How do we get fan base back?

[ptown]

In my opinion, FC worst enemy is FALS. If you have limited funds for the weekend, which track would you choose? FALS every time in my book. FC had 140 through the front gate last week, how long can the bleeding continue.

Wasn't Farmer City rained out last week?

[turnleftandgasit]

I'm sure that effected some, but not from what I hear. EMPTY every week.

[vande07]

In my opinion, there are numerous reasons fan counts are down, some controllable, some not.

1. Youth Sports - the simple fact is that they are now a 12 month a year activity (every sport), so those kids that used to only play basketball in the winter, now play it 12 months a year. Same goes for Volleyball, Football (in some areas), swimming, soccer, etc., etc.. Unless you can get them hooked to where they want to be at the racetrack anytime they aren't playing a sport, you are going to have a hard time getting kids to the track.

2. Technology -- racing in general is wayyyyyyy behind here IMO. Ask a teenager which they would rather give up, their phone or their car. 80% will tell you their car (according to most studies out there today). So racing has to adapt and include those phones as part of the program (Apps, concession ordering on your phone, live results on your phone, video on your phone). The NFL is working on this in the stadium now as they aren't immune as you currently have a better viewing experience at home watching than you do in the stadium (a friend of mine went to a Packers game last year. Someone took their order on an ipad in their seating section and someone else delivered it to them a few minutes later in their seats, not sure if that is needed, but it's obvious that technology is very important).

3. Lack of promotion - some promotors have forgotten that they have to PROMOTE and that they can't just open the gates and expect people to show up to watch. They need to ADVERTISE (and across multiple platforms, TV, radio, internet, social media, newspaper. The days of having a small ad in the Local Paper or SpeedSport are long over.

4. Cleanliness -- the bar has been raised and sadly most racetracks don't consider concert venues, professional sports, minor league sports or even Youth Sports as their competition. They only think other racetracks are. This is totally wrong. They are competing for the same entertainment $$$'s that those other venues are. You are more affordable, but 99.99% of the time, your facility and more importantly your restroom facilities are DUMPS, comparably speaking, compared to the other venues out there. People will pay $80 per person to go see a concert of an artist they only so-so like in a clean facility over paying $10 to see racing they really like in a dirty one.

5. ADA Compliance - fact of the matter is that the spectators are graying at an alarming rate at every racetrack. The problem is that the grandstand is not ADA accessible so even those that want to attend may no longer be physically able to given the current state of the grandstand (but could if the facility had wheelchair ramps, wheelchair seating, handrails, ADA compliant bathrooms, ACCESS to the facility if you are in a wheelchair (you can't have a 24 inch wide entrance with a turnstile and expect someone in a wheelchair to come through).


Some tracks are reacting or being proactive to issues, while others don't have enough $$ to do anything (and sadly that means that they will close permanently). Support the tracks you can while you can, IMO they next 20 years will see a rash of track closings across the USA (and a much higher frequency than is happening today).

[MRM]

The fan bases across the country are getting older. And as they get older, they are staying at home and not being replaced by enough younger fans. Getting younger and new fans into the sport is key.

[TS FAN]

The availability of internet to show races is a big contributor IMO. Many of you have sited a few other reasons.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

It all boils down to buying power and priorities. The middle class buying power has been shrinking since 1968. It wasn't a big deal to take a family of 4 to the races, when food was $10 a bag. Now it's a choice of food Gas or entertainment. The middle class is quickly becoming the lower class. The new priority is eat work and sleep, if your lucky. Nothing left to go to the races.

Eat, Work, Sleep, pretty much nails it.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Pretty bad when even talking about this people get all butthurt.

To play sports or any activity for a child should be up to the child. Then it comes down to how much can you afford. Because the reality today is that sh!t gets expensive real quick.

I won't make any assumptions on posters particular situations. But sports and team activities are good for kids, as long as their parents don't act like they are the next Kobe or Bryce Harper or Payton Manning etc. Even if they are, teach them to treat others with respect, and don't live your life through them. Pushing them, and taking the sports thing too serious, will blow up in your face.

Yes it's an issue, but if my kids show talent, and want to try a sport, I'm all in with them.

[old fan]

how about tracks calling the races to early or not having a concrete schedule , I've been a fan for 60 yrs and the disa pointments are getting old

[Just The Tip]

I think that blaming the new technology with websites like DOD or 4Mis kind of taking the easy way out in my opinion. Take the NFL or NBA for example. It takes $300 to $500 for me to take my family of 3 to an NFL game when you include tickets and parking and food and gas. That's if we just go for the day and don't get a hotel to stay a night. However those games are mostly sold out and you can watch them live, with ESPN giving you real time scoring updates on every game being played. So to blame websites and the Internet for low fan count is stretching it in my opinion.

I live near Haubstadt's Tri State Speedway and feel like they do a good job of promoting and giving the fans a good experience. I hear them advertise on the radio and see things in the local media that gives regular people information about upcoming events. They give fans a good racing surface to see a good show and they move the show along in a timely fashion. However, they aren't afraid to rework the track before the mains if the dust is getting too bad or the track starts to lock down. I feel like that is a big deal. I pay money to see a good race, and Haubstadt has delivered every time. That's why I go back.

I think the argument of your neighbor not being able to afford a race car is a pretty good point actually. I think it is crazy, crazy, that a guy like me, who makes a fairly decent living can't afford a competitive race car. Not bragging or anything, but if I can't make it work as a hobby at my income that is really saying something in my opinion. I can buy a vacation home in the south for what it costs to run even a modified on a competitive level. Crazy. I would love to own abd drive a race car and you can bet in turn that would bring more people in the back gate at least and more in the front gate probably.

I don't know all of the answers to the tracks getting low car and fan counts. At my "home" track it doesn't seem to be as big of an issue. Good fan counts and pretty good car counts every time I have been.

[3 wide]

You do 3 things first you pay enough money you draw a good field of cars second. You work your race track and water it and I don't mean 2 hours before race time I mean during week ever evening just before track third run a timely show people don't want to sit there all night and get a sponsor to put up money for fast time and track record and announce his company as much as you can this will,hold the crowds attention there is a lot of things now days for people to do now days these one lane race tracks with 2. Cars in the race that could win ain't going to get it.

[champion24]

We hurt at track attendance tonight. Instead of being late to Boyds, we stayed home & are watching the Show me on ppv, while watching updates from Woo & Boyds. Had I known there were almost 50 supers ( a lot of studs) we probably would have gone. We shouldn't make a habit of it though.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

I think that blaming the new technology with websites like DOD or 4Mis kind of taking the easy way out in my opinion. Take the NFL or NBA for example. It takes $300 to $500 for me to take my family of 3 to an NFL game when you include tickets and parking and food and gas. That's if we just go for the day and don't get a hotel to stay a night. However those games are mostly sold out and you can watch them live, with ESPN giving you real time scoring updates on every game being played. So to blame websites and the Internet for low fan count is stretching it in my opinion.

I live near Haubstadt's Tri State Speedway and feel like they do a good job of promoting and giving the fans a good experience. I hear them advertise on the radio and see things in the local media that gives regular people information about upcoming events. They give fans a good racing surface to see a good show and they move the show along in a timely fashion. However, they aren't afraid to rework the track before the mains if the dust is getting too bad or the track starts to lock down. I feel like that is a big deal. I pay money to see a good race, and Haubstadt has delivered every time. That's why I go back.

I think the argument of your neighbor not being able to afford a race car is a pretty good point actually. I think it is crazy, crazy, that a guy like me, who makes a fairly decent living can't afford a competitive race car. Not bragging or anything, but if I can't make it work as a hobby at my income that is really saying something in my opinion. I can buy a vacation home in the south for what it costs to run even a modified on a competitive level. Crazy. I would love to own abd drive a race car and you can bet in turn that would bring more people in the back gate at least and more in the front gate probably.

I don't know all of the answers to the tracks getting low car and fan counts. At my "home" track it doesn't seem to be as big of an issue. Good fan counts and pretty good car counts every time I have been.

Yep. Good post.

Majority of top cars now, are owned by businessmen, who either love the sport, like write offs, or do it for their friends and family. Then you got guys who live at home with their parents and race. And the rare ones with determination and grit who are hungry and make it work.

I think if some of us, made major sacrifices to our daily lives, we could race. But I'm just not going to. Not only would I have to change my family and I's lifestyle, but my job too. You gotta have time to work on the car.

There's no magic wand, and I think we are far past the economy line. Racing is not a middle class sport anymore, and with all the options for entertainment, they gotta step it up.

[old fan]

I don't see a real problem with car counts yet its getting fans back to the track man fans just want to see the regional or national eents which is a shame the weekly showd are probably better ,a consistant schedule does hurt either

[cdustyr1]

how 2 get them there work with youth orgs outside of fc to try to get fans there. make a statefarm night or just pick another big company. continue keep place clean people arent used to old fairgrounds anymore. have drivers night where kids get to meet drivers. sponsor race car shows in offseason think people used to like that

They have had statefarm, country companies, adm, union card nights. Hard to tell how much of the early season problems this year are the weather conditions leading into each night so far.

[ImCryn2]

If the cost was down and people could afford to race there would be lots of friends and family there to watch. There used to be a dozen or so guys that had cars in the small town I'm in, now there's 2. The crowds we get at the tracks now are the die hard fans, we need to get your neighbor in a car so the neighborhood wants to go check out how he does. JMO

[old fan]

notice the crowds went down when the price of admission went up

[cdustyr1]

It is definitely a mixed bag, the racing quality and car quality is definitely not the problem at Farmer City. The racing has been good most nights. The promoters are trying they have reach out to different large businesses. They also work with me on bringing the simulator out to help with the experience as someone else mentioned. However other tracks just look at these types of things as another source of revenue rather than an experience builder. I have always wondered though why they are not promoted like a minor league baseball team, seems that would be the right approach to me over the years. Mention earlier about FALS while it might be a problem on one hand it is that track the provides the opportunity for quality late models to run at Farmer City. They even worked together on the dual point series to help the guys be able to run both tracks. Like everyone else mentioned get em into it young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2GuWApXbjk