Southern Nationals Screven

[Rajflyboy]

I mean... It is summer time. What do you really expect out of the weather. Just sayin'

Exactly. Or they can run at 8am

[TerryM]

LOL ... somebody in Michigan talking about summer.

[NeedforLMspeed]

I'm not in MI. FYI

[flagone]

As I saw in someone's signature who was complaining. Some people aren't happy unless they are mad. Yes that was more water than intended. BUT at the end of the day every single race was fantastic. It is hot. The So Nats were on 1300s and that makes a huge difference in the heat. I am quite certain than none of you have ever prepped a track in south Georgia in the middle of the hottest week of the year. Screven has one of the best racing surfaces in the south. Not a single driver complained because they knew that the guy wanted to give them the best track they could have to race on. And to the question of "when will southern promoters learn..." I would say when will Northern fans learn that the south and north are different? Different crowds, different economies, different racers and for (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) sure different dirt, different climates and different water tables. I was taught to appreciate differences in things and just enjoy them rather than looking for the worst in everything. He knows it was late and he hated it. But the choice was run later or have a rubbered up track like he had for the WoO show last year. Redd chose the best option. The racing was great and at the end of the day that is all that SHOULD matter. I get so sick of negativity.

[fastford]

now that was a very good honest strait up post flagone , well said......

[Mister Ricochet]

Until you walk a mile in a man's shoes is the saying, right? Yankee until I die here, home track is Fairbury and whether I know it or night, just like any other human being, I'm a product of my environment.

20 yrs ago Kankakee was my home track. Good track, good racers, good fields, closest track to home, ran on Fridays. The promoter could simply not get the show in before 12:30. Up at 4:00 am for work back home at 1:30. We'd talk about how slow the show was, families with 10 yr olds with baseball, gymnastics and whatever a family does on Saturdays stopped coming. Told the promoter who stood at the gate after every race that the show is too long people will stop coming.

I stopped going. Kankakee is a shell of what it was and the late shows aren't the only reason but a big one. I went to Fairbury, 24 miles further, and never looked back. If you hold families hostage up here for 5-6 hrs you risk losing them. If you held them hostage for 7-8 hrs you wouldn't get thru the season.

This site hears people rave about Fairbury and many mock those who do. Nobody can question the surface but what doesn't get mentioned is they run that show like a drill team. They hot lap on time and from there everything else falls into place and you're out by 10:30ish. You know that going in and the way the show is run is as appreciated, and now expected, as the surface.

Indeed, if you don't like it don't go. Any promoter is wise to know what a paying customer does not like or he risks going out of business. Fairbury does not qualify hornets when a tour is there and if you do and your show runs for 6-7 hours they lost all credibility when they complain about the weather, or anything else, as to why a show ran late. Or if they start hot lapping at 7:30-8:00, same thing.

But the customer speaks with their feet, I agree. If Fairbury with it's great surface and racers ran a 5-6-7 hr weekly show they'd lose me as a customer.

[NeedforLMspeed]

I went to a track one time. They ran 3 different 4 banger classes. Stock, Outlaw and one with a certain age group. It was only advertised as 4 bangers. Didn't say anything about having 3 classes of them. Probably wasn't more than 7-8 cars in each one. Then add 5 more regular classes on top of that. Didn't go again after.

[flagone]

Mister Ricochet the "hornets" were also a touring division at Screven and they were racing for the 2nd highest purse and brought the most total cars. EVERY racing class should be treated with respect. I get where you are coming from. I hate running late. I preach about it in seminars. But sometimes it happens in spite of your best effort. I purposely made the schedule so that the Supers feature would be absolutely as early as it could be. Only one event in between each track appearance for them. Supers are the headliner and I fully believe they go as early in the program as possible. But here a large crowd also comes to see "hornets" because they put on a show and have developed a following.

[Mister Ricochet]

Mister Ricochet the "hornets" were also a touring division at Screven and they were racing for the 2nd highest purse and brought the most total cars. EVERY racing class should be treated with respect. I get where you are coming from. I hate running late. I preach about it in seminars. But sometimes it happens in spite of your best effort. I purposely made the schedule so that the Supers feature would be absolutely as early as it could be. Only one event in between each track appearance for them. Supers are the headliner and I fully believe they go as early in the program as possible. But here a large crowd also comes to see "hornets" because they put on a show and have developed a following.

Sir, we are in agreement. Like any other business let the customer (fan) decide. I tried to give the quickest run down of my evolution as to where I carried my racing dollar and the reasons why.

Like the pro told me during the one golf lesson I ever took after I hit the first ball. Asked him how was my swing, he said, "don't ask me the ball told you and will every time". Indeed, same as a race promoter. All he need do is look into the stands and that will tell him all he needs to know.

There are patterns and anomalies. A show that runs 5-6 hrs 75% of the time is a pattern. A show that runs 5-6-7 hrs 5-10% of the time is an exception. Race fans understand and how many show up tells you how you're doing.

[dirtSLMracing]

When a track is having a big Super race there should not be more than 2 support classes. If there are three races scheduled and it takes 5 hours then someone at the track screwed something up. Unless of course it rains, then that is understandable.

[weatherman85]

I get tracks will run late time-to-time and try to look the other way. What gets me is when they advertise hot laps start at 7:00 or 7:30 and they never do. Seemed to be a trend at my local tracks. If it's too hot to start that early at southern tracks then at least be honest enough to say 8:00 or 8:30.

[NeedforLMspeed]

Either cancel the event or announce a day or two in advance that the event will start at a later time. Don't just make a decision on the fly

[flagone]

Either cancel the event or announce a day or two in advance that the event will start at a later time. Don't just make a decision on the fly

Sometimes you HAVE to make a decision on the fly. There is no choice. The start of the show was delayed a bit by a motorgrader failure (thus why it was sitting in the infield for the race - something that I am also a stickler about). The water decision was made after hot laps because of the track condition. The previous night we didn't have the same issue without high-horsepower / soft tire late models.

[flagone]

When a track is having a big Super race there should not be more than 2 support classes. If there are three races scheduled and it takes 5 hours then someone at the track screwed something up. Unless of course it rains, then that is understandable.

And there again you can get away with that in some places. And I don't necessarily disagree. However that is not financially viable in many places. Again different crowds and different economies. You have to do what makes your show work financially or just not have it. Race fans have to consider the people putting on the show sometimes. Screven ran 7 classes total and did it in about 5 hours from actual start time including the hour and 20 minute track prep (so technically 3.5 hours of on track time). We use time limits in each event and stick to them. We burn through the show. When one group is exiting the other is entering. There are no intermissions. No downtime (except the track prep).

[flagone]

Sir, we are in agreement. Like any other business let the customer (fan) decide. I tried to give the quickest run down of my evolution as to where I carried my racing dollar and the reasons why.

Like the pro told me during the one golf lesson I ever took after I hit the first ball. Asked him how was my swing, he said, "don't ask me the ball told you and will every time". Indeed, same as a race promoter. All he need do is look into the stands and that will tell him all he needs to know.

There are patterns and anomalies. A show that runs 5-6 hrs 75% of the time is a pattern. A show that runs 5-6-7 hrs 5-10% of the time is an exception. Race fans understand and how many show up tells you how you're doing.

I mistook your comment. BTW your home track is in the very capable hands of one of my close friends.

[dirtSLMracing]

flagone...

I understand different places have different economies. My point is I dont think you would lose one fan from the grandstands if you didnt run the sportsman or open wheel cars for example. So then its down to the drivers and crew in that class paying the purse for that class. I understand having some support classes but been to a track that had a Super Race and 5 other classes. Just too much to get done in one night.

[flagone]

flagone...

I understand different places have different economies. My point is I dont think you would lose one fan from the grandstands if you didnt run the sportsman or open wheel cars for example. So then its down to the drivers and crew in that class paying the purse for that class. I understand having some support classes but been to a track that had a Super Race and 5 other classes. Just too much to get done in one night.

I get that as well. But we only had features for all the other classes. Prelims for them ran on Friday.

[TerryM]

Either cancel the event or announce a day or two in advance that the event will start at a later time. Don't just make a decision on the fly

What is your previous name/or names on this forum?

[NeedforLMspeed]

MI Dirt fan. But I'm not in MI nor have I been for quite some time. I had that user name since 2009 when I was there.

[NeedforLMspeed]

Sometimes you HAVE to make a decision on the fly. There is no choice. The start of the show was delayed a bit by a motorgrader failure (thus why it was sitting in the infield for the race - something that I am also a stickler about). The water decision was made after hot laps because of the track condition. The previous night we didn't have the same issue without high-horsepower / soft tire late models.

Really was arguing against them. Was just saying in general is all