Pondering Racing’s Future in Charlotte . . . and Trumansburg
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06/01/2016 Frank Buhrman |
I need to begin this article by telling my “Race Fans Forever” colleagues that I failed. Prior to last weekend, I mentioned to them my intention, while on vacation in New York’s Finger Lakes, to attend the micro sprint and other small car races at Starlite Speedway in Trumansburg.
I didn’t get there.
A long day of touristing with stops at cider houses, waterfalls, a distillery, a homemade ice cream shop, a winery and a wonderful, lost-in-time restaurant, ended later than usual. We got back to the cottage on Seneca Lake at 7:30, also the starting time at the track, which was nearly 45 minutes away. I had to grill steaks (and eat one of them) before leaving, so I was looking at getting to the track more than two hours late. One hour would have been OK.
Earlier, we had driven by Starlite, too, and it was a neat looking little place, smaller than the restroom facilities at some NASCAR speed palaces. I think I would have loved it. Now I have to hope I get another chance.
Here’s where all this is going: I have reached the point in my life where I’m just as happy heading out to Starlite Speedway as to Charlotte. Here also are some thoughts about what that means for NASCAR’s future.
I never was a 10-races-a-year person as far as Grand National/Cup attendance was concerned, although I made it to my share back when the tour stopped at South Boston, Beltsville, Langley and other weekly tracks, and I nearly always was glued to the radio (sometimes TV) on Sunday afternoons. But then the little tracks disappeared from the schedule, and to attend multiple major events, you had to shell out heavy coin.
Then I married, had kids, discovered computers and the Internet, got jobs that demanded some of my weekends, discovered wineries and microbreweries, became a volunteer, got a smart phone and a tablet . . . and was distracted in numerous other ways. Life became more complicated, in ways good and bad, and the long-standing interests in my life had to work harder to maintain their place in my attention constellation.
Professional “ball” sports lost ground, lots of ground – I no longer follow the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB, although I enjoyed the Orioles game I attended week-before-last. Magazines pretty much bit the dust for me, as did commercial radio. NASCAR held its own somewhat, but Jayski and Racing Reference were consulted more than NASCAR.com or anything broadcast. Thanks in large part to Dave Fulton, I attended at least two races every year for 25 years because I worked on race weekends at Richmond Int’l Raceway, but I haven’t attended a Cup race in the three years since that ended.
I’m still a fan, but my “fandom” probably doesn’t do as much for NASCAR racing’s bottom line as those who depend on it would like.
Instead, when schedule and the weather permit, I’m likely to head for a local race track on Friday or Saturday night. The tracks up here in south-central Pennsylvania are good ones, and I know I’ll be entertained for my $15 (more or less) at Lincoln, Williams Grove, Susquehanna, Path Valley, Hagerstown and elsewhere. The concessions are good, and they won’t break the bank. I also roam when I can, and even though I missed my opportunity for Starlite Speedway, I plan to attend 6-8 new tracks (new for me) before season’s end.
Part of this change is no fault of anyone; rather, it reflects on me. I enjoyed that Orioles game, but I’d just as soon have been watching the Hagerstown Suns, York Revolution or Harrisburg Senators. I love college basketball and the UNC Tar Heels, but I’m happy joining 1,500 or so other people at a Mount St. Mary’s game, too. Huge events with huge crowds (and huge prices) don’t have the attraction, regardless of who or what’s headlining them. That probably doesn’t make me mainstream.
Still, I’m a fan, so what does NASCAR do with me when it can’t sell me those cheaper-only-because-we-can’t-charge-more-for-them-now tickets to Sprint Cup? We can’t turn back the clock to the days when a Richmond race bleacher ticket cost $5, which it did for the first one I attended. We can’t even come close to that, so the chances of me attending more big races are slim.
That means NASCAR has to maximize the advertising revenue that comes from my eyes or ears following races on the radio or computer. (I don’t include TV here because we’ve dropped our satellite connection, so that’s no longer an option.) I suspect that’s how it will earn revenue for a large number of its fans.
Ad revenue will carry a lot of enterprise (just ask Google), but there have to be lots of folks other than me watching/listening, and that means continuing to work on making the racing better. I actually think this year has gone pretty well, despite the carping from too many who aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy. It’s not all the work of genius – I personally think the charter system will prove a complete disaster – but there have been improvements. NASCAR is less arrogant than it used to be (that’s a compliment to Brian, among others), and some of the changes might actually work.
Remember when you’re pining for the old days that “Big Bill” gave us NASCAR’s version of Indy Car racing, convertible racing, drag racing and other things nobody in Daytona talks about, and Generation France2 had a few failures as well. To be honest, I’d rather have Brian France in charge than Roger Goodell.
So keep making suggestions – mine are to make the cars a lot cheaper (especially Xfinity and the trucks) and make it possible for local heroes to try their luck at two or three races a year. Keep criticizing constructively – it’s not as much fun but it might find an ear.
And be realistic. A major league sport will have major league trappings, while if you go low enough in the minors, you’ll find a guy to drink beer with and shoot the breeze for hours after a race. I kind of like both options, and I’ll do what I can to keep both.
I didn’t get there.
A long day of touristing with stops at cider houses, waterfalls, a distillery, a homemade ice cream shop, a winery and a wonderful, lost-in-time restaurant, ended later than usual. We got back to the cottage on Seneca Lake at 7:30, also the starting time at the track, which was nearly 45 minutes away. I had to grill steaks (and eat one of them) before leaving, so I was looking at getting to the track more than two hours late. One hour would have been OK.
Earlier, we had driven by Starlite, too, and it was a neat looking little place, smaller than the restroom facilities at some NASCAR speed palaces. I think I would have loved it. Now I have to hope I get another chance.
Here’s where all this is going: I have reached the point in my life where I’m just as happy heading out to Starlite Speedway as to Charlotte. Here also are some thoughts about what that means for NASCAR’s future.
I never was a 10-races-a-year person as far as Grand National/Cup attendance was concerned, although I made it to my share back when the tour stopped at South Boston, Beltsville, Langley and other weekly tracks, and I nearly always was glued to the radio (sometimes TV) on Sunday afternoons. But then the little tracks disappeared from the schedule, and to attend multiple major events, you had to shell out heavy coin.
Then I married, had kids, discovered computers and the Internet, got jobs that demanded some of my weekends, discovered wineries and microbreweries, became a volunteer, got a smart phone and a tablet . . . and was distracted in numerous other ways. Life became more complicated, in ways good and bad, and the long-standing interests in my life had to work harder to maintain their place in my attention constellation.
Professional “ball” sports lost ground, lots of ground – I no longer follow the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB, although I enjoyed the Orioles game I attended week-before-last. Magazines pretty much bit the dust for me, as did commercial radio. NASCAR held its own somewhat, but Jayski and Racing Reference were consulted more than NASCAR.com or anything broadcast. Thanks in large part to Dave Fulton, I attended at least two races every year for 25 years because I worked on race weekends at Richmond Int’l Raceway, but I haven’t attended a Cup race in the three years since that ended.
I’m still a fan, but my “fandom” probably doesn’t do as much for NASCAR racing’s bottom line as those who depend on it would like.
Instead, when schedule and the weather permit, I’m likely to head for a local race track on Friday or Saturday night. The tracks up here in south-central Pennsylvania are good ones, and I know I’ll be entertained for my $15 (more or less) at Lincoln, Williams Grove, Susquehanna, Path Valley, Hagerstown and elsewhere. The concessions are good, and they won’t break the bank. I also roam when I can, and even though I missed my opportunity for Starlite Speedway, I plan to attend 6-8 new tracks (new for me) before season’s end.
Part of this change is no fault of anyone; rather, it reflects on me. I enjoyed that Orioles game, but I’d just as soon have been watching the Hagerstown Suns, York Revolution or Harrisburg Senators. I love college basketball and the UNC Tar Heels, but I’m happy joining 1,500 or so other people at a Mount St. Mary’s game, too. Huge events with huge crowds (and huge prices) don’t have the attraction, regardless of who or what’s headlining them. That probably doesn’t make me mainstream.
Still, I’m a fan, so what does NASCAR do with me when it can’t sell me those cheaper-only-because-we-can’t-charge-more-for-them-now tickets to Sprint Cup? We can’t turn back the clock to the days when a Richmond race bleacher ticket cost $5, which it did for the first one I attended. We can’t even come close to that, so the chances of me attending more big races are slim.
That means NASCAR has to maximize the advertising revenue that comes from my eyes or ears following races on the radio or computer. (I don’t include TV here because we’ve dropped our satellite connection, so that’s no longer an option.) I suspect that’s how it will earn revenue for a large number of its fans.
Ad revenue will carry a lot of enterprise (just ask Google), but there have to be lots of folks other than me watching/listening, and that means continuing to work on making the racing better. I actually think this year has gone pretty well, despite the carping from too many who aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy. It’s not all the work of genius – I personally think the charter system will prove a complete disaster – but there have been improvements. NASCAR is less arrogant than it used to be (that’s a compliment to Brian, among others), and some of the changes might actually work.
Remember when you’re pining for the old days that “Big Bill” gave us NASCAR’s version of Indy Car racing, convertible racing, drag racing and other things nobody in Daytona talks about, and Generation France2 had a few failures as well. To be honest, I’d rather have Brian France in charge than Roger Goodell.
So keep making suggestions – mine are to make the cars a lot cheaper (especially Xfinity and the trucks) and make it possible for local heroes to try their luck at two or three races a year. Keep criticizing constructively – it’s not as much fun but it might find an ear.
And be realistic. A major league sport will have major league trappings, while if you go low enough in the minors, you’ll find a guy to drink beer with and shoot the breeze for hours after a race. I kind of like both options, and I’ll do what I can to keep both.