“I’m just saying”

The offseason has gone by way to quick and the 2010 season is upon us shortly. My ride still likes some extensive work to be completed, I’m not really for sure when I’ll be able to get it out of the garage this year. You see, I guess secretly I’ve been a blue oval fan and wanted to build something quiet different than others have in this part of the country. Practically anyone can build a bowtie car…but when it comes to a late model Ford products, well, there’s just not that many of them around…and we’re not talking about mini-stocks here.

Dirt track auto racing has it’s ups and downs. It is expensive to build a new car from the ground up, expecially when you change from Chevy to Ford…what was I thinking. But hey, it will be one sweet ride when it’s done, if I say so myself.

As I look back over the last couple of months, I think I’ve been somewhat amused with all of the rumors that have transpired about the local racing situations. Gosh, there has been so many other things to do during this time, that I haven’t really focused on the building the car. I mean, first there was the Boomer Motorsports/Sooner Racing Products Expo and auction in November. Then of course, December brought the holidays, but who cares about them right? Then there was the Shootout in Tulsa along with the Chili bowl a couple of weeks later. Now it’s the end of January, so it’s time to get serious about working on the car. I hope everyone is working on theirs and will be ready for the new season.

Safety at the Track

I, like most, think of safety at the track as being related to the drivers safety inside the cars. The recent rollover by a racer from the community can be a testimony to the need of a well built car. There wasn’t much left of the car, but he walked away. This is not exactly the safety that I want to talk about.

I want to talk about the tracks‘ and their pit areas. The pits have become more and more dangerous for all that walk around. The pit areas are dark, way to dark. For the life of me, I don’t understand why the owners don’t see what the concern is, oh wait, they can’t see because it’s too “dark”. Now I know I’m not the smartest guy in the world, I know it cost to turn the lights on, but what is the value of everyone’s safety as they enter, sit in, or walk around in the pits. Here’s that “catch” thing again, what exactly does that disclaimer form say that I sign before entering the pits. Hmmm.

Once the sun sets in the West, and I learned that while attending school in the public school system, the pits get dark. Now don’t misunderstand me, there are a few lights in the pits, just not near enough. In today’s environment, you not only have to dodge race cars coming off the track either after the race or coming in to change a flat, but you have to dodge 4 wheelers. Over the last few years, the 4 wheeler has become the motorized choice for walking around the pits. Frankly, I don’t understand what it is that makes parents give one to their kids and then let them drive around and around and around, I think you get my drift, the pits and at a speed that makes it unsafe for pedestrians as well as the riders. I’ve come close to hitting one myself a couple of times, once while inside my race car, now that will increase your heart rate to say the least. This is not a park or riverbed or even a daycare, there needs to be a restriction on the 4 wheelers in the pits and it needs to be enforced.

I call for track owners to “light up” the pits, put restrictions on 4 wheelers in the pits and to enforce the restrictions. Let’s all do our part in making the pit areas safe for both the racer and the spectator.

Sooner 44

Is racing a cheap “spectator” sport?

I’ve been a spectator of racing and attending events in the neighborhood of 35 years, mostly the local dirt tracks, but occasionally NASCAR events.  When I say to local tracks, I’m referring to tracks located in Oklahoma and Arkansas. During those events I will usually watch the crowds at some point during the race.  From doing this, I can get a sense as to what is occurring on the track and whether or not they are interested in what is happening.  I believe there are 2 types of fans, the lovers and the haters.  I guess one can make the argument that there is a 3rd type, the “love to hate” fan which I define as those that love to hate certain drivers no matter what happens, it’s always their fault that something happens on the track, even if they aren‘t racing.

What is it that keeps the average spectator coming back time after time to the local tracks?  Well, there are those that have family members racing, or those that have friends or acquaintances racing and then there are those fans that just love to watch dirt track racing at it’s best.  One of the biggest obstacles for the average fan to attend the local Friday or Saturday night racing events is the COST.  This can either make or break a fan base.

The one thing I’ve noticed in my years of attending these events is that the fan base is dwindling.  Now some would blame the economy as being the reason the last year or two.  I personally put the blame squarely on the track owners and promoters.  That could be construed as being unfair, since track owners sometimes change every few years so the new owners inherit what they purchase.  Here’s the way I see it, once a track is built at a certain cost, it should never and I repeat NEVER have to increase admittance cost for a spectator to sit in the grandstands to watch a racing event they thoroughly enjoy.  What about the maintenance cost of the grandstands you may ask, well I contend that if the correct preventative maintenance is performed on a continuous basis, there wouldn’t be the need for major repairs. The grandstand admission has increased, the admission to the pit areas have increased, but the payout to the drivers has not.

Has the local tracks out priced their self to the point that the average fan can’t afford to attend the great Friday and Saturday night races?  I call for all local tracks across the country to lower the grandstand admission cost to $5 for adults and children under 12 are free, give that spectator that loves the sport of racing a truly affordable event to bring their entire family to.  Let a parent introduce their children to a sport they’ve enjoyed over the years at a cost that won’t break the household budget.  You’ll come closer to filling the stands at $5 a person than you will at $10.  For a family of 4 it will cost upwards of $40 to attend when it should only cost $20.  The owners and promoters should strive to fill the grandstands and the best way is to lower admission prices.  The more spectators that are in the stands, the more concession sales that will occur.  Track owners, listen (watch) what the fans are telling you.  A lot can be learned from just watching where they sit, how many trips to the concession they make, how many races they watch and when do they leave.  Is it before the final feature race?  What causes that?      Hmmmmm

Let’s define the words “spectator” and “sport”.  According to Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary ther are defined as the following:

Main Entry: spec·ta·tor
Function: noun
1 : one who looks on or watches

Main Entry: sport
Function: verb
1 a : to amuse oneself b : to engage in a sport
2 a : to mock or ridicule something b : to speak or act in jest

So if you put them together it would read something like this: “one who looks on or watches to amuse oneself”.

This is just my point of view as a long time spectator with the sport of auto racing.

Daniel Nicholson

We’re finally open!

If you have made it this far, you realize that we are now ready to start blogging!

Our guest bloggers will have new things for you coming soon…our designer still has a few tweaks to add, so please be patient with her.

If you haven’t done so already, please register to be able to leave us a comment and let us know what you think about our posts.