I have a friend who had recently told me that his daughter was dating a guy and that the couple was going to Pennsylvania to meet his family. On Thursday evening my friend sent me a text to say that his daughter was heading to Lincoln Speedway for dirt track racing. Keep in mind that(as far as I know) this would be the young lady’s first ever trip to a dirt track.
After receiving the text I immediately checked the track’s website to find that she was not just going to see a regular dirt racing show, but instead, her first racing experience would be to see the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in action. I quickly replied that I was jealous of her for getting to see a Pennsylvania Posse vs. World of Outlaws showdown.
After briefly explaining what all that meant, he sent me a photo of his daughter wearing a “Posse” t-shirt.
The real point of this blog, however, is to point out the time frame in which all of this took place. I always keep and eye on the @WorldofOutlaws Twitter account to see how their races are going but now my interest was peaked so I paid even closer attention on that particular night.
The initial text from my friend came at 7:25pm(I don’t know when his daughter actually arrived at the track). The final text proclaiming “The posse won!” came at 9:45pm. Just over two hours separated the first communication from the last.
Obviously, I have no idea whether my friend’s daughter will ever attend another dirt track race or not. But something I feel confident in saying is that the chances are better that she will than had if she been stuck at the race track on a hot night until midnight or later waiting on the feature race to be run.
This type of story provides a model of efficiency for how dirt tracks must operate if they are to encourage new fans to not only come to a race but to return to the facility after their first visit. The old days of holding a crowd hostage until midnight or “until the last hot dog is sold” have to become a thing of the past if this sport is going to grow by reaching out to new fans.
And old timers can proclaim that they don’t want new fans if it means things have to change all they want to, but the plain and simple fact is that if this sport doesn’t start finding ways to reach new fans its days are numbered.
The most likely time for new fans to come to a track is when they have heard through a friend or through advertisement that some big show is coming to town. Running those special event nights in the most efficient way possible is an absolute must if those new fans are going to return at a later date. And many times, the promoter and the track only get one chance to get it right. After that, the fan that could have been will simply decide that a movie, concert, or simply staying home and playing video games is a better option.
Again, my friend’s daughter may never go back to a race track because it may just not be the thing for her. But at least the Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA and the World of Outlaws did their best on Thursdy night to see that she will.
