Help a race fan understand

[KahneFan]

OK guys, I don’t understand why so many of you come on here and “bad-mouth” tracks when it comes to attendance and quality of the track. You can B--- and moan to track management and officials all you want, but ultimately the person responsible for track attendance, payouts and facilities are you. Most of you probably have a job right? Well, would you expect your boss to give you more money if you just sat at your desk (or where ever) and just complained that you want more money and a better place to work? Heck no. What you do instead is bust your a—and try to make a difference on your own. Sometimes you’ll get an “atta-boy”, but more than likely not. What you get instead is to see that the company you work for is growing and becoming a better place to be (hopefully) because of the work you’re doing. Now, I realize most of you race purely for the love of the sport, but you have to realize that at a local track racing is more than just coming out on a Saturday night and racing 20/30/40 laps and then working on your car for the next race. You too are the one’s who can make a difference. I don’t know if SAS and CCMS open their pits after the race like Kyle does, but from visiting with my Uncle after the races, you guys (and girls) have to realize something, something that most of you probably don’t realize which is you are hero’s to your community. Hero’s? Yes, hero’s. So many times I’ve seen kids come into the pits and just standing next to my Uncle’s car puts the biggest smile on their face that their parent have seen all week, which in turn makes you a hero to the parent.

 

So, instead of waiting for the community to come to you, why don’t y’all go to the community? I know some of you do make appearances, but it's usually only after the track personnel have had to twist arms. I don’t understand that. It’s your track (and your prize money), you should want to do everything in your power to make it grow. I realize many people have many reasons for not being able to do things on weekends, but I personally have never seen any cars (from Kyle), along my weekend travels. I did see Ricky Craven’s car at HEB one day. So, if I can see a NASCAR car at my local HEB, why haven’t I once seen any of your cars? Check with your children’s schools, churches, favorite restaurants, parks, day cares.... and see if you can make an appearance for a few hours. With kids come parents, with parents come their wallets (for you and the business you're at). Maybe, I stress maybe, if you show enough work on your parts to try things like this, maybe the tracks will give you a few free passes or 50% passes to hand out at such events to get the parents to come the following weekend.

 

If you don’t have time to schedule an event such as this, then do something simple. Very simple. Leave your house an hour or so early on a Saturday and stop at an HEB, or Sam’s, or Wal-Mart to “fill up your trucks gas”, then after doing so, park your truck (with car) in the parking lot for the next hour or so and stand next to it “checking your trailer” or whatever. I’ll bet you’ll have people stop and ask where you race, what time, how much it cost..... while their kids are checking out the “hot rod”. That’s easy. It’s one extra hour, but it may bring in 5 or more people a week... maybe, but it’s worth a shot. Or if you want to fill up Friday night, not as many people will be there, but it’s still worth a try.

 

So, instead of coming on here and starting rumors or c-- and moaning that your track/series sucks, which only other drivers will see, get out there and try to make your track/series better, one driver at a time.

 

 

*steps off soap box

 

Eric

[KahneFan]

Oh yeah, and to track owners (at least in Kyle), why haven't I once heard tickets being given away on the radio? I wouldn't think it would cost y'all too much to give local radio stations 10 tickets for 2 people (pick a new one each week or whatever). Plus it would be extremely easy to track by simply sending them a "special" ticket which you would see when they come back to your ticket stands. Just a thought.

[Jason]

It is a good idea but radio stations usually charge you to give your stuff away for free. But hey thats part of the promotion of the track. I hope THR is around next year and can turn things around because we need all the tracks we got.

[Racerpix]

I know that here at ccms they give tickets away on KFTX 97.5 and they also give 2.00 discount tickets at all autozone and I think Firestone locations. Just a thought for the other tracks to do. If they give some tickets away they more than likely will make it up with concession sales.

[racerjim2]

In 2000 I personaly did 21 personal appearances with my car afterworking on it all week and racing all the races and finishing 6th in the points standings.

[waltripracingTHR]

There were alot of people involved with the car appearances this last season in the THR area I would like to thank all the Drivers that took time away from their families to help show our communities what they had (have) been missing. I believe that fan turn out has grown from the special apperances that the THR drivers and THR staff have put on. Great plans are in the works for next season for the drivers and fans at THR. I hope to see all of our local teams at the race on the 13th. I'll be the old fart on the back stretch trying to dodge traffic.

[TheLegend96]

I tried to give 610 sports radio in Houston free tickets to several TSRS, TAMS, and ROMCO races and all I got was "we arent interested." When I mean several, I mean at least 200 tickets each time. What I have found that as much as we love to go to the races some people will find every excuse not to go, even when being offered free tickets. They say they dont like racing, then I ask them what track they went to.....well.....I have watched it on TV. What is a guy supposed to do after that?

[top_shelf_12]

I think Houston would be a tough market to promote in since there is so much to do up there. I know that CCMS does a lot of promotion on radio and tv when touring series are here, plus they're in the local newspaper two or three times a week which also offers discounts. I also hope that THR can fix whatever problems they're having as well as SAS. It seems that only CCMS is maintaining a strong car count and evidently has a good payout. Yes, CCMS opens the pit gates after the races and the kids really love to go to the cars and get the drivers' autographs and sit in the car, I did when I was a kid. We have many pictures of me sitting or standing near the cars of John Kelly, Slick Yoeman, Monte Nichols, Carlucci's, and numerous other local and touring drivers we've seen over the past twenty-two years of my life. I also know the drivers get a real kick out of the kids running up to them after the races and they are always willing to do anything for the kids. Which reminds me, Thank you Bobby Jack for a very classy thing you did for that child fighting cancer on the last regular night of racing at CCMS. Events like that put things in perspective and makes us realize the importance of life away from the track as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this season and will be back to at least watch next season and hopefully will have a car in the near future. "You gotta love the Saturday Night Heros", a quote that my dad always tells me when we watch the events after the races with the driver/fan interaction.