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

Wow, what a difference 3 or 4 days make.

After Saturday Night in Knoxville on the way out when Johnny was touting the Tuesday night stop the first thoughts I had were:  "How would you like to go from racing in front of 20,000+ and racing to racing in front of 3000 tops??  That my be more depressing for them than it is for the fans."

So what's it like for the knoxville regulars who will arrive in 2 weeks to a 3/4ths empty grandstand? You act like knoxville gets 20k every week.

did the Hairball concert sell more seats than a regular Satruday Night?

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Quite the contrary.  Our race season is essentially over here in Kville (if we had a race this Saturday Night instead of taking a week off from racing it'd be even worse), and it's depressing for the fans to build and build and build and have a huge event and then go to nothing or start again from square one.

The only positive I can think of is that hte 410 Track Point title won't be decided until next Saturday Night since Ian Madsen, McCarl, Henderson and Brown are so close in points (any can mathematically win, but my gut tells me Henderson will).

From a WoO competitor standpoint it's got to be depressing.  Went from a race with 100 cars all vying for 24 starting spots to 19 cars and everyone guaranteed a starting spot.  Went from $150,000 to win and $9500 to start to $10,000 to win and $700 to start just a couple days later.

This is off topic, but I've always wondered why Kville's regular nite A main is only 20 laps??!!

Actually...mid week WoO races do not pay $10,000 and $700...It is more like $6,000 to win and $500 to start.  With a smaller purse and visiting a state with very few 410's (all of which did not show up to race) the low car count didn't surprise me at all.  

The track was super fast and lock down.  It didn't dry out and slick off so it was basically a speed show.  

The track seats 5,000-5,500 depending on who you ask and the place was standing room only.  No need to be ashamed of that.  It was a good show, all things considered.

www.ibracn.com
#PaulsToTheWall
GO SAMMY!

what do you fellas run out there...a 20 race night season?

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

18 weekly shows (that # includes the WoO show and the Cappi Classic), the 360 Nat's, the 410 Nationals and then the "specials" for the other classes of cars (Harris Clash for Open Wheel Modifieds on a Thursday Night during the County Fair, AMA Flat Track Motorcycles, MonsterJam in September (which will have more fans in the stands than the 360 Nationals or the WoO or the AMA flat track shows), and the Lucas Oil Late Models at the end of September.

From a weather standpoint, we've had shows "snowed out" in April, so our start date in mid-April is OK (weather doesn't break until then anyway) and once College FB and school starts in late August, the crowds disappear as well (when you don't have any professional sports teams, the colleges are a HUGE deal (~145,000 attend home games every weekend (Iowa, Iowa State and UNI) in a state with a total population around 2 million).

Ending sprint car racing a week or so after Nationals isn't a bad thing either, everything builds up to the Nationals and then they're over and a weekly show feels like a "disappointment" even though there will still be 70 sprint cars in the pits.  Having the Late Models brings in a different crowd to the raceway (some of whom now come watch the sprintcars also).

good question, like why not some variety, like quick time draws to see if it is 20 laps-21-22-24

I think Vande forgets the 20,000 were there because of the Outlaws 

I am not much of an Outlaw fan, but this post is spot on. How depressing mist it be for the Knoxville regulars to race in front of tiny crowds weekly compared to the Nationals?

How about the fans that actually paid the money to see the "greatest show on dirt?"  I know I would be highly pissed off if i paid the 30-35$ to see 19 cars, and can pretty much eliminate 5-8 cars that are never in contention to win.  Youre paying that kind of money to see 2 heat races, a dash, and a feature.  I know it sounds selfish but, thats ridiculous.  We pay half that price for 2 times the races on a weekly basis.  As for Knoxville, I have always wondered why they start so late and end so early.  They spend all year looking forward to the Nationals, so its like looking forward to the end of their racing season.

BMD...I think you answered your own question. Where you come from you can see that type of racing 2 -3 times a week. In that area those fans only get to see that type of racing 2 -3 times a year. I doubt many went home disappointed. Where you come from people come home from the racing complaining because of this and that happened that night . These people are happy to get to see "The greatest Show On Dirt".

I drove through the parking lot and told my lady...im not supporting this crap. Their not afraid to throw a good screwin into the fans. They knew damn good and well they would never have a full feild of cars when they set the date. Only way I will ever see the WoO again is if I go to Knoxville.

Someone at IOW picked up on this also.

I remember in the early 90's only 17 cars at Eldora.

They are???  They sure don't ever show up to any other Outlaw shows @ Knoxville or any other track for that matter except maybe Eldora for teh King's Royal.....

They show up because it's the Nationals, not because it's the Outlaws (it was UNSANCTIONED for 5 straight years and the crowds weren't any different).  Those 9-10 cars don't bring 800-1000 fans each, because if they did, they wouldn't race at tracks with seating for less than 3000 for over 1/2 their schedule.

People in the midwest know what they're getting. My guess is if you lived in Nebraska and could only see 410 sprints a few times a year, you'd have been there. 19-20 cars is pretty much the norm for that track the past few years.

It's irrelevent whether it was sanctioned or not, because all the top drivers were there. If you think the Nationals would get as good a crowd w/o the top stars of the Outlaw tour, then you're out of your mind.

So you would have been happy if 5 local guys showed up to fill the field to 24 cars just so you could see them run around in a B-main?

Every outlaw show i see is packed! People like to see the top names, best crowd i seen at Knoxville this yr besides Nationals was the Outlaw show.  If the weekly show is so viable , why won't they even re run a rainout?