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TSTRS

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  1. Here is our 2020 schedule - if all trends well as Houston & Texas start to open, we will stick to this! Practice this Saturday - gates open at 10am close at 5pm. If you need to stay a little later - I am open to that just ask! If any racers are going to have trouble getting to the first couple of racers bc of a job loss, income loss etc. PLEASE reach out to me! Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  2. Hi Josh I do not know what else to say. I suggest you get with Nathan. Like you, I paid for a promo video, track rental, put together a presentation to sell it AND went on multiple appointments, one about 120 miles away. This is racing, nothing I can do. My Alpha sponsor cannot be associated with it, which means I cannot run it with my series as we planned. I am not sure what other info you are looking for. I spoke with Nathan after my meeting with AAP when I found this out. I apologize but my hands are tied. Please call Nathan for an update. Did you make it to the last practice at HMP - this past Saturday? Gina
  3. Truthfully, when the cornerstone sponsor to our whole racing program tells me they cannot be a part of the Sprint Car event, I did not ask why. I posted the reason I was given.
  4. Hello, Racers! Here is the 2020 Race Schedule with the Divisions/Classes included. You guys will find it a bit different than the racing norm, and I am depending on you guys, even more, this year! I cannot express my gratitude for how supportive you have been, and I thank you greatly for it because it is the only pay check in everything I am doing right now. I rely upon a handful of you for advice and input when there are decisions to be made. No change is made without consulting a few of you. This schedule was a big one for me, and when it was first proposed to me I thought no way would this work. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is what we need right now. We have 10 - TEN classes wanting to race. Last year we ran 7 classes, and I feel we were successful in doing that. We got the show done by 9:30 almost every single race, with the latest being 9:40p. But the pace was crazy for our TSTRS team, and in my opinion, that takes away from our ability to see how we can do even better in connecting to the fans to grow. Continuing at this pace will ultimately have a negative impact on our presentation to the fans, and that is our job - to present you guys to the fans and build those connections to get them coming back as often as possible. We could do it with a bigger team, but that increases our cost. We just cannot afford to do that just yet. Slowing the show up some with a focus on fan engagement through on-track driver intros, a celebrity grand marshall, race winners taking a victory lap & getting interviewed afterward on the track with family able to join in from the stands for the picture, on track intermissions, more crowd-drawing inverts, etc All of this helps us grow our fan base and gets their attention & keeps people coming through the gate to see YOU GUYS race. Everything we are doing increases your value, which ultimately increases the value of everything I have to sell, to keep racing strong so it sticks around this time. With this year's class schedule, it is imperative for you guys to come to race. I do understand that there is still hesitation to build or buy a car for some. I get it - - I TOTALLY get it. BUT - 2020 was to be year TWO of a TWO-year deal with Advance. When Bo & I met with them 3 weeks ago, a contract amendment was made that changed our deal to reflect us in year TWO of a MULTI-year deal with a 2021 commitment from us to have more races. We also signed all FOUR of their brands to promote - Advance Auto Parts (AAP), Advance Professional, CarQuest, TechNet. In order to get all four brands and a longer and ultimately bigger contract, I had to invest in NASCAR sanctioning and commit to working with their B2B team more away from the track. As well as retail store promos & track interactions. Car count growth is imperative, as well as butts in the stands. If you help me with the car count growth, I am fully committed to growing & keeping a consistent fan count. This only works if we do this together - and if we do it right, we truly have a great shot at making racing better than it ever has been in Houston. If I did not believe that, I would not let my family risk everything we own to make it happen. NASCAR Sanctioning info will be posted in a separate post - Pro Trucks will be our 'Feature' Division. With Pro Mods being 2nd Division and Outlaws the 3rd division. NOTES on things people approach me with: BANQUET INFO - TOP 5 in each class PLEASE rsvp the number of tickets you need for the banquet. BANQUET TICKETS ARE FREE but limited to Top 5 request FIRST - Advance Auto Parts is putting this banquet on so they can introduce their team TO YOU GUYS & kick-off 2021 the right way! How huge is this? I will also have inkDOTS at the banquet - and these guys are another key piece in how far we have come and our plans moving forward! Factory Stock/Pro Stock class - I WANT this class back on asphalt too. But I do NOT want to take anything away from the dirt tracks to make that happen. I have a ton of other things I have to focus on BUT I am open to someone putting together a class for us to race. I am open to working with someone on this, I just cannot do it alone. Sprint Cars - AAP axed this race. It is a direct conflict with their sponsorship of Tony Stewart Racing. There are things in motion for it to still happen without TSTRS involvement so stay tuned. These things are mighty fine on asphalt - whew! Advertising - thank you for constantly telling me I have to advertise. I appreciate that input and I totally understand the value of advertising, as I grew a previous business paying for it. With us filling the southern void in the NASCAR Home Tracks map, you can bet your sweet tails that I am leaning on my NASCAR contacts heavily for them to share some of their local advertising with us. Fortunately for us, we are in the 4th largest city in America AND we have TMS in the same state. Additionally, we have a Fortune 500 company as our Alpha Sponsor and are the only thing, racing-related, that represents ALL FOUR of their brands. All are some pretty persuasive points for consideration. I also have other things we are doing and evaluating as well. Again - thank you guys so much for everything so far. I ask for your support at the race track when your class/division is not racing. Come help a team or take the opportunity to bring your neighbors, co-workers, sponsors, family members - to the race track. Explain things to them, share what you love about racing with them so they will love it too. This is a big part of this formula working too! If you have any input, or questions feel free to reach out. (I will be posting a schedule on the FB page too - but share this with other racers that may not use computers! lol) Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  5. I think accountability from the teams and students will help sustain it. I am adding 2 more schools to the program with a reward of some significant sponsored equipment to the school with the most successful participation. This was probably the easiest thing I have sold so far! I love how so many are inspired to reward hard-working kids these days!
  6. TSTRS PIT CREW PROGRAM - We are developing a new PIT CREW PROGRAM with local high school Automotive Technology students. This program will provide participating race teams an extra hand on race day in exchange for your commitment to the program's requirements. The students are interested in gaining more experience working in the racing industry and we are happy to be able to provide that opportunity to them on race day! At practice this Saturday, Feb 15th, we will have Auto Tech Students from Klein Forest High School checking things out, and ready to offer a hand if needed. There is no payment required. These students are eager to gain some racing knowledge you racers can offer in trade for their help. TSTRS will provide pit passes for the students. Teams are required to provide regular feedback after each race that will be passed along to their teacher. Students assigned to a race team will remain with the same race team all race season. If you are a team that could use an extra hand on race day, please email gina@txarp.com OR call Gina (713) 907-0906. We will be matching teams and students up and officially kick off the program at our first race on April 18th!
  7. We will be having our 2019 Awards Banquet on Saturday, Feb 29th 6:30 - 9p Dinner serves at 7pm Awards at 8 Location will be in Houston - TBA We are trying to get a headcount so please RSVP gina@txarp.com with your headcount, please! Tickets are free - thank you to our wonderful sponsor - Advance Auto Parts! RSVP Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  8. This is one of the packages offered in the 2020 TSTRS Sponsor Booklets. It is an excellent entry-level sponsorship as well as a great conversation starter too. Racers can sell this package or build their own sponsor package around it. If you sell it at the published price of $1750, the profit is $1,117. You get $817 when the sponsor pays. And $300 goes to your class 2020 points fund. If you sell it at a discount price of $1500, the profit is $867. You get $567 when the sponsor pays. And $300 goes to your class 2020 points fund. It must be the Full Coverage Signage Combo package and it would be subject to approval by the series for some exclusivities we have signed for 2020. I can add your racing logo to the pricing sheet if you want to use it in your presentation. For more details and specifics, please reach out to me! My goal here is to give you guys something to sell that helps us both AND racing at HMP. If you need help, please ask. Feel free to pull pictures of the race track off the series webpage for your presentations. Link is below, scroll down below the track video for the pictures. Click on them to open them, when you find one you like the best drag and drop it! https://www.texasshorttrackracingseries.com/gallery/ Gina Schild Knowles (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com PS - I will need some help putting signs up at our first practice in Feb 2020!
  9. I wanted to share the promo video we shot when a couple of ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprint Cars came to HMP to test. Paul White was driving the black one and Nathan Moore the white one. They will be adding HMP as a stop in 2020 - so mark your calendars for July 4th! It was really fun watching them. We will be practicing with them a couple of times, it will all be on the schedule coming out here pretty quick! You can also see the video on our Facebook page - facebook.com/texasshorttrackracing HMP Sprint Cars.mp4
  10. UPDATED PRACTICE & RACE DAY SCHEDULE -- We added the Dwarf cars.
  11. Good morning guys! Car counts each race so far is listed below (I have corrected the T-STARS June race numbers that I had incorrect on the last car count post.) I am very excited about the growth we are having in our core classes! I do hear there are more cars being built, purchased and getting ready to race. I do believe we have a great show! This past race (Oct 19th) we brought Intermission back into the schedule, added laps, ran an extra feature for the Eco Stock class, introduced Checkered Flag victory laps AND on- track interviews for the winners of the core classes - and we STILL finished at 9:30 pm. And I do want to say that by finishing early, most fans stay and watch ALL the racing, which helps the last race of the evening get some fan love too! We will be changing some things up for this last race - TechNet Speedfest 2019 on Nov 9th, in efforts to learn some more about the timing of the show and the presentation to the fans. Which - we hope to have more of this coming race FOR SURE! (GO Astros - hurry up and win the World Series!) And speaking of wanting more people to come out and watch - share our poster all over social media - bring a friend to the track, bring more family - whatever it takes to close out our 2019 on a great foot! Thank you racers & racing family for all your support and for bringing it when we need it the most! Looking forward to the season finale!! Gina (713)907-0906 gina@txarp.com June 8th July 6th Aug 31st Oct 19 (T-STARS Series) (TSTRSeries) (TSTRS) TSTRS Super Stock 5 8 7 7 Outlaws 6 8 9 9 Pro Mod 11 8 13 13 Pro Truck 9 13 13 13 Eco Stock 7 14 8 8 Dwarfs 6 N/A N/A N/A Legacy 14 12 13 14 Naskarts 9 14 9 6
  12. Race day info - this Saturday, HMP! Hope to see you guys out there! Gina (713) 907-0906
  13. Good Wednesday morning racers. I wanted to let you know that I am calling this Saturday as a Rain Out. We will not be racing, no practice on Friday. All the forecast vary from 30 - 60 percent and have changed for the last 2 weeks almost daily. As of right now weather.com has Saturday at 50% chance f rain and Sunday at 40%. I literally have checked four weather websites hourly for the past two days and after talking with Advance Auto Parts yesterday, I decided to make a call. If it turns out to be a nice day, I apologize. This is probably the hardest decision I have made so far. While I feel we could probably get some racing in, the forecasting affects the fans coming in to watch you guys. The heavy thunderstorms are projected right around gate opening time and early evening on Saturday. May or may not necessarily be at the race track, but around it and other spots over Houston - which impacts the main place we can make money, the front gate. Since we are not profitable right now, the risk is even greater at this stage for us. Especially with a race coming up quickly afterward on Oct 19th. I could pull from my Advance Auto Parts 2020 monies if I got into a bind from a rainout, but I promised myself I would not gamble with 2020s game plan. Not gambling is something racers don't usually consider, but I am already risking so much that I have to make smart choices for remaining races this year (Oct 19th and Nov 9) and the 10 dates for next year. If I had the luxury of waiting to make this call without having to put up rent, I would wait one more day. But Dean already gave me an extra day to make that call. I hope you guys understand and please keep in mind - we started putting everything together four weeks before the July 6th race. FOUR. We started almost completely from scratch on the operations side - new team, new computers, new point of sale systems, new internet coverage...... We collected no registration fees, no previous sponsor monies, nothing. Long story short, I am invested in you guys. And I appreciate all of your support & input and ask you to stay invested in racing with me and this team. Every day I am selling - you can help me out with that if you want! As I said on RUSS - Revved Up Sports Show, I will offer a commission to anyone pointing me to a successful relationship or will put it towards a class purse of your choice. Packages are listed below. If there is a conflict of interests on anything presented to me I will let you know. Thanks, guys - please share with other racers. Watch for the new Oct 19th details to be released soon! Gina Schild Knowles (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  14. I had a media person ask me what tracks in Texas would I recommend visiting on a road trip across Texas. And the question stumped me a little because I really do not know what tracks are still operating to recommend? (besides the ones close to me of course) Can you guys help me give them a good answer? Texas tracks dirt or asphalt, please. Is there a Facebook Page for this question as well that you may know of?
  15. Help me sell the track signage! I have new signs going up next race - I want to add some more to it! Here are two highlight videos that show track signs and some of the 'walk-in' signage. And don't forget - All the track signage gets talked about by Rodney our awesome Race MC during the race! When they buy the BIG THREE, they get the drive-in coverage, walk-in coverage and track coverage too. Additionally, if they give us stuff to throw into the audience we can make sure to plug them as BIG THREE track supporter! Pass a name along to me - I am cold calling this week and will include them. If I sell them, I will have a check for you for 10% of the selling price at the track OR additional $ on the class purse you choose. Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  16. Changed it. Sorry about that. Thank you Bobby!
  17. I will double-check Bobby. I had (4) and one that did not start. I based my numbers off of starts.
  18. We have an event this weekend that I would love for racers & families to come too! We will have some TSTRS racers there helping us get some new faces in those stands! We are helping Phillips 66 kick off a year-long campaign to support children's literacy and to commit to reading to your family & friends. This is our first official event with one of our newest marketing partners! Here is a link to the page with some more info. If any other drivers would like to participate in future events with Read Strong All Year Long, shoot me an email. You will get some extra exposure for you and your sponsors at the events, links back to your racing pages if needed. https://www.cmhouston.org/readstrong Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm We will be in the FlowWorks section on the back patio through The Dragons & Fairies area. (I thought you guys would love that ) Parking is on the map below, green checkmark. Tickets are $12 for Adults & Children Seniors $11 and Military $10 Come out and help us kick off a great cause! The Children's Museum 1500 Binz Houston Tx 77004
  19. I thought I would share car counts with you guys. Trending up, even with 2 back to back Holiday races! I am excited to see growth. I am working super hard on the Sept race, I hope to see everyone again! MAYBE it will be just a tad cooler? June 8th July 6th Aug 31st (T-STARS Series) (NEW TSTRSeries) TSTRSeries Super Stock 4 8 7 Outlaws 6 8 9 Pro Mod 10 8 13 Pro Truck 9 13 13 Eco Stock 7 14 8 Dwarfs 6 N/A N/A Legacy 14 12 13 NASkarts 9 14 9 **please note Bandos & Legends won't be racing with us until next year per Kenny Brown. We hope to see you then! I do welcome you to the track on race day to show some racing love! Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  20. Hey guys! I want to start out by saying the comments, the participation, and efforts of all the racers, teams and family on getting things back on track and moving forward has been just awesome. It is truly what propels me forward. I cannot stress this enough, it is contagious and makes a huge impact on racing as a whole - dirt and asphalt! And while you are giving continuously, I need to ask for a little more help. As you know we are new guys, a new team. We are still putting the grease on, as the wheels start turning. We have a great team - I mean great! I should sell radio access to Brad Bush race directing. It would knock your socks off. That grace comes with a strong right hand, and he has that in Tiffany. That's for damn sure. Todd and JT can be put in any position at the track and be able to do it. And Denny in Tech, Jack..... - someone should total the years of experience in that one building alone. Mark Stevens has helped us keep the internet-connected so we can stay up and running, and that is a monumental FEAT. Wow. I feel like it is coming together, and am super excited at some things coming. However, there is something I need to get under control and need more help with. What I need from race teams is help keeping up with your passes you are paying for. I know this is a lot to manage, but it is even greater on our side. The radio calls I get from the front gate about people not having passes, or wondering why they have to pay or was told they get in free by someone they support....is off the charts. What results is a lot of people not paying, getting discounts or getting pissed off at the girls upfront. And then what results is I lose a good employee because of the frustration of the whole thing. We are going to offer early registration to all teams to help with this. But if you come to the track please bring your pit pass list and leave us a check or credit card info. If you want to pay for people coming out to watch you race, then we will have a list for that that people sign in on that will be added to the full tab. If there is a limit, tell us and we will cap it off. I am kind of disheartened how some underestimate the importance of paying for things right now. I ask you to please not take advantage of our growing pains, when we make an error on charging you please pay us correctly. If you rent a golf cart and we did not collect on it - please pay for it. If you hear someone say they somehow got in free and was not supposed to, pay us for them or give them crap about it. I am amazed at how many people claim to be someone they are not, to get a free pit pass. And then when that person comes up to collect their paid for pit pass, it takes extra time and results in lost revenue. Not to mention the stress it puts on the worker having to do it multiple times throughout the evening. Or having to ask for an ID for a dang pit pass. And if we make a mistake - tell us! We cannot get better if we do not know. There are new ways of doing things that we are evaluating so we can get you guys on the track as seamless as possible. Please help us with this process! Share ideas and thoughts with me - gina@tstrseries.com. If you want to prepay for anything, email my daughter, Taylor - taylor@tstrseries.com. Entry fees, pit passes, etc If it rains out, it will roll to the next race. If for some reason you cannot make it, you will get refunded or can apply it to the next race. For those of you racers who bring your list with a check or credit card, THANK YOU! Thank everyone for your patience and support! Let's get to racing! Next race Sept 28th Gina (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com
  21. Weather is looking good - can't wait to see you guys at the track! I am looking forward to being able to focus on watching the show some this time. I will have some potential sponsors coming out to enjoy the evening if you see me with them be sure to say hello!
  22. Below is a sponsor package for the track. Please share with a business that may be interested in promoting. If a racer sells or sends me a lead that purchases the Big 3 Package, we will add $200 to his class purse at the race immediately following payment in full of the sponsor package. (I do have payment plans for sponsors if needed.) Big 3 Package $1750* for all three locations - Drive-up, Walk-in, and On-track. (Individual signs can be purchased at the prices listed below.) This package includes three large signs at Houston Motorsports Park. All signs are put together to last, and the package cost does include a change out if ever needed. We will change out any banners that tear or fade as needed. Drive-up Sign (Placed where fans come into the track and wait in line to purchase tickets. We recommend this sign contain the company info and logo.) 4' x 10' $275 Walk-in Sign (Placed where fans walk into the track. We recommend this sign to contain the company info and logo.) 4.5' x 7' $275 On-track Sign (Placed on the inside perimeter of the race track. We recommend the company logo as big as possible with little info. A logo or some form of recognition that ties to the other banners.) 8' x 12.5' $1350* Signs will be up for the following races: 2019 Races Aug 31st Sept 28 Oct 19 Nov 9 2020 Races March (1) April (2) May (2) June (1) July (1) August - OFF All sponsor deals up for renewal. All signs taken down will belong to the sponsor if they want them. ADDITIONALLY - If they purchase an individual track sign ($1350) OR the Big 3 package they get: - Added exposure at race events when the announcer talks about track sponsors in downtime. His script or verbiage comes directly from the sponsor when they fill out a sponsor sheet. We place this sheet in the Announcer Binder that Rodney takes to his announcing throne each race day. - Featured Sponsors at specific races that we share more detailed company info on. The sponsor can use this at any race he may want to promote specific things, entertain specific vendors or reward specific employees. - Our Announcer Rodney Rodriguez is not shy on the mic in thanking our sponsors. Rodney is a nationally respected motorsports personality, co-founding MC on the Revved Up Sports Show and a Sports Personality on 104.9FM The Horn in Austin. - A 1/4 page ad in the race day programs coming in the fall. (Sept - Aug 2020) Please share guys - let me know of any interest or questions you have! If you would like more info on other packages we have, please let me know. We are pushing the signs to get the track dressed up and looking fine! Gina Schild Knowles (713) 907-0906 gina@txarp.com Texas Asphalt Racing Promotions LLC dba Texas Short Track Racing Series
  23. I am looking for quotes from companies for some track projects. Please take a look and let me know if you can help! Painter- VIP rooms in tower updated. Glass- Need Tower windows tint done. Someone to install vent fans at the top peaks of the grandstand bathrooms and pits if possible. A contractor that can add an exit door in the VIP Tower area (metal building)on the southern facing end of the building and add a paved area outside of the tower extending out some for a VIP outside area. A pressure wash company to pressure wash the grandstands in increments, starting with the walkway in front of the grandstands. Painter to repaint the start/finish line, doubled and extended. Painter - Pit road wall facing grandstands painted and re updated with past track champions. Painter - Pit road wall facing grandstands updated with sponsorsโ€™ names. Also paint large logo directly on the apron in front of pit road wall and some other small custom paint work done in that area as well. Concrete/Asphalt work- Help smoothing out the driveway into the track. Send names of businesses you would trust to do a great job. Thank you! Gina Schild Knowles (713)907 0906 gina@txarp.com
  24. Attention RACERS! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ You will be getting a couple of quick headshots done at the next race in the media room at the upcoming Aug 31st race. These shots will be used for any promotions we do throughout the race year and one of the shots will be in our official race programs coming out in the fall. So make sure you bring your sponsor hats and smile big! Wear driving suits too. You will all be getting a copy to use for your promotional needs. If you have any questions just ask them on here or reach out to Gina at (713)907-0906 or email gina@txarp.com. Thank you Game Changer Sports Photography (out of Friendswood) for your help getting this done! โค๏ธ๐ŸAss (if any of you have kiddos in baseball and they need a good photographer for all the teams - call this photographer and get him in there - he is amazing with team photography & posters! Jon Riveira is his name) Be sure to drop by his Facebook Business page, and check it out and give it a like!
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