5/14/2020
Marshalltown Speedway
RACING’S MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION HAS NO DEFINITIVE ANSWER
All eyes wonder when we will race again. There is much speculation, but here’s a behind-the-scenes view that should shed some light.
On a daily basis, promoters, sanctioning bodies, manufacturers, and insurance companies are spending hours on the phone searching for a plan. It’s like an NFL coach waiting for the opportunity to put a full playbook into effect. Racing’s playbook is ready for whichever hand is dealt when the government unfurls its green flag.
There are so many different factors people can’t weigh it all out. But if you’d like to know what’s holding tracks back from operation, here is a short list to think about: The safety of employees who fear spreading the Coronavirus or being exposed to it. Everyone, it seems, has a different amount of concern and should be respected for their thoughts.
Racers and tracks have an obligation to sponsors. You - as a racer - and I – as a promoter - need to over-deliver to our sponsors and racing in front of an empty grandstand is not what they had in mind when they handed-over a check. As a track, an empty grandstand does absolutely nothing for our season sponsors, event sponsors, fans, and VIP guests. Imagine you went out and bought a $500 suit and just wore it around your house. You bought that suit because if you look good you feel good and wanted strut your stuff just a bit! When you work all winter on a new car, perhaps rebuilding your old one, put on a new body and wrap you want to go out and strut your stuff that way in front of a crowd.
Other racers know who the best in the pits are, just as fellow NBA players know how good Lebron James is. He was the first to speak up and say, “I will not play without fans in the stands.” Athletes want to display their talents in front of fans and offer that thrill and appreciation of their efforts to them.
All promoters are hearing the comment that we can have 10 people in the pits with every car. Reality is not many teams this side of Cup racing have 10 people on every crew, so the back gate is not as lucrative as some suggest that it is. The fact is most tracks average around four pits passes per car. By comparison, in South Dakota there were 149 cars in the pits and 535 passes were sold, which is an average of 3.59 per car. The PPV broadcasts have been necessary and will help support revenue for a short time but once that market gets saturated, which is very soon, that money will not carry tracks or events.
Our decisions have to be made safely and wisely, not based on emotions. I have been an avid race fan my entire life and want this as bad as anyone. We are all ready to smell the fumes, hear the roar, and be back with our racing families. As per the State of Iowa’s Governors proclamation, they will re-evaluate spectators in the grandstands on May 27th. As such, we will now be set to tentatively open up June 5th, and then the Dale DeFrance Memorial including the 500th Summer Series event and the Hawkeye Dirt Tour on Tuesday, June 9th.
In the early days, we raced from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We might be close to being on track for that. We are in the entertainment business. We have our entire life ahead, so let’s have some patience, and we will get back to the thing we love: slinging dirt and being with our racing family! Stay positive and healthy friends.
Article Credit: Toby Kruse
Submitted By: Jerry Vansickel
