Track Improvements

[Josh42]

I know everyone wants to make some kind of improvement to the track they race on, So here's the deal. If someone gave you let's say $2 million what improvements would you make to the track you run on or any track in the texas area. I know most of you are gonna are gonna say THR but lets here about other tracks for a change. An this can be anything at the track from bathrooms to promoting whatever you want.

[tqj3]

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

Spend the money on the track, any track, without doing anything to increase the number of paying spectators (the ultimate source of all money in racing), and you'll have a much nicer facility that the drivers and crews just love, plus empty or nearly empty grandstands...

Start doing the minimum of publicity, which no track in Central Texas is even doing now, and you will generate enough money to fix the track, pay the drivers, and kick back in the off season...

This still isn't rocket science, guys. It's just basic business. Racing business or not, entertainment business or not, you still have to spend money to promote your business.

No, that doesn't mean telling everyone on this website, or any website, about your team/track/series. That's "preaching to the choir:" they all know what you are doing.

We need to increase the size of the choir, and that means doing enough promotion that the news media will take us seriously, because right now, they don't. It means doing something radical like telling the general public who is racing where.

As a for instance, who is racing at Thunder Hill this weekend? It's on the website, but you have to be cued in to racing already to know to look there. What about folks who might actually like to see pickups race, or don't know there is a series for imported cars and smaller American cars?

"If you build it, they will come" was a movie. If they don't know it exists, they can't come. That's reality.

[NickHolt]

TQ Jones has definitely hit on where some of that $2 million should be spent...

 

Ok TQ, let's suppose Neil Upchurch decided to spend the rest of his life golfing in Las Vegas (I'm sure he'd like that) and left me the Texas Pro Sedan Series. And suppose I just won the lottery and have that $2 million in the bank. And let's say I wanted to grow the Pro Sedans to become a major spectator event in the Texas. How much of that $2 mil would you need and where would you spend it? In other words, just how would you go about effectively promoting the Pro Sedans?

 

Nick Holt

[tqj3]

Fair question, Nick. For starters, I've said before (though I don't remember if it was in this forum) that I'm amazed that you and Neil have managed to put together a rules package that allows such different cars to compete on a pretty equal basis in the Texas Pro Sedan series.

It's actually an excellent series to think about promoting, simply because there is a lot of opportunity. There is an entire potential fan base out there that prefers small cars, even foreign cars. (If you don't believe it, look at all the "rice rockets" on the road.) Most of them don't have any idea they can watch "their" cars race on an oval track.

Racing people in Texas tend to confuse "sanctioning" with "promoting." Neil sanctions the Texas Pro Sedans, Rob Mullins sanctions the ROMCO series, and Mary Ann Naumann sanctions the Texas Super Racing Series.

"Promotion" implies publicizing, attracting attention to, getting people excited about, a product or event; and that, in the main, is something we don't do in Texas racing.

I like all three series mentioned above. I don't like any of their names. (Mullins has a perfectly good name in "Texas Tornado Tour," but he doesn't use it, or, at least, doesn't give it up-front promotion.)

What's wrong with the names? Too long, for starters, and with no pizzazz. And no indication of what they are. (Don't think I'm picking on Texas. There are a number of series in the U. S. that have the same problem.)

Okay, for Texas Pro Sedans, what? What do the cars in the series have in common? Well, they aren't all American, and they aren't all foreign. They do seem to be sporty; at least, by the time they get to the track. Maybe "Texas Sport Sedan Challenge," though that doesn't say anything about what size of cars they are, or that some are imports. Anyway, a name change that gives the public an idea of what you're talking about.

Next, a sponsor. I know you've got that theoretical two mil in lottery (Monopoly?) money, but a series needs a sponsor for credibility. Go to a sponsor and take even a cheap deal, but promise that ALL the sponsor money for the first year goes into promotion and publicity, not to the purse. Remember, you've got an unproven product here.

Now that you've done that, don't keep it a secret. (It would take the CIA and FBI together to find out what's going on in Texas racing the way we do it.) Use the cheap stuff, like press releases. I've probably sent out more press releases on any one driver in a year than all four tracks and both the ROMCO and Texas Pro Sedans put together. Why not tell people when ROMCO is coming to town, or the Legends Cars, or the trucks, which usually are the second biggest draw to ROMCO (at least, until Mary Ann gets her series really rolling)?

Most of those press releases don't see the light of day, but that's okay. They inform the media people who read them, and eventually they say, "Hey, we could do a story about that."

You'll notice that, so far, there's not a lot of money involved. You could do the above for five to ten grand a year; I've offered to work for tracks for a year for money in that range.

There's more you can do, of course. Sell advertising for a media guide (every sport uses them; it's how the announcers sound so informed: they read the media guide during commercial breaks), and use part of the money to print posters. (Always, for crying out loud, with a picture of a RACING CAR on them. Sheesh!)

The biggest key to getting "free" publicity, the kind you get from articles in the sport section and interviews on radio and television, is to have credibility. We don't. The media expects those who are serious about a sport or event to bury the press with material and hound them about stories. We build a track, or start a series, and never say a word; then complain when we get ignored. Duh. We ignored them first...

I keep saying this isn't rocket science, and you don't have to start with a big budget. Don't forget, NASCAR started with less than nothing.

(Sorry this is so long, Nick.)

[ChuckLicata]

Very much agreed, Nick and TQ..

I've been saying since Day One that Thunder Hill should be thriving by this time, but isn't because they don't promote/advertise..(see earlier post under Thunder Hill)...

And, as TQ said, not a lot of Central Texas tracks dedicate portions of their budgets to promotions/advertising...for some STRANGE reason, track owners/management think that "word of mouth" will get more people out when, in fact, it doesn't because everyone is "preaching to the choir," aka, telling everyone who goes out to the track anyways...not a good way to get new faces in the stands...

One of the reasons I started my own company was to attack this very situation--to show people promotions/advertising can be done effectively at an efficient cost...as TQ put it, there are MANY WAYS to get the word out about a product/entertainment venue...and do it at a price far less than what people think they'd have to pay for it...

However...to emphasize, you DO need some kind of marketing/promotional plan, and SOME money, to do this effectively...you shouldn't go into business without a starting budget for marketing/promotions...problem is, most track owners wait til they "make enough money" before allocating money to a marketing/promotional budget...and, as we ALL know, they never usually make enough to actually put a marketing/promotional plan into effect..

That's why most tracks are in the situation they are now...

Chuck L.

 

p.s.--Nick, to answer your question to the $2-million dollar scenario..if I were your marketing/promotions guy, I'd ask for an original budget of 10-12 thousand dollars to promote and market the track, and use for advertising the track..

[Josh42]

Ok let me redo the question. Other than promoting (cause we know that all tracks need that to bring fans in) what would you do to the TRACK you run at, if someone had given you $2 million dollars? I am talking about fixing the TRACKS up not fixing a series. I'm talkin like adding to the track, paving pits, fixin up stands stuff like that. Like I said I know all tracks need promoting of some kind to bring people in but fixing up the tracks is what I want to hear people's ideas on.

 

thr-Like if it was my money I would pave the parking lot, put in concrete pads at every pit stall, make bigger bathrooms in the pits, put a pit road, and add onto the backstretch

 

c.c.- pave the pits, i havent been to c.c. enough to see whatelse i would do.

 

s.a.s- same i havent been there enough to see what i would do

 

houston-its perfect i would use that money for promoting and paying out on a usac midget or sprint race

[NickHolt]

Here's my top 5 for SAS:

 

1) Repair / repave the racing surface including the big dip in the backstraight

2) Remove the outside retaining walls except on front straight and exit from turn four (like at Kyle) and replace with gradual off-camber slope that end in a loam run-off area. A loam filled carb is 100% better than a wadded up race car. One of the big problems at SAS has always been the loss of perfectly good race cars to those walls. Of course, that would mean the parking areas would have to be reconfigured.

3) Pave the entire pit area and install water and electricity throughout.

4) Replace the mechanical scales with electronic scales.

5) Build and PROPERLY MAINTAIN an air-conditioned drivers' area (lounge) complete with showers.

 

And for sure I'd do something about the parking lot.

 

I'd do some stuff on the fan side of the track too, but it's been 8 years since I've been on that side and I don't know what's been done since then.

 

I figure the above would take up a good bit of that $2 mil.. lol

 

Nick Holt

[FryarFan]

Ok, my $.02 on SAS track improvements...since we're dreaming.

 

but I am probably going to push the limit of my $2m, so the business plan is going to have some debt service funds to cover for some borrowed funds.

 

1. Take the current front stretch stands out and move them to the back stretch. Use them as the "cheap seats" and only charge $4-$5 for everyone that wants to sit back there. Put up a screen fence in front of them and let them bring the coolers. No glass.

 

2. Knock the front stretch wall out and put a dogleg in it, a la Richmond, Va., making it a small tri-oval.

 

3. Bank the straights about 3-5 degrees(back stretch too), with about 5-7 in the tri-oval, transition turns into the new banking, also eliminates the bad "roll to the wall" coming off Turn 2.

 

4. The new stands on the front stretch follow the new tri-oval, increasing the number of seat space. Also, some seats with backs in the middle section for a price.

 

5. Revamp pit road so that it follows the tri-oval in the front stretch instead of turning in off 4.

 

6. (on the promotional side) (Haven't been to SAS in a couple of seasons, so this may be moot) Enter into a partnership with Alamo Drags(still running?) and restart the dirt track. Share gate admissions with them, anyone wanting to purchase an all-site pass for the nite, pays a couple of $$ more and gets all 3 venues. Each site shares a part of the incremental admission. I know this has been tried(at CC years ago) but give the people a bargain and they'll be back.

 

 

 

"It's so fun to dream, AND spend other people's money"

 

 

 

Billy

[Guest RandyBorlace]

i have an idea for Jason, if we both got 2 mil a piece, you could pave saratoga, and i could put dirt on SAS. and also open up the dirt track again. then when there is people from here who cant stand dirt racing, they could go to saratoga, and when the dirt racers from CC get ticked off, they can come race on a 1/2 mile high banked DIRT track. that would be awesome!

[Jason]

I'm down with that...

[ups88john]

Go ahead and try to put dirt on SAS, see if you can walk again lol. Give me 2 million and id repave it, bank the straights like 7-10 degrees. Fix the walls or take them away(Nick), fix up the stands and the scoring booth, and get some All-Pro/SAS/Remax races.

 

Big John

[Bar2248]

I would build somthin like kansas, but a little bigger, like 3/4 mile, LOTS more banking, and stands all the way around. of course this would take place 5 years after i win becasue then iwould have the interest off the 2 mil. LOL

[Bar2248]

BUt first off i woul dpay off all mine and my parents bills!!

[txtom]

I really like Billy's thoughts on SAS being a tri-oval, and he hit the nail on the head about the straight to turn transitions. And I have seen one of his ideas in action; about 1 admission to multiple venues. I lived in Spokane, Washington in 1993-1995.(not by my choice-volunteered for a year in Korea to get out of there!) Spokane had a 1/2 mile asphalt track and a drag-strip side by side, with a large dirt berm between them, and the bleachers came down each side of the berm. Buy one ticket and you had access to both venues. Seemed to work pretty good.

SAS really need to address restrooms and concessions. And when those youngsters start to get restless, a playground would be a small investment for them. You gotta keep them amused, or they don't want to go. It HAS to be fan friendly.

Thunderhill- Add 20 feet to the width of the back stretch, and 10 feet every else. Bank the top half of the track an extra 4 degrees. Sit back and enjoy.

Corpus- Smooth it out with new pavement, and fix that decrepit wall.

And like tq3, Chuck, and Nick have mentioned, promotion and advertising. I got neighbors here in Schertz who don't know there's two ovals and two drag strips within 30 miles of them unless I say something. If the track doesn't have the budget, get someone to sponsor the costs. You can look no further than your local church or school to see how this works. Have a car company trade cost of the promotion or TV/Radio spots for major signage. They benefit from the sign, and also the tax write-off. A little effort, and you can do it. Or get different companies to sponsor the purse each night. I have seen this in other areas, and it works. Have Brand X auto group sponsor the purse, Give him 50 or 75 comp tickets and it's "Brand X night at the races". They can deduct the expense, their people can come out and see what it's all about, talk them up through the night, and you might gain a few fans. And the tracks gotta expand what they think their market areas are. A few years ago, I personally asked one of Kyle's main guys why I never heard anything about Kyle in Schertz, and he said "not in his market." Hmmm, 2 miles closer than SAS, easier to get to, and I'm not in his market?

This is a little more like my .05, but these are old arguments and ideas that have fallen on deaf ears for a long time. Maybe some day......

[Bandit]

I would pay the track two mill just to start the race on time! Your promotion and track surface improvments are useless if keep the fans there until one in the morning (october fast 2002). Time frame is the complaint from everyone that comes to watch use run, but thats beating a dead horse. I would fix or remove all walls first then fix the rest rooms. The rough track surface at SAS is not so bad when you don't need to pee!

[FryarFan]

This part isn't about track improvements, and probably belongs more on the promotional side, but it sort of ties into txtom's ideas.

 

Some of us old-timers remember what Ricci Sr. used to do to fill up the stands. He trucked in the recruits going thru basic training and got them in the stands. Don't know if they paid or not, seems that I remember they got in free. They had a blast, and hardly watched any of the races.

 

BUT,

they bought a ton of stuff from the concession stand! After mess hall food, they were happy to have anything normal. And, plunked down a bunch of dinero to get it.

 

Like tom said, sometimes you got to give away a little to get something back.

[97car]

At SAS next to putting dirt on it, I would repave it,but I would widen the turns 20-30 ft and move the back straight out further to make the transition a little less abrupt as well as bank the straights,#1 would be invest in new lights and move the poles out of the pits to the outside like Lonestar speedway at Kilgore it is like daylight there. Pave the Pits,sell the grandstands to I37 and put in new bleachers like San Antonio raceway(the new dragstrip) has done,also pave the parking lot,update the concessions and restrooms in the stands and pits,yes Nick I would definately replace the scales,advertise and pay 2000 to win and 200 to start in the top class, and then file bankruptcy shortly there after .

[rebelracewriter]

I was going to make a snide remark about the ROMCO/SAS commercials on TV, or the ASA and Battleground Spwy. commercials I saw while in Houston, or the fact that Houston Raceway Park has it's own 1/2 TV recap on local cable.

BUT that would be too easy!

And NOBODY promotes in Texas! And all that stuff is FREE, too. LMAO

[HoosierDaddy]

I dont know if I was the only one who seen this or not, but during the Busch race at california on saturday there was two or three commercials promoting the ROMCO race this saturday at SAS. Each one was atleast 30 seconds long and showed the romco cars at SAS and THR while they were talking about the races. Hopefully that will attract some new fans and really fill the seats saturday.

[NickHolt]

The same ad appeared several times during and immediately after the Cup race today.

 

Nick Holt

[tqj3]

Advertising on cable TV can be very, I mean very, inexpensive and give you the ability to target a particular audience, as in running TV ads on Time Warner Cable during Busch and even Cup races.

The reason you see ads for ROMCO in Houston and San Antonio is that ROMCO rents the track, so Mullins' own money is at risk. Naturally, he's more willing to run ads in that case. It's usually fairly effective at telling everyone who already cares that ROMCO is coming to those tracks. It's not so effective in creating new fans of ROMCO or super late model racing.

What's weird, of course, is why ANYONE who has money at risk in an event (track owner or manager?) would NOT try to publicize the event...

[Jason]

I wonder if ROMCO makes more renting the tracks for events or running along with the local classes as they do at THR and CC.

[tqj3]

Since the track has the option, I'd bet they make more just by renting the track than by paying what the series want just to bring their show to the track. It would depend on the deal (who gets the concessions, for instance), but if the track could be sure of making more by promoting the event themselves, they'd probably do it.

Of course, by renting out the track, they are assured of a certain amont of money, and have no need to advertise or promote the event. For some series, it might be the only way to get the series to promote itself, which it should be doing.

[WildRacer5]

Take the ASA race in Houston as an example. ASA wanted in the Houston market so bad the the series rented the track. Rumors I heard are that ASA spent $20,000 just to get the track. They had to do all the advertising and insurance. All they got after those cost were Front and back gate ticket sales. All of the concesions went to the track. SO you ask your self you got the raw deal in that one? As sucessful as that show went, sounds like both parties won.

[tqj3]

You're probably low on the rental fee, the gate wasn't as good as it looked, and ASA lost money on the deal, but they expected to do that. They're looking to the future, and they know ASA doesn't have much of a following in this area.

They also got shafted by some things beyond their control, such as the fact that advertising in Houston is extremely expensive and they were up against the well-established NHRA O'Reilly Nationals. They got zero coverage in the Houston Chronicle.

They also had no sponsor for the event, primarily as a result of being behind the power curve due to the off-season change of ownership at ASA.