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This came in my email today:
JACKSON SPEEDWAY TAKES TO THE
HIGHWAYS WITH TOURING SERIES AND ASA MEMBER TRACK AFFILIATION
DAYTONA
BEACH, Fla. (April 2, 2008) – Jon McCorkell, promoter of
Jackson (Minn.) Speedway, has his eye on the future, and it is looking at both
the new Jackson Speedway Touring Series and an ASA Member Track affiliation as
two ways for his racetrack to stand out and bring in new race fans.
McCorkell emphatically states that the
360 Sprint Cars are the premier division for his half-mile racetrack, and he is
looking at ways to help increase the car count and keep teams coming back. One
way was to develop the Jackson Speedway Touring Series this season.
He stated that the idea for the Touring
Series, “Was just one of those deals where quite a few of our local teams
were looking for more races and we wanted to continue to build our brand for
Jackson Speedway to be known as the place for Sprint Car action. We wanted to
get our teams out on the road to different racetracks, but don’t stress
them by taking the Series too far away where it will cost a lot for gas and
travel expenses.”
In addition to a scheduled six races for
the Jackson Speedway Touring Series at his racetrack, McCorkell has scheduled
two more at Nobles County Speedway in Worthington, Minn. This track is just a
short 30 miles away and there are some teams based in the area so it made sense
to include them on the schedule. He indicated that more dates could be added at
other nearby racetracks.
“We worked closely with Nobles
County Speedway last season doing some cross-promotions and it went very well.
I have a little different outlook when it comes to other racetracks. I prefer
to try and work together when it comes to promotions and scheduling so we all can
benefit rather than trying to take away fans and cars which really does nothing
but hurt everybody involved,” McCorkell explained.
At Jackson Speedway, the emphasis is on
the Sprint Cars even though the regular Saturday night program also features
Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. The season starts on May 9 and runs through
October 4. Scheduling details, news, and plenty of information can be found
online at www.JacksonSpeedway.com.
“We’ve been working for several
seasons now on enhancing our Sprint Car divisions so that we are known for that
type of racing,” McCorkell said. “Beginning with The Double Barrel
Sprints, our beginner Sprint Car division which uses a two-barrel carburetor,
we try and make this type of racing more affordable. We want to offer our fans
the best Sprint Car racing in the area, and offer competitive payouts so we can
keep the car counts high. And of course, we need to make sure that there are
enough races on the schedule to justify the teams building cars and competing
on a regular basis. I think that our plans are starting to take hold and we are
making good progress which can be measured by several new teams jumping in from
other classes and the races are becoming much bigger events at our track and
those that surround Jackson Speedway.”
Jackson Speedway has been in continual
operation since becoming a weekly operation in 1954. Incredibly, the racing
surface was first laid out sometime in the 1800s making it one of the oldest
facilities in the United States. A complete renovation was made in 2001 which
included new bleachers, VIP boxes, catch fencing, bathrooms and concessions
stands.
A unique idea for 2008 is an innovative
new infield spectator seating area. “We wanted to try and figure
out a way for our fans to really see just how fast those Sprint Cars are as
they circle around our half-mile racetrack. We made an area in the infield just
for the spectators, and so far there has been a good buzz in the area about
this spot,” McCorkell said.
“There is some pretty stiff
competition for the entertainment dollars today. We wanted to add some
excitement and value for the price that we charge for a ticket. We want to have
the fans feel that they received a very positive return on their ticket price
and get more fans out to experience dirt track racing. We are simply looking at
ways to make our product more appealing to the casual fan,” McCorkell
added.
Ticket prices at Jackson Speedway start
at a very reasonable $10 for Adults, and a Family Pack is offered for $25 which
includes two adult tickets and four student tickets (ages 6-12). Kids aged five
or less are admitted for free. Admission into the Infield Spectator Area
is $15.
The move to the American Speed
Association was also made in an effort to secure a solid future for Jackson
Speedway. Most of the sanctioning bodies offer $50,000 of Excess Medical
Benefit as a selling point to buying a license. Now we are going to have
this amount of insurance without charging a license.
“The more that I talked to Dennis
(Huth), the more I thought that it would be good to get involved now with an
eye to the future. I really liked the whole package that the ASA Member
Track program offered as well as their way of doing business,” said McCorkell,
adding that the ASA insurance program was better than he was able to obtain
from the same company.
Though Jackson Speedway is currently a
Level II participant in the ASA Member Track program, McCorkell is already
looking at the possibility of moving up to a Level I status in the near future.
“We are very excited to have
Jackson Speedway join the ASA Member Track program and I really like the
direction that Jon is taking that racetrack. He has a clear vision about how to
differentiate his racetrack from those in the area by putting an emphasis on
the Sprint Cars. I admire his thinking about the new infield spectator
area. I think it is a little like sitting up high in an arena at an NHL
hockey game. It looks fast, but when you get a chance to sit at ice level by
the glass you really see how quick those guys are. It’s the same with
being inside a bullring racetrack. You will be amazed at how fast those 360
Sprint Cars will fly by and I guarantee that you will go and tell all your
friends – once your head stops spinning,” said Dennis Huth,
president of Racing Speed Associates which own the American Speed Association.
Stan Meissner
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