[Bob Tanner]

I guess a really offensive way to start this one out would be: Cup, eat your heart out!

A bit of the article says:
"The 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season on SPEED was the highest rated ever, averaging a .80and 585,000 households. On the year, 19 of the 22 races on SPEED saw year-to-year Nielsen Ratings increases, 15 in double digits."

NASCAR - NASCAR News, F1 News, and Racing News on SPEED - SPEEDtv.com

[jks812]

Wow! Guess we not the only ones that figured out that the truck series is the best Nascar has to offer. To bad nascar officials and cup drivers and owners don't realize that it's the difference in racing that does that.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by jks812

Wow! Guess we not the only ones that figured out that the truck series is the best Nascar has to offer. To bad nascar officials and cup drivers and owners don't realize that it's the difference in racing that does that.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no... Let's hope the Cup officials and handlers, Cup diva's and megateams continue to forget all about the Truck Series. It's doing just fine, exactly the way it currently is. Keep the big money and big names out of it.

NASCAR Used to have a great racing series called the Grand National Series. Then, in 1972 RJR brought in a slug on money and we see how well that worked out, don't we? There was once a great "feeder series," called BGN. Then, 4-5 years ago the Cup diva's and teams realized that there was gold to be found in them thar hills. Now we have Cup Lite.

Let's keep the Truck Series low-key, keep it off the networks, and keep the money low. Maybe the Cup divas and megateams will leave us the Hell alone! Then people who want to see real racing will have a venue to do just that.

Put up a sign in the Truck pits, "Cup Drivers allowed by invitation only!"

[DOF_power]

I have to say I agree, but I can't but think that at this rate CTS will one day "pay for its success" an become another Cup Lite, as the people in charge will take notice.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

I have to say I agree, but I can't but think that at this rate CTS will one day "pay for its success" an become another Cup Lite, as the people in charge will take notice.

Unfortunately I think you're spot on. To be honest, I am amazed by the gains that the Truck Series has made, in the face of the downward spiral of both Cup and Cup Lite. The Cup Series may be fun to discuss, debate, and defame (it's poor excuse for racing, it's "NA__AR-mobile car," its contrived results and its questionable management just kind of lend itself to criticism), but the Truck Series is actually fun to watch.

Oh well, there's always ARCA and my local tracks, where actual racing really does take place.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Unfortunately I think you're spot on. To be honest, I am amazed by the gains that the Truck Series has made, in the face of the downward spiral of both Cup and Cup Lite. The Cup Series may be fun to discuss, debate, and defame (it's poor excuse for racing, it's "NA__AR-mobile car," its contrived results and its questionable management just kind of lend itself to criticism), but the Truck Series is actually fun to watch.

Oh well, there's always ARCA and my local tracks, where actual racing really does take place.

I'm glad your local tracks are doing well.

Unfortunately, my local track seems to be on the verge of doom. A couple problems seem to be the culprit.

First is income/profit. I don't know if it's mismanagement or inability to reconcile expenses with gate receipts. At the end of 2007 the owner/promoter was glum about the financials (the land is actually leased from a "gravel pit" next door) but she managed to get an auto auction company to sublease the track garage and parking area a couple days a week plus to make improvements and expand the garage & office building for their auctions. But at the end of the year, the auction company is moving into their newly purchased space, so that income stream is going away in 2009.

She's developed the habit of slow payment of winnings. She blames it on her bookkeeper, but is unwilling to remedy the problem. There's a 2009 rules meeting this coming weekend and those who haven't made the trip to the track to pick up their winnings from the September season ending race are being "encouraged" to show up to get their money! Otherwise they may not get it (without a trip to the track during "office hours") until next year! (My son is one of those yet to be paid .. how much can a stamp and envelope cost?)

Second is the wishy-washyness of rules enforcement. Her (and her staff) talk big, but it's all hot air. There's no black flags for rough driving, nor expulsions for anything (even when the Sheriff is summoned.) There's cars that are blatantly illegal, but are never checked. Tech inspections are mostly a joke as the same handfull of things are always checked. The only goodness in inspections is the post race tech of the Top 5 cars where a random part is selected for inspection (the time we finished 5th the transmission was internally checked.) She has a fear that if a driver/car were kicked out for a night she'd loose fans (even on the biggest races of the year, there's a few empty seats.) What she doesn't understand is that fair enforcement of the rules will actually attract more competitors and, therefore, more fans.

Then there's our other "local" track (asphalt, that is.) Actually, it's almost 200 miles away. It's a great facility .. possibly the best in the state and surrounding states. But the owners tend to want to "compete" (aka butt heads) with the other tracks for the few fans who might travel these distances for a race rather than to work with them to have complimentary shows so that all can benefit from larger fields and, as a result, larger crowds. For instance, these guys created their own series to compete directly with an existing traveling series. Not only did they "one-off" the rules, but they scheduled their races to coincide with the traveling series events at other tracks! I understand sometimes they had as few as 5 cars (those who wouldn't travel anyway) as the total field in the race. I think they've seen the error in that kind of thinking and are actually working with the traveling series next year.

This "documentary" has been presented to show that oftentimes the problem with racing is folks who run things focusing on their wallet and their "family" rather than on the sport. Yes, it's important to keep an eye on the wallet and to love your "family", but not at the expense of the sport. If ya kill or seriously wound the sport, both the wallet and "family" will go elsewhere.

[Bob Tanner]

Here in Mobile we have six (6) tracks within 50 miles and all, as far as I know, are keeping their heads above the water.

Mobile (1/2-mile asphalt) has three strong home-grown series running every week it doesn't rain, which pays fair. They also have regional touring series run several times a season.

Five Flags in Pensacola, FL had some problems and almost closed for good but got their crap back in one sock and are doing OK. The Snowball Derby next month is their Daytona and will help keep the ship solidly afloat for another year.

Southern Speedway in Pass Christian, MS is a 1/2-mile dirt and draws a pretty good crowd each week. Lot's of cars from Louisiana.

We have three 1/4-mile, or so(?) dirt tracks ( Deep South Raceway in Loxley, AL, Sunny South in Grand Bay, AL and Flomaton Raceway in Flomaton, AL) with basically hobby stocks and street stock races on either Friday or Saturday. I went to Deep South once this year and the beer was cold and the stands were filled. They have a FWD class which puts on one Hell of an entertaining show.

So luckily we aren't suffering the problems you are. But the, none of the local tracks here have tried to emulate the way NA__AR runs things, either. Five Flags did a few years ago but it almost busted them and the powers-that-be saw the light and now things are better.

That's the secret. Encourage new blood with a entry class, keep the cost low (claiming works!), and put on a good show and keep your admission prices affordable. Keep the classes to a maximum of four and start the racing on time, keep the show moving and get everyone out by 2300, at the latest. Give them a show they want to come back and see again, not just drive around in circles. That they can see most Sunday afternoons.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Here in Mobile we have six (6) tracks within 50 miles and all, as far as I know, are keeping their heads above the water.

Mobile (1/2-mile asphalt) has three strong home-grown series running every week it doesn't rain, which pays fair. They also have regional touring series run several times a season.

Five Flags in Pensacola, FL had some problems and almost closed for good but got their crap back in one sock and are doing OK. The Snowball Derby next month is their Daytona and will help keep the ship solidly afloat for another year.

Southern Speedway in Pass Christian, MS is a 1/2-mile dirt and draws a pretty good crowd each week. Lot's of cars from Louisiana.

We have three 1/4-mile, or so(?) dirt tracks ( Deep South Raceway in Loxley, AL, Sunny South in Grand Bay, AL and Flomaton Raceway in Flomaton, AL) with basically hobby stocks and street stock races on either Friday or Saturday. I went to Deep South once this year and the beer was cold and the stands were filled. They have a FWD class which puts on one Hell of an entertaining show.

So luckily we aren't suffering the problems you are. But the, none of the local tracks here have tried to emulate the way NA__AR runs things, either. Five Flags did a few years ago but it almost busted them and the powers-that-be saw the light and now things are better.

That's the secret. Encourage new blood with a entry class, keep the cost low (claiming works!), and put on a good show and keep your admission prices affordable. Keep the classes to a maximum of four and start the racing on time, keep the show moving and get everyone out by 2300, at the latest. Give them a show they want to come back and see again, not just drive around in circles. That they can see most Sunday afternoons.

did you forget Opp, or is it farther away than 50 miles?

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

did you forget Opp, or is it farther away than 50 miles?

More than fifty. It's beyond Atmore, the other side of Century Florida. I've been by it but can't say I've ever set foot on the property. It didn't look very big and it didn't look like it has been used for awhile; kind of run down. But then, everything in that part of the country looks like that so I couldn't really tell.