*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
How important is it for tracks and series to know for certain that star drivers are going to be appearing at their events?
Richard: Two weekends ago you and I were at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tennessee to witness the Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series/Ultimate Super Late Model Series co-sanctioned event that featured some of dirt racing’s top stars. The Tennessee Tip-Off proved to be an entertaining feature to watch as Brandon Overton picked up a $12,000 victory topping Mike Marlar, Tim McCreadie and Jonathan Davenport. And perhaps most importantly for series and track promoters, a great crowd was on hand to watch the action.
Any time a track or series can name stars who will be on hand it gets the attention of those who might be interested in attending.
In a season in which a number of top drivers are not publishing complete schedules on websites or social media, the fact that it was known ahead of time that such stars as Brandon Overton, Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar and Dale McDowell were going to enter the race helped to promote the event and garner the attention of fans. Each of those drivers has a significant number of loyal followers and knowing that their favorites would be on hand made the decision to travel two or three hours to the venue much easier.
We live in a society that values its heroes and dirt racing is no different. This form of motorsports is unique in that, unlike NASCAR, all the drivers are not guaranteed to be in the same place at the same time. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the individual races is seeing who will actually show up. That is especially true in the early part of the year when it may not yet be known which series each will be following, if any at all.
With the shortages of parts, tires and other racing related components, it’s difficult for drivers to commit to particular races because they might not know if they will have everything they need to race competitively. When tracks and series are able to let fans know a few days ahead of time who will be at their show, it can make a big difference in terms of crowd size.
Michael: I think it is big for a track to know ahead of time which drivers are planning to race when it’s not a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series or World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series race. There are a handful of tracks and areas of the country where attendance is usually not predicated on who will be racing. But for the others, it is fairly important. When there are so many big paying races throughout the season, and the high ticket prices to go with that, fans want to know their money is being spent to see some big names race.
Thankfully, most fans today are savvy enough to know driver schedules are subject to change. Still, tracks can be reluctant to post drivers that will be racing. Things sure are different than they were 25 years ago.
Knowing that stars such as Mike Marlar(157) and Brandon Overton will be on hand helps to promote a race
How important was it for the track and series promotors for the Smoky Mountain race to know days ahead that the weather would be good?
Richard: We have discussed in this forum before that a bad weather forecast can be far worse for a racing event than the actual weather. If on Monday there is a 40% chance or more for rain on the upcoming Friday or Saturday race day, fans and competitors alike will take to social media to say they won’t be making the trip to that track. That, in turn, can be devastating for an event even before race day.
When the scenario mentioned above occurs, the track is left with almost no option but to decide on an early postponement or cancellation.
Knowing that the weather will be good might even be a bigger determining factor for how successful a particular race will be than knowing what drivers will be on hand. That couldn’t be more true than during spring of the year when conditions in most areas of the country can change so drastically in a relatively short period of time. In summer or even fall, when temperatures and precipitation can be a bit more predictable, fans and teams might be at least a little more willing to wait before declaring their intentions to the world.
Scheduling big racing events in March or April can be a gamble. If it works out like it did for Smoky Mountain last weekend, it can be great. Otherwise, a lost date on the schedule may be the result.
Michael: I really think the weather forecast greatly helped the race at Smoky Mountain. Add to that, as we previously discussed, knowing which drivers would show up made for a great scenario for the track. When the race was originally scheduled, I wasn’t sure about how the turnout would be from both fans and drivers. This event has been previously sanctioned by the World of Outlaws. Nothing against the Ultimate Super Late Model Series or the Valvoline Iron Man Series, neither series regularly draws national names unless it’s an event like this one. Again, the timing was perfect for the weather and the caliber drivers that came to race. Had the temperatures been like they were last year (30’s and 40’s), I think the attendance would have been greatly impacted.
411 has twice lost out on having drivers like Dale McDowell(17m) and Hudson O’Neal(71) compete in Lucas Oil races
It can be very tough on a track to miss out on an event that most likely would have been highly successful, can’t it?
Richard: Where their east Tennessee neighbors at Smoky Mountain caught all the breaks for the Tennessee Tip-Off, the folks at 411 Motor Speedway can’t seem to catch a break for the big event they have had scheduled for each of the last two years. In 2021, the threat of fuel shortages doomed the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series show slated for the Seymour, Tennessee track. This time around, it was a frigid forecast that brought about a cancellation.
While last weekend we were basking in sunshine and warm temperatures at Smoky Mountain, this most recent Saturday saw the Knoxville area blanketed in snow along with bone-chilling cold.
Of course, when one of the national tours is expected, big stars are certain to be on hand. And that is especially true when payouts of $10,000 and $20,000 were to doled out to the winners on Friday night and Saturday night respectively.
Unfortunately, the loss of a race such as this hurts the bottom line of a track not only in the moment but throughout the season. Each of us have talked to promoters about this sort of situation before and have heard of the impact of such a lost opportunity. Often times, a facility’s bottom line can be tied directly to their few big races.
And more, the exposure from a Lucas Oil race or a World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series event can attract fans later in the season because of what they saw from the touring series event.
This area has been deprived of LOLMDS races multiple times in the recent past. Not only were this and last year’s races at 411 lost but a double-header weekend at Smoky Mountain in 2021 had to be dropped due to weather. While neither of these tracks will go bankrupt because of these lost races as both are well run businesses, it could make a difference in profitability for the year as a whole.
Michael: Losing races like this can really hurt when they have been profitable in the past. I know losing the Lucas weekend twice last year at Smoky Mountain really hurt their bottom line. Often times, races like that will help pay the bills for smaller events that don’t draw as well. On top of that, a track will lose money spent on advertising, food orders, and even paying most of the employees if the race gets called off during the night of the race instead of days ahead. There is a lot that goes into that.
This is the second year in a row the McCarter family has lost their Lucas races at 411. I can’t say how all their other races faired, but I would think it had some type of negative impact on their budget.
Garrett Alberson seeking Lucas Oil rookie honors and experience in 2022
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