NickHolt Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 The real solution to the financial problems that short track asphalt racing face these days is very simple. Every member of every race team, every race offical and every dedicated fan convinces one new person to attend a race every week. Even if you have to pay that person's way in the first time he/she attends. Do the math. Problem solved. But it probably won't happen because it's too simple and most of us really believe it's up to the other guy to get people in the stands. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fast18 Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 I for one will help to get some new butts in the bleachers. Everyone should make it a point to bring at least one new face out when they are there. I will also be building a Grand Stock or two ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyRodriguez Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 This is a good idea, for the casual fan, NASCAR is what they will see every now and then when they have the need for racing, that's on TV. When they come out to Saturday night short track racing, they are right on top of the action and then they talk to drivers/crews, touch the cars and all that good stuff. We've had folks that came to watch us once and keep coming back. Some have even built cars and tried it. The good sell is to get the kids interested, this will all too often make new fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbucket Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 What about using the track in the off season to do things like monster truck shows or tractor pulls, swap meets, car shows, and other stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Race-Ready Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 The real solution to the financial problems that short track asphalt racing face these days is very simple. Every member of every race team, every race offical and every dedicated fan convinces one new person to attend a race every week. Even if you have to pay that person's way in the first time he/she attends. Do the math. Problem solved. But it probably won't happen because it's too simple and most of us really believe it's up to the other guy to get people in the stands. Nick Holt Nick, New guy here. Your idea is a great one if everyone will follow through with it. I think there is a bigger problem though. I am and always will be a gear head. Most of the gear heads I know personally are very aware of their surrounding race tracks. I have lived here a little over twenty years. From grade school till now. I had know idea that HMP even existed. This track is less than 30 min. from where I went to school. Everyone that I have talk to was the same way, "What race track", Where's this at". I have 2 guys that work for me from Corpus Christi and they are the same way. When heard that there was going to be a super speedway built 15 miles from my house all those racing bugs started biting again. I assumed they would have off weekend races for the little guy. Oh... if anyone is wondering, I found out Friday that the super speedway has new funding and should be back under way. Pretty reliable source, but you know how that goes. So.... one night while searching for more info on the new track I came acrossed HMP. I thought it may have been some sort of spin off web site for the bigtrack. After making a few phone calls I found out that this was a completely different track that was only about 30 miles from me. This is where it gets kind of fuzzy. I sold everything, all toys, house, (sub-divisions don't like race cars) vet, 1\2 ton truck, bought 1 ton, Bought trailer, tools, car, spare parts, (wife is getting mad at this point) bought wife new SUV,(wife likes me again) My sons are thrilled to death. All with in the last 6 months. I was lucky and came across their web site by accident. I will be putting anywhere from 15 to 20 more people in the stands and 3 more cars on their track. All because of an accident. I wonder how many people that are in the Houston area have never heard of HMP. I wonder how many people are in your area that have never heard of your local track. I wonder how many people would build a car if they knew of this track or your track. Believe me I know advertising is expensive, but it has to be done. I know word of mouth can go a long ways, but 20 years is a long time to wait for someone else to have the same accident that I did. Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REBELRACER Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 that is true................the only time we ever hear anything about sas is when romco comes to town, the rest of the season i guess is relying on word of mouth advertising................i remember a long while back there was this show on tv saturday mornings called sa speed.............that was a good show and it showed highlights from the previous week and i can remember the stands being alot more crowded back then...............at least then the people knew there was a racetrack in town......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltripracingTHR Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 I found out real fast that THR was having the same problem WHAT! THERE IS A RACE TRACK HERE? To change that I/we have started posting fliers ( end of 04 season) and inviting any and everyone that would listen to come out to the track. We have already started plans for getting the word out for the 2005 race season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX_Trouble Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 I have brought many first timers to the track and they all enjoyed the experience. The problem has always been that I always take them into the pits and they want to come back, but aren't willing to pay the price for the pits and don't want to sit in the stands. The excitement that is seen in the pits, with accidents, tire changes, and other various things I don't find too exciting anymore, is just not able to be viewed the same way in the stands and once you get that rush or whatever it is I expose these not-such-gearheads to, they aren't satisfied with not seeing what's going on in the pits. But they aren't so pumped as to pay the $20 or $25 a week for the pit passes either. The gearheads are going to pay. Once you catch the racing bug, you are totally hooked, but some people don't get it right away unless they have a real reason to be there, like a specific driver to cheer for and that's hard if they don't have a real connection to anyone out there on the track. I think we should try to get more of the driver's personalities showing to the fans. Maybe then we could have more fans. Maybe more paint schemes that reflect the driver's preferences or their fun sides, like the dwarf cars and their cartoon characters.. Just something to get more fan involvement. In the early to mid 90's at CC Speedway, before it was CCMS, we had Favorite driver contests every week, then the top 3 got plaques at the end of the year. You could make a rule that it can't be the same guy 2 weeks in a row; that way one person can't monopolize it. Or have a few drivers from each class come up during a specified time and do a Q & A session each week; different drivers each week. Just bring the fans more into it and maybe we will have more of them. Just suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 I think driver nicknames are pretty good with fans indentifying them. The Shrimp, The Parader, the Hogg, the Trapper, the Luche, etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REBELRACER Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 that is a good idea.............but you say one guy monopolizing the fans.......wouldn't that just mean that he is doing a better job of promoting himself to the fans than the other guys...............not to knock the idea, just asking a question............it does sound like a good idea though, and the cartoon characters will appeal to the kids more, and if the kids are interested than they will want to come back and see goofy or bugs bunny again next week............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KahneFan Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Heck, I'm 28 (almost) and I still route for the driver that has ??? stuffed animal flying out the passenger window I would have to agree with driver loyalty. Had my Uncle not started driving at THR, I might not have been as inclined to check it out. Now I would be there regardless, but he helped get me there to begin with. Anyone that owns a business should try and get their loyal customers in there to watch them race. Maybe the tracks could help out by throwing a couple of friend/family passes in with the drivers winnings now and then. It's not like you're losing a sale. It's a sale that wouldn't have been there this week anyway, but might be there again (paying) next week. Not all the time, but just now and then pick a few drivers and staple the tickets to their winnings check or whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildRacer5 Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 I've often wondered how much it would cost to sponsor a motorsports minute on the sunday night news. The extended sports show that come on on Sunday night. It would seem that they will talk about NASCAr for like 30 seconds but why not add in a view pics of the local winners and a screen that shows the top 5 in each class for the local classes. Surely something could happen with a automotive based trakc sponsor or even a local garage that is all ready advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Bring a fan, help double attendance! JC...it's not so much that people have bad ideas, they're all mostly good....But look what a cluster *&^% this thread turned into...all from a simple statement...Nick's point got so diluted its almost lost...we suffer from lack of focus more than anything...we are drownding in good ideas...solutions are good, we like solutions so much we all have our own...maybe the STARTers can bring focus and courses of action. Nick, you're on the money. Did you steal my presentation?! Obviously it's not rocket science if we're both thinking the same thing! PS seems like we have a lot of people doing math lately! I need a calculator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 None of this is anything I haven't been saying for the past 20 years, or for the past several years about THR and HMP in particular. Word of mouth helps, but it's like bailing a sinking boat with a teaspoon. You need to make more impact than that. Why aren't the tracks and series better known? Because, despite the fact that the ONE thing the tracks and series MUST do to survive is put more fans in the grandstands, it's absolutely the LAST thing any of them are willing to put any time or money into. EVERYTHING else at a track or in a series has greater priority than attracting fans. Before THR was built, I was told, "We don't have money for that." We don't have money to do the one thing we have to do to make the track work. Think about that. When Robert Mullins set up ROMCO, he said the same thing, "I'm putting up $150,000.00 of my company's money to guarantee the purse. I'm not going to put any more money into promotion." So the 150 grand is just thrown down a well? No track, no series in the area promotes. Most of them don't even know what the word means. They think it's just another word for advertising. That's wrong. It's also the reason the media doesn't cover us during the sports segments, the reason they don't consider us a major sport IN THIS AREA: because we don't ACT like a major sport, we don't PROMOTE like a major sport, we don't do ANYTHING the way a serious sport does it. Terry Dickerson says he's going to promote his series, and so far, he's doing it. He's in Pensacola for the Snowball, paying Texas drivers to put his logo on their cars, and promoting his series to the rest of the racing community. He's apparently going to do the same thing at several other major off-season races, and that's a good start. He evidently plans to promote in Texas as well, promoting to the fans, and the prospective fans, those who might love late model racing if they were exposed to it, and those who already like late model racing, and would come to the track if anyone bothered to tell them when the late models were going to be there. If Dickerson does what he says he's going to do, and the indications are that he will, he just might rule Texas racing. If he does, nobody should be complaining. We had our chance to make noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jracer98 Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 rule? Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted December 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 TQ I beg to differ. One of the major reasons the press doesn't cover us is because when they do show up there are no fans there. Yes, yes, yes. The other solution is to pump megabucks into promotion, but as you have said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you.. oh no.. that's another subject.. LOL.. anyway, as you have said many times, many ways, nobody's got the cash or the foresight to put most of what little money they have into promotion - just ain't gonna happen. In the second place, local stock car racing is NOT a major sport. Period. Nextel Cup is a major sport. And big-buck sponsors are unwilling to invest their big bucks in a local track because there are so few fans in the stands. Why spend major advertising dollars when only a few hundred folks are present to see your advertisements? I've been around this sport for a long time and have yet to see a big buck backer stay more than just a year or two. And more often than not it's just promises that are never fulfilled anyway. In my mind, there is no "big buck" solution. It's going to take each one of us dragging someone to the front gate every Saturday night. Bring a different person each time you show up at a local track whether it's your mother-in-law, the guy down the street or your probation officer. This is something that every one of us can do and SHOULD do. My church doesn't advertise. We drag newcomers (I guess we should call them guests) in one at a time and every now and then one of them becomes a member. The same method can and will work at our local race tracks if we really get serious about it. Of course, this approach takes time and effort on every individual's part. There' no pointing fingers at the other guy or the track or the press or the PR. It's up to each one of us to bring someone new to the track every week. End of sermon. Send $10 and a self-addressed envelope and I will send you a written copy of this stirring message.. LOL Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted December 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 rule? Jay Jay, Leave TQ alone. He's had a hard day.. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Why is it that every time I suggest promoting the sport, everyone assumes I'm talking about spending major bucks? As for local short track racing not being a major sport, while NASCAR is, there was a time when NASCAR wasn't, either. How did that change? Simple: promotion. Promotion built the NFL, too. Not that long ago, playing in the NFL was a part-time job. Everyone had a "real" job in the off season. They had to have a real job to survive. What makes the Austin Wranglers a major sport? How about the Ice Bats? They're local, and often don't draw all that many more fans than THR. But the media treats them as if they were big time. Why? Because they act like they are big time, they promote themselves, they have actual press releases and media guides and press rooms and don't try to charge a TV cameraman from a local station to come in and do a story on one of their players. (Don't laugh. One Texas track owner planned to do just that. But he was going to offer a discounted ticket.) Rule Texas racing? If one guy controls the two or three major series in the state, which will be major series because he made them major, everyone else will be forced to work around whatever he wants to do, just as we now don't try to fight Texas Motor Speedway. The difference is that TMS isn't trying to run local races, so they really aren't a problem for us. And I'm not sure having someone in charge who understands that we are in the entertainment business and have to have fans to prosper is such a bad thing. Or we could just keep on doing what we've all done for the past 20 years: don't help the media, don't try to attract new fans, assume it's someone else's job to make it all work. How's that working, so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted December 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Or we could just keep on doing what we've all done for the past 20 years: don't help the media, don't try to attract new fans, assume it's someone else's job to make it all work. How's that working, so far? I case you hadn't noticed, there have been a LOT of changes over the past few years. For one thing, this website has got people thinking and making suggestions and even trying to work together. And we now have a local track that doesn't pay purses. And a bunch of regional touring series whereas 20 years ago there was only one. Pretty remarkable changes if you ask me. What we haven't done is hire a bunch of PR types. The suggestion that each of us make a genuine effort to bring one new person to the track every time we show up at the track is simply putting the responsibility where it can be the most effective, not to mention cost effective. Bring a friend. Bring an enemy. Bring your wife's boyfriend. I don't care who it is, just bring someone who is new to stock car racing with you the next time you show up at a local track. This is so simple and it's something that everyone can do. Even you TQ. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNAR Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Someone been reading to many psychology books, j/k. hmmm maybe we can bet at the races, just like horse racing, that would draw a different crowd. im just kidding, thats a tough one. Nick, you no more than anyone you have done everything under the sun including writing for the local newspaper. you are right things have changed, but they have not improved. All the way from the local fan base, {which i think has gotten worse} To the rising cost of racing {that cost has gone through the roof i dont care what class it is} the whole thing needs to change dramatically or frankly it will not change for the better any time soon. JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KahneFan Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 hmmm maybe we can bet at the races, just like horse racing Why would you be kidding? If people can bet on horse racing, why not Stock Cars? It would definitely bring people in who wouldn't have come in before. Not to mention the $$ the house would make/share. Has anyone ever looked into this? If horse tracks can do it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisFrost Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 What makes the Austin Wranglers a major sport? How about the Ice Bats? They're local, and often don't draw all that many more fans than THR. But the media treats them as if they were big time. Why? Because they act like they are big time, they promote themselves, they have actual press releases and media guides and press rooms How can you argue against this? If you don't act like you are big time then you will always be small time. Maybe that is what some people/tracks/series want or have resigned themselves to... Kris Frost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUNAR Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 i know whats your saying, sounds good in theory, but this is supposed to be a faimly sport? Look i really dont have any answers, but i have a whole lot of suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Don't let that kosherkoygirl come to your track and bet. She will take all your money in the last feature of the night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Race-Ready Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 In the second place, local stock car racing is NOT a major sport. Period. Nextel Cup is a major sport. When you can go to your local track and count a $250,000 worth of cars in 1 lap, I would consider that a major sport. To date a have $75,000 plus invested in my operation and the car still lacks a motor. I know some have a lot more than that. I don't want to sit here and piss and moan about what I think needs to be done. I truely want to help the cause. Cheap idea. AND IT WILL HELP ALOT!!! Eveyone has heard the phrase "GOT CRABS", "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW" and that all so famous "FEAR THIS" Silly, but they stick. 2 of the biggest reasons why people remember a place or product. 1) bad experience or 2) it was funny as hell. Why doesn't everyone who cares, think up a slogan or a phrase associating it with your local track. We vote on the best one, submit the idea to the track owners and have them put it on bumper stickers and static stickers. I would proudly sport one on my truck, wifes truck and all my friends. Moblie advertising. I know for a fact that if I would have seen a sign or pumper sticker with HMP on it, I would have been racing years ago. All the tracks may already have bumper stickers but have never seen one in front of me while sitting in traffic. Driver and car owners pay enough to race, this needs to be at the expense of the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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