Crowds? Where we're going, we don't need crowds...

Figured with the re-release of Back to the Future, I'd paraphrase the quote from Dr. Brown.

Last weekend's Cool McCool 100 at Junction Motor Speedway had to be a HUGE back gate success for the track. Get car counts around 200 for two nights, add up entry fees for each car and the per person pit gate fees for the two nights and who needs crowds? I have no idea what the crowd was like. But it doesn't matter. That's not where the money was.

The first night's show ran for nearly 9 hours (with intermission) and over 7 on the following night according to this account on dirtdrivers.com.

When I worked at Eagle, I had nightmares that involved 9 hour races. Seriously.

The reaction was mixed, some folks loved the endless racing as never too much of a good thing, others objected strongly. The majority of the supporters though seemed to be the participants themselves.

What we're seeing could be the future of the sport. SCCA sports car events are similar - a long string of races, in multiple classes (the recent solo championships in Lincoln had over 30 classes). Crowds usually get in for free or very cheap, with little amenities at the track; often BYOB, food, well...everything. Crowd isn't important, and taking care of them is an expense that should be minimized and attended to only as far as the liability insurance requires.

I-80 does something similar with their Cornhusker Classic. I'd expect Eagle to do the same in the future. Some tracks quite honestly, do it every week.

Before anyone flies off the handle thinking I'm dissing their track, I'm not really knocking it. I can't blame any one track for doing this. It makes financial sense and in today's economy even I support it - to a point.

It's a viable business model. Think about the potential: lots of entry fees that not only cover a fairly generous purse plus no worries about promotion to those outside the racing circle (something most tracks couldn't do well at gunpoint).

And bang - so to speak - money in the door before Car One hits the track. Expenses COVERED, not hanging over ones head like the crowd-killing clouds. Granted, it isn't the kind of money several thousand beer drinking, hot dog eating, high dollar ticket paying fans bring in, BUT - very very little risk when they don't show up either.

How about that win by Scott Tucker at Road America last month? That Ferrari was flyin'! Oh, you have no idea? Umm...the Formula Vee race that was decided by 0.017 seconds? No? Even ESPN (whose coverage is NASCAR and 'the rest') has no mention of one of the largest sports car sanctioning body's most prestigious events. Even I, classic sports car aficionado, needed a little Google-Fu to find out that.

And that's the dark side to this. Especially because it's so tempting.

Dirt track racing is already sinking deeper into it's own little niche within a niche sport. Up through the 1960's, racing's top stars were seen on the dirt as well as the pavement of Indy. Eventually they were hometown and regional stars, and now - famous among friends and family, with a few fans.

What I worry about is that if we alienate the fan, and keep the sport to our own clique the support from outside dwindles further. Sponsorships, already in short supply dwindle down to the car owner's business being the sponsor - like it is now for a LOT of classes. No money for those long talent or desire, but short on dough.

Now the kid in the stands or the fan has no aspirations to participate or even drive, because there aren't any fans there to see it in the first place. The non-participant experience is excruciating or second to the socializing and the action is the background. And soon, you see what we are close to now, a growing string of classes separated by minute details, racing among the 10 or so other people they know.

What loses is the passion, the legend, the mystique. The talk after the show, the stories, the history, the lore and tall tales.

What is heroic about some club event? Stories of Alexander the Great's defeat of 100,000 Persians survive today. Barfights make the crime page one day and are forgotten except by the two involved. It's a little exaggerated, but you see my point.

It's the old adage about a tree falling in the forest: if nobody hears it, does it make a sound? If nobody watches, was it really a race? The more people telling the story, the greater the legend. BS'ing between the two of you usually ends there.

If this is racing, so be it. I'll miss the grandeur, what little there is left.

Eagle Raceway announces new Mini-Sprint/Kart track

From Eagle Raceway:

Eagle Raceway is pleased to announce that 2011 will see a new facility on
the grounds; a new track!!! With the closing of Wave-Link, local go-kart and
mini-sprint racers will have nowhere to race. That will no longer be the
case as work has already begun at Eagle Raceway.

No decision has been made as of yet on what classes will be run, or what
nights the track will be open, but there WILL be a track.

We are asking that you, the fans, name the new facility. Just send your
suggestion via e-mail to slackerinvest@hotmail.com for consideration.
Winners will be announced at a later date after the final decision is made.

Eagle Raceway Sprint Car Meeting

From Eagle Raceway:

Roger Hadan, in the interest of lowering the cost of sprint car racing at Eagle Raceway in 2011 and beyond, is asking that team owners or drivers attend a meeting next Wednesday. The meeting will be held at the One Eyed Dog Saloon in Eagle, Nebraska on October 27th at 7 P.M since that is a central location for most of the teams.

We are asking that the people who actually make the financial decisions for the teams attend so that they are the ones being heard and casting their votes.

Please call Roger as soon as possible at (402) 238-3766 and let him know that you will attend.

Also, please pass this along to all of the other teams that may not have a chance to read this announcement because we want to have each and every team represented.

The decisions reached based on the meeting will affect every sprint car team at Eagle next year and beyond, so please be sure to be at the meeting.

Thank you.

Eagle Announces 2011 Schedule

2011 Tentative Schedule-

Thur Apr 14- Open House Practice Night

Fri Apr 15- Icebreaker Challenge*

Sat Apr 16- Icebreaker Challenge* (Chili Fest)

Sat Apr 30- Season Opener (Media Night)

Sat May 7- Weekly Racing (Fan Appreciation Night $5)



Sat May 14- Weekly Racing (Jr. Fan Club Night w/Candy Dash)

Sat May 21- Weekly Racing (TBA)

Sat May 28- Weekly Racing (Driver Appreciation Night)



Sat Jun 4- Weekly Racing (Student Breakout Night)

Sat Jun 10- Eagle Nationals (ASCS National Event)*

Sat Jun 11- Eagle Nationals (ASCS National Event)*

Sat Jun 18- Weekly Racing (Father’s Day Weekend)

Sat Jun 25- Freedom Fest Military Night Fireworks Extravaganza*

Sat Jul 2- Weekly Racing (Veteran’s Celebration w/ Demolition Derby)

Sat Jul 9- Weekly Racing (Christmas in July w/ Mascot Wars)

Sat Jul 16- Weekly Racing (Firehouse Rodeo)

Sat Jul 23- Weekly Racing (Bike Giveaway)

Sat Jul 30- Weekly Racing (Fan Appreciation Night)



Sat Aug 6- Weekly Racing (TBA)

Sat Aug 13-TBA

Sat Aug 20-Weekly Racing (Jr. Fan Club Night w/ Money Dash)

Sat Aug 27-Season Finale (Banner Contest



Sun Sep 4- Eagle Shootout (Driver Appreciation w/ King of the Hill)*

Sat Sep 10-Nebraska Cup and Miss Nebraska Cup Contest (Modifieds, Sport Compacts, and ASCS Sprints)*

Looking back at this weekend - Beatrice Octoberfest

The season ended for me last Friday night at Beatrice for the opening night of Octoberfest. While a competing event was run down south at Mayetta, KS, there was still a more-than-respectable field of cars on hand for what turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL night. Temps were near record warmth and gave way to a pleasant evening; though it cooled off quickly once the sun set. It was a great night to be out.

I have to say, I have made two trips to Beatrice this year - the first time in almost 20 years. I enjoyed both trips quite a bit. I didn't go out Saturday - I had other commitments and no credentials. It was nice, but not worth $50.

First of all, I really like shooting pictures there. There’s a lot of opportunities to shoot all around the track, and if you sit in one place - as a photographer, you’re missing out. It’s well lit, and you can get very close to the action without a lot of worry - unlike Eagle, where, frankly you have to keep one eye behind you all the time. You don’t have to worry about cars racing across the infield (PUT THE DAMN BERM BACK) or safety vehicles going at full throttle toward the scene.

But I digress.

Also, I was pleased with the effort to keep the show running. Cars were being staged for their race at least two races in advance, and stragglers were left sitting in the pits. Things were clicking off well but some rollovers and nasty pileups toward the end stretched the show to nearly midnight. Officials were ready to pull the plug on a few races, but never quite got to that point. At least from what I heard on the radio, they kept pushing.

The track was very fast at first, but eventually all the racing dried it up and went mostly to the bottom by the time the modified A features took to the track. The Hobby stock battle though was great with Roy and Adam Armstrong battling it out and the elder taking the win.

Bob Zoubek never was seriously challenged as passing opportunites were few. Earlier, it looked like Johnny Saathoff would make a run, but after a mid-race restart, the field played huggy-pole for the rest of the contest.

The original compact winner was DQ’ed and Eagle season runner-up Kyle Gannon picked up the W. Benji Legg ran off late with the Sport Mod A.

One thing I was pleased with seemed to be the officials seemed pretty decisive. Now, a few message board rants suggest otherwise, but frankly I read that for every track - with guys who have been on the losing end of calls making the most noise.

That said, I still think the phrase “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” (forgive my lack of Political Correctness) still comes into play, especially at a track I frequent often. I like the thought of one race director and he (or she) is the ONLY one who discusses a call. The race director is the decider and doesn’t pass the buck, either.

The crowd was decent, considering it was a high-school football Friday. Some started trailing off as the races drew on, but most stuck around for the end.

Couple of nit-picks:

1. 26 cars on the track in the Hobby A feature. It led to several yellows in the hobbies, and a bit of confusion on the lineups. I understood why - the original plan was 24 (still too many IMHO) and only two would’ve been left out from the B. Frankly, for any class that isn’t “pro” AKA weekend racers, I think 20 is enough for any class, especially on tracks smaller than a half-mile.

2. Not cool with people crossing from infield to outside and vice versa while cars were on the track. And, it was mostly spectators. I saw a couple dart across the track as a car was given a green flag to hotlap. That’s disturbing.

3. The website stinks. Granted, it looks polished but there isn't information up there that is timely. Still no race results from the show and only A feature results from before. I had to ask on dirtdrivers.com what the pit gate price was as it wasn't even on the entry form. No news, no hype, no information. That's inexcusable in 2010.

But overall, I have to put the next opener at Beatrice on the list next year and maybe hit a few of the weekly shows. I like it down there.

I have personal commitments the weekend of the Cool McCool 100 and also for the Turkey Chase, so I'm done with 2010. It was quite a year, but I'm happy to call it a season.

I'll still have more editorials, including some thoughts on the sprints and recent developments in the effort to control some costs. The racing may be done, but I've got plenty left in the tank.

-Jason

Beatrice 10-8-10 Photos

My final night of the 2010 season ended at the same place as it started, Beatrice Speedway. This year had marked the first time I had made it down there in almost 20 years.

Since it was the end of the year, and Beatrice is actually pretty well lit in spots, I did a lot of experiments with available-light photos. Some worked, some didn't.

Took a LOT of photos; here are my favorites of that bunch.

Beatrice October Fest 10-8-10 Photos