PROMOTERS POINT-DECEMBER 3!

At the end of the 2011 racing season I certainly did not expect to add a 5th class of racing to our program for 2012 but when Plymouth announced the rules for its new Hornet class I really got excited!
Then I saw South Bend had restricted their fwd class for 2012 and I saw a way to perhaps, finally, get a low cost, budget class of racing!
Any topic that generates over 1000 views on Stock Car Extreme must have some interest!
I think the biggest obsdtacle has been trying to get people to understand that this new Hornet class will not replace the Mini Thunder Cars at all, because if you read the rules for both, they are quite a bit different.
As Doug Fox pointed out there is a radical difference in speed between a stock fwd and a fwd that has had modifications.
So I do not think people will have any problem telling the two classes apart.
Lets face it more fwd cars are built every day then rwd cars so the future of short track racing is fwd, like it or not.
We considered the comments of many people before finalizing the rules for the Hornet class.
What we ended up with was something between Plymouth's Hornets and South Bend's fwd which is fine because the Hornet class by and large will not travel from track to track but rather stay at their home track.
I really do understand the concern over tire wear which is why I think anyone building a Hornet for Mottville needs to check the local junk yard, like Russell's U Strip Parts Yard, for availabilty of used tires.
Don't get caught with a car that you can't find cheap, cheap, cheap used tires!
Also it has been pointed out how critical tech is for this Hornet class and I totally agree!
In fact, I am so serious about this that today I purchased two digital tire gages. At the conclusion of the event the top 3 Hornets will stop on the front stretch and tire pressure will be checked.
40 or more and fine. Less than 40, disqualified.
Tom Pearson will be checking these cars regularly as will myself!
This is one class that will not get out of hand.
The other hot topic of the week locally is a complaint from a driver about having to buy a banquet ticket to get an award.
So once again, its those greedy owners taking advantage of the poor, poor drivers!
Two years ago I got so disgusted with all the complaining that I decided to drop the awards banquet.
Guess what?
Drivers started contacting me asking for a banquet!
It turned out to be one of our best attended ever!
As for contacting car sponsors, not guilty!
Our award sponsors are usually sponsors who have sponsored events during the season or others who volunteer.
And despite what some may think, we never, ever made a profit on the banquet!
There are those who seem to think the owner-promoter can just foot the cost of the banquet!
Although some seem blind to the fact,the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth is that most of our area tracks lost money in 2011!
Of course, some of these people complaing are the same ones who suggest raising pay-offs, lowering pit passes and tickets and somehow making money!
Now consider this-you need about 600 people in the stands to break even on a show where you run Outlaw Late Models.
So if you lower the price to $5(from $10) will 1200 people now show?
If so where did they come from?
What far too many people do not want to face is that today the consumer has more entertainment choices then ever before.
I really think all the area track promoters are going to have to figure ways to survive basically with the same crowds we have now!
Not what you want to hear, I know!
But when South Bend stands vacant for years and Craig Everidge gives up leasing a state of the art facility, that should show us something!
People love to talk about the "old days" at Mottville but what they ignore is that Kalamazoo raced on Fridays, there was no M40, South Bend was Friday and the only real competition for Mottvill was New Paris.
And, like it or not, fact is a lot of those people in the stands back then got in free.
The late Joe Hamsher, used to take money from New Paris to run Mottville and Plymouth!
Those who worked for Joe way back then know it is true!
Anyway, so be it!
The new reality is here, like it or not, we have to deal with it.
Normally, I agree with most of what the "guru" John Courson says but I have to say I do not agree with his post on the banquet issue.
Call me a prude or anything you want, but I have no interest in staging a banquet that lasts until 2 am on Saturday night.
Yes the program has a social hour, then dinner, then awards and everyone goes home at a decent hour.
In our case, we always have some people coming from 2 hours or more away.
Anyway, enough preaching for today!
I do plenty of that on Sunday!
But let me conclude by saying, despite everything you have read, I am always an optomist!
In 2011 our crowds and car count were up over 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007!
Concessions were the best in years!
I would say looking at 2008 and looking at 2011 for the Mottville Speedway is like looking at night and day!
But we still have a long, long way to go!
I would say we are about 1/3 of the way there!
So lets all work together and keep heading upward!
Hopefully, no one is offended by any of my remarks, I just want people to face reality!