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

It's Super Bowl Sunday--arguably the biggest sports day in the United States every year. The unrivaled success of the NFL got me thinking. Granted the sports are very different but what concepts used by the NFL to become so successful could be utilized in sprint car racing?

Make all of the drivers wear shoudler pads. And not QB pads, line backer pads. Now that would do the trick!

lol

Never hit stationary objects!

I'd sure as hell not want to see NFL-type ticket prices at the Nationals ... average price for Super Bowl tix is over $4000.

Phil Taylor

home-theater-systems-advice.com

The last line of the National Anthem should be "Let's go Rac'n"

Big Car or Sprint Car racing as we call it today has been around in one form or another for close to a century. If it was going to ever appeal to the masses and get big it probably would have happened already. Remember that "next level" everyone used to talk about ten years ago, making Sprint Car racing a household word like NASCAR? Now NASCAR is frantically trying to hang onto the niche they had before the downturn and Sprint Car racing in my eyes hasn't really made any huge gains. Sure we've seen the sport make a few steps but on the other hand we don't see a Slick 50 Series or Thursday Night Thunder anymore so we've lost some and gained some.

Not that Sprint Car racing is bad the way it is or not a big sport but in order to appeal to a larger audience the venues would have to be located in major metropolitan areas accessible via mass transit. I don't know about the rest of you but I drive over the river and through the woods to Sprint Car races, past corn and soybean fields and farms. The logistics of this sport doesn't fit the lifestyle of the masses nor does it appeal to their politically correct green lifestyle.

Mainstream professional sporting events have another thing going for them. When was the last time you stood in an inch of pee and did your business in a sheet metal trough at a professional sporting event? The baseball and football games that I attended had attendants in spiffy matching uniforms making the rounds tidying things up during the event. At most dirt tracks we're lucky if the porta johns get hosed down and flushed out from week to week.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sprint Car racing and some tracks are very good at projecting a positive image but in the final analysis my observation is that it is what it is. Personally I enjoy the hours I spend driving in the country to get the races. I don't mind the inconveniences and less than ideal facilities as long as the racing is good. On the other hand, my non-race-fan family, friends and co-workers roll their eyes when I talk about racing and they'll never get it. My wife reflects the thinking of the masses "it's loud, it's dusty, everything is icky, why would I want to go to a race"?

Stan Meissner

I'll use 3 examples for my theory.

NFL = 1 game a week which only gives its fans that 1 chance to see their favorite team perform, leaving them anxious for the upcoming week to see what they can do.

NASCAR = 1 race a week " " " " " " " " " " " ".

WoO = A possible 3-5 races a week. The fans can be up to date all the time and have lots of chances to go see a race. I believe if you let the local weekly racing stay where it was with all of your weekend warriors supplying entertainment to people and have the WoO run a 30 race schedule for $25,000 to win each night, it would create more hype and make it more marketable. The WoO race too much. When they do show a televised event anymore it is tape delayed...who cares? I already probably watched that feature thanks to youtube and some nice person with a video recorder!!!! That's my $.02

do it in the dirt

I see a couple of problems with that concept. First one is that a lot of promoters would balk at the idea of a WoO show costing them more, some are on the ragged edge and can barely afford to host them as it is. Somebody is going to have to pay for that increased purse and fans are pretty much maxed out these days. Second thing is that the Outlaw drivers need to race 3-5 nights a week to pay that mortgage on the home they barely live in and the monthly payment on those motorhomes. Even heroes have to pay the bills and make a living. That would be a tough formula to balance, fewer shows, higher purses and sanction fees, and guys that need to be out racing sitting home all week.

Stan Meissner

This is not a horrible idea. It is an interesting concept. If WoO would limit the number of races to around 30, raise the purses of the races they do sanction and allow WoO drivers to be true "outlaws" (i.e. let the drivers race when and where they wanted) this idea could work.

I think this idea would make WoO more marketable for TV too.

thanks joemizzou. Glad you see it my way also.

StanM- You're thinking of it as how it is now under the current schedule/purse/format. Under your theory of them "not making mortgage/motorhome payments" because they don't race enough. Since I referenced Nascar, let me ask you this...Do they afford their bills only racing 36 times a year? Do NFL players make their bills on their piddly 16 game schedule? You can pull more people(fans) and sponsorship if you reduce the number of races, then my "theory" could begin to work!

Question- If you only had 1 or 2 chances to go see the WoO a year wouldn't you pay a little more to do it?

Example: I currently live in Ohio. WoO shows that are in (MY) driving range are Eldora: 5/6, 5/7, 7/15, 7/16, 9/23...Attica: 5/20...I-96: 5/21...Lima: 7/13...Fremont:10/15...Lernerville: 7/19, 9/24.......With that being shown this equals 11 times I could go see the Outlaws race for an average ticket cost of $28??? 11 X 28 = $308

OR

Maybe they only come to this area 1 time for the Kings Royal...now they got me itching to go watch them race so I spend $75-$100 for a reserved seat for my one and only Outlaw show of the year that possibly is now paying $100,000 to win!?

Less shows + less traveling expenses + higher purses = more cars on tour. 12 cars traveling across the country having the locals fill the show isn't cutting it!!! But 24 of the best teams/drivers traveling and competing 30 nights a year for a big chunk WILL draw more people and be MORE successful!!!!! The End

do it in the dirt

You need to convince the racing teams, promoters and Outlaws, not me.

Stan Meissner

I'm trying

do it in the dirt

In some respects it would be great if they could do that but fans in some of the smaller markets would lose their Outlaw dates. I think a lot of promoters would be scared away by any significant increase in their costs too. Some other sanction would surely step in to fill the void.

P.S. If you came in with a series primary sponsor they'd probably listen to you.

Stan Meissner