NASCAR is killing short track racing

MRM

MRM

Team Owner
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
5,690
Points
793
Location
Powell, TN
NASCAR is killing short track racing with all these Saturday night races in the month of May. You had Richmond two weekends ago, Darlington this past weekend, the All-Star race this coming weekend, and the Nationwide race at Charlotte the following weekend. Add to that the state of the economy and the rising gas prices, fans are staying at home instead of visiting their local track. Volunteer Speedway, a successful 3/8-mile dirt track located between Bristol and Knoxville, announced today they won't be running any more races this month for the above reasons. Crowds are down at many tracks across the country. It gets worse every year since NASCAR added all these night races.

I understand why NASCAR wants more races under the lights, they draw good ratings. But the downside is they are killing their own growth. They won't see the results of this themselves for another 8-10 years. That's when today's youngsters will be old enough to race on their local short tracks. When there aren't as many kids interested in racing, they'll need to look at their decision to run so many Saturday night races during May.

NASCAR isn't the only problem here, but they are the biggest problem. This downward trend started several years ago. It has really jumped this year because of gas prices and uneasiness over the economy. Something better be done soon or there will be a lot of tracks closing early this year.
 
MRM said:
NASCAR is killing short track racing with all these Saturday night races in the month of May. You had Richmond two weekends ago, Darlington this past weekend, the All-Star race this coming weekend, and the Nationwide race at Charlotte the following weekend. Add to that the state of the economy and the rising gas prices, fans are staying at home instead of visiting their local track. Volunteer Speedway, a successful 3/8-mile dirt track located between Bristol and Knoxville, announced today they won't be running any more races this month for the above reasons. Crowds are down at many tracks across the country. It gets worse every year since NASCAR added all these night races.

I understand why NASCAR wants more races under the lights, they draw good ratings. But the downside is they are killing their own growth. They won't see the results of this themselves for another 8-10 years. That's when today's youngsters will be old enough to race on their local short tracks. When there aren't as many kids interested in racing, they'll need to look at their decision to run so many Saturday night races during May.

NASCAR isn't the only problem here, but they are the biggest problem. This downward trend started several years ago. It has really jumped this year because of gas prices and uneasiness over the economy. Something better be done soon or there will be a lot of tracks closing early this year.
Click to expand...
I don't go to the local track (Potomac Speedway) because they cost too much. It's not a good track, facility wise. Floods easily, very muddy and it's rained here every weekend for a few months (minus one or two nice weekends here or there).
 
The track we race at is an hour down the road from chicagoland. I am interested to see what happens to us that weekend that they race under the lights this year. I have been mad about it since they announced it. I hate how they think every other racing will cater to them if they decide they want a night race.
 
You can partly blame Nascar, and you can partly blame the local track, and you can partly blame the economy right now. Many local tracks are changing the way they do business to compete with Nascar. VMS, for example, started running on Friday nights when Cup has a Saturday show. I've read the a couple tracks across the counrty invested in a video monitor on the back stretch (or somewhere) that shows the Nascar race on TV while their show is running.

But even with all that, I'd agree. They run too many Satruday shows, and it is hurting the traditional local tracks. I hear too many broadcasters, too, say that they want more Saturday night shows, and i'm screaming "Nooooo!"
 
AndyMarquisLIVE said:
I don't go to the local track (Potomac Speedway) because they cost too much. It's not a good track, facility wise. Floods easily, very muddy and it's rained here every weekend for a few months (minus one or two nice weekends here or there).
Click to expand...

Well, since Potomac doesn't run on Saturdays, there goes that theroy:cool:
 
VaDirt said:
You can partly blame Nascar, and you can partly blame the local track, and you can partly blame the economy right now. !"
Click to expand...

Exactly!

I have taken my radio/headphones to listen or to check to see who's leading. Nascar has never kept me from going to my local dirt track.
In the last two years, I've not even done that.
 
VaDirt said:
Well, since Potomac doesn't run on Saturdays, there goes that theroy:cool:
Click to expand...
Where did I say it had anything to do with Saturdays.

This hasn't been a good racing year in Maryland, period. The good thing is the number of people participating in Speed Unlimited Midnight Madness has gone up, mainly in part due to the tragedy in Accokeek in February.

There's a lot of interest in dirt track racing, but the general concensus is the same - we just want something a little better. Potomac Speedway was one of the hotspots when I moved up here. MIR was coming on strong, but their concessions and all were a joke. Royce took over there and has turned MIR into a premium quality racetrack that even the NHRA would boast to have on its schedule. ADRL, 1320X, and SPEED have rushed to MIR as their breeding ground of opportunitty. The attendance at MIR this year has been far better than anyone expected, given the economy. But, right here and now, that's the buzz. MIR's quickly turning into the Saturday night hotspot for SMC. Oh yeah, low-ticket prices don't hurt either.

Rick Jones has too many tracks that are far better to compete. Hagerstown, Old Dominion, and VMS are all just an hour or a little more away. Talked with a friend down in SMC and Potomac is struggling, bigtime.

I still say MIR, Potomac Speedway and Budds Creek should all merge their lands and work together instead of trying to compete with each other. If that happened, Southern Maryland Motorsports Park would flourish. IHRA, AMA, 1320X, ADRL, NOPI, Pinks, SPEED all come out to MIR and Budds Creek Motocross Park as it is. :idunno:

I just think Potomac costs way too much money for a Friday night drive. :idunno:

If they had that track 2 miles away, I'm still not sure I'd go. :idunno:
 
Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter mile totally flat oval. Whoo hoo! We record the Cup races. Live racing is much better anyway, whether its the local set or Cup.
 
buckaroo said:
Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter mile totally flat oval. Whoo hoo! We record the Cup races. Live racing is much better anyway, whether its the local set or Cup.
Click to expand...

I wish everyone thought like that. With DVRs so prevelant now, it should be easy for everyone, but with the price of gas, it's too easy now for people to just stay home and watch a race on TV, even though live and local is sooo much better.
 
I love hanging out in the pits on a saturday night cause you get to see all the emotion that actually exists in racing. There is no sterilizing done like on tv (ex jr/busch at richmond). I have watched two guys go at it like crazy on the track, then I can go to the scales or where ever they are after the race and see them get in each others face and for the most part nobody stops it till it gets crazy (i have seen a few of those).

I wish more people could see how close they could get to their favorite drivers at the local tracks. When lucas or WoO latemodels come to town I stand right next to the scales for qualifying. I meet drivers through the whole field that just want to sit and bs. I talked to jimmy owens last year for 20 minutes and didnt realize who he was till i saw the race on tv and he got out in victory lane. People are missing an awesome experience by sitting at home and watching hollywood race on tv.
 
buckaroo said:
Bowman Gray Stadium, a quarter mile totally flat oval. Whoo hoo! We record the Cup races. Live racing is much better anyway, whether its the local set or Cup.
Click to expand...



Holy Crap, for a while there I thought I was the only guy with DVR!!! Come on people, if you want to go to the Sat. Night show, go and record the Cup race, once again, this is an excuse to hate Nascar, not a reason. Believe me, they do enough to piss me off too, but that ain't one ofhte things. Duane
 
VaDirt said:
With DVRs so prevelant now, it should be easy for everyone, but with the price of gas, it's too easy now for people to just stay home and watch a race on TV, even though live and local is sooo much better.
Click to expand...

I used to work for a track and was there every week. On nights there was a NASCAR race, you could see the difference in attendance. I've been to two different tracks the last 2 weekends and the attendance was not that great.

The economy is cutting into what people want and can do with their money. But you offer them a free race on TV, they're going to take it right now.
 
I hardly watch live races in the summer....I always DVR them. there is too much to do in the summer than to sit in the house all day. I watch them about 8:00 sunday PM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom