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

The big Eldora late model races draw big crowds.

In areas where late models are the predominate form of racing, they produce massive crowds and their sprint car shows have a tough time selling tickets.  So, I would say quite frequently unless you're in a sprint car hotbed.  

I am talking no seats available.  None.  Highly doubtful. 

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

You're too damn stupid to even waste my time replying to that comment.

Nope just common sense.  Most people don't have it anymore......just saying!

Do you know what is happening?  Soon the regular shows will be a thing of the past....why?.... because the promoters thought they needed to get more money for a regular show than what it is worth.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Late models do get good crowds but I have never read or heard broadcast where every seat in the house was sold.  Sprintcars two races every seat in the house was sold.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Any of you Central PAers remember what admission cost for a weekly show around 1990? I was 7 years old and wasn't paying for myself back then. 

Nope, I started going to the races when I was 14 in 1982.  I mowed a lot of yards in order to go to the races. 

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

I think addmission prices are pretty much in line with what they should be. The amount of high addmission / high purse races is what is killing the sport .

Weekly shows at 20 a person is what is killing sprintcar racing 

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

So it stands to reason that if you started going in 1982, and you're still here now, you were going in the early 90's, correct?

If so, can you take a small break from giving us hourly truth bombs and recall what the prices were in the early 90s?

Early nineties I'd say ten to twelve bucks.

Wouldn't know a truth bomb if it landed on his head.

Charging youngsters adult prices is what is hurting more than the cost of adult admissions. For weekly shows it's my opinion that there should be a standard for all tracks.  Example; 6 and under Free.  7 through 17, 1/2 of adult general admission or even less.  

Your language is very disrespectfull to Parnelli Jones.  He was and still is a class act.

You are correct and I regretted it after I posted it my apologies. 

This was the way it was when i grew up!! A few things that i see are pretty obvious

1. the average age at most of the tracks that i go looks to be over 40.

2. The number of kids, or under 30 is Very Low.

3. car counts seem to be falling off for full time drivers in all divisions 

That being said tracks i think will need alot of help from sponsors,streaming services etc. and be creative to stay afloat in the next few years.

Anything to do with you following sprint cars and not late models?....................in PA................?

Late Models are WAY more popular than sprint cars in my neck of the woods.  Literally thousands of late model fans in my immediate area and I am one of literally 10 sprint car fans in my entire town.  Late model crowds are massive in areas that follow, and support late models. 

Thanks for the sincere apology

This is another thing that depends on a how seriously one takes their racing attendance.  If a person considers theirself to be a racing fan it can have many levels.  I have to presume that people who participate in these discussions about purses, fan demographics, and all these minute details are the minority.  If a person feels that their life is incomplete if they're not at a race track all weekend every weekend and their life revolves around attending races they are among the most hardcore fans.  Where I live it's those fans who would be there wearing snowmobile suits and Sorels taking notes throughout the program.  Seriously, I know a few of those types of fans and I could never keep up.  Then there is a much bigger pool of fans that go every week but take things way more casually.  If there is a wedding or graduation they might take a weekend off.  They're racing fans but think nothing of going on that fishing trip or special occasion.

These are broad categories and would include a lot of people like me who go to a few special events.  We could drill down deeper but the main point is that a lot of fans don't give any consideration to purses or racing politics.  They likely don't check out forums or even want to have anything to do with the inner workings of racing.  They just want to have a few beers and hang with friends and family and don't overthink things.

Stan Meissner