How Much Racing is Too Much?

In the ever-evolving world of short track racing, many tracks run differently throughout the country. Some run on weekdays, some weekends, and some are special event tracks. One common denominator with fans it seems as the mid-summer racing is in full swing is the amount of racing fans are taking in within a particular evening. 

Recently, one of the biggest crowds in the northeast this season flocked to the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania half-mile of Williams Grove Speedway for the World of Outlaws Summer Nationals, a one division 410 sprint car show. Hot laps kicked off at 7 p.m. with racing concluding just prior to 10 p.m. with 33 cars on hand for the Saturday portion. Probably a tad too long for one division but also not overkill. 

Mason City Motor Speedway in Mason City, Iowa recently held a United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) event on July 18^th that also featured: USRA Stock Cars, USRA B-Mods, USRA Hobby Stocks, and mini mods. The headline division of modifieds drew 29 competitors along with 20 B-Mods, 11 Hobby Stocks, 13 stock cars, and 13 mini mods for a grand total of 86 cars in the pit area. The show started with hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and racing concluded at 9:07 p.m. on the Thursday evening. That is how you run a program. 

Meanwhile, Outlaw Speedway on July 30^th will be running a seven-division show starting at 7:15. Why? 

While people want to feel they’re getting the bang for their buck, there is no reason for some shows to be as long as they are. Some tracks try to bite off more than they can chew with divisions and end up racing into the middle of the night. That is not how you attract new fans and keep current ones by dragging out shows more than six hours. Every track should run the program weekly like it is going to rain.