East Bay Closing- Opinions on this?

[kazual]

I hate to see any track close. But often the only avenue for an owner to profit from their long term efforts is if their land appreciates in value. Only in rare cases when a track is sold is it a viable business to be operated as a race track in the future. Disappointing, yes. Understandable, yes.

[lurker]

I think a lot of us old geezers ----

Has it just simply come down to “WE” are old now, and dirt late model racing has, and is, passing us “ALL” by? And “WE” are not accepting to the new?

[jog49]

I don't see it as one singular thing or entity causing the decline in participation from fans and racers, unless you count the WEF and/or the Davos crowd. Our culture has been hijacked in more ways than one. The younger generations have purposely been brain washed into hating cars and blaming them for fictitious climate change and many other things, like cow farts and human breathing. The powers that ought not be also are pushing us towards an all electric future that they know will never work. Then you add in the smart phones and streaming everything, plus the rising costs caused by the supply chain disruptions during the scamdemic and runaway spending, wars being kicked off all around the globe. No sooner one starts to die down and they fire up a new one. Make no mistake its not just racing feeling the bite and we all know it. Right now in Montana the feds are cutting of water access to ranchers, further straining our food supply. Racing is the canary in the coal mine, so pay attention because the next several years are gonna get tougher, I don't care which party you endorse. There is considerable evidence by 2032 Republic style governments will fail. After that depending on how things shake out, there may be a very bright future, but for now sadly I expect to see much more Eastbays being thrown on the scrap heap as the economics continue to erode. We've been very blessed to have lived in the times we've lived in, but sadly a lot of it was on borrowed money and the bill is coming due. Bandits have infiltrated our governments and corporations and they are pillaging the coffers as we speak, pensions, 401K's, healthcare, property rights, even bank accounts are vulnerable. They already begun to prepare for then next crash and they've passed legislation to make it legal to use your money to bail them out. They know the jig is up, they just hope you don't wise up to whats happening before they can steal the art off the walls and empty the fridge. London bridge is falling down...

Probably now getting a better idea about why people have been buying guns and ammo for a number of years now. GOVERNMENT HAS OUTGROWN ITS BRITCHES and will not cease until forced to do so.

[kidrock]

I read an article a couple of days ago that said that a high percentage of Gen Z don't care about sports in general.

[jog49]

From my observations, that seems to be the case SO the outlook for sports, in general, in the future is bleak.

[Paradox28]

IMO, weekly racing has long been a death sentence for a track. They may not realize it, at first, but eventually all those losses add up to a huge amount. If the sport is hard enough for the average man to afford now..why would it make sense to try and race every weekend and cost everyone more money? Tracks are the forgotten entity in all the costs. Most people will greatly over-estimate the number of people who attend the race, not many think about all the outside costs on top of the purse, and most don't care about the track surviving when it comes down to it. Streaming has crippled grassroots racing and if the most powerful group in dirt racing wasn't beating the drum to tell everyone it isn't, more people would see the truth.

[Billy_the_kid]

From my observations, that seems to be the case SO the outlook for sports, in general, in the future is bleak.

Fairbury is running a strong weekly program, maybe more promotors should find out what it is that they're doing. They have a good racing surface. They have a good payout. They have good fan pricing. And they finish in a timely manor. JMO

[Paradox28]

Fairbury is a unicorn because they are located in a town that absolutely embraces the race track as part of its history. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist at 99% of tracks across America.

[Billy_the_kid]

Fairbury is a unicorn because they are located in a town that absolutely embraces the race track as part of its history. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist at 99% of tracks across America.

I hear you but they wouldn't be embracing the track if they were not doing the things mentioned. Thats why the track is successful.

[Highside Hustler25]

I hear you but they wouldn't be embracing the track if they were not doing the things mentioned. Thats why the track is successful.

Absolutely. The town supports the track but their is only about 3000 people in the town of Fairbury so their is more to it then that. Other tracks see it. That's why you see Matt Curl promoting at other venues and their track crew prepping surfaces at other major events.

[kidrock]

Fairbury is running a strong weekly program, maybe more promotors should find out what it is that they're doing. They have a good racing surface. They have a good payout. They have good fan pricing. And they finish in a timely manor. JMO

What about their fan base for weekly shows?

[ZERO25]

From Dustin Hughes on Facebook.




If you don’t believe me that Big Shows and Big Corporations isn’t killing weekly racing than you can read it here from the man himself !!! I give weekly dirt track racing five more years tops.

East Bay Raceway Park:

The Story Behind its Final Season

DirtJanuary 3, 2024

Mike Adaskaveg

When East Bay Raceway Park concludes the 2024 season in October, it will close its gates for good. The owner and promoter of the Tampa, Florida, track, Al Varnadore, admitted the decision to sell the facility didn’t make him popular.

“I’m the most hated man in Hillsborough County,” Varnadore said. “The people on the internet are angry — real angry — and some of them from as far away as Iowa are sticking their noses into my business. They come here once a year and don’t see the big picture. The track is losing money — but I went forward with a big schedule for our last season — and I didn’t have to.”

That 2024 schedule begins as it has done for decades, the Winternationals. That starts on January 17 with the Top Gun Sprints as the headliner. The Winternationals features a who’s who of racing divisions and series. Crate Racin’ USA late models. UMP modifieds. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. High Limit Sprint Car Series. 360 sprint cars.

The season concludes on October 12 with a $50,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race dubbed the “Grand Finale.”

However, in between those bookend events is a weekly racing program, just like at many other oval tracks in the U.S.

“East Bay Raceway Park does not make money in the regular season,” said Varnadore. “We do well in January and February, but the rest of the year it is a struggle to keep the place open.”

The traveling series have also played a role in shrinking profit margins for tracks, according to Varnadore.

“The million-dollar late model drivers are complaining how much they are losing,” Varnadore said. “The series promoters want higher purses. Pay-per-view is great for people who like to sit at home, but the money they are paying isn’t coming back to the racetracks. We can’t have every fan in front of a home TV set — we need to sell hot dogs to survive.”

More than four years ago Varnadore announced the sale of East Bay Raceway Park to The Mosaic Company, a phosphate mining company that owns land neighboring the track.

“When I made the deal with Mosaic, I promised our racers there would be five more years of racing,” Varnadore said. “I wanted to give them plenty of time to decide if they wanted to phase out or race elsewhere.”

Varnadore forecasted the future for where East Bay Raceway Park resides now.

“On November 7, 2024, the 28 acres the track is on changes hands,” said Varnadore. “There will be no more East Bay Raceway Park. It will be another mountain of dirt left over from mining phosphate.”

Al Varnadore also made a prediction for what dirt-track racing will look like.

“Special events will replace weekly racing at most racetracks in five to 10 years,” Varnadore said. “The companies that own the series will need to own the racetracks. They have to be able to pay the purses and do the things it takes to make it all work.”

When the gates finally close on East Bay Raceway Park, it will be a bittersweet moment for Varnadore.

“I just want to relax and spend time with my grandchildren,” said Varnadore. “I worked hard — awfully hard — for 22 years. I won’t rule out that I will still be involved in something racing. I just won’t put myself at risk by investing in a racetrack.”

Al Varnadore, owner and promoter of East Bay Raceway Park.
Nathan Stephens


Hey Al, why dont you start telling the truth. You were in the middle of being foreclosed on by your "lady" banker, and sold the place cheap to Mosaic to keep from losing it! You only found out because you saw the 500k investment architectural drawings. H er and her family are huge race fans and extremely good business owners!

[Fast Wheels]

There are many factors that have killed racing. One of the top factors is the people that pocket money selling chassis, racing engines, tires, shocks and anything else. Race car drivers are the smartest people and those with money will pay anything to win. This is driven the cost of racing sky high.

Another huge factor is these low-cost Internet broadcast.

if a track controls their own pay-per-view, and gets the profits from it, it might help the business continue its revenue.

But these tracks that have bought into being broadcast on Flo Racing have just been playing stupid. I think most of them broadcast on flow for their ego of being on TV or the series force them to. There is no way they’re getting any money from the broadcast when flo only charges $150 a year. As a race fan, it makes much more sense to sit home and watch it on TV. The facilities are (normally) cleaner at home, the seats are more comfortable, the food is better, no gas, expense, and no waste to travel on a rain out.

[Fast Wheels]

Default
There are many factors that have killed racing. One of the top factors is the people that pocket money selling chassis, racing engines, tires, shocks and anything else. Race car drivers are the smartest people and those with money will pay anything to win. This is driven the cost of racing sky high.

Also, these high dollar purses for all classes. do nothing to forward the sport. Including the super late models. It just encourages race teams to spend more money to win. The purses have been jacked up so much now that a $50,000 win race is no big deal. I don’t see how any promoter makes a dime of having one of these races these days.

Another huge factor is these low-cost Internet broadcast.

if a track controls their own pay-per-view, and gets the profits from it, it might help the business continue its revenue.

But these tracks that have bought into being broadcast on Flo Racing have just been playing stupid. I think most of them broadcast on flow for their ego of being on TV or the series force them to. There is no way they’re getting any money from the broadcast when flo only charges $150 a year. As a race fan, it makes much more sense to sit home and watch it on TV. The facilities are (normally) cleaner at home, the seats are more comfortable, the food is better, no gas, expense, and no waste to travel on a rain out.

[dynotimeonly]

Flo, MAV, DirtVision, HTF streaming will be the death of the sport. Like it or hate it, it's the truth. PPV is coming next to ALL sports. You wanna watch a Sunday afternoon football game? Belly up sunshine, it's gonna cost you.