Trying to keep a local Stock Car Dirt Track alive? Ideas? (I know this is the nascar section)?

Question

I live in Missouri and I have been going to a small 1/4 dirt track for over 30 years now. My wife and I just purchased the track. The past couple of years the car count has been going down, and the grandstands aren't even half full anymore. The track has also dropped the Late Model class because last year only 3 or 4 would show up. Most fans have quit going because of the Late Model ordeal. We are wanting to bring the Late Models back, but we aren't sure on how to go about it since most of the drivers have quit or went to a different class. We are planning on racing Saturday evenings, since there are tracks around that race on Friday's and Sundays. There is also a track about an hour away that races on Saturdays as well. As the track owner, my wife and I are looking for ways to get the car count back up, and persuade people to come race at our track. Since its our first year we don't have a lot of $$ to have a bunch of special races. As a race fan, what would makes you decide what track you go to?

5 points to best answer.

Answer 1

Our local 1/3 mile dirt track was recently in trouble too. It actually went through 4 different promoters in less than 10 years. It started out, like many others, as a horse track in the 1940's, but the county fair board started running cars on it in the 1950's. They now contract out the operation of the track to outside individuals. In recent years, the track was in bad shape from low attendance and bad management. The promoter that's been running it for the last few seasons seems to finally have it right though.





He did it with hard work, sponsorship for special races and, perhaps the biggest thing he did, a partnership with another local track that combines the points chase from both tracks into one larger purse at the end of the season. They don't run late models every week here, though many of us wish they did, but, they run them 2 or 3 times each season (if I remember correctly, the D.I.R.T. cars are the ones that come here). All of the race nights are sponsored by someone whether it's a local car dealer or race engine builder, even our local fence company sponsors a couple nights each year. The big races usually have several major sponsors, including tech schools and race parts manufacturers. They combine the gate money and sponsor money and divide it up to pay the bills-you know what I mean by that-as well as putting some of it toward the end of season championship points fund which is awarded at a banquet at the end of the year.



One other thing that was considered was grading off a smaller track, I believe it was going to be about 1/8 mile, but I could be mistaken there, using part of the front stretch and infield. It was intended for running go karts, quads and maybe Legend cars so that younger racers could develop and hopefully continue onto the "big" track as they got older. It never came about though since there is already a Kart track just a few miles away and another one near the other track that points are shared with.



I'm a drag racer myself, but, I came up pitting and working on my uncles late models on the 6 or 7 local dirt tracks that used to be around here. Most of them are closed now, but, the 2 that are still open are going strong again most weekends from the end of March or early April until late September or early October. I still build engines for a few dirt trackers and now for my daughters dirt truck as well and when there's nothing going on for me at the strip, I head for the dirt to watch and help out.



Our local tracks website is www.fremontohspeedway.com, I think there's a link there to the track they partner with for the points fund.

Answer 2

As a race fan first, driver second. I want to see races with lots of cars. 6 or 8 cars in a main event is not a good sign. The most popular division I've seen lately is the 4 cylinder, front wheel drive, bone stock class. Lots of cheap cars that most guys don't mind bending a little. Many race tracks are doing events during the week, so there's no competition from other tracks. Maybe run Thursday nights? I go to the track to see racing. Many tracks around here don't get that, and drag the night out with all kinds of trivial events, interviews, and general time wasting stuff. Practice, heats, main events. One race ends, the next is already lined up, ready to go. You get fans back in the stands and keep them happy, the rest will follow. As a driver, I want to get in, do some racing, and still get home at a reasonable hour. There's a few tracks that run way into the night, and I don't get home 'til 2 or 3 a.m. That's hard to do and still hold down a job so I can buy more race car parts.

Answer 3

Follow Tony Stewart's model. Make the races events. Keep contact with your fans. Especially, those who travel to your track. Email contacts would work. Then make darn sure they are well designed. Identify your area that you draw from. Upgrade your appearance to the public, not a bunch of hicks running old cars straight from the junk yard. But make yourself professional. Those are vintage car races, THE STOCK CLASS everyone, anyone can race. See be a business, make good out of what you have to offer. Right ?



Bring in the local businesses, acquire sponsorship for your tracks activities. There are many sources of revenue. I can think of bunches.



There are so many things you could do that does not cost a cent, or very little. It is more putting the effort in to it. If you acquire sponsors you could do some special event purses for your late models. I would work the local car dealers, and the salesmen individually. Get them in a head lock, and haunt the place. You want trucks to use, cars for special events to show in the infield. AND MONEY. Let the salesmen work the infield for prospects, BUT they have to have the actual cars, and the dealership MUST put up CASH.



Better one GOOD night a week of racing then several that suck. Right ?



See, you should have hired me. We could have been a long way down the road by now. Unfortunately the more behind the curve you get, the harder it is to make headway. Hit my email here if you want any more ideas. I have bunches. Kind of know the area, I have lived in Kansas, all my relatives are still there, going back to 1900. If you knew my name you would know right away where I came from. Heck my name is widely known by all world over, especially attached to that area of the U.S.



I can make a race out of anything. I just hope you race to the bank friend, good luck.



EDIT : Oh, and a thumbs up for roughboy68oh also.

Answer 4

Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart where at a track in Madison Wisconsin a few weeks ago. There may be a few quick tracks that Matt Kenseth goes here, as well as Paul Menard. Someday's they are going to have a number of other Nascar drivers take part in these races. The Milwaukee Mile use to hold a Governor's Cup race occasion. Matt Kenseth used to be consistently the headline racer at that race. Due to the fiscal woes with the Mile, they let go of that race as good identical to the did with the Indy, and Nascar races.