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

Yup, I know guys who said the shot clock would ruin NCAA basketball. You are totally correct about attention spans, my best friend has a 7 & 10 year old. 

As a kid in 1960 I thought guys racing jalopies were the biggest, bravest daredevils on the planet. And they were turning a half mile in 35 seconds! Lined every race all night up on the front straight. TT, trophy dash, 4 heats, consi and main event and seldom over by midnight! And nobody complained about wasting time or how late the races got over.

Bingo!  I used to sit in amazement at cars turning 25-30 second laps in late models!  Now, I take my kid to a sprint car race where they are turning 12-13 second laps on a 3/8th mile and he asks when we can leave if there is more than a 10 minute break.  Of course the answer is "when the races are over".  But you nailed it on the head.  We went to an All-Stars race at Wilmot (with my buddy Maddog) and to the inagural NSL race in Burlington, and my son LOVED the fact that the drivers got up close and personal during introductions.  Even walked up into the crowd for the the draw at Wilmot.  That was well worth the extra 30 minutes it took because that is something my son still talks about and thinks is cool.  Drawback was the time the races got over but I think there was enough interaction to make up for the late finish times.  

Now that you've explained your initial post in greater detail, I totally agree with you. Initially I thought you were coming from somewhere a little different but actually, we see things eye to eye. You're right. For things to stay around, they've also gotta change with the times. If at some point sprint car racing becomes something that doesn't do it for me anymore, you won't see me coming on here like a select few do and bitching and whining because it isn't like it was 20 years ago or because it isn't perfect enough to suit my specific tastes. I don't believe that day will ever come for me but who knows? I like change and I'm open to most of it as long as it's not something completely irrational like NASCAR trying the chase thing and then making it increasingly more shitty every year with their tweeks. Unlike many, I actually don't blame them for trying it. I was against it from day 1 but I also kept an open mind because I've been wrong about these things plenty of times before but as it turns out, that was the final straw for me and I don't watch it or follow it anymore other than what I hear from other people talking about it. I do think that if a change is made and it doesn't work (such as the NASCAR Chase) there's nothing wrong with saying "we were wrong" and going back to the old way. That's the kind of shit right there that pushes all people away. As far as the die hards you described, you're dead on. Those people piss me off to no end. In fact, today at Lincoln there was one of those types sitting in front of us just bitching and whining the whole time because it's follow the leader and he remembers when Mitch Smith took the lead from 18th in 1 lap and a plethora of other bullshit. I get it. He has fond memories of his glory days but just like EVERYTHING in the world, time marches on and things change whether or not we want them to and if it has gotten to the point where all you wanna do is buy a ticket to sit there and be an asshole and complain like a baby, stay home. 

Oh my God did you hit it dead on with your description of the fan at Lincoln.  I attend a few races here and there every year but no matter where I sit at Knoxville, I sit right in front of some older couple (different every year) , they sit quiet every year with a grumpy, sour look on their faces.  When you try to make conversation they are short with you.  They bitch about this not being the way it used to be.  They bitch about that not being the way it used to be. They bitch about how late it is.  They sit there until 1/2 way thru the B-main and then leave pissed off because its 10:45.  I swear I cannot be finding the only couple in the stands every year, can I?  The stands have to be littered with people like this.  One year I had a couple of extra beers and told the lady behind me--in not so nice of words--that I thought it would be a good idea if she didn't speak again the rest of the night.  Suprisingly, she shut up and our group got to enjoy the races--without worrying about petty bull$hit. 

I'm one of the "old timers" at the Knoxville Nationals and I'm the exact opposite of the person you describe. And I know many like me. I'm a die hard fan. No matter the change, I still go to as many races as I can. Do I have opinions....  you know I do....and we should. Doesn't mean we have to agree. When the Nationals went to live TV the very first year, there was very little change in format, and the program went well beyond the TV time schedule. But the second year of live TV something changed that I was disappointed in. I still understood that the TV exposure was needed, so that was good, and it had nothing to do with fans watching on TV getting a free glimpse of the Nationals. Afterall, they were still not getting the experience. What I was miffed at was the fact that the C Main had to start at 9:00PM (air time) and the nights events needed to wind up by 11:00PM because of the TV schedule. So in order to save time for the TV scedule, there was no more lining up the entire A Main field diaganally from the flagstand to near turn four, and driver introductions and interviews done on track. I believe 1989 was the last year for that. Instead for time savings sake, the drivers paraded accross the stage for a quick introduction, as was done in the early years, which is how it still is today. So that was a change, but a change derived from an outside influence (TV), and for no other reason. I still think back to those days and miss that small part of the excitement leading up to the A Feature. Even when my kids were small, it was okay with us if the program went til midnight. And not just at the Nationals. But I don't sit in the stands and bitch about it. I enjoy the entire night at the track for the racing, the happenings, the enviroment, the friendships...and the memories! I look forward to the next race for the same reasons.

If you want to see how to promote a race track that appeals to fans and most drivers, do yourself a favour and log onto www.sydneyspeedway.com.au . Big Screen TV's with live on board footage, fan and crowd interaction  50-70 410's every night. Toughest 410 race track any place. The home of The Madsen brothers, Skip Jackson, Brooke Tatnell, Lynton Jeffrey. Jamie Veal and James Mcfadden are there half the season. The USC (Ultimate Sprintcar Champioship) is well funded, well promoted.  We can watch a race for about $7.  Stay up Friday night and watch on clay per view through the valvolineraceway or sydneyspeedway web site.