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IT'S A SAFE BET
Hey read (Jok Nicholson's) article and enjoyed
it and understand everything (he) said as
I help operate a little track in Indiana.
I had a racer ask me why dragstrip promoters
don't get some kind of legalized gambling
like at horse tracks. I couldn't answer his
question, but imagine the possibilities if
someone could actually pull it off. We would
definitely pack the stands.
Just my 1\2 cent.
Billy Fields
MORE TRACK PROMOTION IDEAS
Here are a few more ideas that might work:
- With a paid admission, give everyone 50%
off of a "Combo" lunch, (Burger/drink/fries).
This will bring them to the concession stand
and if you have your pricing structure right,
you'll still make money. Everyone likes
to get a deal.
- All females get in for free. (Where the
girls go, the guys go). Screw the ACLU!
- Marketing the track through the local
businesses is an ABSOLUTE. How you achieve
this depends on a variety of factors. I'm
sure most track owners are smart enough
to figure out a workable plan. If not, call
me, I've done this before when I worked
for TRW (Replacement Parts Division), not
the credit guys!
- Track side betting, wait.... that's probably
not legal. Having a "King of the Hill" in
each class with a paid incentive for knocking
him/her off is a good one. It doesn't have
to be a lot of money but something to add
to the honor. Which brings up another idea
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that
ties in with the local business incentive.
Have a different class sponsored by a local
business each week, and market the heck
out of it with posters/banners, etc.
- Hold a "Rock Concert" after the race,
there are lots of local groups that would
love to play in front of an audience, and
they'll do it for free just to get the exposure.
I heard a track back east did this and they
packed the place.
- Make the track available for test and
tune sessions for a reasonable fee.
- For a rental fee, offer a set of scales
and a flat concrete pad to scale cars. It
doesn't have to be a killer amount but something
that adds value to the track, a reason for
guys/girls to bring their cars to your facility.
I think Norwalk did this at one time, maybe
they still do.
- Pay a little further down the line, making
the payouts top heavy may be great for the
ads but the racers appreciate something
for getting to the quarters. We have a local
program that is $90 up front but pays back
$80 after the first round. Sponsorship involvement
makes that possible.
- Hot lap the qualifying/time trials. Waiting
an hour or longer between runs is ridiculous
Keep the lanes moving.
- Involve the racers in promoting the track,
it's better to have thirty little Indians
out there than one running around like crazy.
As a racer, we all want the stand filled
when we run ... so get them to help! Form
a committee of racers and get some ideas
of how to promote the track. Everyone wins.
The more you do to get the track name out
there the better. I live in a small community
in the foot hills east of San Diego. We have
a local track that's about to open and they
are working on ideas to bring folks in from
the surrounding areas. They are working to
get the "Street racers" off our freeways and
into a safe place to run their cars, (racelegal.com).
Developing school programs, be it race teams
or individuals with cars, anything to reduce
the street racing is a great idea.
These are just a few ideas, some may seem
a bit over the top, but if you start a dialogue
and get some ideas flowing it may surprise
you what can be accomplished.
Bob Mendenhall
Lakeside, Ca
