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This omni ad approach probably works better on a race car,
but what the heck. If you can get in cheap, it's another way
to get the news out, and to people who may never thing about
you and your track. And, the business may see fit to buy some
group tickets, some signage, or who knows what. This is one
of many ways to advertise, and it can be very cost-effective.
YOU'RE RUNNING WHAT KIND OF CARS?
The drag racing world spends a lot of time searching for the
Magic Bullet. Folks, it's not out there. You need to look
no further than Pro Mod to see the truth of it. Book a Pro
Mod show anywhere outside the Deep South, and you may or may
not attract much of a crowd. It can be done, but it takes
a lot of advertising effort. Too many tracks are competing
for the same cars as attractions, which leads to short fields,
which leads to non-returning fans the next year. But it isn't
just Pro Mod. It's hard to draw a good crowd no matter what
the featured attraction is. Maybe the fans really do prefer
going to one big NHRA / IHRA blowout a year, rather than a
number of smaller shows at the local 1320.
Back to the car choice. If it was me, spending my own money
to book cars, I would book nitro cars -- period. Go to one
nationals event, and watch how the fans migrate to the pits
once the nitro sessions are over. Even at national events,
fans would rather see mechanics tear nitro cars apart than
watch anything else go down the track. What makes you think
it would be any different on the local level? And you don't
have to book the superstars of nitro either (but it would
make your job easier). Having been to the World Series of Drag
Racing at Cordova, Illinois about eight years in a row, let
me assure you the fans want nitro, and they don't much care
whose name is on the side of the car. If it produces tire
smoke and header flames, it's just what the doctor ordered.
So, book nitro altereds, nitro 'slammers, nostalgia nitro
funny cars, nitro Harleys, front-motored nitro dragsters,
A/Fuel dragsters -- if somebody builds a nitro wheel stander,
book it too! BOOK NITRO!!
IS LESS MORE?
Realistically, how many drag shows can any local economy support?
And that is just considering the state of the overall job
market. Throw in all the stick-and-ball sports fans can spend
their money on, and all the other entertainment options that
exist, and it might not be the best idea to attempt a dozen
different feature attractions in a given racing season. Promoters
may want to think about trying one or two bigger events, focusing
their budgets and giving the fan a more concentrated bang
for his buck. Don't know about you, but I would pay too see
a race that had eighteen feature cars, spread across several
different car types before I would lay out cash, not to mention
time out of the house to see several lesser shows. there is
little point to devoting operating capital to events that
are basically DOA. This is the era of the Big Bang. So make
one, already!!
SEND IN THE CLOWNS!!
Or the press, if you prefer. Another thing I have learned
over the course of twenty plus years of 1320 observation is
the press can make or break a promotional effort. An egotistical
statement perhaps, since I am a member of the press. I'll
use my past experience with the old Summer Nationals at Kansas
City International Race Way to make my point. Almost from
inception date to death knell, I was the guy who got that
race in Super Stock magazine. That would rate a big So What,
except for this. A quick check of the license plates on the
cars in the parking lot of any one of those events revealed
that an amazing 60 percent of the patrons came from outside
the Kansas City area!
I will admit there were a lot of cars in from neighboring
state Kansas, but there were also fans from Colorado, Idaho,
Arkansas, Louisiana, and a couple of Canadian provinces as
well. They learned of the existence of the race through the
national press. And believe you me, they have to know "it"
exists before they can make the decision to come see "it."
If you have to pay us to come in and help you make your bones,
consider it an investment in your track's future. There isn't
a thing dishonest or unethical about doing so -- just call
it public relations!
So that's something for all you promoters out there to chew
on. Don't give up on the idea of putting on feature shows
for the local fans. It used to be a good thing, it can be
again. Don't be afraid to do some fine tuning, though. Your
fans and your banker will love you for it! 
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