!!!Question for track promoters!!!

[HoosierDirtFan]

!!!Question for track promoters!!!
For starters, this is not a track bashing post about any place in particular, I just want to understand from your perspective!

Why do we rush the beginning of the season into existence the very first week of March, when the track crews/ track owners haven’t been able to touch a place since last fall due to the ground being frozen, then try and get a facility ready in about a week for cars to hit the track, then all the racers show up and it’s cold in this region, nothing goes right for any of the track crew whatsoever, and the surfaces that the cars get put on is nothing like it will be come actual race nights???

We start the year like this and then at the middle of September when it’s still 70-75° outside, we end our seasons…

Would it not make more sense financially to wait until April to start practice, and then race until the middle of October or later until it does get too cold to race? If we push the start of the year till April it would allow the tracks and their workers ample time to make sure the facility is ready to go no?


No dog in the fight just asking!

[chathamracefan]

As to the end of the year, once school starts, the tracks are running up against high school sports and in some areas of the country college football when they try to run on Saturday nights.

In Illinois for example, Farmer City, Fairbury, Spoon River are all in or near smallish towns (less than 10,000 people). Larger parts of their fan & employee base are probably tied in with the high school football team in some way (player, fan, parent of player, etc) so trying to go head to head against that is a non starter. Jacksonville does run a few shows into early/mid October. I think Peoria does as well but the other ones in the sort of close to Springfield area are done by Labor Day or shortly after. I think FALS does do a weekend in October that they added to the schedule in recent years.

[latemodelman]

Honestly I know that at our local track that runs on Saturday nights they actually start racing on the last Sunday as a day race in March then have a test and tune on first Saturday in April then race every Saturday Night until the end of September. Then have a Saturday and Sunday show in October. They get on average in 4 classes 100 cars and also get around 3,000 people in the stands. Name is Shadybowl. They also pay $75 tow money in every class. Street Stocks are 1,000 to win and 200 to start and Mods are 1200 to win and 250 to start late models are 1500 to win and 300 to start and compacts are 700 to win and 125 to start. Any Bmain in any class pays 500 to win and 100 to start except compacts then its 300 to win and 75 to start.

[Jim11h]

That's blacktop, surface doesn't need near the prep

[Kromulous]

Largely because the Race Tracks are a for Profit business. There are so many weekends to make a big enough profit to re-open next year, and not end up in the red.

J. King has said it before a good early Spring race with a big crowd because the weather is good, can really make your season. Really take the pressure off of making big proffitts the rest of the Season. So you cant blame them for trying.

Personally i agree, i dont like racing until the Tracks get sorted out, and not a cornfield, we're low budget racers and i dont like tearing up Race cars. Usually that means around here, about the 1st of April.

[LM1]

This is the best time of year to attract good crowds, less competition from other sports and kids in school so no vacations. Spring comes and youre competing against graduations, weddings, summer sports, etc.

[Dlmfan123]

They run early in the year because if they get a nice day they are going to hit a home run fan wise

[4Barrel]

As to the end of the year, once school starts, the tracks are running up against high school sports and in some areas of the country college football when they try to run on Saturday nights.

In Illinois for example, Farmer City, Fairbury, Spoon River are all in or near smallish towns (less than 10,000 people). Larger parts of their fan & employee base are probably tied in with the high school football team in some way (player, fan, parent of player, etc) so trying to go head to head against that is a non starter. Jacksonville does run a few shows into early/mid October. I think Peoria does as well but the other ones in the sort of close to Springfield area are done by Labor Day or shortly after. I think FALS does do a weekend in October that they added to the schedule in recent years.

High schools have spring sports like basketball and baseball/softball too.

[riddle28]

!!!Question for track promoters!!!
For starters, this is not a track bashing post about any place in particular, I just want to understand from your perspective!

Why do we rush the beginning of the season into existence the very first week of March, when the track crews/ track owners haven’t been able to touch a place since last fall due to the ground being frozen, then try and get a facility ready in about a week for cars to hit the track, then all the racers show up and it’s cold in this region, nothing goes right for any of the track crew whatsoever, and the surfaces that the cars get put on is nothing like it will be come actual race nights???

We start the year like this and then at the middle of September when it’s still 70-75° outside, we end our seasons…

Would it not make more sense financially to wait until April to start practice, and then race until the middle of October or later until it does get too cold to race? If we push the start of the year till April it would allow the tracks and their workers ample time to make sure the facility is ready to go no?


No dog in the fight just asking!

as someone from the south, its extremely hard to compete with sec football down here. Alot of the tracks try to jump in on that winter anticipation and tax money and have an early race. Im not a fan either, the weather usually sucks and theyre always back gate races. I would prefer a first week of march- last week of october schedule

[EvelB7]

I believe the biggest thing is the "Early bird gets the worm". Drivers come to your track first, get locked in to running with you before going somewhere else-don't want to be the last guy choosing a dancing partner at the barn dance...

[3 wide]

!!!Question for track promoters!!!
For starters, this is not a track bashing post about any place in particular, I just want to understand from your perspective!

Why do we rush the beginning of the season into existence the very first week of March, when the track crews/ track owners haven’t been able to touch a place since last fall due to the ground being frozen, then try and get a facility ready in about a week for cars to hit the track, then all the racers show up and it’s cold in this region, nothing goes right for any of the track crew whatsoever, and the surfaces that the cars get put on is nothing like it will be come actual race nights???

We start the year like this and then at the middle of September when it’s still 70-75° outside, we end our seasons…

Would it not make more sense financially to wait until April to start practice, and then race until the middle of October or later until it does get too cold to race? If we push the start of the year till April it would allow the tracks and their workers ample time to make sure the facility is ready to go no?


No dog in the fight just asking!

I agree they all start to early but they can draw more cars early but it's just a crap shout what gets me more than that is the number of classes they are running 8 ,9, 10 I have even seen as high as 11 classes I just quit going who wants to seat there that long

[chathamracefan]

High schools have spring sports like basketball and baseball/softball too.

Can't speak for the whole country but in IL, racing typically starts right after basketball is done. And baseball/softball don't draw much in the fan count side. Football in the fall (especially in some of the small communities like Fairbury, Farmer City, Macon) are community events. Between players, cheerleaders, band members, a large chunk of the community is involved in the games. Not to mention if the team is good, the whole town goes to those games. I've always assumed that's why Fairbury & FC shut down around Labor Day except for FALS final weekend they have in October. Jacksonville runs a few regular Friday night shows into September & early October. J-ville is a bigger town than the other 2 & draws a lot of fans from Springfield so running head to head against football doesn't completely kill their crowd.

[Dirt Clod]

Just witnessed why you can run in early March. Paragon Speedway had a $10,000 win non-wing sprint car race scheduled for last Saturday, March 15th. With bad / rainy weather coming Saturday and Sunday, they moved the race up one day to Friday night, March 14th. With ONE DAY'S notice, they made the change and started social media advertising on Thursday. Their reward: Weather was near 80 degrees on Friday and they had a packed grandstand! Fans are eager to see early spring racing if you can get a great weather day. On just the opposite, we saw Brownstown lose two Northern All Star dates previous March Saturday's due to bad weather. Weather is the key in spring, we all know that.

[hoosier race fan]

Attica (Ohio) also raced last Friday night and had a very good crowd.