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. 

I love dirt track racing as much as anyone, but comparing the prices to the NFL, NBA, NHL is not an apples to apples comparison. Local dirt track racing is not the top level of American racing, which all those other leagues are for their sport. The apples to apples comparison to Sprint Car racing is AHL hockey or AA/AAA baseball, which has similar prices to the local dirt track.

Double A baseball is really cheap as well when you are comparing it to a Cup race or an IndyCar race or especially an F1 race..

I agree comparing to the major league sports isn't comparable, however college and triple A, is at least in Iowa.

The cheaper football tickets will costs you in the $20s, and you'll easily spend that in concessions and likely spend some money for parking. There are many tickets at ISU and IA football games well past $100. 

iCubs, Chicago Cub affiliate, is AAA, and you can find tickets for less than $20 pretty easily. But again, the concessions will often costs you more than the ticket price, plus parking of $10 around Principal Park. 

Iowa Wolves (NBDL) the cheapest ticket I think is $25, again, concessions, parking.

At Knoxville the racetrack has been able to absorb some of the cost increases. WE KNOW there are increases every year. Everyone sees it, especially these past 5 years. 

I've been to all these events the past few years and Knoxville Raceway, in little Knoxville Iowa is super cheap. They have good affordable concessions. I would still consider the ticket prices, food, and parking well below any other comparable events in Iowa. 

At some point we'll see a weekly ticket price increase, and people will complain, while most SHOULD understand. 

Keep It Real

You literally asked me if I attend those games every week.  I know you were talking tongue in cheek, but you did ask.  I also knew you weren't serious, which is why I made the joke. 

"Try taking some teens who eat every 15 minutes and tell them "you had burgers a few hours ago, wait til you get home."  Why is that so hard?  "No, I'm broke, I'm not buying you a $10 sandwich and $4 bottle of water.  Wait until we get to the car."  Not tough to say.  

Future of the sport?  It's dead if we keep thinking the ticket prices should never go up and no one is willing to keep paying the bills to keep these tracks open.  I'm with Yungwun24---I'd pay $30 for the weekly Knoxville show, hands down.  The cost right now is a total steal.  I hear people bitch about the cost of the Nationals tickets going up each year.  LMAO.  One of the best deals in all of sports and entertainment if you are a race fan.  I can go to 4 days of the 410 Nationals, food, drinks, fuel, and camping for less than the cost of taking my wife overnight to a Blackhawks game. 

Going to the races is not only a good deal, it's way underpriced if we want to keep these tracks going.  

Yes, Knoxville is cheap for a night of entertainment, but the comparable level to Knoxville Raceway is not the Chicago Blackhawks. The  Blackhawks would be much closer in level to the IndyCar race at Iowa. Just from looking online, tickets for the IndyCar started at $70 to walk through the front gate and went up from there.

$70 will get you a decent parking spot at a Blackhawks game.  

If Indy is racing a Saturday night at Iowa Speedway and I could get free tickets.

I would still choose to be at Knoxville on a Weelky Points race... No decision there for me....

To the original post I like the idea of more laps, except for one reason.  Does Hoosier make a tire that would last?

I have no interest in longer sprint car features. I want to see balls-to-the walls racing for 30 laps. Maybe 35 or 40 on a quarter mile. I do not want to see tire management or fuel games or drivers tip-toeing around a track that is used up. Just give me a SPRINT car race. 

If you are interested in longer races, go watch the Silver Crown cars, big-block modifieds or dirt late models. All of those classes routinely run 50- to 100-lap main events. 

This is a great point.  You could pay me $100 to go to the Indy race or charge me $100 to go to a Knoxville weekly show, and if that was my only choice, I'd pay the $100.  When I see the complaints about the "rising costs" of attending a weekly show, then see what the costs actually are, it makes me yawn.  

You’re not wrong for wanting more. Nobody burns vacation days, spends big money on gas and hotels, and rearranges life to see a 10-minute feature. When fans say, “Man, five more laps,” what they’re really saying is, “I want the night to feel worth what I put into it”—in time, money, and emotion. I like longer races too; that’s what I grew up watching, and there’s something special about seeing a race play out instead of feeling like it ends just as it gets good.

But “just add laps” is only part of the picture. Extra distance changes track conditions, adds cost and wear for teams (especially 305s), and pushes against curfews and tight schedules. If it’s not thought through, those extra 5–10 laps can end up on rubber, strung out, and less exciting, while making life harder for the racers you love watching.

On top of that, fuel stops and long open reds feel like the wrong answer. Fuel stops are for NASCAR, not dirt track sprint car racing. And the “we can’t police the crews” line doesn’t really fly. If you absolutely have to stop for fuel, make it simple and tight: one crew member, a half-full fuel jug and a funnel, no tools. Space the cars far enough apart that if somebody bends down to “adjust” something, it’s obvious. You don’t need a 10-15-minute open red with wholesale changes to get fuel in these cars.

The crazy part is there are ways to make longer races more realistic without turning every night into a fuel gamble or an arms race. Narrower injection stacks, smaller wing panels, and limits on wing angle all help. You can look at smaller fuel pumps, tighter pill/nozzle rules, gear limits, slightly smaller cubic-inch caps, harder tires that don’t reward constant hammer-down, or even mandated fuel cell size that force efficiency instead of just bigger budgets. Most people don’t want to hear about that, because anything that touches horsepower or “the look” starts a holy war.

So, the real need isn’t just “kill 25- and 30-lap mains,” it’s to build shows and rules that respect what fans and racers put into being there. Save the extra distance and special formats for the nights that justify the travel and ticket price, clean up the dead time, cut the circus-style fuel stops, and use smart tech/rule ideas to make longer races possible without breaking teams. More laps can be part of the fix—but a better, more intentional show has to be the heart of it.

I pretty much agree

50 lappers are OK for special events, but not on a weekly basis

I personally have no problem with the length of the nights or shows now.  But, this is pretty well written.  Great points.  

Why are you expecting even more excitement from Sprint Cars than they already provide?  I've been going to races since 1960 and the races were always enough to keep us engaged.  What exactly is lacking?  

Stan Meissner