Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

   Well, yeah- Socrates never took his kids to the races and it's been downhill every since.

We can all sit here and cry about "the cost of racing" and "the cost of gas" and "too many other competing entertainment options" but the fact of the matter is the "too many classes" bullshit is killing racing. I put a message on here a couple months back about 2 tracks in the Atlanta area with 5000 to win super late model specials running NINE classes during these events. Someone put on 4m that it was SIX hours between the pit meeting and the first super LM heat race. This "back gate mentality" started at Boone Iowa in the 1990's, track operators saw a track getting 96 hobby stocks racing for $125 to win and they all ingeniously decided the way to profit with a race track was endelsss classes of junk that buy (at the time) $25 pit passes and race for next to nothing. Unfortunately this idiotic practice of changing from "promoter" to "pit pass peddler" spread to other parts of the country and screwed up racing nationwide. It killed off a generation of fans who at the time were 7 years olds in 2001 who would now be 25 year old fans like most of us on here became after going as kids BUT their parents couldn't take kids to 6 hour long racing marathons when they were children. All racing sites have numerous complaints on this subject and race tracks sit there with their thumbs up their asses and continue to think running 9 class 7 hour marathons with empty grandstands is the way to make a profit with a race track. It's been proven hundreds of times it doesn't work. I don't get it why promoters haven't adapted.

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

Yea, costs of chariots & horses got way too high....

Plus, if you know anything about Socrates' "sexual orientation", he probably didn't have any kids...

What does fighting have to do with it?

I'm tellin ya' - it's all about cars. 

Evolution, I guess

Pre-War and Post War  - babyboomers - mechanics, low tech, every kind of car you could think of - hot rods all over town, can tell the difference between a Ford, Chevy, and even between a  Plymouth and a Dodge from a mile away. Each had there own unique styling and their own followers who were rather passionate about their brand. It was all about cars and with that comes racing them. Just check out that Hemmings link - packed with guys racing the cars they drove there.

Babyboomers kids - higher tech, electronics,  and body templates - cars lost their innocence, their uniqueness, and their passionate followers

Babyboomers grandkids - damn few mechanics - all high tech - 90% of the cars look the same.

My to-be brother-in-law took me to my first race at the local track when I was 7 or 8 - 1968 - 1969. I probably bugged him to take me back every week after that.

Took my 7 year old grandson to an Outlaw show last summer. He hasn't mentioned a word about it since - even when he lifts his nose from his tablet.

The back gate, two many classes theories have merit. But if you go to my beloved Williams Grove Speedway on a regular Friday night, you see that those theories don't appy there. Typically only one, and sometimes two, classes - and no hobby whatever - and there's still lots of places to sit. Bless them for going through all the trouble to put on those maybe break even, probably losing money weekly shows. 

Not all of these factors apply to me personally, but I definitely understand all of them. 

Auto racing is merely entertainment. Many weekly programs are not entertainIng, and so people have stopped attending. I think it’s that simple. 

The tension fabric buildings could be an option for some tracks. I know that here in central Ohio we have a few sport facilities including Bo Jackson's training facility that is 114,000square feet and it is all under an inflated tension fabric building. Would take a little innovation with the design but it could work.

I am not sure if there is less interest in motorsports as much as the lack of competition and boring race programs have taken the interest away. I am not sure on the theory that is because kids today do not like cars the way that baby boomers did. I know nothing about cars and could have always cared less what size engine, headers, transmission, and what they do in a quarter mile. My Dad has a 68 Chevelle and keeps it garaged except for taking it to a car show or to the local drap strip for a pass or two. I have never seen the appeal of it but I have always loved racing. It was cool to see the speed and the excitement of it. I collected diecast toys, played Nascar video games, subscribed to racing magazines before the internet, and when the internet came out I was always searching for racing news and videos. The key to that is my parents took me when I was relatively young to the local speedway or turned it on tv whenever it was on before the age of 5.

Some parents & Dads avoid taking their kid to the races because it is "their" time to get away and don't want to deal with the "hassle" of having the kids around. As soon as my son was born I was begging my wife to let me take him to the track. Took him when he was about 1.5yr old and now he begs me to go. My wife sometimes will mention why don't I go alone sometimes that way I am free and its because I love having him with me there and it is not a hassle. No I can't drink until I'm drunk but I am making memories with him and he is a race fan for life. He knows nothing about cars but he sees them going around the track fast, hears the noise, feels the vibrations and loves it.

To go along with your entertainment and social media ideas, I would say get involved with the local schools. Pitch it to some of the school boards and promote it. There are very positive & great personalities in the sport, plus it can be educational. After all racing is physics in a sense. Get them involved with some science classes and have them promote the tracks, or some art classes and have some kids design the car. This might be a stretch but I saw some ECHL hockey teams do this during the season where they had schools do a field trip to attend a morning game. I know its a little hard but maybe have an exhibition race of sorts. Working at a hockey rink, we would have mulitiple schools come in and give us $10 a kid & we would have 200 from this school, 200 from that school, then they would all buy hot dogs & pop corn at the concession stand. I know it would be hard to organize but I am sure some of the racers across the country locally would be able to make it work. you get 600-700 elementary kids in there you might make some fans for life that will bring there parents and pay money.

Dwindling car counts. Work with the cooperation with tracks and also figure out a way to get kids involved in racing as well. The amount of tracks that have racing for the Outlaw Karts or quarter midgets seems to be dwindling down as well which hurts car counts in the future. I looked into the Outlaw Karts that Larson & Rico always race and there is not really anything in Ohio that runs them. I couple of the tracks run Mini Sprints and I am not sure of anywhere that runs quarter midgets. I think fans wouldn't mind seeing an intermission race featuring some 10-12 year olds. I would much rather see some Outlaw Karts or Mini Sprint than a Hornet/Compact and 3 other modified divisions. Pro & Minor league teams do this in between an intermission.

Last week at Nashville there were a lot of first time fans. Most the complaints I heard was that you couldn't see the drivers. Couldn't tell who was who was driving , no name on the car they could see. A lot of cars with the same number. Some 14-16 year olds complained they all look a like, either black or white.

Bingo! In our youth, we couldn't wait to get our driver's licenses

Some kids nowadays aren't even interested in that.... plus cars cost a lot more

Does anyone work on cars anymore other than commercial?

You are correct.   My kids have it easier than I did.  I had it easier than my dad.  My dad had it easier than his dad.  And, even though my grandpa was one of the hardest working dairy farmers you will ever know-------you guessed it, he was a lazy ass punk in his dad's eyes.  Bet on it.  

So, to clear up the original post to this thread-----I am not taking this out on the kids.  The new culture is to blame----not the youth.  

Agree

My daily fodder for the annual rant.

Here's the passion for cars that I'm talking about. I haven't been to the movies in years. Gonna be the first one in line for this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyYgDtY2AMY

KIds under 12 free.... thats the best idea of all, IMHO

I can't see the love of cars coming back, Detroit (or whoever makes cars now) is not going to bring back cool cars that the shade tree mechanic can work on. Closest thing are these "tuners" that kids "soup up" with a laptop, nor are kids gonna lose interest in video games

Time marches on... I wish they'd get rid of the 3 pt. shot in basketball too, but it ain't gonna happen

I knew your Grandpa... he was a lazy worthless bum if I ever saw one

Just kidding of course! I'm sure he was a good man, nobody works harder than farmers

And you're right

My late Father was as far from a farm as you could be, but he started working at age 6, all those "street urchin" jobs in NYC during The Depression.... shining shoes, selling newspapers on the street. And kids were "independent contractors"... they had to pay for any papers they didn't sell. Plus he had to fight the other kids to hold onto his particular corner.....

I've been doing my best the past 68 yrs. to make up for that...

Youth and culture are the same. They are interchangeable in this sense. People are complaining about culture when they blame the next generation - not specifically the youth themselves. 

Good point.  But they always start with "kids today............."    As long as they really understand what they are complaining about.