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Topic: Early season usac/cra thoughts...
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March 21, 2012 at
03:25:36 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: turn4rob on March 21 2012 at 11:34:46 AM
Grady,as you well know I have no brain lol
my only concern is keeping the show moving,hopefully it wont be an issue,but lets give it a shot.
Scott,this is a ? not a gripe,is the PAS doing anything else to get the under 30 crowd through the front gate?all the fan friendly stuff in the world wont do any good if they don't even know the PAS exsists.
Harry,all those other tracks have easy entrance and exits from the track to the pits,BTW change that scarey picture.
ROB
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Most of it is done through social marketing these days Rob. Also, as has always been the case, lots of stuff with the schools to get the younger ones out.
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March 21, 2012 at
03:27:49 PM
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This message was edited on
March 21, 2012 at
03:30:19 PM by dirtface
Insurance and fair grounds I'll bet ? Just guessing . I'll bet 20/30 years ago there wouldn't be no red tape . Scott if the outside pits do not happen outside . Maybe a couple more display cars like rippers out front for photos and seat sitting ,also maybe some drivers hanging out front for autographs and invites into the pits after the race. I noticed a lot of new people at the woo show and rips car drew a lot of attention . Just a thought.
We need more sprint car racing at our home track.
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March 21, 2012 at
06:17:34 PM
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Or you could open the front gate an hour or so early & let the fans go to the pits before the race. It seemed to work well at Manzy a few years back.
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March 21, 2012 at
06:33:45 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: ScottDaloisio on March 21 2012 at 03:25:36 PM
Most of it is done through social marketing these days Rob. Also, as has always been the case, lots of stuff with the schools to get the younger ones out.
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thanks Scott thats what I wanted to hear
ROB
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March 21, 2012 at
08:19:22 PM
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One thing I keep reading in this thread is time constraints.
Why not start the show a half hour to hour earlier?
The one thing I always feel is that the show starts kinda late and when we run into delays it makes for a really long night.
The CLS and Seniors have not added significant delays. Before someone rags on me for picking on the support classes. But ten minutes here and five minutes there and next thing you know its 11pm+
That deters fans with younger children.
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March 21, 2012 at
08:34:53 PM
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I don't know the cost but i heard the FROG country station advertising the WOO show and the stands were looking good .
We need more sprint car racing at our home track.
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March 27, 2012 at
04:18:31 PM
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The pits will be inside as usual this week. Promoter Don Kazarian is still pursuing a plan to be able to take the pits to the outside and be accessible to all of the fans.
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March 27, 2012 at
04:49:22 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: ScottDaloisio on March 27 2012 at 04:18:31 PM
The pits will be inside as usual this week. Promoter Don Kazarian is still pursuing a plan to be able to take the pits to the outside and be accessible to all of the fans.
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I hope they can get it dried out ok.
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March 28, 2012 at
02:48:24 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: ScottDaloisio on March 20 2012 at 11:32:46 PM
This is being attempted to make the racing experience more fan friendly. In turn that may persuade fans to come more often and attract new fans as well. Attracting new fans
is a huge problem in the oval track industry. Our (not just The PAS, but all of oval track racing) crowds are growing older and older and we need to attract new fans to so the sport and the tracks can survive.
One can stand still or one can try to think outside of the box that has contained oval track racing for far to long. Like to believe it or not, the fact is short track oval racing is on life support all over the country. That was clearly evidenced in Southern California over this past winter with three tracks closing. And, there are others in the state that are on extremely thin ice. Rather than stand pat and becoming one of those, we are trying to move forward.
NHRA has had an open pit for years. Supercross and Traxxas do the same. Their fan base is far younger than what we have in open wheel racing. We HAVE to attract younger fans like that and more fans in general just to keep this sport alive. Fan interaction with the drivers
and teams will help this immensely. Especially with the younger set. They will relate very well with the young crop of drivers we currently have in this series.
Pitting outside will be a HUGE money making opportunity for the teams. Fans who would do not go into the pits after the races never meet the drivers and they never see the cars close up. With the pits outside, fans will be able to meet and observe. Roughly 20% of the crowd
heads down to the pits after the races. They buy shirts, caps etc from the teams. Once again roughly 20%. With the pits outside the other 80% of the fans will have access to the teams as well and they will all have more money in their pockets at that time! Teams always want to make more money and that is very understandable. This is a great opportunity to take in a lot more merchandise dollars. It is a no brainer. In addition, people who normally leave as soon as the races are over will be able to walk up and hand a driver or owner $20.00, $50.00 or whatever when they turn in a good performance or bust a part. It will also be a sensational way for teams to expose their sponsors to many MORE fans.
Terry mentioned the times the pits were outside. Yes, that took longer, but one of times was the Oval Nationals and the other was a Sprint/Midget combined show. There were a lot more cars at those shows and nobody could go anywhere in the pits except the corners. Unless
we have heavy rains, that is not going to be the case at these shows. And, only USAC/CRA will be pitting outside. The Lightning Sprints and the Seniors will be pitting in the infield.
So, there will be a lot less cars coming from the outside pit at these shows and there will be a lot more room for them once they come inside. As far as stuff getting stolen, teams need to lock their stuff up and we do have security.
We had the pits on the outside at the World of Outlaws show earlier this month. The show ran as smooth as silk. The fans loved it and so did the teams who were selling much more merchandise than they would have had the pits been outside. There is no reason for it not to be the same at USAC/CRA show.
It is 2012. What worked in attracting and maintaining fans to oval track racing 20 or 30 years
ago does not necessarily work anymore. We cannot afford to stand pat. It is time to take advantage of every opportunity afforded to not only keep this sport alive, but to also, hopefully, help it grow in the future. We have a lot of great teams and people in this series. Most are very fan friendly. They will prosper. It should work out to everyone's advantage to take this opportunity and run with it. Doing nothing, but standing still is going to bring an early death to this sport.
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Well that could not have been said any better. Sometimes we (people who have grown up or been around this sport for many years) love this sport so much we forget to realize it's a business. I hate to take things for granted but it's easy to do when our opinions are jaded with emotion. My initial reaction to this would have been WTF!! I love the infield pits at Perris, but when you take a step back arn't we getting something better by being able to actually be around the teams during the event? Yes. Arn't we actually getting out earlier by not having to wait until the race is over to visit the pits for an hour? Yes. And finally, won't we all buy more SWAG because we will be able to do that before we drink all our money? Yes.
I brought with me 5 new fans, plus my family of 4; to Canyon last weekend. They would have had a better time if they had access to the pits during the race without question. I guess that's the bottom line.
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March 28, 2012 at
07:24:30 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: ScottDaloisio on March 20 2012 at 11:32:46 PM
This is being attempted to make the racing experience more fan friendly. In turn that may persuade fans to come more often and attract new fans as well. Attracting new fans
is a huge problem in the oval track industry. Our (not just The PAS, but all of oval track racing) crowds are growing older and older and we need to attract new fans to so the sport and the tracks can survive.
One can stand still or one can try to think outside of the box that has contained oval track racing for far to long. Like to believe it or not, the fact is short track oval racing is on life support all over the country. That was clearly evidenced in Southern California over this past winter with three tracks closing. And, there are others in the state that are on extremely thin ice. Rather than stand pat and becoming one of those, we are trying to move forward.
NHRA has had an open pit for years. Supercross and Traxxas do the same. Their fan base is far younger than what we have in open wheel racing. We HAVE to attract younger fans like that and more fans in general just to keep this sport alive. Fan interaction with the drivers
and teams will help this immensely. Especially with the younger set. They will relate very well with the young crop of drivers we currently have in this series.
Pitting outside will be a HUGE money making opportunity for the teams. Fans who would do not go into the pits after the races never meet the drivers and they never see the cars close up. With the pits outside, fans will be able to meet and observe. Roughly 20% of the crowd
heads down to the pits after the races. They buy shirts, caps etc from the teams. Once again roughly 20%. With the pits outside the other 80% of the fans will have access to the teams as well and they will all have more money in their pockets at that time! Teams always want to make more money and that is very understandable. This is a great opportunity to take in a lot more merchandise dollars. It is a no brainer. In addition, people who normally leave as soon as the races are over will be able to walk up and hand a driver or owner $20.00, $50.00 or whatever when they turn in a good performance or bust a part. It will also be a sensational way for teams to expose their sponsors to many MORE fans.
Terry mentioned the times the pits were outside. Yes, that took longer, but one of times was the Oval Nationals and the other was a Sprint/Midget combined show. There were a lot more cars at those shows and nobody could go anywhere in the pits except the corners. Unless
we have heavy rains, that is not going to be the case at these shows. And, only USAC/CRA will be pitting outside. The Lightning Sprints and the Seniors will be pitting in the infield.
So, there will be a lot less cars coming from the outside pit at these shows and there will be a lot more room for them once they come inside. As far as stuff getting stolen, teams need to lock their stuff up and we do have security.
We had the pits on the outside at the World of Outlaws show earlier this month. The show ran as smooth as silk. The fans loved it and so did the teams who were selling much more merchandise than they would have had the pits been outside. There is no reason for it not to be the same at USAC/CRA show.
It is 2012. What worked in attracting and maintaining fans to oval track racing 20 or 30 years
ago does not necessarily work anymore. We cannot afford to stand pat. It is time to take advantage of every opportunity afforded to not only keep this sport alive, but to also, hopefully, help it grow in the future. We have a lot of great teams and people in this series. Most are very fan friendly. They will prosper. It should work out to everyone's advantage to take this opportunity and run with it. Doing nothing, but standing still is going to bring an early death to this sport.
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I can see where having the pits outside the track would be advantageous for the fans being able to interact with the crews, BEFORE hot laps or AFTER the races. From the first hot lap session to the checkered flag, NO casual fan should be anywhere a car might be under power, too much chance of an accident. I saw a nephew or something of the Williams Bros. killed at a Baylands WoO show some years back when he ran across the track from the pits to the infield as the main was lining up. Before OK, after OK, NOT during the show. Just my opinion.
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March 28, 2012 at
08:04:07 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: fordfan on March 28 2012 at 07:24:30 PM
I can see where having the pits outside the track would be advantageous for the fans being able to interact with the crews, BEFORE hot laps or AFTER the races. From the first hot lap session to the checkered flag, NO casual fan should be anywhere a car might be under power, too much chance of an accident. I saw a nephew or something of the Williams Bros. killed at a Baylands WoO show some years back when he ran across the track from the pits to the infield as the main was lining up. Before OK, after OK, NOT during the show. Just my opinion.
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When (if) it happens, fans will only be allowed in the cold pit. No cars will be under power where the fans are. Fans will only be allowed up to a certain points and will not be allowed in the hot pit or the infield.
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