Humpy Wheeler Contrasts NASCAR Downturn With Short Track Success

[vande077]

Speedway benefits program is a sham. As someone who worked in distribution for 10 years. Some of stuff he said the program can do is illegal in mine and surrounding states. For example a beer distributor can't give you a better deal because you are part of the program to buy in bulk. Distributors already have so called bulk prices and it's a helluva deal. The state liquor commission dictates the bottom line price. Furthermore even if you find a distributor to give a better deal. That distributor won't and can't go outside its territory to deliver to said track. Think of resources and money wasted to send one beer truck a track 200 miles away to deliver even 300 cases of beer. The distributor is still losing money, big time.

Going to Sams club or Costco to buy beer and then reselling it also illegal.

I agree, it's about lining his own pockets, not about "saving short track racing" as he touted when it started it up.

While a poster above thought them taking 33% wasn't a big deal, I don't think he realizes that they may work with Pepsi or Coke Corporate and get a Corporate Sponsorship for $1 Million they take $333,333.33 of that and then distribute the remainder to tracks based on their attendance (and the tracks pay a "fee" to be part of the program as well). The local distributor may be willing to sponsor the local track and give them $2000 for the season and be involved with the track, while Humpy's group may give you the same $2000, you miss out on so many promotional opportunities it's crazy.

We have a local bottler of Pepsi 25 miles from my local track. They PROMOTE the local track on cans, bottles and in local stores as part of their partnership with the track (as well as selling their products there, having personnel on site during the races, and signage at the track). If the track went with Speedway Benefits they lose all of that promotion and assistance) and get a sign in it's place.

I am yet to see any local tracks in my area take him up on his offer and one of the tracks is promoted by a guy that worked for him.

[BloomerHarvickFan]

NASCAR's decline started when they shut out the racers that started NASCAR. The short track guy has to have a franchised ride now to race. Then Milked every cent out of the loyal fans that supported NASCAR in the early years. It didn't help, when they took money from networks that weren't main stream and it cost the fan to have that network. They sucked the life out of it and wonder what happened. The got paid for their advertising, when ABC and FOX had it. Lots of people said it was the straw that broke the Camel's back when they had to get cable to just watch a already watered down show. They slowed everyone down. They needed to do that, but they didn't need to make everyone the same speed. They made it politically correct to cater to the new Yuppy fan and took the color out. Now the Yuppy fan is bailing out to other new things and the old guard fan went to the short tracks. Looks like NASCAR got what it deserved. This was a touring series that Bill France formed from short track racers, to get more money for the racers. It became a cash cow, which they milked dry. Greed even out weighs continued success.

You do realize that before the Fox and NBC deal of 2001, most of the NASCAR races were on Cable. ESPN, TBS, TNN, TNT. There were only a few of the bigger races on Network TV.
Personally I liked it better when you had more people showing races. Each one had their own broadcast crew, with a little overlap.

[Bubstr]

You do realize that before the Fox and NBC deal of 2001, most of the NASCAR races were on Cable. ESPN, TBS, TNN, TNT. There were only a few of the bigger races on Network TV.
Personally I liked it better when you had more people showing races. Each one had their own broadcast crew, with a little overlap.

NASCAR got their biggest growth from TV that was Mainstream network or basic cable. When people have to pay a hundred dollars a month to see their favorite type of show, they change favorites. If NASCAR had a choice, they made the wrong one. Lucas oil started LORTV because it gave more fans a chance to see their product. This move may well be the start of something big. The all powerful cable companies just got a chink in their armor. We, now don't have to watch, what the preferred networks think we want to watch. Between LORTV , NETFLIX and a few others, I dumped Cable TV. I see what I want and saved a few bucks. NASCAR had to go. It wasn't my NASCAR any way and I went to races since 1964. They haven't had a Champion since they changed the points race. If they didn't win them like Richard Petty and Dale Sr. they just didn't win them.