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Topic: toby kruse
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Page 2 of 9 of 162 replies
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September 13, 2012 at
10:15:29 AM
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The fair and amusements committee and in particular the group that runs the race track at the Republic County Fairgrounds in Kansas which is home to the Belleville Highbanks reached a level of incompetence so incredible this year that I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it in my 41 years of existence on this planet. I'm not saying you should be thankful but all of the factors you are referring to thus far exist in many places unfortunately. It seems that just about anyone can screw up a "sure thing" if you give them enough time and enough incompetence.
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September 13, 2012 at
10:15:40 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: artie langes habit on September 13 2012 at 09:59:10 AM
When I lived around Knoxville it was common knowledge which fair board members would SELL you their COMPLIMENTARY tickets for the races. I def won't name names but over time you saw their total lack of understanding of the sprint car business. It's time they do what needs to be done and put Terry McCarl in charge of Knoxville.
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He's got the wrong type of attitude for running a business IMO.
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September 13, 2012 at
11:02:00 AM
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I don't know what the Fairboard wants if TK wasn't it. For the first time ever, Knoxville had a promoter who was capable of communicating with the next generation of sprint car fans. Heck, it's the first time the race director's/GM job had anyone that could communicate with ANYBODY (other than a grunt) since Ray Grimes.
Nobody is going to change the way they do business (and that includes election of the FB). Because there is no openess, there is apathy. Frankly, fewer and fewer people give a damn about the track in Marion County.
Knoxville is on its way to irrelevance in the racing industry and racing fans. That's what happens when there is no leadership.
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September 13, 2012 at
11:08:40 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: vande77 on September 13 2012 at 10:15:40 AM
He's got the wrong type of attitude for running a business IMO.
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Wow vande i never thought you or i would ever agree on any subject but man you sure are correct on this one..total wrong attitude..but mabey thats what this fairboard is looking for.
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September 13, 2012 at
11:18:45 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: Sprint*Scribe on September 13 2012 at 08:08:51 AM
Agreed. Although many West Libertians are still angry about how the promoter took profits from there and put them into one of his other tracks.
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I wonder if the same mis-perceptions are going on in Marion County?
Obviously the "profits" that the promoter "put into other tracks" either weren't as great as the good people of WL thought they were or were a result of the promoter using superior business practices to earn. Either way, the WL fair went broke trying to keep those great profits at the track and can't even perform basic maintence on the fairgrounds today. (it was quite an adventure when a group of volunteers wanted to paint the wall this summer using 100% donated materials and labor....almost did not get done because of the WL Fairboard's interference)
The bottom line is that the fair assoc would have been better off accepting the fact that they cannot do what the professionals can. (in Marion Co, the hired hand...in Musc Co, the company renting the facility)
It's fairly common....the Dubuque Fair Assoc just tried to promote a race themselves that turned into a clusterduck that has set back racing and the efforts of the same promoter up there.
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September 13, 2012 at
11:39:59 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: sprintfn1 on September 13 2012 at 11:08:40 AM
Wow vande i never thought you or i would ever agree on any subject but man you sure are correct on this one..total wrong attitude..but mabey thats what this fairboard is looking for.
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we better not make a habit of agreeing.....
I have no idea what the Fairboard is looking for. At present time, I can think of 12 FB members that need to go (they don't do any work, they complain about how the place is run, and they forget that they have no real "stake" in the business).
Their positions are voted on and they should get ZERO in return except accolades if things go good and complaints if things are bad (regarding the FAIR ONLY, they hired someone to take care of the Racetrack, they should have directed anything related to the Raceway to Toby and his staff).
I'm sure they fielded complaints from some people because they could no longer smoke under the grandstands and have to go outside to smoke now. From a BUSINESS standpoint, the move is justified. How do you expect to attract more FAMILIES to your events if parents have to worry about their children getting burned by a cigarette when walking to the bathroom? The crowd didn't decrease when the change occurred, it's just an inconvenience for the few partons that do smoke (and the argument of they'll take their business elsewhere doesn't hold water because in Iowa they can't smoke at ANY Entertainment Venue (Wells Fargo Arena, Iowa Speedway, Kinnick Stadium, Jack Trice Stadium, etc., etc., etc.)). None of the Fairboard members, Toby or anyone else has any chance of changing that law (unless they install slot machines).
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September 13, 2012 at
12:11:22 PM
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Those dumb f**king fairboard members are gonna run that place in the ground if they dont pull their heads out of their asses in a hurry, absolutley ridiculous
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September 13, 2012 at
12:25:43 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: sprntcar7 on September 13 2012 at 12:11:22 PM
Those dumb f**king fairboard members are gonna run that place in the ground if they dont pull their heads out of their asses in a hurry, absolutley ridiculous
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true....
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September 13, 2012 at
12:27:18 PM
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The answer is across the track at the HOF....his name is Bob Baker!
RBN The RacinBoys Broadcasting Network
http://www.racinboys.com/
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September 13, 2012 at
12:28:20 PM
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I agree whole heartidly, Toby did a fantastic job, I was a little sceptical at first but as the season went on I could see many improvement in not only the appearance of the place but more importantly the attitudes. I have been going to Knoxville for over 40 years and this year I only missed 3 nights of regular season racing. I live in Omaha so I drive a fair amount every week and I would seriously like to go into that fairboard meeting and give them a piece of my mind. First of all I would tell them that they need to do whatever it takes, even if they have to eat a little crow...but they NEED to beg for Toby to come back. Secondly, I would tell the fairboard that they need to treat Knoxville Raceway as a subsidiary of the Marion County Fairgrounds and that they need to cut the collar off of Toby and let him and his people run the place, that means letting his staff field ALL the phone calls, take ticket orders, run the concessions, grounds maintenance, etc, etc, etc..........Give the fairboard their suite or suites and stay completely out of the way of the business, that is the promoters JOB!! At the end of the fiscal year have the accountants, the fairboard and Tobys staff go over the books. If the business is growing than the fairboard NEEDS to leave well enough alone, if it is declining well then let Toby and his staff answer to that....otherwise, ALL of those EGOs that are on the board NEED to keep their yaps shut. Dont get me wrong, there are some REALLY GOOD members but it is the bad ones that make the good ones even look bad.
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September 13, 2012 at
12:34:02 PM
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Here is a few names, Shane Carson, from Ok city, C-ray Hall 81 speedway. Ed Beckley that ran old dodge cty speedway. John Blurton that built Jetmore motorplex. Don't know where there at nowadays but they all left some big marks in the Midwest in there days.
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September 13, 2012 at
12:56:06 PM
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It will be a most interesting next 60 days.
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September 13, 2012 at
01:12:43 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: vande77 on September 13 2012 at 09:50:46 AM
I said it before Toby was hired and I'll say it again now.
The Fairboard needs to hire someone and give them free reign and a budget. You are hiring them to do (1) thing and (1) thing only. That is to turn a profit.
This year saw better crowds for the WoO Shows, Harris Clash, 360 Nationals and 410 Nationals than the past 5 or 6 YEARS and it sounds like the crowd for the LM show will be very good as well. That tells me that what Toby was doing WORKS to make a profit (which is ultimately the ONLY goal.
The Fairboard needs to only work on (1) Improvements to the facility and (2) the MARION COUNTY FAIR (that is what they are SUPPOSED to do).
If Toby is a candidate for the job in Vegas, I wouldn't blame him for taking it, he may be running one of those big tracks in the next few years (the whole shebang). If he got run out of town by the Fairboard however, that I have an issue with as both a VOTER in the election and as a FAN of the Races.
I feared something was up when I attended the AMA motorcycle races last week and the AMA thanked Brian Stickel and his staff for being so hospitable to them and he didn't mention Toby (that tells me the decision had already been made at the Fairboard meeting the first Monday of the month).
Now, I know there are MANY Fairboard members that feel like they OWN the track and that they need to get rid of Brian Stickel as well (they actually thought that they were going to when they hired Toby and have Toby do both jobs).
As far as the candidates listed in Eric Arnold's blog, I don't know any of them from a stranger, but just as an outsider I can give reasons to strike some names off the list immediately.
Andy Adamcik - brother-in-law of Jon Agan -- you can't have someone related to a competitor in charge even if there is no favortism, some fans will say there is (and some competitors may as well). - BAD BUSINESS
Steve Beitler - he owns Skagit - no way he is walking away from a huge investment like that to work for 24 guys
Chuck Spicer - not sure the passion for dirt track racing is there - they have a STAFF to do the work in Newton, lots of "hands on" is required in Knoxville.
Terry McCarl - his kids and himself are competitors, enough said
Steve Sinclair - seems to do a good job with the IRA, but isn't he part of SLS promotions, seems like a conflict of interest as he spends a lot of time promoting WoO events at other tracks and likely can't give 100% to the job.
Tommie Estes, Jr. - Why would you leave Dodge City, KS? The facilities are newer, require less maintenance and far less PRESSURE and more than likely would have to take a pay cut.
Sam Hafertepe, Sr. - has a son who competes (occasionally @ Knoxville) - same type of issues you'd have with McCarl or Adamcik
Craig Armstrong - would be a GREAT PROMOTOR and would make sure Knoxville got the TV and Radio Exposure it Deserves. However, doesn't have a big background in non-asphault racing and would demand a much higher salary than the fairboard is willing to shell out.
If any of the above are hired, I have no issue with it all.
The BIGGEST issue is that the Fairboard needs to hire someone and get out of the way. There is ZERO reason for ANY of them to ever be in the ticket office, the concession stand, the beer stand, etc.. They hired a General Manager to take care of all those things, however they don't allow them to do the job. They still want to be in charge and the people they are PAYING to do certain jobs aren't doing them or leaving when the Fairboard members arrive on raceday.
I can't count how many times I've heard Fairboard members complaining openly about how they see so many different ticket prices on tickets as people enter the raceway. Their immediate complaint is that EVERY ticket should cost $15 and don't understand why there is a NEED for Group Discount tickets (same as EVERY other sports venue in America does for events), Sponsor discount tickets (the nightly sponsor can have employees purchase tickets at a cheaper rate), or even (GASP) Free tickets for radio giveaways, TV contest giveaways, etc..
MOST of the Fairboard members seem to have NO business sense, yet they THINK they do which makes it that much worse. EVERY business in America does special promotions (rebates on cars, buy one get one 1/2 off, % off discounts, special promotions of $1 admission, $1 drinks, $1 hotdogs (Principal Park in DesMoines). TO GET NEW FANS AND ATTENDEES, YOU HAVE TO GET THEM THERE THE FIRST TIME. CHARGING A FAMILY OF (4) $46 FOR ADMISSION TO SOMETHING THEY'VE NEVER EVEN SEEN WILL NOT GET YOU NEW CUSTOMERS AND LIMITES YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMER BASE AS WELL.
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FYI - Steve Sinclair is not part of SLS Promotions anymore. Believe he sold off his interests several years ago.
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September 13, 2012 at
01:18:49 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: WIsprinter on September 13 2012 at 01:12:43 PM
FYI - Steve Sinclair is not part of SLS Promotions anymore. Believe he sold off his interests several years ago.
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Glad to hear that. If that is indeed the case, I'd say Steve could do a very good job (since the IRA is a Club, he already answers to multiple bosses (only thing is, he only has to worry about booking tracks for events and making sure the drivers get paid, running a racetrack is an entirely different animal).
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September 13, 2012 at
01:26:50 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: vande77 on September 13 2012 at 01:18:49 PM
Glad to hear that. If that is indeed the case, I'd say Steve could do a very good job (since the IRA is a Club, he already answers to multiple bosses (only thing is, he only has to worry about booking tracks for events and making sure the drivers get paid, running a racetrack is an entirely different animal).
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I remember when I would have tickets called in and pick them up at the office and board members treating me like s#!t because I came in to pick up my tickets. Very VERY rude-----Ralph was always nice and thanked me but those fairboard members back then were pricks!!
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September 13, 2012 at
01:26:56 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: Brakeman on September 13 2012 at 12:56:06 PM
It will be a most interesting next 60 days.
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It will be interesting to see what happens at the Late Model Nat's in 2 weeks. Will the fairboard let the sanctioning body and drivers call the shots or will someone step up and be the point man for dealing with all the issues that arise?
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September 13, 2012 at
02:29:07 PM
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For the record, I would put a lot of stock in Brian Stickel and Mike Cunningham running the show down there. Some might not like Stickel for his "no nonsense" attitude at times, but those two guys work there tails off running everything behind the scenes. In Stickel's tenure, that track (and all other tracks) has suffered through an economic depression that has taken away, and continues to take away, a large majority of people's descretionary income. The track has still continued to thrive. Their efforts (as well as John McCoy and his staff running the techical side of things) are what is putting people in the seats on a continuous and weekly basis. Sponsors and KR partners are loyal to Brian and Mike for those efforts.
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September 13, 2012 at
02:42:39 PM
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This message was edited on
September 13, 2012 at
04:05:58 PM by knoxvegas
Reply to:
Posted By: SmittyDobey on September 13 2012 at 02:29:07 PM
For the record, I would put a lot of stock in Brian Stickel and Mike Cunningham running the show down there. Some might not like Stickel for his "no nonsense" attitude at times, but those two guys work there tails off running everything behind the scenes. In Stickel's tenure, that track (and all other tracks) has suffered through an economic depression that has taken away, and continues to take away, a large majority of people's descretionary income. The track has still continued to thrive. Their efforts (as well as John McCoy and his staff running the techical side of things) are what is putting people in the seats on a continuous and weekly basis. Sponsors and KR partners are loyal to Brian and Mike for those efforts.
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Brian Stickel and Mike Cunningham the answer to Knoxville Raceway??
wow. not the solution.
none of that even matters if the fairboard situation doesn't change. Knoxville Raceway will become a washed up dirt track in the future if things don't change. They have to play a key figure in saving Sprint Car racing. Instead they continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
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September 13, 2012 at
02:42:57 PM
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http://journalexpress.net/local/x1023280020/Kruse-resigns-from-Knoxville-Raceway
Steve Woodhouse
Journal-Express
Knoxville —
Toby Kruse, pictured, resigned from his position as General Manager of the Knoxville Raceway on Monday.
Kruse spent less than a year working for the raceway, taking over for longtime GM Ralph Capitani.
“He just had different ventures he wanted to pursue,”?Marion
County?Fair Association President Bob Riggen said. “He was a good guy to
work with.”
A message was left on Kruse’s voicemail, but the call was not returned.
The board has not begun to discuss finding a replacement for Kruse. That will likely happen at the next board meeting.
Raceway Marketing Director
Brian Stickel said the resignation should have no effect on the track’s
final races of the season, the Late Model Nationals, scheduled for
later this month. He said the Late Model event will be “the best ever.”
-----------------------------------------------------
L&L Fabrication
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September 13, 2012 at
03:21:21 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: vande77 on September 13 2012 at 01:18:49 PM
Glad to hear that. If that is indeed the case, I'd say Steve could do a very good job (since the IRA is a Club, he already answers to multiple bosses (only thing is, he only has to worry about booking tracks for events and making sure the drivers get paid, running a racetrack is an entirely different animal).
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I believe Steve is the promoter for Wilmot Speedway which is my local track. He is doing a great job and he is very responsive to fans requests and putting on great shows. I believe he could do a great job at Knoxville but I don't see him giving up on running the IRA. Who ever takes the job should ask for a 3-5 year contract with a good annual salary backed up by a % of the profits.
I've been going to the Nationals for almost 30 years. The amount of money that the racetrack has put back into the fairgrounds is just incredible. I've been to a lot the big name dirt tracks around the country and Knoxville seems to be the finest dirt track period.
The Fair Board better be careful they don't kill the golden goose.
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