DRUMS, Pa. — There is a lot of discussion about fans no longer attending the races.
Some nights, I see it myself here in central Pennsylvania, and I believe there are many different factors as to why this is happening.
Some believe it has to do with the availability of streaming-video options. I think that can contribute to the problem at times. If the weather isn’t perfect, it’s easy for fans to stay home and stream the racing. They still have to spend money, though, to subscribe to the streaming services.
The streaming situation will change soon as some of the existing contracts expire. Moving forward, tracks aren’t going to stream every night live and more will start doing their own streaming programs. That will create more services for the fan at home to purchase, and they aren’t going to purchase five or six different streaming services. I also think streaming introduces fans to new tracks and makes them want to travel to those facilities to see events in person.
In the past few years, the cost of everything has risen and that makes it difficult for families to venture to a lot of races. Fans really have to pick and choose what they want to see and some of the weekly shows attract fewer spectators as a result.
The World of Outlaws recently ran two features on the Saturday night of the National Open at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway. The second feature was rained out the previous night and run after the conclusion of the 61st National Open that was won by Brent Marks.
The weather was beautiful and the track had its best crowd of the year, especially once fans found out there would be two features. Very few people left after the first race. Tracks can’t always run two features, but it definitely added to the size of the crowd.
Another thing that makes it difficult is the number of shows. Here in central Pennsylvania, we had 125 sprint car shows on the schedule this season. Twenty-one of them were doubles where two tracks were running the same night. That leaves 104 possible shows for a driver to run if they wish.
That is a lot of races between February and November. This year, there have been 31 rainouts so far with four of them on the same night, which left 77 shows to run so far. By the time the season ends in November, a driver could have run around 90 shows without leaving the area.
That’s good for the driver who has the team and equipment to race that often, but how do the fans come up with the money to attend that many races?
I don’t think there is any team that runs every possible show but a few come really close. I also don’t think any fan attends every possible show as the races spread from Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey to Pennsylvania’s Clinton County Speedway.
Most of the races are Friday and Saturday, but 33 of them are run Sunday through Thursday. Those are the days that some tracks can manage to get a sprint car show in with Friday and Saturday always busy at the venues that host the division on a weekly basis.
If the tracks wouldn’t schedule races against each other, would that put more people in the seats? I’m not sure, as many fans only attend a specific track and some drivers only compete at a specific track. If one track rains out, it really doesn’t add other drivers or fans to the track that is still running. Years ago, it did but that doesn’t seem to happen today.
I believe it would be almost impossible to schedule fewer races here in central Pennsylvania because if some tracks cut back, other tracks would notice an opening and simply schedule a race on that date.
There are 12 tracks that book races for 410 sprint cars in the region and they all would have to work together to shorten the racing schedule. I don’t see that happening.
It all comes down to the basics – good food, clean restrooms, well-orchestrated shows, a dust-free racing surface, no downtime and entertainment during breaks in the racing.
That first-time attendee has to want to return and bring a friend. They have to enjoy their night at the dirt track, or they will take their entertainment dollars elsewhere.
This story appeared in the Oct 11, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
