner and a family man. Like many, I have a point of view. As a fan I like the thrill of competition with a longshot chance that the underdog might win. As a driver I want to have the whole field covered by 3/10. As a track owner lots of evenly matched cars competing each week for good money and lots of fans in the stands drinking pepsi and eating pizza. As a family man, I owe my family a decent living without the sacrifice of basic necessities. As a businessman I face the challenge of balancing income with expenses. As a fan, I struggle to pay big ticket prices for all of my family but will sometimes go by myself. As a racer same thing. I go with my family but my friends and crew are left to pay their own way or stay home. I don't have to tell you how many stay home but they do. As a track owner, I wonder what will bring more people to the track to share the racing experience with. Everyone will tell you if you lower the ticket price more fans will come. Ironically, the same people will tell you to pay $2000-$5000 for a late model show and people will come. As a businessman this is very hard to undertake and who do I please? Fans? Racers? Family? I can help all of them by offering each more but to do this I must cut how much its costs to do it. Would if work if the fans gave their money straight to the drivers? It would help---maybe not---. Maybe if the racers paid two admission prices, one to the track and one to someone else? NO! that won't work either. Wait! who else is that with their hand out and the loudest in the bunch with lots of good advice.
Why let someone make money off the racetrack and me go broke?
Here's how it works. This person promises to drivers big purses, lots of starting money and pots of gold when its all over if you believe. The promise to the track owner is lots of cars show up with many fans that follow. No brainer right? It works that night. What happens when they leave? The next week when all the favorite drivers are gone somewhere else the tracks suffer from Hot Cold Hot Cold syndrome. What happened to supporting your local track and making it affordable for friends and family to come and enjoy the races. I don't think its fair to make them drive so far and as a racer its easier to get sponsors if you concentrate your efforts in one area. If promoters would open their eyes, its not hard to figure out that too many cooks spoil the pot. Racing is a priviledge and includes many monetary sacrifices most of which are expected to be absorbed by track owners. It is for this reason that the direction for the Pond from here will be to no longer include outside sanctioning of races. The cost of racing must be controlled somehow. Racers should not be pursuaded to travel because this is a nail in every promoters coffin. Come race at the Ponderosa and never pay a sanctioning fee again. In other words, if you don't own a racetrack, don't take money from racers. The track pays the purses.
We have big shows planned for all divisions all year long. Pit will be $25.00 and grandstand will be $10.00. teens $5.00 and children under 10 free. I want a man to be able to bring his family to the racetrack for less than $30. Opening night is April 15, and we will have a $1000. late model show plus all supporting classes. Thank you for supporting the Ponderosa Speedway.