is central ky racing about history!!!!

[96aok]

with jct. city now being close for the next three weeks and bluegrass speedway closed is central kentucky late model racing on it"s death bed!!!!! i like open wheel racing but late model is what i really enjoy watching. i know money is tight and people are tring to buy school supplies right now, mybe it's just a bump in the road and things may get better soon. i hope. if you owned a track, what would you do to attact new fans. lower prices, kids night, let people bring in small coolers, etc...... jct city thanks for tring and hope for a good turn out in three weeks.

[BMR]

Everything has more than doubled in the last 20 years (fuel, pit passes, engines, shocks, tires,etc) EXCEPT for the prize winnings........I don't see ANY track is making a good solid go of it at this point in time. Seems to be a standard at some of the tracks I see in raising the admission prices to keep their revenue the same as in the past. Richmond actually had DROPPED their prices for a pit pass a couple of weeks ago for the $7500 Butterball show, ( I was pleasantly surprised...$35) and that place was packed. Now, if that trends keeps up and more tracks catch on to it, it might make a good comeback. JMO

[HomerD]

Not a large car count at Burnside last evening and Richmond was closed. Dying, possibly. maybe tracks in central Ky are doomed only to host large events.

[bleedsbluer2]

Not a large car count at Burnside last evening and Richmond was closed. Dying, possibly. maybe tracks in central Ky are doomed only to host large events.

to many tracks race on saturday night would be nice to see ponderosa friday,richmond saturday,lake cumberland sunday every week all work together and get the smaller support classes like sportsman and 4 cylinder to race all 3 tracks for bonus money

[StraightCircles]

the Fri/Sat/Sun theory doesnt work. They tried it in Western Ky and the lower division cars only raced once a week... even with bonus money up they wouldnt race twice, much less the third night. Wasn't a one time shot, either was tried for a few weekends.

Its a good theory but the economy is only supporting lower division drivers and 65% of fans the opportunity to go only once a week.

[HEAVY DUTY]

It costs too much to get in for race fans to go very often. Racetracks are competing against movie theaters ,TV and high school sports.The front gate counts have went down because of the cost so the tracks raise the price at the back gate to try and make up for it. Now the back gate is suffering because of the car count dropping.The car counts mare dropping because of what it cost to be competitive verses how much you can win.Maybe 10% of the racers at the racetrack can actually afford what they are doing. The rest beg, borrow, run up there credit card or do something illegal to try and support their race car. The tracks are loosing money, the racers are loosing money, the costs continue to rise, and everybody is afraid to try anything different.You cant make a living racing a dirt car anymore. You have to win to just break even after you already have your equipment.If the rules are not changed, racing is a short timer. You cannot run the same cars at a local track and a traveling series.The traveling series pay as much to start as the local track pays to win. They dont run nascar cup cars at the nascar weekly events for a reason. If the cars were cheaper to race, the racetracks wouldnt have to pay as much nor charge so much to get in and there might be more people come to the racetracks. High dollar rigs and enclosed trailers hurt racing because nobody sees the cars going down the road anymore to peak their interest. If we unhook the cars by limiting the tires ( Size and compound) get rid of the aerodynamics, then a low dollar engine package would be competitive. Put a weight rule on the front tires that would make the aluminum motors weigh the same on the front wheels as an iron motor, get rid of the need for 1000 dollar a piece shocks and 10 dollar a gallon fuel. I could go on for days, but I will stop now.JMO

[dirtdocter]

I've been going to dirt races for 50 years and haven't seen the low car counts we are now Tseeing. I am really in favor of crate or low cost engines but they are next to impossible to enforce. Guess we will have to hang in there and see how all this shakes out. Thanks to the Ponderosa bunch for trying to keep the place open. I really like going to the races there. Will support you as long as you're there

[ajr31]

Here's an idea, maybe race fans can help by introducing new fans to our sport. If you plan on going to Richmond or Burnside on the 18th or to Ponderosa on the 24th bring a friend who has never been to the races. They could be like most of us and get hooked on their first taste. But big picture it's all about making racing more affordable and getting the car counts back up because people aren't going to keep coming out to see 12-15 cars in each class.

[doublehracefab]

It costs too much to get in for race fans to go very often. Racetracks are competing against movie theaters ,TV and high school sports.The front gate counts have went down because of the cost so the tracks raise the price at the back gate to try and make up for it. Now the back gate is suffering because of the car count dropping.The car counts mare dropping because of what it cost to be competitive verses how much you can win.Maybe 10% of the racers at the racetrack can actually afford what they are doing. The rest beg, borrow, run up there credit card or do something illegal to try and support their race car. The tracks are loosing money, the racers are loosing money, the costs continue to rise, and everybody is afraid to try anything different.You cant make a living racing a dirt car anymore. You have to win to just break even after you already have your equipment.If the rules are not changed, racing is a short timer. You cannot run the same cars at a local track and a traveling series.The traveling series pay as much to start as the local track pays to win. They dont run nascar cup cars at the nascar weekly events for a reason. If the cars were cheaper to race, the racetracks wouldnt have to pay as much nor charge so much to get in and there might be more people come to the racetracks. High dollar rigs and enclosed trailers hurt racing because nobody sees the cars going down the road anymore to peak their interest. If we unhook the cars by limiting the tires ( Size and compound) get rid of the aerodynamics, then a low dollar engine package would be competitive. Put a weight rule on the front tires that would make the aluminum motors weigh the same on the front wheels as an iron motor, get rid of the need for 1000 dollar a piece shocks and 10 dollar a gallon fuel. I could go on for days, but I will stop now.JMO

Well said Donnie the cost of racing is way out of hand.

[hoodpin]

racing costs are out of control. I wasnt really a fan of crate late models, but I went to Brownstown last Sat night and seen one of the best races all year. Barber,Reed, and Godsey all had a shot at it. with good racing like that I can watch crates. just wanna see some racing!!

[Pro21]

Get yo butt to ponderosa for some history Aug. 24...colston paving 60/$7500 to win...puh pow

[chillyrick]

....welcome to MY world fellows (see above)

[HEAVY DUTY]

Race Track Promotion

....welcome to MY world fellows (see above)

Hopefully, that wont happen. Atomic was a great place back in the day. It got bought by the wrong people. Maybe the racetracks around here can learn from history and make changes to help rather than digging their grave deeper all the time.A track cannot stay open running 2 or 3 big shows and then shutting down the rest of the time. They need to look at where the money is paid out verses how much money is brought in. 2/3 of the purse goes to the late models at most tracks. Do they bring in 2/3 of the money unless it is a big show.If you run a big show every week, is it still a special show to the average fan? Big races need to be something different, with different cars and drivers than the normal crowd. People pack the truck pulls at the fair, because it only happens once a year.If they had them every week, the only people who would go would be the ones involved with the trucks. The tracks have got to get more involvement in the lower classes that dont get paid alot, and dont cost alot to race. I love to watch super lates as good as the next guy, but they have evolved into a money pit that cannot be sustained, and the modifieds arent far behind. The tracks have got to put new people in the stands that havnt been there before. Advertising on 4m and other racing websites doesnt get to those people. If they show up to watch a race one week when the weather is good and the track is shut down, they will assume the track isnt running anymore and will never go back. If they do show up and the bathrooms have sewage 3 inches deep running out of the bathrooms or the porta potties havent been cleaned out in a month, and the bleachers are falling thru, are they gonna come back? It costs a lot of money to fix all the bleachers, but they arent but 10% full, so why not fix 10% to start with and block the rest off. Why would a racer go hit the same rock sticking out of the track tearing his stuff up and gashing his tires, when 20 minutes and a sledge hammer would have fixed the problem. Promoters have to work to get fans and cars. There is more to promoting a track than opening the gate on race night.

[bleedsbluer2]

Hopefully, that wont happen. Atomic was a great place back in the day. It got bought by the wrong people. Maybe the racetracks around here can learn from history and make changes to help rather than digging their grave deeper all the time.A track cannot stay open running 2 or 3 big shows and then shutting down the rest of the time. They need to look at where the money is paid out verses how much money is brought in. 2/3 of the purse goes to the late models at most tracks. Do they bring in 2/3 of the money unless it is a big show.If you run a big show every week, is it still a special show to the average fan? Big races need to be something different, with different cars and drivers than the normal crowd. People pack the truck pulls at the fair, because it only happens once a year.If they had them every week, the only people who would go would be the ones involved with the trucks. The tracks have got to get more involvement in the lower classes that dont get paid alot, and dont cost alot to race. I love to watch super lates as good as the next guy, but they have evolved into a money pit that cannot be sustained, and the modifieds arent far behind. The tracks have got to put new people in the stands that havnt been there before. Advertising on 4m and other racing websites doesnt get to those people. If they show up to watch a race one week when the weather is good and the track is shut down, they will assume the track isnt running anymore and will never go back. If they do show up and the bathrooms have sewage 3 inches deep running out of the bathrooms or the porta potties havent been cleaned out in a month, and the bleachers are falling thru, are they gonna come back? It costs a lot of money to fix all the bleachers, but they arent but 10% full, so why not fix 10% to start with and block the rest off. Why would a racer go hit the same rock sticking out of the track tearing his stuff up and gashing his tires, when 20 minutes and a sledge hammer would have fixed the problem. Promoters have to work to get fans and cars. There is more to promoting a track than opening the gate on race night.

hmmm just wondering what track your getting at i have a good idea when you mention the restrooms and stands

[HomerD]

Hopefully, that wont happen. Atomic was a great place back in the day. It got bought by the wrong people. Maybe the racetracks around here can learn from history and make changes to help rather than digging their grave deeper all the time.A track cannot stay open running 2 or 3 big shows and then shutting down the rest of the time. They need to look at where the money is paid out verses how much money is brought in. 2/3 of the purse goes to the late models at most tracks. Do they bring in 2/3 of the money unless it is a big show.If you run a big show every week, is it still a special show to the average fan? Big races need to be something different, with different cars and drivers than the normal crowd. People pack the truck pulls at the fair, because it only happens once a year.If they had them every week, the only people who would go would be the ones involved with the trucks. The tracks have got to get more involvement in the lower classes that dont get paid alot, and dont cost alot to race. I love to watch super lates as good as the next guy, but they have evolved into a money pit that cannot be sustained, and the modifieds arent far behind. The tracks have got to put new people in the stands that havnt been there before. Advertising on 4m and other racing websites doesnt get to those people. If they show up to watch a race one week when the weather is good and the track is shut down, they will assume the track isnt running anymore and will never go back. If they do show up and the bathrooms have sewage 3 inches deep running out of the bathrooms or the porta potties havent been cleaned out in a month, and the bleachers are falling thru, are they gonna come back? It costs a lot of money to fix all the bleachers, but they arent but 10% full, so why not fix 10% to start with and block the rest off. Why would a racer go hit the same rock sticking out of the track tearing his stuff up and gashing his tires, when 20 minutes and a sledge hammer would have fixed the problem. Promoters have to work to get fans and cars. There is more to promoting a track than opening the gate on race night.

Excellent post