When is enough enough

[racecar1127]

LaSalle last sat night for lucas show. Was $35 for grandstands and $45 for pits. No discount for kids to get into pits.

[dmags]

I believe, they are called promoters for a reason , they need to promote. Not take the easier way out and continue to, so heavily, rely on us the racers. They rely on the back gate to much. I realize it is harder for them to find race, and or division sponsors than in the past. And harder to fill the stands, as times have changed and they are competing with more things that people ( with less money ) can go do.
However, racers expenses keep climbing but we race for the same and sometimes less money than we did 20 years ago. Causing more and more to have to give it up. which in turn puts less butts in the seats to watch fewer cars to compete. Promoters then have been less likely to tech cars in meaningful way ,because they do not want to send any cars down the road. Which in turn aggravates those running within the rules making it more likely for them to hang it up. Or less likely for someone new to move up or get involved in racing.
Do not think that I'm Blaming just the promoters! We all have do our part to get this sport revitalized. We as racers should be more fan friendly, not just load up and leave as soon as the races are over, hide in our haulers , Etc.

Thanks Danny
Hope everybody has a great weekend

[W2Racing09]

LaSalle last sat night for lucas show. Was $35 for grandstands and $45 for pits. No discount for kids to get into pits.

In a lot of places kinds are not even allowed into the pits. I'm pretty sure from an insurance standpoint it is much more dangerous to have kids in the pit area. They can't give a discount for them, they are probably paying a higher insurance rate as is.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[W2Racing09]

I believe, they are called promoters for a reason , they need to promote. Not take the easier way out and continue to, so heavily, rely on us the racers. They rely on the back gate to much. I realize it is harder for them to find race, and or division sponsors than in the past. And harder to fill the stands, as times have changed and they are competing with more things that people ( with less money ) can go do.
However, racers expenses keep climbing but we race for the same and sometimes less money than we did 20 years ago. Causing more and more to have to give it up. which in turn puts less butts in the seats to watch fewer cars to compete. Promoters then have been less likely to tech cars in meaningful way ,because they do not want to send any cars down the road. Which in turn aggravates those running within the rules making it more likely for them to hang it up. Or less likely for someone new to move up or get involved in racing.
Do not think that I'm Blaming just the promoters! We all have do our part to get this sport revitalized. We as racers should be more fan friendly, not just load up and leave as soon as the races are over, hide in our haulers , Etc.

Thanks Danny
Hope everybody has a great weekend

Again, there is only so much you can do without racers. Going to have a car show? Need racers, going to try to do interviews on the radio? Need racers. Going to advertise on the radio? Not very effective, and need to pay to do so. Going to have commercials on tv? Have to pay even more and also hire someone to create an exciting video. As you stated times have changed, tracks are making less money than they ever have and drivers are expecting to take a cut of what little they are making. When there is no place to race then what will you do with your $30k car? It certainly won't sell with no place to race it.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[strong08]

You all my bash me for saying this but, I think most of the prices on gate fees and entry fees are quite reasonable and affordable. I have raced go-karts for about 4-5 years from Georgia to Ohio. They usually charge a $20 gate fee person and a parking fee $25-50 on most occasions. Most entry fees on just a $500 race is $40-$60 and most put a kart minimum. They did a $50,000 race a few years ago at Ponderosa Speedway it was a 3 day show each day of parking was $35 plus a $20 gate person. The entry fee was $500 if you pre-paid I think it was $600 if you paid the day of. After doing this, that is why I say most are reasonable. And most go-Kart races only pay the top 3.

[W2Racing09]

You all my bash me for saying this but, I think most of the prices on gate fees and entry fees are quite reasonable and affordable. I have raced go-karts for about 4-5 years from Georgia to Ohio. They usually charge a $20 gate fee person and a parking fee $25-50 on most occasions. Most entry fees on just a $500 race is $40-$60 and most put a kart minimum. They did a $50,000 race a few years ago at Ponderosa Speedway it was a 3 day show each day of parking was $35 plus a $20 gate person. The entry fee was $500 if you pre-paid I think it was $600 if you paid the day of. After doing this, that is why I say most are reasonable. And most go-Kart races only pay the top 3.

That is an example of a 100% back gate structure. Right now drivers have it good, with the fans also paying for some of the purse. If they have to raise GA to let drivers in free, and the fans stop coming, this is a good example of what race purses would look like and what the fee structure would be.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[zeroracing]

I have a couple thoughts on the pit pass and entry fee cost issue.

1. I honestly don't like kids in the pits, when dad raced and I was little I would sit in the stands. Kids can be very hard to see from the drivers seat in a car. Honestly scared one day I might hit some kid and never even see them.

2. I dislike higher pit passes for specials. The promoter says you get to see the sprint cars or late models or bigger payout for mods... Well newsflash for the most part we are trying to get the car tuned and ready and don't watch much racing.

3. High cost of pit passes for poor quality facility and just high in general. I don't expect to make money every race night but I want my payout for a late model that runs 10th let's say to cover pit passes for me and two crew members... Not counting cost of truck fuel, car fuel, maintenance of wear. Not asking to make a living at it but would be nice to at least get what it cost me to roll through the gate back for running hard all night.

The poor quality issue, now the grass, give us some lighting and maybe a PA system...

[vande07]

Every division of motorsport usually has an Entry Fee (F1, Indy, NASCAR all have entry fees for each event).

Pit entrance fee (again, most sanctioning bodies have these all the way up to the highest level).

From a Business Perspective, I would imagine the main reason for such high pit fees is to keep a minimal # of people in the pits during an event (the less people, the less insurance liability) and to attempt to keep those in the pits to just being those that are with a racecar, track officials, sanctioning officials, safety personnel.

But, there are a lot of people that think that they should be in the pits that shouldn't be that don't pay attention to racecars coming in off the track and the like, so the easiest way to convince them to buy a ticket to the grandstand instead is to raise the pit entry fee.

Many racetracks offer the teams/drivers a certain # of pit passes at a reduced price, it's those people that don't come with a car that are charged the $45 (at least in my neck of the woods).

[ImCryn2]

How many tracks do you have that are close to you and what's the distance?

What I'm getting at if your local track closes how far will you have to drive to go see a race

I will say 45.00 does seem a little steep.

For all intents and purposes it has closed. Went from 5 classes with full fields to only running 6 or 7 specials a year now. It's easy to blame the economy and social media for the tracks demise, when in reality it's a top notch facility that has a promoter with a pi$$ poor attitude. You can only treat people like %hit for so long before you have to charge $45 for a pit pass to make a $12,000 show work out financially.

[kidrock]

For all intents and purposes it has closed. Went from 5 classes with full fields to only running 6 or 7 specials a year now. It's easy to blame the economy and social media for the tracks demise, when in reality it's a top notch facility that has a promoter with a pi$$ poor attitude. You can only treat people like %hit for so long before you have to charge $45 for a pit pass to make a $12,000 show work out financially.

Although I think the economy has played a big part in the decline of racing in general especially when it comes to a weekly show I don't think it's the sole reason. As far as social media there again it alone would not be a reason for the decline.

Yeah I won't speak about the promoter and if he has a bad attitude or not but, I do think 45.00 is a little steep but, there again I have no idea what it cost overall to put on a race with the Lucas series.

[3 wide]

Well duck river run there crowd of last year when they wanted to race till 2oclock in the morning so they can't draw a crowd now people don't want to sit at a race track 8 hours if you put on a show you can still draw a crowd but racing till 2 o'clock is not a show so now we have not run a race in 3 weeks and we are going to run a 3500 to win super race with 125 dollar entry fee a 1000 to win 2 barrel race with a 100 dollar entry fee 1200 to win crate race with a 100 dollar entry fee then we are going to raise the pit gate to 40 dollars . Good luck

[old fan]

Sounds like mangement problems

[oldfart50]

Racing is dead. Tracks cant get sponsors because there is no one in the stands to advertise to. Racing has to be self funded by the racers if they want to race. There is no front gate money anymore. You could let people in for free and they wont come. Racing is now like Poker, if you want a bigger purse then you have to pay a bigger buy in. But I do not understand why as a fan you care what a race pays.

[W2Racing09]

Racing is dead. Tracks cant get sponsors because there is no one in the stands to advertise to. Racing has to be self funded by the racers if they want to race. There is no front gate money anymore. You could let people in for free and they wont come. Racing is now like Poker, if you want a bigger purse then you have to pay a bigger buy in. But I do not understand why as a fan you care what a race pays.

Race fans care because they know the more it pays the more cars, and the more big name drivers will be there.

[zyoung25]

You could let people in for free and they wouldnt come.

This will be put to the test soon. McCown at atomic is doing a free admission race. So we will see how true this is very soon.

[zeroracing]

West plains did it last year, you had to go to one of thier sponsors and you would get a free ticket. Place was standing room only.

[Krooser]

Free admission.... $50 to leave...

I actually did a free admission night when I was the PR/advertising guru at a paved joint in Wisconsin years ago. Free admission with a WISM bumper sticker... Gave em away at a local food store chain. Pumped the crap outta it on the radio station that we worked with. Had 9000 people... Only water and popcorn left after the show. Increased our weekly attendance by 300 each week after... Made a $25,000 profit after every bill was paid.

[jog49]

The exception to all of this chatter will still be Bowman-Gray in Winston Salem, NC. It recently was something like $10 to get in and they fill the place up almost every race! Accommodate a large crowd, feed them good, and have some exciting races = lots of generated money. No gouging in this N.C. city.

[Bob Hubbard]

Does anyone have an ideal what it would cost to build a nice 3/8 track with all the amenities to make it somewhat like eldora ? Think about what you would have to charge to make a profit after you laid out all the money .... Than consider the short racing season .... Figure in a 20 or 30 year loan ...

[racecar1127]

I take my kids a little after pits open when most of the haulers are in there already. Let them watch them unload and get a picture by the car with the driver most of the time. We walk around and say hi. I have them out of there and in the stands by the time the cars start rolling for hot laps. It's one of the major factors if they want to go or not. In the pits. Yes. Not in the pits no. They are wide eyed and in awe of the cars. I find that by the time the races are over the kids are tired, and the drivers are already loading up and crabby as heck and wanting to get out there ( i don't blame them) Plus after the races its dark and they don't find the cars as cool a s during the day. ( most pits don't have the best of lighting) Agreed that most kids under 14 should not be in the pits after the drivers meeting. If you want more fans it starts by building the youth interest. It's great that they do autograph sessions but the kids don't identify with the drivers they see the cars from the seats not the driver. Let the kids in the pits for $5 dollars for a 2 hour time frame so the can gets pictures by the cars. Have them out of there by the time the drivers meeting starts. I would think this would go over great at the big races or for woo or Lucas shows. I would think more families would go knowing they could see the cars up close with there kids. Just a thought.