Since the thread for the Oval Race Poll has got a bit subject...how about discussing the kind of turnout YOUR oval track(s) get for weekly events and/or their bigger events.

I always like reading the results from other tracks around the country, and it seems some have a pretty good deal going on, where others struggle to have 1/2 dozen racers weekly.

Maybe, ideas can be exposed to help bring oval racing back...back to a level of FUN, back to a level of good numbers...but IMHO it all has to come BACK at a local level way before it will come back Nationally.

At our weekly dirt oval, we average between 50 and 60 racers on a Monday night-double that for an entry form type of race.

Our carpet tracks may get 15-25 average.

I feel the reason dirt is far more popular nationwide than carpet is expense and the emphasis put on the expensive components.

On dirt, an average battery pack and a motor with 4-5 runs on it can still TQ/Win/Set a Record. 4 tires will literally last you an entire season. Chassis tuning and driving far outweighs batteries and motors.

We just got back from a big dirt oval race, the February Freeze at Bumps and Jumps, (350+ Entires) where we TQ'd and won multiple classes- in Stock, we TQ'd /New track record with a pack of 4200's that I had from last June, and ran the same set of tires all week. That's unheard of on carpet.

..I do MISS dirt oval racing - and good points about the equipment. Has dirt oval really picked up that much again? I do know we've got a couple groups trying to bring it back in Southern Cal... (I hope they succeed), but except for the track in Bakersfield that runs a TON of classes - I haven't seen that kind of success out here.

How about (talking Paved Oval here) the LOCAL CLASS vs. the NATIONAL CLASS.

Some want to see 'big races' with less classes (which I'd like to see too), but for LOCAL racing I don't know if I agree with 'less classes' or not. I think it's more important to get guys RACING...any class.

Along w/ my SWTour series I promote, I also put on local 'parking lot' racing at the local high school. The way I run these two deals is so different from one another.

At the local races, pretty much 'anything' goes for what guys want to run. We do both On-Road and Oval, and we're just trying to get guys to come out and try it. I think we had 36 entries last month, but in order to get them we had 6 classes.

we ran Losi Sliders, Oval Touring, Oval Pan Car (with 3 motor combos all combined), NASTRUCK pancar, STOCK Touring (onroad), Brushless Touring (onroad).

The days program takes about 3 1/2 - 4 hours (plus setup and tear down) and everyone had/has a great time. We started this program in September, and every week we've picked up 1-2 new racers, and as the weather improves I expect to pick up even more.

If/when we get enough to evolve a little more - maybe we'll tighten things up a bit, but right now everyone is having a good time...

The SWTour Series on the other hand - although sometimes the entries aren't much higher...the racing is much more serious, and much more intense. Bigger budgets, guys have more to prove...sometimes I wonder if they are having FUN cause things get so serious... I love being involved with BOTH.

in regards with TP post, (I assume) in EDM stock.

In the other stock class, Sprint Car, it was won with an 18year old design. Not a flag wave, simply more proof that pan car has evolved so far in terms of speed because of how it has been raced and ruled. OR it won because the fast guys were rightfully in MOD and this was the best ability STOCK driver in the class.

C&S Indoor Dirt Oval: Avg 35 weekly with no heat in 40 deg weather. 50-ish in summer

Easley, SC PAVED and DIRT OVAL: Avg 35 for both programs but OUTDOORS right now, 50-ish in summer on paved, dirt oval ??? because it is their first season (NEW TRACK)

Rosewood, NC Carpet Oval 35-45 per week since returning to oval only from road course. Lots of "good-time-guys" there.

Marshalls averages around 75-90 racer entrys on a weekly basis, out of that 25-30 are pan cars,the rest are anything from beginners to modified oval trucks!

I enjoy DIRT racing while drinking beer all day, hanging with friends around citronella candles, and charging the same packs over and over until my wife calls me home - I don't take it seriously (for now).

I enjoy carpet racing because of the expensive equipment/technology, fierce competition, and how the cars/close racing let me pretend to be a NASCAR driver for a day. I often bench race over the phone with friends throughout the week.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples to filet mignon...most prefer the meat but it's more expensive and takes time to prepare, but you can pick up an apple anytime and it is what it is.

Seriously...I don't know how DIRT is cheaper ($700 cars, Right side tires that cone on abrasive tracks after two runs, $50 bodies), I've seen some DIRT pits this year that put most carpet pits to shame, but I can honestly say that weak oval turnout has alot to do with apathetic/lazy track owners and rules that differ from track to track. Look at Plattsburgh...an 88' foot runline CLUB that gets 50 racers weekly. Why?...great atmosphere, simple rules, no B.S. Heath Jackson (owner/operator Maximus Raceway) should put on a seminar for carpet racing promotion. He has the formula for getting you to spend big bucks and feel good about it!!

...I can honestly say that weak oval turnout has alot to do with apathetic/lazy track owners and rules that differ from track to track. Look at Plattsburgh...an 88' foot runline CLUB that gets 50 racers weekly. Why?...great atmosphere, simple rules, no B.S. Heath Jackson (owner/operator Maximus Raceway) should put on a seminar for carpet racing promotion. He has the formula for getting you to spend big bucks and feel good about it!!


Soooooo true!

Steve.

but I can honestly say that weak oval turnout has alot to do with apathetic/lazy track owners and rules that differ from track to track.

I'm sure this is true in some areas, and for those that it is...what caused the track owners to become this way?

I've seen some tracks and clubs bust their butts trying to get oval racing to come alive...and still they can't get a draw, yet they have awesome tracks at their facilities.

I've also seen tracks where the owners did nothing - yet because of location, or some other factor..guy keep going back...but that's very rare.

...one of my favorite tracks (That's too far for me to go to very often) is the RCSports Mania track in Phoenix AZ. This track has been struggling to get a turnout for quite a while, now I'm hearing it'll be shutting down in May.

This track is the local track for a few very good racers, like Raymond McCoy, Jeff "Humpty" Helms, and more...and not only do they have a great Paved Oval, but they have a really sweet Dirt Oval too. It's going to be SAD to see this place close.

Our track got like 10-14 people per week carpet oval , same ole die hards , Lazy track owner does nothing to promote the track , never wanted to change the layout to make it racey so hence the people went away . Now u throw in gas and the economy and crowds are diminished. At one time dirt oval was less expensive but not now , jason is right $700-$800 cars etc etc etc add in 50 dollar a set soft foams that u hope dont get chunked and might get u thru one day of hard racin 60-70 dollar packs and everything gettin blown out of pro portion tryin to keep up and bam its more expensive......bottom line is track owners need to step up and just do it or dont ........12 people a week just dont cut it

I'm gonna get flamed for this one, but here we go.............The term "Lazy Track Owner" is an oxymorn. It's really easy for the ever diligent, never complaining always ready to help out buy all my stuff online got a 50% deal racer to stand back and point a discerning finger at the insane person that laid out all the time money and devotion to provide the afformetioned perfect racer guy a place to play with his toy cars. It's the racers who determine how well a track does. Just like in "Big Car" racing, who shows up to race and the level of competition says a lot about how well a track does. Now back to the lazy track owner, I will have to say that a guy who runs a track that does not enforce all of the rules without bias is in for a short career as a track owner.

...I thought we might get Cliff and a couple others to chime in on the Track Owner aspect.

What a lot of people call a LAZY track owner...is a guy who's invested ALL his money in a HobbyShop/Track. Spends ALL of his time trying to keep the STORE opened...keep the Track Prepped and ready to race on. Deal with the attitudes of Primadonna racers, worry about nobody showing up on a race day, after spending 4-5 hours cleaning and prepping the track...

This same LAZY track owner may be the guy running the race, who spends 10-12 hours of HIS Saturday/Sunday not only prepping the track but RUNNING the event..and he doesn't even race himself. But because he didn't spend an extra $10,000 a year on some type of National Advertising or something to help promote his facility (which may bring in two or three NEW racers...he's lazy)

Hence, why I ask the question...if a track owner is considered LAZY -what made him that way?

ZUNE What tracks in Nor Cal? I know Delta was a sweet track..but no turn out a few years ago when I travelled up that direction...

doesnt matter where the track is all im sayin is anyone can layout money and just kick back with a wing and a prayer , do it right or dont do it at all ! Track owners need to do what the racers want not what they want , thats if they want to keep racers coming in the door . i have witnessed hobby shop track owners that work 20 hrs a week and bitch and moan about there business . Go figure right

It's the racers who determine how well a track does. Just like in "Big Car" racing, who shows up to race and the level of competition says a lot about how well a track does.

There is a lot of truth there too.

Sometimes - I'm lazy and don't promote an event much...and deserve a low turnout.

Othertimes I've promoted the heck out of an event...round up great sponsors, buy trophies, shirts, and have 15 people show up...and I'm out several hundred $$$

over the years, I've found myself now NOT mailing flyers (I cut that expense), I don't make those personal PHONE calls to racers (All long distance..cut that expense) I changed our web host to a cheaper server site (That cut over $300.00 a year) ...all in all, I did things that cut over $1,000.00 in yearly expenses...and do less promotion now that I did 7-8 years ago.

If I thought we'd get NEW racers - I'd spend that extra money in a heartbeat...but where do I spend it to get those racers?

...on the other hand - some events I try to promote the heck out of (Like our **Allstar Shootout**) www.allstar-shootout.com and this event IS NOT designed to be a LARGE event - only a special event for OUR series racers...an exclusive crowd with a HUGE payout!

are you kidding? What are you 12, maybe 13? For starters most track owners have to "lay out" between 5 and 15 thousand dollars depending on what kind of track the lazy son of a gun wants to build. For example, I ran a concrete track here in GA since 1992 and now I am building a small carpet track, just the carpet is 2,000 then there is all of the wall materials, ice and center divider which is about 700 bucks and then a new scoring system and software is cose to 5 grand. You can add right? The meager hobby shop that goes along with the track doesn't get stocked for free either! And this one is my favorite "I have witnessed hobby shop track owners that work 20 hrs a week and bitch and moan about their business" I wasn't totally convinced you were clueless until you made that statement, lol. For your information most, if not all track owners have a day job that consumes anywhere from 40-60 hours a week because there is no way to make a living in the r/c track-hobby shop business alone. I am sure there are one or two out there that do but the few does not represent the many. I got news for ya Hoss, racers are their own worst enemy not the track owner. The number one worst thing that ever happened to r/c racing was the internet!! (Thanks Al)doesnt matter where the track is all im sayin is anyone can layout money and just kick back with a wing and a prayer , do it right or dont do it at all ! Track owners need to do what the racers want not what they want , thats if they want to keep racers coming in the door . i have witnessed hobby shop track owners that work 20 hrs a week and bitch and moan about there business . Go figure right

Amen to that brother......I often wonder how many newbs who reads these threads just decides to buy a monster truck to bash with.

...just the carpet is 2,000 then there is all of the wall materials, ice and center divider which is about 700 bucks and then a new scoring system and software is cose to 5 grand. You can add right? The meager hobby shop that goes along with the track doesn't get stocked for free either!

This is the equivalent of buying a really expensive Hot Dog cart and hoping people stop by. Speding the money alone doesn't guarantee success. Like it or not we're in a recession and you'll have to work harder than ever to EARN other people's disposable income...P-R-O-M-O-T-I-O-N

I'm tired of hearing "the internet is the DEVIL" crap. It's the chicken and the egg story. Should the racer purchase all of his gear in the store with the hopes that the owner will put some money back into the track with his larger margins (can't wait for the 'overhead' rebuttal)...or should the owner first prove that he genuinely cares about the racer and his business. I say you need to earn my dollar...I'm not going to give it to you simply because you exist. As a sponsored driver who also frequents the online stores, I can honestly say that I purchase items (that I may not necessarily need) from tracks that show this type of interest in the racer/hobby.

Lastly, you need to be a very personable businessman and somewhat of a salesman. Judging from your posts you seem to be very bitter and abrasive...that won't help ZUNE spend money at your track.:wave:

You hit the nail on the head Jason, the attitude that if you build it they will come is not working! Show some appreciation for the racers, change things up now and then and business will pick up.
The notion that dirt is cheaper is lost on me also. Like you said, $700.00 for a STARTER car-way out of my league. I'll stick to my $200.00 pan car and not worry about rain, wind or bugs!:wave:

MTR bradenton fl we average any where from 25 to maybe 50 on a good week and then at minnreg in largo which is a carpet race 4 times a year i would have to say any where from 100 to 150 thats just for pan car oval there is a whole seperate day for touring and there is probably about the same turn out for that.

no rebuttle from me, you obviously know way more than I do:rolleyes:This is the equivalent of buying a really expensive Hot Dog cart and hoping people stop by. Speding the money alone doesn't guarantee success. Like it or not we're in a recession and you'll have to work harder than ever to EARN other people's disposable income...P-R-O-M-O-T-I-O-N

I'm tired of hearing "the internet is the DEVIL" crap. It's the chicken and the egg story. Should the racer purchase all of his gear in the store with the hopes that the owner will put some money back into the track with his larger margins (can't wait for the 'overhead' rebuttal)...or should the owner first prove that he genuinely cares about the racer and his business. I say you need to earn my dollar...I'm not going to give it to you simply because you exist. As a sponsored driver who also frequents the online stores, I can honestly say that I purchase items (that I may not necessarily need) from tracks that show this type of interest in the racer/hobby.

Lastly, you need to be a very personable businessman and somewhat of a salesman. Judging from your posts you seem to be very bitter and abrasive...that won't help ZUNE spend money at your track.:wave:

...place to play with his toy cars. It's the racers who determine how well a track does.


I'd never claim to know more about running a track/store than a person that has done so since 1992...maybe care is a better word. The above portrays very much what we (racers) are speaking of. If you believe that we think of our hobby as 'playing with toys' and that your patrons are the only variable in determining how successful your business is, then you are sadly mistaken and don't really get it.

Good luck with your new track.

There was about 45 in easley on sat. and mind you the wind was blowin and around 59 degrees but consider that most of the classes are brushless and 2 are lipo this is why the track has a good turnout and in the summer will have 60 to 75 or more. track owners have to be more responsive to new technolgy and financial times to keep the average joe racer running for years. donnie has been great with this and thats why people love easley s.c. :woohoo::woohoo:

Since the thread for the Oval Race Poll has got a bit subject...how about discussing the kind of turnout YOUR oval track(s) get for weekly events and/or their bigger events.

I always like reading the results from other tracks around the country, and it seems some have a pretty good deal going on, where others struggle to have 1/2 dozen racers weekly.

Maybe, ideas can be exposed to help bring oval racing back...back to a level of FUN, back to a level of good numbers...but IMHO it all has to come BACK at a local level way before it will come back Nationally.

Where are the ideas to help make oval racing bigger???

Summit Raceway in Northern IN we are averaging just under 50 for weekly turnout.

12-15 Box stock Legends
10-15 Box Stock Losi Sliders
10-15 Nastruck (rubber tire touring cars)
6-10 17.5 Pan cars
6-12 13.5 Pan cars
5-10 Mod Sprintcars

We bumped the start time up a hour to 4pm. With 50 racers we are done by no later then 10pm 3 heats and mains. Even for the out of towners that might drive 2 hours they are still home by midnight.

I feel the entry level classes is where a track will make it or break it. Here in IN you are not going to pay the rent with us pro pan car racers. Entry level classes such as Legends and Losi sliders bring back the fun factor per dollar ratio. these classes can and do compete with the X-Boxes and the Playstations $$$. Running them in box stock fashion prevents a lot of unecessary spending on go fast optional parts. The average Joe has a shot at winning the A-main every week.

My opinion is that the 10-15 yr old kids racing these entry level cars will probably move onto other thing once they get there drivers license. But these are the same young adults that will be back once they settle down and maybe get into a entry level pan car and possibly progress from there.

This is when us pro's need to step in and bend over backwards to help out. I know we all remember how intimidating the guy with (4 chassis, 3 chargers, dyno, scale boards, 100 sets of tires) can be. I know I am that same guy but every racer at my track knows they are welcomed in my pit for advice, set-up a speedo......whatever I can do.

When you have several racers with this same attitude under one roof every week......only good thing can come out of it.


Brian Deel

JustKeepTrying,

You may not see them, but I see a few in these threads in what guys are saying about their local tracks and turnouts.

For one - the tracks with decent turnouts are doing it by being diversafied with multiple classes and types of racing. (Unlike the call for just one or two classes)

Open your doors to WHO wants to run there...ie: If you have a group of locals who wants to run LOSI SLIDERS, or SK cars, or 1/12th scale, or Bombers, or who knows what...maybe even OffRoad Buggies and/or trucks... GIVE them a class to run... don't shun them away, just because they are NOT the traditional "OVAL" car/class.

The Ultra Competitive guys (Die Hard Oval Guys) may not like this - BUT this may be what YOUR track/club NEEDS to keep the track alive.

Over the past 20+ years, I've had the pleasure to travel to a LOT of tracks. I think the list I compiled last year had over 35 tracks in all these years of racing.

Some had some of THE most friendly folks running them and had some of the best atmosphere. One such was Art and Kathy Davenport when they were doing the racing in Salinas CA. They provided "FREE" baked goods on race day...Cookies, brownies and all the good stuff to make us FAT BOYS happy. Plus the racers were all having a real good time, friendly atmosphere..good competition...

Another was a short lived track up in KINGSBURG Ca. It was a very small carpet track inside of a pretty crummy building...but hey - you make do with what's available.

Mike and his wife that ran this place were awesome too. We went to a "Day After Thanksgiving" race up there a couple years ago...and MAN they provided a FEAST for the racers, great hospitality...good crowd. But they had a hard time making a go of the track - the floor under the carpet was really rough - a lot of guys didn't like it and they couldn't keep the doors open.

Sadly, since 1985 when I started...pretty much ALL the tracks that USE to be around...are now gone. New ones have come and gone too...dozens of them... There are a few, still teetering, but not doing too well. We're going to lose another great one in MAY in Phoenix AZ. The RCSports Mania it was annouced they will be closing..and this place is an AWESOME Track - probably one of the NICEST in the West!~

The Arizona Pan Car club has worked hard the last couple years trying to build a racers network in that state...but even with all that, they have had a hard time getting enough racers to support the track.

...I see a lot of programs fail, even though guys are working very hard trying to keep them going...it's kind of sad to see sometimes...but maybe it's just a reflection of the times.

Our local program has died several times - taken a few years off - made a come back that lasts a while..and dies off again. Right now we are in the midst of bringing it back again...slowly, but steady right now. We've brought a small handful of races out of retirement...some who have not raced in almost 10 years. Some have said - they don't remember why they quit..and are having a lot of fun since their return... (That's always something that makes racing fun)

my fingers hurt just seeing how much you guys type lol. yea plattsburgh gets roughly 35-45 on a regular night. lot more on a big race night. pretty good for such a short track lol

LOL Rusty - hey you had GOOD PICS today - kinda anyway... too bad you can't CHANGE them...LOL

kinda got confused for a second there. but figured you were talking nascar after alittle bit lol.

LOL - yeah you climbed up a bit on the NASCAR FANTASY deal - not bad for FROZEN pics...(Better than ME being able to SELECT mine)

At the tracks I've raced at that I would consider "successful" I have seen some similarities. Here are some of them. (In no particular order.)

- Friendly, helpful staff (or club members if the track is operated by a club) with people that have a passion for the r/c hobby
- Race track is fun to race on
- Food on site
- Stocked hobby shop (especially the latest technology, IE: brushless)
- Organized, Well run program
- Use of free advertising such as Hobby Talk
- Clean building, clean bathrooms, track vacuum cleaned
- Air compressor
- Area designated for tire truing
- Changes to the track and/or racing program to make things fun and change
things up once in a while, such as: differing to start times/days of racing, free racing to racers traveling over 100 miles, free food, new carpet, different track layout/length, track improvements.
- From what I've seen...for club racing...a LOT of classes works well

Now, I know there are tracks that don't have half of that and are VERY successful...and I know tracks that do all that and struggle...so there are exceptions for sure!

I'm just giving my perspective from my viewpoint as a racer. I'm not claiming to know how to run a track, I'm not in there shoes.

I greatly appreciate anyone willing to take the risk/time/money to run a track!

Our attendance in wisconsin is from 40-80+ depending on the track.. We run like 3 yimes a month and two diff tracks.. We also dont overlap days from one track to the other.. Since BL has come along our attendance hasgone from 15 -20 on a good day to the above.. The larger track runs once a month so it has a larger turnout.. The place doent stock any oal parts so we use lefthander, which also supplies the other track with all of its parts.. without them we wouldnt have any..

The classes we run are.

Latemodel pan cars. 13.5 motor 4 cell, or 21.5 3200 lipo..
Masters latemodel
13.5 4 cell ( biggest class)
10.5 4 cell
21.5 lipo nascar..
occasional mod at the big track..

We have not had a brushed class in over 2 years..

The only thing I have been doing in R/C longer than running a track is well, playing with my toy cars. I didn't mean to insult anyone by referring to the cars as toys....I'd never claim to know more about running a track/store than a person that has done so since 1992...maybe care is a better word. The above portrays very much what we (racers) are speaking of. If you believe that we think of our hobby as 'playing with toys' and that your patrons are the only variable in determining how successful your business is, then you are sadly mistaken and don't really get it.

Good luck with your new track.

Classic RC Raceways
25-45 local club racing
Usually between 85-100 for Big races, Nationals, etc

I enjoy DIRT racing while drinking beer all day, hanging with friends around citronella candles, and charging the same packs over and over until my wife calls me home - I don't take it seriously (for now).

I enjoy carpet racing because of the expensive equipment/technology, fierce competition, and how the cars/close racing let me pretend to be a NASCAR driver for a day. I often bench race over the phone with friends throughout the week.

Comparing the two is like comparing apples to filet mignon...most prefer the meat but it's more expensive and takes time to prepare, but you can pick up an apple anytime and it is what it is.

Seriously...I don't know how DIRT is cheaper ($700 cars, Right side tires that cone on abrasive tracks after two runs, $50 bodies), I've seen some DIRT pits this year that put most carpet pits to shame, but I can honestly say that weak oval turnout has alot to do with apathetic/lazy track owners and rules that differ from track to track. Look at Plattsburgh...an 88' foot runline CLUB that gets 50 racers weekly. Why?...great atmosphere, simple rules, no B.S. Heath Jackson (owner/operator Maximus Raceway) should put on a seminar for carpet racing promotion. He has the formula for getting you to spend big bucks and feel good about it!!

You don't need a $700 car to race dirt oval..and if you think dirt is more abrasive than carpet, you may need to get away from the Paragon fumes...

As for track promotion being the key- I agree- but why does it have to be the owners responsibility? At Competition, the CLUB (definition: a group of individuals that share the same interests ie: RACERS) prepares, maintains and promotes for the weekly and larger event races.
We are thankful that Howie and Ollie have a facility for us to use, and for that, the club of RACERS make the rest happen.

If the track owner does perform the required organizing and promoting as well, super- but to have a local track at your disposal, and the passion that you and others have to carpet race, but not step up and make things happen, well, then you will continue to race with poor turnouts.

You have all the ingredients for a successful club program, but maybe the racers just need to make it happen...:thumbsup:

You hit the nail on the head Jason, the attitude that if you build it they will come is not working! Show some appreciation for the racers, change things up now and then and business will pick up.
The notion that dirt is cheaper is lost on me also. Like you said, $700.00 for a STARTER car-way out of my league. I'll stick to my $200.00 pan car and not worry about rain, wind or bugs!:wave:

Razoo:

$700 buys you a National Champ ride- not exactly what is needed as a starter car to run dirt - or even a competitive weekly club car, for that matter. The biggest expense in any form of R/C racing is batteries and tires. I have dirt tires and packs that I have run for more than a season - and 3800's still TQ and win on on dirt on a weekly basis.

Oh, and for that dirt ride? We can run them year round, on dirt or even carpet if we choose. If you guys are complaining there's no one to race your pan cars against now, in the thick of carpet season- what are you going to do a month from now until next winter?

I personally feel that if a track owner has purchased the materials for a track, and is paying the overhead for the track to exist, the rest can be done by the racers- and has been, successfully.

If racers that are passionate enough to post on a forum such as this would focus the same energy and passion to help organize and promote the weekly races, you may have the turnouts you are looking for. The club formula seems to have worked for the CDRC Racers for, oh, say, the last 30 years, even with the rain, wind and bugs...:thumbsup:

In Grand Rapids, Mi we have Battlefront to go to for oval on dirt. It started small and the track is not a huge oval. The classes are more open but have seen steady growth all winter. It is a shared track with the offroad so its not glass smooth but it is fun. Thats the key to why this place is growing, newer drivers are getting into it and we might not pull may hot shoe drivers, but we do pull a group thats out to have fun racing and not spend the night bickering who did what to who.

One class that never existed at the start of the year is now seeing two heats. Take an old TC3, but an oval body on it with side dam and we have a what the track calls Late Model. Guys are actuly going out to FIND old TC3's to run in the class and its all you really need. Running the HPI Rally tires and your set, wash after the run and recharge. The tires are not even showing wear. Got me back into oval without draing my wallet!

Pitroad raceway- between 50 and 70 each week club race.

The racing around here has been the best it has in years. We've went from 15-20 guys a few years ago to anywhere from 40-75 depending on the race day, averaging about 45-50. One thing that picked the turnout up and the racers enthusiam more than anything was switching to everyother week at our main track Triclone. Spreading out the events and getting everyone there on the same day has been the biggest thing. Between Triclone, Trackside and Green Bay theres somewhere to race everyweek.

I wish there was a dirt oval that ran sprints/edms but you have to drive 5+hours for that.

whoops.... screwy computer.

"If racers that are passionate enough to post on a forum such as this would focus the same energy and passion to help organize and promote the weekly races, you may have the turnouts you are looking for. The club formula seems to have worked for the CDRC Racers for, oh, say, the last 30 years, even with the rain, wind and bugs..."

I don't see it as my responsibility to promote this hobby. My future isn't tied into it one way or the other. Besides I have other hobbies that take up much more of my time.
Yup, you can run your EDM on carpet-BUT, I've yet to see a carpet race rained out!!!:freak:
I also see guys TQ and win every week with year old batteries on carpet-best part is, you only need 4 of them.

I never thought that this was going to turn into a Carpet/Dirt shootout. I just hear alot of people say that Dirt is much cheaper. Carpet guys could argue that running SPEC only costs them $150/year...it depends on the level that you want to compete at. I'm no Dirt hater and am in the market for a car as I told you , Todd...so I'll be stopping by real soon to take a gander. As far as the Paragon fumes go...I'll gladly step away but my judgement may still be impaired by the Nitro fumes this summer :p

Todd - I may need two cars if I get rich from my new business idea...I'm going to corner the sandpaper market by making it with Ozite. Look out 3M! :wave:

I don't see it as my responsibility to promote this hobby. My future isn't tied into it one way or the other. Besides I have other hobbies that take up much more of my time.


Razoo would be one of those guys who racers r/c cars, but to me is not a passionate R/C Racer. He sounds like one of those guys that's here today - gone tomorrow...(Not that this is a bad thing...hopefully he enjoys his time racing...)

Guys who are truely passionate about this hobby/sport TELL people, and they try to sell the hobby to a lot of the people they meet.

Promoting the hobby as a racer isn't about creating a profitable business for the Track or Hobbyshop. It's about getting MORE racers to compete against - making the racing more challenging.

Racers come and go - for a various number of reasons... we just need to replentish them at a greater rate than they leave...

You hit the nail on the head Jason, the attitude that if you build it they will come is not working! Show some appreciation for the racers, change things up now and then and business will pick up.


Since you are speaking of carpet, what more "racer appreciation" do you need from a track owner than him providing a carpet track, pits, scoring system and facility for you to race at? If that isn't enough to draw a crowd on it's own, the racers can step up and organize and promote for a better turnout.

If you think that the square footage that is provided for a track, pits, etc; isn't "racer appreciation," you are wrong. To pay the rent/mortgage on the square footage of any track, then heat, light and insure that square footage is indeed the truest form of racer appreciation. The expenses far outweigh the revenue that a track may yield, even more so with small turnouts. The same area turned into retail space stocked with inventory would yield a far greater return on investment-but then where would you race? Get my point?

I don't see it as my responsibility to promote this hobby. My future isn't tied into it one way or the other. Besides I have other hobbies that take up much more of my time.
Yup, you can run your EDM on carpet-BUT, I've yet to see a carpet race rained out!!!:freak:
I also see guys TQ and win every week with year old batteries on carpet-best part is, you only need 4 of them.[/quote]

No, it certainly isn't your responsibility to promote this hobby, anymore than it would be your responsibility to help a disabled motorist or a woman in distress.:rolleyes:

I guess I'm confused - if you care so little about R/C, and have other hobbies that take up so much of your time, why you posted here in the first place.

On dirt, we may get rained out once in a great while- but always have a make up date later that week-so we always get to race.

Oh, and on dirt, a year old battery and year old tires can win any class, from novice right up to Big Block- you certainly aren't going to win the most competitive class(es) on carpet with that equipment... :thumbsup:

Let's get back on the subject, "YOUR Oval Tracks Attendance".

I'd like to bow out of this conversation...but before I do, I would like to make it clear that my comments are not a personal attack on a local owner but rather a collection of observations from my travels.

No, it certainly isn't your responsibility to promote this hobby, anymore than it would be your responsibility to help a disabled motorist or a woman in distress.

Your way over the line with that remark!:rolleyes:
Thats a very unfair thing to say. What are you going to insult me with next??

I guess I'm confused - if you care so little about R/C, and have other hobbies that take up so much of your time, why you posted here in the first place.

Try not to get too confused-my other hobbies are really none of your business.
And since you want to take this to a personal level I'll bow out of this thread also. I thought this was a forum where different opinions could be discussed without insults and innunendo. I obviously was wrong.

Our track has had anywhere from 6-15 people weekly this year. A couple years ago we averaged 22 a week. We lost some to college and never picked up more. The funny thing is where we are located, nobody races from our town. Our racers come anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour away. :confused: Had 2 traveling tour races at our track this year. Had 29 and 25 racers at each race respectively. Everybody that comes to race at our track says they like it, the food's good, the track is fun, nice people......but we never see them again. These 2 tour races we had. None of the guys ever came to race other than those races.........

Razoo,

Being that I started this thread - I did so to kind of gauge what goes on at other tracks and how things are done to keep their doors open.

I didn't attack you - and value that you RACE. Everybody is in this hobby for their own reasons. Just as people are here from all walks of life, career paths, and types of education.

And, while I agree it's not your job as a racer to promote - those who DO promote have a part in helping grow this hobby and a part in keeping it alive a little longer.

- - - as I mentioned earlier - there is some good info here *especially if you read between the lines on some of the responses.. I hope this can remain a nice civil discussion...

Thanks

As you guys can tell, us boys from upstate NY are pretty serious and passionate about our racing (razoo, racinjason,tommygun, todd putnam, and the list goes on). We play hard but have just as much fun as well. I think what a lot of peoples frustration in this thread is about this area and the change that we have seen in the past years.
A few years back at our local track well, more than that actually (6-7 years ago), we had touring and oval run on the same night. The track was fully interchangeable and could be switched over in 5-10 mins. There was a good amount of people there i would say 40-50 a night. You could also be a member and have a membership card. People running oval trucks, multiple classes of pan cars, legends, and your touring stock and 1/12 GTP cars. It was great to have a diverse field of racers all under one roof. The crowd got bigger so touring went to Friday night and oval was now Saturday. Touring was still fairly steady and the track done everything to change it up. Changed lay-outs, took the racers opinion on lay-out, but somewhere along the lines, touring tapered off to a few guys a night and eventually died completely around 3 years ago. Some went to oval on Saturdays, some just gave it up.
During the time of tourings decline, oval took off! There was many heats of every class, stadium trucks(good starter class), legends (great starter class), pan stock, 6 cell, 19t, open mod, edm, even 1/18th. To show how big of a crowd we got. Here is a link of results, http://www.albany.net/%7Ercrc805/Warmup_2_.html Not to brag, but if you made the A here, you could make it anywhere. Anyone of our normal a-b-main runners, were in the A-B mains in any big race they went to. We had a lot of big names, some national champs, and a lot of sponsored guys. The track was always smooth, well prepped, and if the carpet got wrinkled or a tear, it was replaced. It was a lot of fun having such a big crowd every week and the competition was unbelievable.
Then within the past year or two, racing took a hard nose dive. A lot got out of it completely, a good amount still travel to other places, some went dirt, some still race local. We have a spec series now that runs 4200IB packs (25.00), BSR spec tires, and purple end bell motors with f brushes. Also there is stock S/K. On a regular night of racing there has been an average 10-15 guys with a handful running both classes. A lot of the local guys get together and travel to turn-4 R/C for Sunday SK racing, which is great. But a lot of the times that means having to skip a Saturday at the local track, which wouldn't be bad if the favor were returned and some travel up north. Take for instance one weekend when attendance was in the single digits. It is hard for a lot of us local guys to see a track that prospered and done so well, is now suffering.
Now you must ask the questions, why did it decline, what happened, and how will it change? To be honest, i don't have the answers, but i will give you my opinion. A lot of people complained of money and cost to go fast. Granted alot of the people that done well had great battery deals, motor deals and tire deals. But i have learned that chassis set up it huge, and is hard to learn. It's so easy to get caught up in the money chase and try to buy speed. But in the end, if your chassis isn't dialed, you are going no where. Also no-one is making you buy anything to go fast. You can have just as much fun in the d main, maybe more, than being in the A. Enough about the money game. One of the main issues, economy! We are in a recession, and a lot of people traveled around an hour to this track. With the price of gas it makes for a pricey trip to race at. With money being tight for a lot of people, unecessary spending needed to be cut. Try explaining to your wife why you need to spend a few thousand dollars a winter racing toy cars in a circle, not going to happen. There is a lot of other rumors, and small things about the local racing scene and the issues, but i'm only here to address what I know for a fact. Hope you all enjoy my long story of the rise and decline of a track. Hopefully it will have a happy ending and i can write about the revival of this track. Time will tell.

Justin,

I hope the story of that track DOES have a happy...continuance (Don't want to call it an ending...)

...I have seen crowds die off because of "Too Much" competition. "Too Little" competition... "Too Many Changes" ... "Not Changing w/ the times" ... "Too Expensive"... "Not Enough Time"... "Bored, chasing the same old people"... "Raising Family, marriage....marriage 'on the rocks'..."

All we can do it keep trying to plug along...find NEW people where and when we can...sometimes we get lucky and get some OLD TIMERS to come back after they've been away for several years too...(That's always cool)