Smoky Mountain Speedway for the Lucas Oil race in June.
The question is simple. Has East Tennessee lost its fire for dirt racing? The answer may not be simple.
Twenty years ago, maybe even ten years ago, I would have put the drivers and fans of East Tennessee against any other area in the country. Now, I cannot say that.
I visit Florence Speedway almost every year for the North/South 100. The racing is usually good, some years it’s great. But the excitement of the fans is what does it for me as much as the racing. This past Saturday, it was a standing room only crowd. Even the temporary bleachers couldn’t hold all the fans. The fans are into it from start to finish. Now, some of them have probably consumed too many adult beverages by the time the action gets started. But from the moment the cars roll onto the speedway for hot laps until the winner does the postrace interview, the fans are engaged.
I almost compare it to a college football atmosphere. When Jason Jameson won his heat race Saturday night, many of the fans were cheering and could be heard over the cars. The same thing happened when Mike Marlar took the lead from Bobby Pierce and when Pierce retook the lead later in the race. It’s fun to watch and listen to the fans. They are into it. I enjoy it and then I realize the tracks I visit near me no longer have this. It makes me sad to think about it in that way.
The recent news of the closure of 411 Motor Speedway also has me concerned. Not just the track closing, but the response from the fans and drivers about the closing. Aside from a few angry social media posts, most comments were those of understanding and support for the McCarter family, owners of 411. I was shocked because I remember the comments made when it was announced Atomic Speedway was being sold to a trucking company. Granted, that was in 2006. Fans are a more knowledgeable about the business side of dirt racing. Maybe the difference is because Atomic Speedway meant more to fans and drivers than 411 did. I didn’t want the McCarters to take a beating over their decision. I am stunned at the lack of outrage over that decision because it seems like people just don’t care.
Tazewell Speedway’s big crowd for the Lil Bill Corum Memorial in March.
It’s not just the closure of the tracks, it’s the number of drivers racing in the higher levels of the sport. Cory Hedgecock is the only driver from this area that races with, and competes with, the best in the sport on a regular basis. While limited late models and sportsman late models have healthy numbers, none of those drivers are looking to move up into super late models. Costs have skyrocketed to go super late model racing. Most drivers and teams cannot afford to move up. Others seem content to stay where they are. That’s good for local racing, but the crowds aren’t warming up to that.
Tracks like Tazewell Speedway and Wartburg Speedway have good attendance for weekly shows. Others struggle to get fans for similar events. Tazewell and Wartburg are in locations where they don’t have a lot of competition from other types of events. One has to wonder if too much emphasis on big money shows is the reason behind lack of interest in weekly shows.
Could it be tracks are running more classes and having longer programs? Or maybe a track could run up to 5 different late model classes on a single night? Could it be most tracks qualify and feature race, no heat races? All of those could also be part of the problem. Those running the sport have to put themselves in the spot of the average race fan. Not the die-hard race fan, but the average one that will come out a few times a year. Those are the fans that make or break a track’s success. Run off those people and they won’t be coming back.
What will the response be if another prominent track closes in the next few years? Will there be any anger or apathy? Fans and drivers should realize the news with 411 and any other possible closures will mean the sport is on life support. Not many people seem to understand that or simply no longer care.
Race fans in East Tennessee used to be full of fire and excitement for the sport. But that has faded away. I hope it can return someday soon. It is going to take some creative owners to promote outside of Facebook to get new people involved to inject some juice into the atmosphere. While it’s not as simple as that, doing something different is better than doing the same thing and expecting different results. Or else, it will be one track after another closing for good.
