When is enough enough

[jog49]

Entry fees started a very long time ago by promoters as a way to help ensure positive money flow. If there should ever be a shortage of funds at the front gate, receipts from the back gate would help defray costs of the event. It proved to be so lucrative that it became the rule rather than the exception.
Race car and driver should get in free, everybody else pays.

[W2Racing09]

Entry fees started a very long time ago by promoters as a way to help ensure positive money flow. If there should ever be a shortage of funds at the front gate, receipts from the back gate would help defray costs of the event. It proved to be so lucrative that it became the rule rather than the exception.
Race car and driver should get in free, everybody else pays.

It isn't so much that it has become lucrative as it has become a necessity. We simply don't have enough fans anymore. Look at pictures from 40 years ago and then look at pictures today. The amount of fans are a fraction of what they used to be. If you charge an extra $10 to each fan at DRRP this weekend it STILL would probably not be enough to even cover all of the lower divisions purses, let alone the SLM race.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[kazual]

Enough is enough when poor management, high gate fees, or the myriad of other bad practices cause race teams to go elsewhere, which causes race fans to stop attending as well. Until that happens some promoters will plod along until they have to institute some major change, which is more often than not closing the doors. There are good promoters out there folks, support em and let the chips fall where they may for the ones that don't get it.

[over4T]

This pit pass/entry fee has been a sore spot with me for years. We don't run Late Models any more due to the lack of races on the West Coast and the cost to do so. Even with the much lower cost of a Super Stock it's ridiculous. A group that runs a couple of tracks around here raised the pit fees this year from $40 for members and $45 for non-members to $50 for the non-members. At $75-100 for a membership with the probability of getting $50 back at the banquet when we aren't points chasers it doesn't make sense. Last year we did the math and had to finish 2nd in the main and win our heat to cover the cost of 2 pit passes and truck fuel to get to the track. Now they don't pay for the heats and it's impossible to even begin to cover the costs of getting there, let alone the costs of the equipment but racers seem to be like Pavlov's dogs...wave a green flag and we'll show up.

[W2Racing09]

I think some of these tracks people are bitching about should post up some financial statements. When you see tracks making less than $10-$15k in profits year after year (some don't even make any profits for all the work they put in prepping the track, promoting, etc.). Maybe at that point people would understand. Bring some fans to the track, there is only so much a promoter can do without the help of racers. When the tracks start to make enough money then the type of stuff you all are suggesting might be able to happen.

To the above poster, I don't know many drivers expecting to make a profit or even break even racing a Street Stock/Super Stock type car. Those divisions are what helps to pay for the purse in the higher up division.

People act like getting to drive a race car is your second job. You are not going to make money at it, you are probably not going to break even. It is your hobby -- and hobbies cost money. I think just about everyone involved in racing is aware of this.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[racecar1127]

LaSalle last sat night for lucas show. Was $35 for grandstands and $45 for pits. No discount for kids to get into pits.

[dmags]

I believe, they are called promoters for a reason , they need to promote. Not take the easier way out and continue to, so heavily, rely on us the racers. They rely on the back gate to much. I realize it is harder for them to find race, and or division sponsors than in the past. And harder to fill the stands, as times have changed and they are competing with more things that people ( with less money ) can go do.
However, racers expenses keep climbing but we race for the same and sometimes less money than we did 20 years ago. Causing more and more to have to give it up. which in turn puts less butts in the seats to watch fewer cars to compete. Promoters then have been less likely to tech cars in meaningful way ,because they do not want to send any cars down the road. Which in turn aggravates those running within the rules making it more likely for them to hang it up. Or less likely for someone new to move up or get involved in racing.
Do not think that I'm Blaming just the promoters! We all have do our part to get this sport revitalized. We as racers should be more fan friendly, not just load up and leave as soon as the races are over, hide in our haulers , Etc.

Thanks Danny
Hope everybody has a great weekend

[W2Racing09]

LaSalle last sat night for lucas show. Was $35 for grandstands and $45 for pits. No discount for kids to get into pits.

In a lot of places kinds are not even allowed into the pits. I'm pretty sure from an insurance standpoint it is much more dangerous to have kids in the pit area. They can't give a discount for them, they are probably paying a higher insurance rate as is.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[W2Racing09]

I believe, they are called promoters for a reason , they need to promote. Not take the easier way out and continue to, so heavily, rely on us the racers. They rely on the back gate to much. I realize it is harder for them to find race, and or division sponsors than in the past. And harder to fill the stands, as times have changed and they are competing with more things that people ( with less money ) can go do.
However, racers expenses keep climbing but we race for the same and sometimes less money than we did 20 years ago. Causing more and more to have to give it up. which in turn puts less butts in the seats to watch fewer cars to compete. Promoters then have been less likely to tech cars in meaningful way ,because they do not want to send any cars down the road. Which in turn aggravates those running within the rules making it more likely for them to hang it up. Or less likely for someone new to move up or get involved in racing.
Do not think that I'm Blaming just the promoters! We all have do our part to get this sport revitalized. We as racers should be more fan friendly, not just load up and leave as soon as the races are over, hide in our haulers , Etc.

Thanks Danny
Hope everybody has a great weekend

Again, there is only so much you can do without racers. Going to have a car show? Need racers, going to try to do interviews on the radio? Need racers. Going to advertise on the radio? Not very effective, and need to pay to do so. Going to have commercials on tv? Have to pay even more and also hire someone to create an exciting video. As you stated times have changed, tracks are making less money than they ever have and drivers are expecting to take a cut of what little they are making. When there is no place to race then what will you do with your $30k car? It certainly won't sell with no place to race it.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[strong08]

You all my bash me for saying this but, I think most of the prices on gate fees and entry fees are quite reasonable and affordable. I have raced go-karts for about 4-5 years from Georgia to Ohio. They usually charge a $20 gate fee person and a parking fee $25-50 on most occasions. Most entry fees on just a $500 race is $40-$60 and most put a kart minimum. They did a $50,000 race a few years ago at Ponderosa Speedway it was a 3 day show each day of parking was $35 plus a $20 gate person. The entry fee was $500 if you pre-paid I think it was $600 if you paid the day of. After doing this, that is why I say most are reasonable. And most go-Kart races only pay the top 3.

[W2Racing09]

You all my bash me for saying this but, I think most of the prices on gate fees and entry fees are quite reasonable and affordable. I have raced go-karts for about 4-5 years from Georgia to Ohio. They usually charge a $20 gate fee person and a parking fee $25-50 on most occasions. Most entry fees on just a $500 race is $40-$60 and most put a kart minimum. They did a $50,000 race a few years ago at Ponderosa Speedway it was a 3 day show each day of parking was $35 plus a $20 gate person. The entry fee was $500 if you pre-paid I think it was $600 if you paid the day of. After doing this, that is why I say most are reasonable. And most go-Kart races only pay the top 3.

That is an example of a 100% back gate structure. Right now drivers have it good, with the fans also paying for some of the purse. If they have to raise GA to let drivers in free, and the fans stop coming, this is a good example of what race purses would look like and what the fee structure would be.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[zeroracing]

I have a couple thoughts on the pit pass and entry fee cost issue.

1. I honestly don't like kids in the pits, when dad raced and I was little I would sit in the stands. Kids can be very hard to see from the drivers seat in a car. Honestly scared one day I might hit some kid and never even see them.

2. I dislike higher pit passes for specials. The promoter says you get to see the sprint cars or late models or bigger payout for mods... Well newsflash for the most part we are trying to get the car tuned and ready and don't watch much racing.

3. High cost of pit passes for poor quality facility and just high in general. I don't expect to make money every race night but I want my payout for a late model that runs 10th let's say to cover pit passes for me and two crew members... Not counting cost of truck fuel, car fuel, maintenance of wear. Not asking to make a living at it but would be nice to at least get what it cost me to roll through the gate back for running hard all night.

The poor quality issue, now the grass, give us some lighting and maybe a PA system...

[vande07]

Every division of motorsport usually has an Entry Fee (F1, Indy, NASCAR all have entry fees for each event).

Pit entrance fee (again, most sanctioning bodies have these all the way up to the highest level).

From a Business Perspective, I would imagine the main reason for such high pit fees is to keep a minimal # of people in the pits during an event (the less people, the less insurance liability) and to attempt to keep those in the pits to just being those that are with a racecar, track officials, sanctioning officials, safety personnel.

But, there are a lot of people that think that they should be in the pits that shouldn't be that don't pay attention to racecars coming in off the track and the like, so the easiest way to convince them to buy a ticket to the grandstand instead is to raise the pit entry fee.

Many racetracks offer the teams/drivers a certain # of pit passes at a reduced price, it's those people that don't come with a car that are charged the $45 (at least in my neck of the woods).

[ImCryn2]

How many tracks do you have that are close to you and what's the distance?

What I'm getting at if your local track closes how far will you have to drive to go see a race

I will say 45.00 does seem a little steep.

For all intents and purposes it has closed. Went from 5 classes with full fields to only running 6 or 7 specials a year now. It's easy to blame the economy and social media for the tracks demise, when in reality it's a top notch facility that has a promoter with a pi$$ poor attitude. You can only treat people like %hit for so long before you have to charge $45 for a pit pass to make a $12,000 show work out financially.

[kidrock]

For all intents and purposes it has closed. Went from 5 classes with full fields to only running 6 or 7 specials a year now. It's easy to blame the economy and social media for the tracks demise, when in reality it's a top notch facility that has a promoter with a pi$$ poor attitude. You can only treat people like %hit for so long before you have to charge $45 for a pit pass to make a $12,000 show work out financially.

Although I think the economy has played a big part in the decline of racing in general especially when it comes to a weekly show I don't think it's the sole reason. As far as social media there again it alone would not be a reason for the decline.

Yeah I won't speak about the promoter and if he has a bad attitude or not but, I do think 45.00 is a little steep but, there again I have no idea what it cost overall to put on a race with the Lucas series.