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

I wrote this article to start a discussion, so let me know what you think!

http://www.wfopenwheel.com/2014/04/27/for-the-love-and-hatred-of-the-sport/

Great article and I like your site.  I bookmarked it and will be looking at it.  Thanks.

My wife told me if I went to one more Sprint Car race 
she would leave me.................I'm sure gonna miss 
that ol' gal. 

A couple things in your article that I would like to touch on.

You wrote: "Indycar is paying attention to the people who are actually watching their races so that they can cater to their needs."

 - I wholeheartedly disagree. Indycar hasn't been listening to grass roots open wheel fans for decades now. Indycar lost these fans on their own. The cars, the racers, the tracks virtually none of it appeals to the majority of open wheel short track fans. Watching the latest Euro driver who has a rich relative get a ride in the series instead of a more talented American short track racer is disheartening and representative of all that is wrong with the sport. Seeing a person like Danica hyped up non stop when she was in the series was a joke. Indycar doesn't understand open wheel dirt track fans and really I don't think they give a shit about us anyhow. 

You mention how people should let series and tracks know how they feel about things in the sport and then you say we shouldn't complain on message boards about these grievances. 

- Again I disagree. The message boards, albeit a pain in the ass for promoters and racing series, are a perfect way to have interaction with the diehard fans of the sport. You can call a track and they can give you lip service and tell you your concerns matter etc, etc but then turn around and do nothing to address them. When its posted online for all to see there is no hiding from the mood of the fans. There is no ignoring grievances without catching flak for it. Social media is the perfect vehicle for redress of growing disdain from the fans who support the sport. Promoters will complain that social media causes more problems than its solves but thats the view of narrow minded short sighted individuals. To have a platform of interaction between the fans and the play makers in the sport is precisely whats needed. This should be embraced and utilized to build their relationship with the fans not looked upon as a nuisance. Times have changed and tracks, promoters, racers and series have to evolve or they will make themselves obsolete. 

Cheers!

Thank you, I appreciate it very much!

I completely agree that Indycar isn't listening to the grass roots open-wheel fan, but I would argue it is because they are not watching the races. Indycar has a very good idea who makes up their fanbase and they make decisions based upon those facts and figures. There is no doubt that Indycar lost those fans on their own, like you alude to, but for the short-track fan to sit around and wait on an apology or hope that Indycar changes its plan of action is the wrong move. That is why I put forth the idea that we need to make the first move by watching the races we care about and boycotting the others while louding voicing our reasoning.

As for the message board comment, my intent was to call out those who do this in an inappropriate manner. Many bitch and complain relentlessly just for the sake of bitching and complaining. This is in stark contrast to you who I can tell would voice your opinion in a straightforward way that is meant to help promoters rather than burn them at the stake. I don't profess to know what the true answer to improving short track racing is, which is why I didn't delve to deep into the issue in this particular article. I think you are on the right track however, as racing series seem to think that having a website and an app means that they are keeping up with the times. It is not what technology you have, but how you use it.

Thank you very much for reading and providing your feedback!

 I agree with the majority of your highlights Henry, agreed, if writing something down on a plublic messageboard, wether one agrees with it or not they still have to read it, much easier and productive than raising ones voice or being squashed out of a conversation.. and words can be thought out wisely  rather than incorrect information  blurted out to overtake a debate..

IMO Indy has not listened to the fans and this is a catch 22, lets look at Nascar, and its endless tayloring to the fans, it seems to have taken on a new appeal. it takes semi intrested fans  then coverts thier product to something entertaining with a race just happening to be a bonus?? I have recently taken in the 24hrs of Daytona, and the atmosphere at the end of the race was refreshing, the prototypes by far are my favorite, I even went to the trouble of attending a NHRA event, the Nitro cars are aureal, im a Winged Sprint fan thro and thro, my true love is in sprintcars, ten years ago Nascar was entertaining to me, now today its lost that appeal,too many rule changes,too many "luckydogs", finind core racers are competing in other series , sure it would be great to see Inday promot American drivers ect, maybe thats why the intrest is so unlikely appealing to the american plublic, but with that noted , and the (possibly) inflated ratings cry, the product can loose its luster , a watered down cola will be present and fans, like me, will be wondering why everyone that mildly had intrest ruined the sport..  if you dont like a game you dont change it to suit yourself, you switch channels, sadly this world lives in a videogame mentality, where the rules and competition can be continuously changed..  boy, maybe its all Burgerkings fault?.. 

Good article and you bring up some excellent points.

The message board arguments are annoying and I think are destructive.  Not just to racing but to other sports, politics, etc.  It is too easy to spout off on a board and play the keyboard commando.  Legitimate complaints should be sent directly to management via a call, an email or a face to face discussion.  Posting a rant, which is what happens too often, is counter  productive.  Sometimes the discussion does lead to alternate solutions or suggestions, but too often it seems like the conversation becomes negative.  For example, every PA vs Cali or Swindell thread.  JMO.

I see very good growth in the classes that are local in nature, i.e. sport mods, compacts, even 305 sprinters.  They develop their following, have friends in the stands and in the pits, and it gets people excited about coming to the races.  The Kyle Larson's (I'm not bashing KL, just an example) of the world are good for the sport, but nobody thought he would be around for more than a couple of years.  If you like NASCAR, you've got a great young driver to cheer for.  As a sprint car fan, I enjoy watching him drive but isn't really much of an open wheel guy to me only because I've only seen him for the last 2 years.  Someone in CA would have a different opinion I'm sure.  And yes, if I was in his shoes, I would have jumped to NASCAR also.

Those are some excellent points. I am happy to see that everyone is adding their thoughts. I am definitely not completely right about anything, and only by adding everyones thoughts will we find the middle ground that truly explains the situation that we are in.