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

We discussed costs on another thread. 5 more laps is 15% closer to an engine rebuild. 15% percent more tire and fuel used and more opportunity to wreck a car. Wouldn't cost more in pit passes or toter expenses but something to consider. Basing this off a "big time" type race with 3 hot laps, 3 time trial laps and an 8 or10 lap heat. 

Ticket prices are definitely not the issue.  I work in the technical wing of a small college.  I see students up and down the hallway getting Doordash Jimmy Johns sandwiches and Starbucks every single day.  They will spend $10-20 a day on something they've determined is important to them.  Taking my family of 5 to see the Blackhawks, Cubs, or Bears play is a $1000-$1500 expense by the time we get lodging, food, and drinks.  It's not the cost.  If you want to be there, you'll find a way to be there.  If you have better things to do, you'll find better things to do.

When people complain about the cost of a ticket right now, with what everything in life costs, it makes me laugh.  Ticket prices at the sprint car races have almost defied inflation unlike all of the other costs in racing which seem to be right in line.  I think I was paying $10 to get in our local track back in the mid-90's for a fender show.  

I've mentioned this exact thing in previous posts. IMO the Knoxville weekly event to see 60+ sprint cars each week for $15 is a steal and has been for years. When was the last time they raised prices? I understand the goal is to get butts in the seats as they have the capacity. At some point lowering the ticket price or raising won't affect those who will attend a race. 

I've seen the same thing at my work place with the younger generation willing to pay someone to deliver their happy meal, that is a mile away and then tip the driver.  

At Knoxville, and this is me beating the dead horse again, we're so fortunate; the facility, class of competition, no fenders, well ran, good concessions, nice parking, #1 track in the world, and it's less than an hour away. 

What would the tipping point for some of you to say " nope, too much, not going" 

For me, going to Knoxville weekly, I'd pay $30 ish to see their weekly show. 

Keep It Real

Do you do that Black hawks.Cubs Bears thing every week? A lot people will spend the money to go Say Eldora or an Out Law race a few times a year as a special treat. Going  to the local track every week is a different thing. For instance my local track is Port Royal a regulae show is $20 for adults $10 for students, so $60 plus concessions for a regular show for a family of four. More than half their showes any more are more than that usually close to $80 or $100 for admisions. That gets to be a lot to attend every week for a working class family.  I don't have a problem with adult admissions but you gotta help the families out if you want future fans. Comparing what spoiled brat college kids spend on anything is hardly relevent as few of them ever heard of a sprint car. When they start paying their own bills they will change their ways somewhat or be in trouble. Yea I know I see 60 year olds who haven't learned yet.

Do I go to those events each week?  Do you think I'm a drug dealer?     I try to do 2 or 3 per year.  My point was that we are nowhere near the costs of the major sports, and I can go to an entire season of sprint car races vs. just 1 of these other events.  

$20 for adults and $10 for students is an absolute steal for 3-4 hours of entertainment.  Steal.  $60 at concessions?  That's your own problem.  Grill some burgers at the house before you go to the track and go full.  If you can get your family in there for $80-100, you will have a very difficult time finding anything else you can do anywhere for that amount of money.  

"Spoiled brat college kids" is not what I am viewing at my community college.  Most of these students have nothing and get nothing from their parents.  You're thinking of a different type of college experience than what I'm viewing.  They either bring public transportation to class, get a ride, or drive a car with 4 flat tires.  My point being that it's priorities that make them decide to do this.  If it's your priority to go to the races, you'll go if they double the price.  (which would be good for the future of the track by the way) 

You are usually right even when you are wrong. Maybe ask those college kids for some help with reading comprehension. No where did I say you do that every week. The point was a few times a year is one thing, If you want them there every week that is quite different. It was a question not a statement. Nowhere did I Say $60 for consessions, It was $60 plus consessions. TRy taking some teens who eat every 15 minutes and tell them "you had burgers a few hours ago , wait until you get home". That will make them like going to races.  I am 70, this doesn't affect me. I am looking out for the future of the sport. The old guys in the stands are not going to be there 20 years from now. The pa tracks  mostly do help out families. When my wife and I travel to other areas for races is where we notice not as many families as at home. I am lucky after 50 years she still complains that we don't go to enough races.

The races definately are NOT like the major sports leagues thankfully in terms of prices. I think the cheapest NFL experience was 2021 when it was a little over $600 for 2 tickets at the very top of the stadium. Which is why I no longer go to them or any other major sports event. Not a priority to me especially when I try to keep money available for races I want to go to. 

I will say that I am starting to notice a little bit of the financial weight of going to some of these races unfortunately. It is close to $60-$70 since the little one ain't so little anymore and now is charged to go into some of these races. Plus the cost of gas, we mitigate a lot of the concession stuff for the most part, I barely buy t-shirts anymore now, and I do not even want to think about the cost of staying in a hotel. I think Donny said in one of his interviews, "you want to rent the room for the night but the bill looks like your renting the whole hotel for a month." And we rough it as much as possible so we are like you said, prioritizing going over other things we could spend our money on and doing without on certain other areas that we use to spend our money on. 

I do agree with the original poster about adding some laps to the feature. I have always been of the opinion of driving to a track spending any kind of money, spending that time and there are only 25-30laps? I get track size along with wear and tear on equipment is a thing but I have always felt that features should be longer. But then we get into the rabbit hole or can of worms about fuel cell size, tire compounds, engine rebuilds, race fuel costs which leads into the discussion of how much it costs to race and how do they get those funds and end right back at raising ticket prices.