When many race tracks were built they were located far away from towns and cities. But today many race tracks are suffering from the encroachment of housing developments. The people who move in to these developments begin to complain about noise. And it matters not that the race track has been there for many decades. All that matters is the noise. The new home owners knew that the noisy race track was there when they bought their home. And yet the track must go. This is not a new problem. The drag strip that my dad raced at in the 1960s was forced to close down to noise and encroachment at that time. This is truly the biggest problem that most racing facilities have had to deal with.
An added effect of this is that it creates uncertainty that prevents investment. If a track owner is worried they might get shut down as complaints build up, they will be afraid to invest in upgrades for the track, whether that be in facilities or safety related things.
Same thang happan to our home track in Gaffney South Carolina Cherokee speedway the people that complain said dirt was stopping her air conditioner up her daddy was one built. The track it close for hold year had go to nother. Track watch of all thangs ladys air conditioning but it did come back
100% spot on. In Australia its even worse. 120g for a top sprintcar motor and almost the same for a TRD midget motor. Prize money is still way behind compared to America. While we do have alot of top flight teams here majority of them are still family owned and funded. I cant think of 1 team thats fully funded from sponsorships and alot are funded from the family business. Travel costs are also massive here due to the tracks being spaced so far apart. On average its anywhere from 2hr-6hr between tracks and even further in some cases. Thats why alot choose to just run the same track week in week out.
I don't know how others feel, but too many tracks run too many classes. I would rather drive 4 hours to see a big show than go to my local track to sit through 5 classes I don't care about to finally get to the 2 that I do, and they won't start their A-Mains until 10, 10:30, 11pm most nights. The tracks themselves don't make it easy for families to attend, because anyone with kids can't stay up that late only to get home at 1am. Tracks need to condence their schedules. Run 4 classes max. That increases the car counts for each division when drivers have fewer options, and each show gets done at a more reasonable time. Of course, this isn't the largest issue, but when I see that my local track has 7 or 8 classes running, thats a hard no for me dawg. PS - Love Tanner getting a booty call in this vid! Amazing! lol
Agreed, but I think part of the problem is that there are more classes now with all the limited/crate classes a lot of places have. In areas with a lot of cars it makes the shows run late to run through all the divisions, and for areas with small car counts it dilutes the fields down so you have 5 classes with 6 (or less) cars in each class. When the heat race looks the same as the A-main, people struggle to care.
My take on classes: Two's company, three's a crowd, anything over 4 is TOO MANY and drags out the show till midnight or later. Especially, tracks in the South run too many classes, 6 or 7 is common and some draw ten cars or fewer. Consolidate and/or drop classes. PS Promoters like the extra classes, because they rake in the dough selling expensive pit passes. But when they drop classes, they don't have to deal with the overhead those classes generate, either.
Look at the cost of racing, not everyone has a dad that can plop down 100k for one sprint car, another 200k for a race shop, and another 50-100k for a cheap race trailer. And when no one can afford to be competitive, cars don't show up. When cars dont show up neither do the fans.
I was taken to Calistoga on the first Saturday after I was born. My grandfather owned a sprintcar and Leroy Van Conett drove for him. Back then we raced 2 to 3 times a week until my grandfather was seriously injured at a pavement race at Roseville. NARC used to get 50 tp 60 cars every night even at Altamont. Leroy went on to race for Ted Hunting for a couple of years before moving to Baily Brothers. My dad started with Kenny Woodruff and Jimmy Boyd. We raced all over the country then even winning the very first World of Outlaws race at Devils Bowl Speedway. We got burnt out a couple of years later and came home to race with Duke McMillan. We won a lot of races with alot of drivers. I really enjoyed working with Jimmy Sills. Not just at the track, he actually came out and worked on our construction crew too. We continued to the very night that my father Joel, passed away. Tim Keading won at Chico that night. We were supposed to head for the zKings Royal and Knoxville afterwards. Duke and my dad wanted one mre try at it. I'm sorry that they didn't get their shot. They built a really good team with Tim at the wheel. Ok, why the decline? Money !!! Plain and simple. Pit passes usually over a $100.00 Parking, grandstands, food or snacks and drinks. All add up to a lot. All of the local tracks are gone. Chico was considered a lousy track because we had West Capitol, Dixon, Calistoga, Fremont Grass Valley, etc.... My father and Duke actually built a full quarter mile highbank clay track across from the Sacramento dragstrip. They had 2 or 3 races there to try it out and an investor to put up permanent grandstands and facilities. It was a work in progress but it was local. The Sacramento bord of supervisors canceled their use permit. Thunder Valley Speedway was finished. They don't want racing in Sacramento. So we have to go to where the racing is or watch it on line. Thing's change.
But even in my earliest years as a spectator, even the local home town heroes ran at two or three tracks on any given weekend, and I talking about 40 to 60 years ago.Good Greif, that means I, really getting old(80)
Very well explained. My first race as a kid was the old track on Speedwat rd oiutside of Roseburg. My dad raced with Art Pollard, Don Hein, JR standley, Bud VanOsten, and Vern Dykstra. When that track closed in the 60's we were fortunate to have the 1/4 mile built at the fairgrounds. A lot of history there. There was some really good car counts and big crowds. We had some racers from Portland, Eugene, and Cali come to race. They brought chrome and high dollar cars that our local guys did well against. Our low dollar cars then had to stel up the game and things got expensive. Carb engines went to injected. Gas went to methanol, and tires had to be new. The cost went way up and the car counts went way down. Now we face a bad economy and struggling wages. We ised to be the timber capitol of the world and now we scavenge for burnt timber. A good economy lifts all boats and hopefully things turn around. The current track promoter is doing a great job and the community needs to support the track. It brings money and in these times we should see the benefit. Just like my intro to racing as a kid, we need to get off the couch, get off the video games, and do some big things in life. Thank you for sharing and for doing your part to grow racing. Rhett #79
The local track where I grew up met its demise...during the off season a bunch of apartments were built close to the track. In the spring when racing started the occupants of the apartments complained about the noise...at track that had been there since 1946 got closed.
Yes your right that it’s getting harder. I live in central Pennsylvania between Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway and these tracks are always busy places on the weekend because people in the area love racing
Let me tell you a true story about local vs national racing! Back in the mid ‘70s our local 1/4 mile track invited Red Farmer to come and race with the local boys! Now, I don’t know if you are familiar with Red, but he was a member of the Alabama Gang with Bobby and Donny Allison and at one time included your old pal Bobby Allen! Well, at the local track a Ford had never won a race since it opened. So Red showed up with his Long Ford sponsored car from Hueytown thinking it would be a quick payday! Those local boys beat him like a drum! Well, that hurt ole Red’s sensibilities so he showed up the next week on his own without the promoters money to sweeten the pot! Week after week he came back for another butt whooping! It took Red over 1 1/2 years to finally win a race and we never saw him again! However, that track was a sellout crowd with or without ole Red!
I appreciate you touching on this. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers but I think you really talked about some interesting things. That being said, I’m going to be more proactive about enjoying local races this year. It’s just a matter of realizing that life isn’t that busy no matter how much I say it is. Then getting off my butt and going to Elma to watch a few of their show. Great excuse to get on the little red motorcycle and go someplace 👍🏻
Same issues for local dragstrips. Racers wait and spend their entry fees at races with elevated payouts. Spectators have not watched local drag races for 20 years. Events take too long and unless you understand the dial-ins and the handicap starts, etc it is pretty boring to watch. I have raced for 50 years and love it but I know "I am of a flawed brain!!" ;-) Good luck in 2025 Tanner and thank you for bringing up an important subject.
So I grew up at dirt tracks in the 90s and one thing that stands out to me is that back then, the locals could just about compete with the big names when they came to town. Now the big names have so many resources and experience that most locals can’t come close to the traveling teams. And that has contributed to people losing interest at a local level because they know the local hero’s most likely aren’t at the same level as the big names.
The points you said are spot on! If we don't really put focus on the local levels. Then the sport becomes too top heavy. When a sport becomes too top heavy, there'll be nothing. I just wish that we could reset the cost racing to where it's the most affordable sport you can compete against.
Kids also hate getting dirty. I’m serious, I take my farm kid to the races and all he wants to do is look on his phone and complain about getting dirty.
We need a feeder system. Go cart tracks need to work with the small dirt tracks in there are show families a line of progression. Schedules and regular nights of racing should allow people to race or watch on multiple nights a week.
All the kart tracks in our area have died in the last 5 years. Watched it happen when I was racing with my son. Went from full fields of karts to barely enough to run a feature. Went from 5 tracks within an hour drive to 1 that remains open.
We simply don’t have enough dirt tracks in the Pacific Northwest. Then, to top it off, WoO didn't even bother to come up here this summer. When big boys don’t even bother then the grassroots drive to maintain weekend racing tends to wane.
I don't think we have enough cars to support more tracks. Outside of Skagit and special events with bigger payouts, most classes are lucky to draw double digit entries for regular shows. Oregon has 8 tracks and it isn't helping anything.
@AXIDNT66 the Willamette Valley tracks are doing fine. There's one class at each track that's fumbling, but the rest are hovering at 10-20 at each. Medford and Grove are just modified tracks now. As much as it sucks for sprint car drivers, the culture here shifted
We have plenty of tracks. Need owners to work together like they used to. Make it a north to south or vise verse.. need promoters and advertisers to make it happen.. maybe big money owners like Rudeen work with Everone...
@jessebonnichsen9823 I was hoping the major tracks going IMCA sanctioned would promote more cooperation, but that hasn't happened nearly as much as I was hoping. It seems for the most part they try not to overlap schedules between tracks nearest each other, but that and the Ironhead/Iron Giants/I-5 Late Models are about as far as it goes.
The closest dirt track to me is located in a poor area. Plus the track is located more in a rural area, I believe that costs of racing plus dying interest in motorsports amongst the younger generation is fueling the death of local racing.
Too many options for entertainment Too many classes Too many look alike cars Too long of programs Cars are getting way to expensive Young fans leaving rural areas where tracks are located
Hi Tanner here in Australia the dirt tracks are disappearing fast. Just like you mentioned in your message it’s been very difficult for promoters who own tracks. Most tracks were built 30 or 40 kilometres away from the nearest homes or towns and housing developments have now encroached upon them. My closest track now is Sydney 3 hours away and in Maryborough Queensland most racing is finished by 9:30pm if not earlier because of curfews placed on it. We do get some American drivers here and I hope to see you racing in Australia
I believe you are right on many of your reasons. Many families are struggling and the raising cost of a ticket, food, gas is stopping them from attending racing at local tracks. Something has to be done somehow to keep the raising cost from the fans to track owners.
I don't think that's the issue, it's no worse than going to the movie theater or out to eat. Unless children are brought up being exposed to racing and cars in general, the interest isn't there. You also having online streaming even for local tracks that is less expensive than going to the track. Millenials and Zoomers want convenience, with out exposure to an in person racetrack experience, kids don't get it. Being at the track is a whole different experience. Top Fuel drag racing is a perfect example, you can't duplicate that experience on TV vs. Live at the track.
Just look at the demographics. A perfect example is wingless sprints in Southern California. The population there has changed and no longer cares about cars or racing.
I do not think it’s just dirt tracks. I think it’s asphalt tracks road race tracks. It’s all of them. Everybody’s hurting thank you very much for doing these videos. They’re great.
#Boom #NailedIt. It's all forms of race tracks. Some of the greatest road race tracks in America were lost due to new facilities built close to the older tracks. Marlboro, Mid America, Bridgeport, and so many others. Sad.
Has someone who is from the northeast the tracks butting heads I get cause New Egypt Speedway and Bridgeport Motersport Park race ever Saturday and the talent in New Jersey is very little and most of the drivers that race at them are from PA and New York. I also get big name series and drivers showing up 1 time a year. I am going to Bridgeport this weekend for the Dirty Jersey Final which is the only 410 winged sprint show in Jersey this year, Jersey is a modified state ( not ump modified those are weird has hell ) and even getting 360 sprints are hard to come by. But the local sence ( atleast at Bridgeport ) is doing great. Even big event hear people around me saying we have to come back for a local show and not a big show. Also Tanner hope u can come around up hear here next year cause if u came to Bridgeport you would be amazed at the banks and crowds!
I agree with a lot of what you said. It’s up to the promoters to do what’s best for their situation and then it’s up to racers and then the fan base. Tracks need to work together and stop bickering. I’ve been around racing for 8 decades. This is probably the worst it’s been for tracks and race teams but the best for the fans. The internet has changed everything. I have Flo and dirt vision I can watch racing from all over the country. My home track has videos of the races the next day. There’s also RUclips videos. It’s just a great time to be a fan.
Nice piece. I'm old enough to know that racing had a lot of fans because of the "love of the automobile." Now days people don't have the connection with cars like many did in the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's. These days the automobile is a tool that gets people around & there are few that have pride in the car they own.
Sitting here watching RUclips about failing local tracks, I just had an idea spurred by one of the comments I read somewhere. Why don’t local tracks create RUclips channels as a promotional tool. They can recap an edited version of the night, get behind the scenes in the pits, hell maybe stream live. Embrace technology, social media, use it to promote these tracks. Just need a cell phone and guy walking around with it. That’s how you get new people and kids to discover what you have to offer. Put a QR code by the track entrance and a RUclips icon. That would generate new interest. People want to get out and do new things, they just don’t “hear about it on the radio” like in the 80’s and 90’s
Must be a west coast thing because the mid west local shows have 25-35 sprint cars every Friday night. Especially Jacksonville speedway in Jacksonville Illinois
A lot of race fans like myself,are aging out. When I go, I see the same old guys at all the events. It's not just dirt tracks,paved tracks are closing from lack of interest,and money. It's sad.
The problem might be that a larger portion of our society is not as interested in anything automotive. When I was growing up, there were not as many concerns about pollution and climate change. For the general public, air pollution was something visible and within a few years things improved because the auto makers were forced to make the cars run cleaner. It seems like slowly since then the tide has turned in favor of non ICE cars. So a larger percentage of people are not as car centric as when I was a young man. It may be hard to see but I think that in another few decades the car as we know it will be an oddity so all of this present pressure on auto racing may become too much for the little guy to withstand. It was only a hundred years or so that horses stop being a primary method of transportation. I can think of at least 5 major racetracks have been closed and become shopping malls or subdivisions since I was in the sport. I just hope that smaller race programs will not be priced out of the market. Anyway, I'll be following you as long as I can.
It depends on your location. You live in a part of the country where Richard Petty was told a Nascar track would attract the 'wrong kind of people'. I live in Missouri where a brand new multi million dollar I-70 speedway still smells like fresh paint. My nephew races a dirt modified at I-35 Speedway in Winston Missouri and their B Main races will start a dozen or more trying to make the feature. And that's just the one track. We also have Lakeside, Central Mo, U.S. 36 all within an easy drive from downtown K.C. Our short tracks are doing great because the 'wrong kind of people' around here support them.
its money, i build modified chasis the absolute cheapest i possibly can without loosing money and its still 4000$ a pop with no body, after motor trans rear end etc its just too expensive
Its also hard to be a local driver to be able to afford to race almost everyother weekend cause of how much it is to run that day at one point i threw my micro 600 in the back of are f-350 dually just so i can run that day and now im 26 and im running against 9yrs old with brand new cars and im struggling to be able to keep my car operating
So in Minnesota, the cost is a huge issue, especially when winnings haven't increased in years. Another issue is that there are just too many tracks and not enough drivers. I grew up in central Minnesota and can go 2 hours in any direction and pass 5-10 tracks. Also like tanner mentioned with tracks working together, that used to be the thing here, almost all tracks where apart of wissota, now some are still with wissota, some joined nascar and a few joined (i think its called imca) or somthing like that, so tracks arent working together like they used to
Over in eastern Wisconsin where I’m at car count hasn’t been much of an issue the past few years. 141 Speedway which runs 6 classes, averages like 160 cars for a weekly show. With multiple nights over 200. And a high of 230, for a weekly show! With there shows never running later than 10:30 due to a strict curfew. The main issue seems to be fan count. There’s just so many other options for people to do on the weekend. I’ve had multiple friends that used to go weekly, stop going completely once they got older and could do more. I think streaming also plays a small part in the fan count, but fan count has been going down well before any of my area tracks were streamed weekly.
Many tracks are getting shut down due to urban sprawl. Dont move out buy the track, just lets move out by the airport. Fans can help the local racer just but a shirt, hat, sticker. One could easily had your favorite driver a $20, $30, $40,$50 for just a sticker. You know 10 $10 bills is $100, at the end of the night that would make any driver/team feel good.
I agree tracks and series in an area need to work together better. In the PNW we have seen a bit of both in the last 6 or so years, where some tracks have run dual-track championships to help car counts at both tracks, but we have also seen those same tracks schedule shows against each other the next year. I get that tracks need to prioritize themselves to keep themselves afloat, but that could wind up being shortsighted in the grand scheme of things. Promotion definitely needs to be done better, both for tracks and for drivers/teams. Despite some good/successful examples being out there (like Tanner), it still seems many are content to do nothing, or worse yet, complain and accuse everyone and everything else for their struggles/lack of success. It amazes (and disappoints) me how many drivers haven't updated their social media in 3+ years. There is room for creativity and thinking outside the box when it comes to promotion, running race nights, activating sponsors, utilizing facilities and so on, but unfortunately there's still a lot of old school stubbornness in dirt racing at all levels. Fans, crew, drivers, car owners, track workers, promoters, track owners, all of them. That makes it hard for change to happen, as even if one or two of those are willing to work on something, someone else will still fight it. By the time people get desperate enough to try something new it can already be too late. Tanner's career/channel is a pretty perfect example of this pushback. Tanner uses social media well to provide connections with fans that buy merch and show up at tracks, and activate sponsorship as well. It's a model many others could follow and learn from, whether they be kids looking to start out or struggling veterans who need to get with the times, and if more people learned from it it could be good for the sport as a whole. Instead, lots of people refuse to acknowledge the value and make idiotic comments about how Tanner "ain't a real racer, he's jus' a vidya maker" or "maybe if he didn't make so many of them RUclipss he'd win more often" and other such stupidity. They say "progress happens one death at a time" as the older stubborn generation dies off, and while that is somewhat dark there are certainly times where it feels like the truth. I guess we need to hope that stubborn dirt track generation dies off before dirt track racing itself dies off.
I can see a possible easy way to promote tracks id to start a RUclips channel group broken down to each state's short tracks. Just an example might be "Short Track Car Racing, Oregon, #Douglas County Speedway". Then maybe one or two prescreened and vetted "reporters" could then upload their video of the racing to each state specific channel with the track name tagged. This would bring attention to lesser-known tracks and hopefully bring cars and fans to the seats. Back when there was the Northwest Tour Car series, they really helped bring fans and cars to some asphalt tracks back then. There must be some ways to make smaller regional dirt track series based on common but lower price entry classes.
Where I am in Australia I get 5 race near me a year it's so annoying when they shut Brisbane down cause the sprinter racing was nearly every 2 weeks now I got to go four hours for sprinter racing near me
I feel for ya up there. I guess we in central PA are spoiled as hell for local racing. There is more than enough cars that both lincoln and port royal have around 30 410s a night at both tracks. And even in the other divisions (late models, 305s, 360/358s), the car count is always super healthy out here. If you want to run in a specific area, and have a decent shot at making some money, i personally think central pa is the place to do it.
You nailed it on every point. 65 year old Boomer checking in to comment. BACK IN MY DAY🤣🤣 okay seriously, we had big local stars at the local tracks in the midwest. There were NO big shows unless it was a USAC race (mostly midgets with stock cars now and then) or like The Heart of America Tri State Championship race which would draw 100 cars from 4 states around Illinois. The local shows would fill the stands in the Quad Cities area (Davenport Iowa) with rabid fan bases for local stars. Then the NDRA showed up with BIG money to win ($5000) and you would get the Rodney Combs heavy hitters come to town. The local stars got old and retired, some younger guys had success but it wasn't the same. The only reason my local tracks succeed is they are both on the county fairgrounds. I think technology with the rules and computer designed equipment is an issue, but I don't know how you fix that. Back in the mid to late 70s you needed a 512 Cubic Inch big block Chevy to compete, those engines cost $3000 to build 😱 and it had to last all season. Look at the price of an adequate IMCA engine, it's $15000 and has to be freshened at mid season costing another $3000. I remember when IMCA started it was supposed to be the "economy" way to get into racing with stuff like $1000 claim on engines, no aftermarket suspension except for some minor mods. There are are 100 issues, from kids not being exposed to racing like I was at 6 years old to the machine in my hand I'm typing this on. I don't have any solutions. All of racing has passed my generation by. I guess you can call it progress. 🤷♂️. It saddens me that the local scene is not what it was, I'm glad I got experience it, sad for those who will never know the glory days. Good video.
Tanner I’m from Arkansas. I watched u at i 30 speed way like 3 years ago. i 30 closed and there is 3 track one is a good one the second one has a lot of people getting drunk and the 3 one is a test track there is basically no go cart tracks anymore racing is died in Arkansas we need help with the racing community
Having a driving dirt car experience at these Tracks is the way forward - brings in revenue - in the UK the larger road courses we have here need weekly income as the race meetings at a Local/National/World level just don't pay the bills alone
I completely agree with you. I am worried but it really doesn't do much good to worriy. Must tracks are run down and that doesn't help attract new fans Engines and rigs are too expensive. Back in the day you could flat tow your race car or tow one an open trailer I think to that there is too much down time for fans. Time trials and, track prep. Skagit never had time trials back in the day. Why don't tracks have entertainment during track prep?. .
I think a lot of tracks need to look at the ones that are running smart programs. Watching on flo, Port Royal runs an efficient show. The right number of classes and once racing starts little down time without cars on the track. And the competition is really good. Another track that does a good job is Attica and I see it in person weekly. There are some tracks that just have to many classes and don't run a tight show. That makes it very difficult to get butts in the stands. People don't wanna spend 5 or 6 hours at a track especially if they have lil ones.
Doesn’t help if ur local track runs a different tire then everyone else then you have fairbury an hr away with 100-200 car counts with late models.theres a problem when a local top competitor late model driver that lives close enough to your track he can drive his late model over from his house , yet he drives an hour out of his way to race at fairbury.
My suggestion to help resolve this problem is for track promoters to run the races more professionally instead of just kind of all pell mel. I swear, every time I go to a race, it's a total amateur hour as to how they run the event.This will help the track gain more sponsorship dollars for better purses so the drivers have a chance to win enough to afford to race.
Back in the 70's had a lot more gas stations that had cars, and sponsored, all forms of racing around Chicagoland. Tracks were plentiful. Local racing around Chicagoland died in the '90's and is dead...
I grew up outlaw sprint racing and building engines and in the 80's had some success and some failure's. With the rising costs and competition being tight they started with dollar limits on engines Yes they dictated how much you could spend to build it, then came the claim ideas if you thought someone was cheating you could claim their engine or break it down at their expense. The one thing that I learned from all of this was good teams and drivers will win even without the most money or most powerful engines. Many teams started to build their own engines bringing back the days that started it all off back in the 40's and 50's way before my time and again drivers found a way to win without the best or most expensive equipment. As for the tracks many of the promoters were former race drivers who were successful at racing but not at running a fair track and it killed the sport in the early mid 90's. The WOO was a spark to bring that back as these guys came in and blew everyone's mind setting track records and with overblown bank accounts backing them simply because of the limits the little local guy had to run and the WOO didn't. And now we are getting back to that area again but technology has now killed the ability to rebuild from the source up because you can no longer go to a junk yard by a 350 chev with a steel crank and certain heads and be competitive with some elbow grease and time not to mention the interest has gone to technology rather than hands on mechanical. Good machine shops are harder and harder to find and many refuse high performance work and the ones that do will only build not machine because thats were the money is forcing local racers out unless they have a machine shop or backer with bucks.
I have been a Skagit fan for 40+ years. Fortunately for us here, Skagit has some deep roots. There are generations of fans here. We have been fortunate enough to have some good owners that have done a good job promoting both sides of racing. For fans and drivers. And we have an amazing facility. But there have been lean years. And like any business, you have to be prepared for those down years. Re; local heroes, We have some great young talent in the area. Yourself included. I would like to see more local guys racing local. Kevin is paying $5000 to win a 410 main event on a regular night. Why are yall off running around the country for less. Seems like a local hero would be better financially racing closer to home. If more stayed. Possibly more interest? More races. More paydays. Another problem I see is drawing a crowd on any other day than Saturday. Unless it is a "big" show. Racers need to race to make money. Tracks here are far apart. Appreciate your content. 1 more comment; these sprint cars are "badass". And they look "badass".Would like to see them at the mall, fairs, parades, etc. for promotional purposes. Maybe it is a "bent" car with a "fake" motor. Most aren't going to know the difference.
@budammons4011 - You're spot on! The ownership at Skagit has done an excellent job and we're starting to see the local Saturday night races turn into something much bigger and better with the Sprint Car classes - Including the 410's. Trey Starks won two High Limit races this year (Elma and Skagit) and there are other 410 drivers at Skagit that are capable of winning against the national drivers which I think is fantastic! (Hope to see Tanner at Skagit more often in 2025)
Don't get me wrong I love to be able to watch races I can't get to but if I can make it to the track I'm there because 1 thing u can't get with the phone is the roar of the engines and the smell of fuel burning.
The same thing is happening to autograss here in England. It comes down to costs. Blue collar people like dirt racing, but they are not going to race unless they can be competitive. We need harder tyres, higher weight limits and stock motors to give ordinary people a chance against the millionaires.
Support your local race track. It's still alive and well in the Natural Bridge speedway area here in VA . Fortunately I have several neighbors within 1/2 mile who are Dirt racing families. Some racing at 14 yo with support of their families. I recently pledged the first 5 gallons of racing fuel to a young lady beginning to build a car.
When I go to races, fans have to sit through track preparations that seem endless. The track could have been prepped much earlier, but they started as we arrived, leading to a late night when we had over an hour ride home. Also, get the cars lined up for the next race and eliminate continuous drive-by before dropping the green flag. Come on, we didn't come to the race to watch a drive-by. Wasting time between races. Many tracks can't seem to get organized for the next race, wasting the fan's time. It's almost disrespectful and rude to the fans. The result is fewer fans. GET ORGANIZED and stop making us sit there waiting for the next race. This is the fault of the people managing the track, or they will lose fan's like me.
Five hour shows for 15 minutes of action the sport is outdated time moves on. And a rich kid like Tanner spending millions of dollars in family money and talking like he has answers is a joke.
To start with there are less racers. The 5 division shows at 1 time was 3 classes. You had a street stock, super stock, and a open wheel class. It was you could go to the junk yard get a crashed car fix the body and frame and you put a cage in that was your race car. Now we have spec frames, spec classes. 2 or 3 types of mods, a street stock, a 4 cylinder class, Late Models, Sprint Cars - Limited, 360 ASCS 360, open 360. Then the 410's. There are way less small sponsors, Now it's big or not at all. You used to have the local bottle company's now the only do national. The prize money was back in the 1980's was $1000 to win. 30 years later it's $750 or $1000 to win same class. You also are having more Girls than boys. Girls are not that aggressive when they race. They also get hips and boobs, makes it harder to race.
For me. When the Allstars went away and HL snagged alot of racers it ruined my local racing. I am a casual fan. I go to the races 3-6 times a yr. And a majority of the time you could catch a star at Attica without notice. Randomly some big dog would be there. Now their is little to no chance of it. Attica still has great racing. But just doesn't have the appeal that it had prior to the big circuits took over.
We love our local racers and super stars. I like what you do when you’re at our home track, you bring your sprint car to the grandstands. Not to many drivers bring your kind of enthusiasm to there track. Prices on fuel, tires etc is just out of hand. Perhaps local sponsors could give a boost to the purse. Bigger purses attract out of town drivers, all we need is more money. lol
Im gonna make my own track maybe you should turn your backyard track into a public track for like sharp mini late models mod lites all the micro sprints an mini stock and street stocks
So personally i believe that the local sprint car scene in Pennsylvania atleast is still very much alive! They dont call us the PA Posse for nothing! But like someone else in here said “young people do not care about auto racing” and that is 100% a fact, i’m 26 and my friends could care less about sprint cars and they’re all “car guys”
Keith Hall sold Manzanita to some business men in turn they sold it to a construction company behind the backs of its FANS . What a shame. Also the Apache Junction racetrack is no more.!
Well for the local stars here in Oregon we have Joey tanner calling wineburger you Bryson James and more but yea I do think it’s losing its stuff for local racing
It's not just race tracks, it is also airports. The power of developers and the lure of tax revenue is overwhelming to local governments and the relatively small number of people who object ultimately do not matter. In the end it is all about money.
I would start with going to the local businesses that all profit from the races without pitching in a dime! Hotels, restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores etc.. If you can convince them to contribute money, maybe the purses will be bigger that would bring in more racers, more fans, more money for businesses!
Cali births race car talent! Once success gets to them then they are gone! Sports only live and succeed for the almighty buck! Movie theaters need bars in them! Really? Successful race tracks are at the state run fairgrounds! The fairs with racing during them succeed! They rent their buildings for many social activities year round. Competition sports etc.. Like the fall home shows. In the seventies at the dirt track in Watsonville CA I had a NASCAR license to work in the pits on the cars. My most used tool was a big hammer and a pry bar. Brakes and radiators was our inventory! Get fans involved folks. Make it affordable to participate. Tanner you are spot on in this video! Blessings John T
Midwest racing is a lot different in my opinion we still have plenty of those local stars that people talk about and we have a lot of the teenage kids going to the tracks every weekend.
I’m in the Midwest and our tracks have such low car counts that they just quit running those classes. The only classes that run are b mods, stock cars and 4 bangers
@ where you located? My locals average about 100 cars a night and they are across the street from each other. Last race was a special and not even a big one and had 173 cars
In this part of your racing career, with the girlfriend competing for your time is rough. But as a 45year old dad who made babies too young and cost myself my career in Nascar that way.
I came by one time when you and your sister were racing at Grays Harbor. You sister broke a titanium in the steering arm and I removed it without damaging the threads. Most likely you don't remember because your head was on driving as it should be. I went to my first race in1962 with my dad at a track called West Capital speedway I started going as a fan there and later Vallejo Speedway then Antioch Speedway. Then in the mid 60s I got on a road race team and we ran a Cam Am type Mid engine car. I became the crew chief Learned a lot by then. I married in 1969 to woman that I am still married to today. She had a child so I didn't have time to race for a few years. Late 70s I got into Dirt racing again. Then I started building what is call shinny's open wheel with a cut down car body. Then they went to full body now they are call IMCA modifies. I built Supermodified car that ran San Jose Speedway at the fair grounds. All these tracks accept Antioch are now closed. We ran Candlestick park (SCCA) until two guys died. The guy I was on his roadcourse team use to talk about a race they had in The park in SF. now closed. So the closed track I raced at as a crew member or crew chief were West Capital (closed) Vallejo Speedway (Closed). San Jose Speedway asphalt (closed) reopened at the Fair grounds Pack the house and now it is (closed). Bay Lands (closed) Altamont speedway asphalt (closed). There was a dirt track in Sacramento that only ran one maybe two races and closed. There were at least the same number of tracks that were roadcourse that are now closed. Calistoga raceway close but there is a group trying to reopen it. So Since 1962 I have seen many tracks close their operations. When we raced at San Jose Vallejo and West Capital we built our own cars. I built the chassis and the wings and the owner built the engines in his engine shop. That kept the cost way down. We were able to run up front too. Way back then we would talk about costs and how out here on the west coast there is just to much other things to do. Boating, camping, fishing, baseball games, football game etc. The stands use to be mostly full with fans. Now I see a big NASCAR race and the stands look like they are maybe 30 percent filled. When I watch you and other guys on RUclips the stand look like there are more race team members in the stands than race fans at times. NASCAR got popular because the fans were able to go up to shake a hand even open to talk a bit. Now it cost a week of wages to sit in the stands and the only time you can see the drivers is when the walk on to the walkway when announced. Fans want to be recognized as a fan. They want to be able to walk right up to their favorite driver. Dirt races need to find ways the celebrate the fans. Maybe tracks could come up with a a game using the number on the ticket. A fan could win a free ticket to a remaining race or three or four smaller prizes free hamburger or nachos or a hat or tee shirt. Do that every race. I am 76 and retired and I can't afford to go to every race in Elma. I can come up with the money but I would have to give up other things to do that. Now it feels like the racetrack are only interested in getting their pound of flesh. The cost to operate has pushed track that way. The fan doesn't think about the cost the track pays just to open the gate. Our government has put on fees for this that and the other thing. Everyone is getting taxed to death. You had sales tax federal income tax state income tax in most states. Property taxes. luxury taxes. gas tax's road use tax. It just keeps going on. People are raising their family's. And their time is spent working to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Racer like you ( I know because I spent decade as one) are so focused of racing. Like everyone else we never noticed that our own government is slowly choking the life out of us. People no longer have extra money to spend out watching a race. If we don't take control of what these politicians do, there will soon be no racing at all.
Its not dead. Its just that my groceries cost $50 more then what it did before. My utilities cost 50% more then it did before. My rent got jacked up $300 in 3 years. You see where im going with this. Im sure if our economy wasn't a disaster, then we would all be at our tracks on the weekends watching.
Here in the pacific nw the tracks payback is embarrassing. We had 35 cars show up for a class at $50 dollar entry fee, plus at least ONE pit pass (help) and the pay out was $200 to win 125 for 2nd and 75 for 3rd. Then 25 bones out the back. The money doesn't add up. We all know when a beer and a hotdog is upwards of 15 bucks, the tracks are making a ton off food and merchandise. WHY rape the people who are putting on the show?
When many race tracks were built they were located far away from towns and cities. But today many race tracks are suffering from the encroachment of housing developments. The people who move in to these developments begin to complain about noise. And it matters not that the race track has been there for many decades. All that matters is the noise. The new home owners knew that the noisy race track was there when they bought their home. And yet the track must go. This is not a new problem. The drag strip that my dad raced at in the 1960s was forced to close down to noise and encroachment at that time. This is truly the biggest problem that most racing facilities have had to deal with.
💯 exactly
Exactly and this goes for buying a house near a airport then start complaining after signing 40 disclosure about the airport
An added effect of this is that it creates uncertainty that prevents investment. If a track owner is worried they might get shut down as complaints build up, they will be afraid to invest in upgrades for the track, whether that be in facilities or safety related things.
Same thang happan to our home track in Gaffney South Carolina Cherokee speedway the people that complain said dirt was stopping her air conditioner up her daddy was one built. The track it close for hold year had go to nother. Track watch of all thangs ladys air conditioning but it did come back
When competitive engines reached the $55,000 mark it was time to pack it in.
100% spot on. In Australia its even worse. 120g for a top sprintcar motor and almost the same for a TRD midget motor. Prize money is still way behind compared to America. While we do have alot of top flight teams here majority of them are still family owned and funded. I cant think of 1 team thats fully funded from sponsorships and alot are funded from the family business. Travel costs are also massive here due to the tracks being spaced so far apart. On average its anywhere from 2hr-6hr between tracks and even further in some cases. Thats why alot choose to just run the same track week in week out.
I don't know how others feel, but too many tracks run too many classes. I would rather drive 4 hours to see a big show than go to my local track to sit through 5 classes I don't care about to finally get to the 2 that I do, and they won't start their A-Mains until 10, 10:30, 11pm most nights. The tracks themselves don't make it easy for families to attend, because anyone with kids can't stay up that late only to get home at 1am. Tracks need to condence their schedules. Run 4 classes max. That increases the car counts for each division when drivers have fewer options, and each show gets done at a more reasonable time. Of course, this isn't the largest issue, but when I see that my local track has 7 or 8 classes running, thats a hard no for me dawg.
PS - Love Tanner getting a booty call in this vid! Amazing! lol
A big AMEN to that. Run shows quicker with less classes. Get done before 10pm.
Agreed, but I think part of the problem is that there are more classes now with all the limited/crate classes a lot of places have. In areas with a lot of cars it makes the shows run late to run through all the divisions, and for areas with small car counts it dilutes the fields down so you have 5 classes with 6 (or less) cars in each class. When the heat race looks the same as the A-main, people struggle to care.
True on the late night main. Tracks need to get their act together and get organized. They all waste time ending up after midnight. So, I quit going.
My take on classes: Two's company, three's a crowd, anything over 4 is TOO MANY and drags out the show till midnight or later. Especially, tracks in the South run too many classes, 6 or 7 is common and some draw ten cars or fewer. Consolidate and/or drop classes. PS Promoters like the extra classes, because they rake in the dough selling expensive pit passes. But when they drop classes, they don't have to deal with the overhead those classes generate, either.
Look at the cost of racing, not everyone has a dad that can plop down 100k for one sprint car, another 200k for a race shop, and another 50-100k for a cheap race trailer. And when no one can afford to be competitive, cars don't show up. When cars dont show up neither do the fans.
I couldn't agree. Good racing does not have to be expensive. Big weight limits and hard control tyres are needed outside of the national series.
I was taken to Calistoga on the first Saturday after I was born. My grandfather owned a sprintcar and Leroy Van Conett drove for him. Back then we raced 2 to 3 times a week until my grandfather was seriously injured at a pavement race at Roseville. NARC used to get 50 tp 60 cars every night even at Altamont. Leroy went on to race for Ted Hunting for a couple of years before moving to Baily Brothers. My dad started with Kenny Woodruff and Jimmy Boyd. We raced all over the country then even winning the very first World of Outlaws race at Devils Bowl Speedway. We got burnt out a couple of years later and came home to race with Duke McMillan. We won a lot of races with alot of drivers. I really enjoyed working with Jimmy Sills. Not just at the track, he actually came out and worked on our construction crew too. We continued to the very night that my father Joel, passed away. Tim Keading won at Chico that night. We were supposed to head for the zKings Royal and Knoxville afterwards. Duke and my dad wanted one mre try at it. I'm sorry that they didn't get their shot. They built a really good team with Tim at the wheel.
Ok, why the decline? Money !!! Plain and simple. Pit passes usually over a $100.00
Parking, grandstands, food or snacks and drinks. All add up to a lot. All of the local tracks are gone. Chico was considered a lousy track because we had West Capitol, Dixon, Calistoga, Fremont Grass Valley, etc.... My father and Duke actually built a full quarter mile highbank clay track across from the Sacramento dragstrip. They had 2 or 3 races there to try it out and an investor to put up permanent grandstands and facilities. It was a work in progress but it was local. The Sacramento bord of supervisors canceled their use permit. Thunder Valley Speedway was finished. They don't want racing in Sacramento. So we have to go to where the racing is or watch it on line. Thing's change.
Tanner, you're a great ambassador for the sport. Thanks for shedding light on the subject (local tracks).
You definitely have to make it more appealing and affordable to the fans without the fans we have no race track
In the 70's the local heroes stayed home and raced their one local track and were larger than life characters in their hometowns.
But even in my earliest years as a spectator, even the local home town heroes ran at two or three tracks on any given weekend, and I talking about 40 to 60 years ago.Good Greif, that means I, really getting old(80)
Very well explained. My first race as a kid was the old track on Speedwat rd oiutside of Roseburg. My dad raced with Art Pollard, Don Hein, JR standley, Bud VanOsten, and Vern Dykstra. When that track closed in the 60's we were fortunate to have the 1/4 mile built at the fairgrounds. A lot of history there. There was some really good car counts and big crowds. We had some racers from Portland, Eugene, and Cali come to race. They brought chrome and high dollar cars that our local guys did well against. Our low dollar cars then had to stel up the game and things got expensive. Carb engines went to injected. Gas went to methanol, and tires had to be new. The cost went way up and the car counts went way down. Now we face a bad economy and struggling wages. We ised to be the timber capitol of the world and now we scavenge for burnt timber. A good economy lifts all boats and hopefully things turn around. The current track promoter is doing a great job and the community needs to support the track. It brings money and in these times we should see the benefit.
Just like my intro to racing as a kid, we need to get off the couch, get off the video games, and do some big things in life.
Thank you for sharing and for doing your part to grow racing.
Rhett #79
The local track where I grew up met its demise...during the off season a bunch of apartments were built close to the track. In the spring when racing started the occupants of the apartments complained about the noise...at track that had been there since 1946 got closed.
Yes your right that it’s getting harder. I live in central Pennsylvania between Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway and these tracks are always busy places on the weekend because people in the area love racing
The insurance for the track owner is impossible
Let me tell you a true story about local vs national racing! Back in the mid ‘70s our local 1/4 mile track invited Red Farmer to come and race with the local boys! Now, I don’t know if you are familiar with Red, but he was a member of the Alabama Gang with Bobby and Donny Allison and at one time included your old pal Bobby Allen! Well, at the local track a Ford had never won a race since it opened. So Red showed up with his Long Ford sponsored car from Hueytown thinking it would be a quick payday! Those local boys beat him like a drum! Well, that hurt ole Red’s sensibilities so he showed up the next week on his own without the promoters money to sweeten the pot! Week after week he came back for another butt whooping! It took Red over 1 1/2 years to finally win a race and we never saw him again! However, that track was a sellout crowd with or without ole Red!
I appreciate you touching on this. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers but I think you really talked about some interesting things.
That being said, I’m going to be more proactive about enjoying local races this year. It’s just a matter of realizing that life isn’t that busy no matter how much I say it is. Then getting off my butt and going to Elma to watch a few of their show.
Great excuse to get on the little red motorcycle and go someplace 👍🏻
Take Carly to dinner and then put her back in a cart - just to repay her for busting her butt on your car.
Same issues for local dragstrips. Racers wait and spend their entry fees at races with elevated payouts. Spectators have not watched local drag races for 20 years. Events take too long and unless you understand the dial-ins and the handicap starts, etc it is pretty boring to watch. I have raced for 50 years and love it but I know "I am of a flawed brain!!" ;-) Good luck in 2025 Tanner and thank you for bringing up an important subject.
So I grew up at dirt tracks in the 90s and one thing that stands out to me is that back then, the locals could just about compete with the big names when they came to town. Now the big names have so many resources and experience that most locals can’t come close to the traveling teams. And that has contributed to people losing interest at a local level because they know the local hero’s most likely aren’t at the same level as the big names.
The points you said are spot on! If we don't really put focus on the local levels. Then the sport becomes too top heavy. When a sport becomes too top heavy, there'll be nothing.
I just wish that we could reset the cost racing to where it's the most affordable sport you can compete against.
Tanner, you are a sharp young man. Very well spoken with the skill to develop a well thought out message. You will go far in the sport. Thank you!
I thought the same thing. His real success in the racing world will lie in areas not involving driving.
Most young people couldn't care less about auto racing.
Bingo! To expand on that, car culture, in general, is almost dead. The demographics of the country are different, and the economy is bad.
Sad but true
Kids also hate getting dirty. I’m serious, I take my farm kid to the races and all he wants to do is look on his phone and complain about getting dirty.
My local track is eagle raceway in Nebraska. It brings 150+ cars every week. Sucks to see some track not able to bring half of that.
We need a feeder system. Go cart tracks need to work with the small dirt tracks in there are show families a line of progression. Schedules and regular nights of racing should allow people to race or watch on multiple nights a week.
All the kart tracks in our area have died in the last 5 years. Watched it happen when I was racing with my son. Went from full fields of karts to barely enough to run a feature. Went from 5 tracks within an hour drive to 1 that remains open.
We simply don’t have enough dirt tracks in the Pacific Northwest. Then, to top it off, WoO didn't even bother to come up here this summer. When big boys don’t even bother then the grassroots drive to maintain weekend racing tends to wane.
I don't think we have enough cars to support more tracks. Outside of Skagit and special events with bigger payouts, most classes are lucky to draw double digit entries for regular shows. Oregon has 8 tracks and it isn't helping anything.
@AXIDNT66 the Willamette Valley tracks are doing fine. There's one class at each track that's fumbling, but the rest are hovering at 10-20 at each. Medford and Grove are just modified tracks now. As much as it sucks for sprint car drivers, the culture here shifted
We have plenty of tracks. Need owners to work together like they used to. Make it a north to south or vise verse.. need promoters and advertisers to make it happen.. maybe big money owners like Rudeen work with Everone...
@jessebonnichsen9823 I was hoping the major tracks going IMCA sanctioned would promote more cooperation, but that hasn't happened nearly as much as I was hoping. It seems for the most part they try not to overlap schedules between tracks nearest each other, but that and the Ironhead/Iron Giants/I-5 Late Models are about as far as it goes.
The closest dirt track to me is located in a poor area. Plus the track is located more in a rural area, I believe that costs of racing plus dying interest in motorsports amongst the younger generation is fueling the death of local racing.
Too many options for entertainment
Too many classes
Too many look alike cars
Too long of programs
Cars are getting way to expensive
Young fans leaving rural areas where tracks are located
Have you heard of Racing school? Heck you could have tanner holmes racing school be the Skip Barber of dirt track!! I’d be the first to sign up!
Hi Tanner here in Australia the dirt tracks are disappearing fast. Just like you mentioned in your message it’s been very difficult for promoters who own tracks. Most tracks were built 30 or 40 kilometres away from the nearest homes or towns and housing developments have now encroached upon them. My closest track now is Sydney 3 hours away and in Maryborough Queensland most racing is finished by 9:30pm if not earlier because of curfews placed on it. We do get some American drivers here and I hope to see you racing in Australia
I believe you are right on many of your reasons. Many families are struggling and the raising cost of a ticket, food, gas is stopping them from attending racing at local tracks. Something has to be done somehow to keep the raising cost from the fans to track owners.
I don't think that's the issue, it's no worse than going to the movie theater or out to eat. Unless children are brought up being exposed to racing and cars in general, the interest isn't there. You also having online streaming even for local tracks that is less expensive than going to the track. Millenials and Zoomers want convenience, with out exposure to an in person racetrack experience, kids don't get it. Being at the track is a whole different experience. Top Fuel drag racing is a perfect example, you can't duplicate that experience on TV vs. Live at the track.
It will take cultural change in this country.
Just look at the demographics. A perfect example is wingless sprints in Southern California. The population there has changed and no longer cares about cars or racing.
I do not think it’s just dirt tracks. I think it’s asphalt tracks road race tracks. It’s all of them. Everybody’s hurting thank you very much for doing these videos. They’re great.
#Boom #NailedIt. It's all forms of race tracks. Some of the greatest road race tracks in America were lost due to new facilities built close to the older tracks. Marlboro, Mid America, Bridgeport, and so many others. Sad.
Has someone who is from the northeast the tracks butting heads I get cause New Egypt Speedway and Bridgeport Motersport Park race ever Saturday and the talent in New Jersey is very little and most of the drivers that race at them are from PA and New York. I also get big name series and drivers showing up 1 time a year. I am going to Bridgeport this weekend for the Dirty Jersey Final which is the only 410 winged sprint show in Jersey this year, Jersey is a modified state ( not ump modified those are weird has hell ) and even getting 360 sprints are hard to come by. But the local sence ( atleast at Bridgeport ) is doing great. Even big event hear people around me saying we have to come back for a local show and not a big show. Also Tanner hope u can come around up hear here next year cause if u came to Bridgeport you would be amazed at the banks and crowds!
I agree with a lot of what you said. It’s up to the promoters to do what’s best for their situation and then it’s up to racers and then the fan base. Tracks need to work together and stop bickering. I’ve been around racing for 8 decades. This is probably the worst it’s been for tracks and race teams but the best for the fans. The internet has changed everything. I have Flo and dirt vision I can watch racing from all over the country. My home track has videos of the races the next day. There’s also RUclips videos. It’s just a great time to be a fan.
Nice piece.
I'm old enough to know that racing had a lot of fans because of the "love of the automobile." Now days people don't have the connection with cars like many did in the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's. These days the automobile is a tool that gets people around & there are few that have pride in the car they own.
My local track in Auckland, New Zealand is closing in March next year, absolutely gutted
The cost of a competitive car side lined a lot of racers, Placerville still has its local stars, it is not completely washed up.
Sitting here watching RUclips about failing local tracks, I just had an idea spurred by one of the comments I read somewhere. Why don’t local tracks create RUclips channels as a promotional tool. They can recap an edited version of the night, get behind the scenes in the pits, hell maybe stream live. Embrace technology, social media, use it to promote these tracks. Just need a cell phone and guy walking around with it. That’s how you get new people and kids to discover what you have to offer. Put a QR code by the track entrance and a RUclips icon. That would generate new interest. People want to get out and do new things, they just don’t “hear about it on the radio” like in the 80’s and 90’s
Go to the tracks...
Must be a west coast thing because the mid west local shows have 25-35 sprint cars every Friday night. Especially Jacksonville speedway in Jacksonville Illinois
A lot of race fans like myself,are aging out. When I go, I see the same old guys at all the events. It's not just dirt tracks,paved tracks are closing from lack of interest,and money. It's sad.
The problem might be that a larger portion of our society is not as interested in anything automotive. When I was growing up, there were not as many concerns about
pollution and climate change. For the general public, air pollution was something visible and within a few years things improved because the auto makers were forced
to make the cars run cleaner. It seems like slowly since then the tide has turned in favor of non ICE cars. So a larger percentage of people are not as car centric as when
I was a young man. It may be hard to see but I think that in another few decades the car as we know it will be an oddity so all of this present pressure on auto racing may
become too much for the little guy to withstand. It was only a hundred years or so that horses stop being a primary method of transportation. I can think of at least 5
major racetracks have been closed and become shopping malls or subdivisions since I was in the sport. I just hope that smaller race programs will not be priced out of
the market. Anyway, I'll be following you as long as I can.
Honesty makes you our star!
My local dirt track is Dixie Speedway in Woodstock,Ga. You make very good points.
It depends on your location. You live in a part of the country where Richard Petty was told a Nascar track would attract the 'wrong kind of people'. I live in Missouri where a brand new multi million dollar I-70 speedway still smells like fresh paint. My nephew races a dirt modified at I-35 Speedway in Winston Missouri and their B Main races will start a dozen or more trying to make the feature. And that's just the one track. We also have Lakeside, Central Mo, U.S. 36 all within an easy drive from downtown K.C. Our short tracks are doing great because the 'wrong kind of people' around here support them.
its money, i build modified chasis the absolute cheapest i possibly can without loosing money and its still 4000$ a pop with no body, after motor trans rear end etc its just too expensive
Its also hard to be a local driver to be able to afford to race almost everyother weekend cause of how much it is to run that day at one point i threw my micro 600 in the back of are f-350 dually just so i can run that day and now im 26 and im running against 9yrs old with brand new cars and im struggling to be able to keep my car operating
So in Minnesota, the cost is a huge issue, especially when winnings haven't increased in years. Another issue is that there are just too many tracks and not enough drivers. I grew up in central Minnesota and can go 2 hours in any direction and pass 5-10 tracks.
Also like tanner mentioned with tracks working together, that used to be the thing here, almost all tracks where apart of wissota, now some are still with wissota, some joined nascar and a few joined (i think its called imca) or somthing like that, so tracks arent working together like they used to
Over in eastern Wisconsin where I’m at car count hasn’t been much of an issue the past few years. 141 Speedway which runs 6 classes, averages like 160 cars for a weekly show. With multiple nights over 200. And a high of 230, for a weekly show! With there shows never running later than 10:30 due to a strict curfew. The main issue seems to be fan count. There’s just so many other options for people to do on the weekend. I’ve had multiple friends that used to go weekly, stop going completely once they got older and could do more. I think streaming also plays a small part in the fan count, but fan count has been going down well before any of my area tracks were streamed weekly.
I love racing
Tanner Holmes add race track
Many tracks are getting shut down due to urban sprawl. Dont move out buy the track, just lets move out by the airport. Fans can help the local racer just but a shirt, hat, sticker. One could easily had your favorite driver a $20, $30, $40,$50 for just a sticker. You know 10 $10 bills is $100, at the end of the night that would make any driver/team feel good.
I agree tracks and series in an area need to work together better. In the PNW we have seen a bit of both in the last 6 or so years, where some tracks have run dual-track championships to help car counts at both tracks, but we have also seen those same tracks schedule shows against each other the next year. I get that tracks need to prioritize themselves to keep themselves afloat, but that could wind up being shortsighted in the grand scheme of things.
Promotion definitely needs to be done better, both for tracks and for drivers/teams. Despite some good/successful examples being out there (like Tanner), it still seems many are content to do nothing, or worse yet, complain and accuse everyone and everything else for their struggles/lack of success. It amazes (and disappoints) me how many drivers haven't updated their social media in 3+ years.
There is room for creativity and thinking outside the box when it comes to promotion, running race nights, activating sponsors, utilizing facilities and so on, but unfortunately there's still a lot of old school stubbornness in dirt racing at all levels. Fans, crew, drivers, car owners, track workers, promoters, track owners, all of them. That makes it hard for change to happen, as even if one or two of those are willing to work on something, someone else will still fight it. By the time people get desperate enough to try something new it can already be too late.
Tanner's career/channel is a pretty perfect example of this pushback. Tanner uses social media well to provide connections with fans that buy merch and show up at tracks, and activate sponsorship as well. It's a model many others could follow and learn from, whether they be kids looking to start out or struggling veterans who need to get with the times, and if more people learned from it it could be good for the sport as a whole. Instead, lots of people refuse to acknowledge the value and make idiotic comments about how Tanner "ain't a real racer, he's jus' a vidya maker" or "maybe if he didn't make so many of them RUclipss he'd win more often" and other such stupidity.
They say "progress happens one death at a time" as the older stubborn generation dies off, and while that is somewhat dark there are certainly times where it feels like the truth. I guess we need to hope that stubborn dirt track generation dies off before dirt track racing itself dies off.
Nascar champion, Alan Kulwicki made his bones at a local dirt track in Franklin Wisconsin
I can see a possible easy way to promote tracks id to start a RUclips channel group broken down to each state's short tracks. Just an example might be "Short Track Car Racing, Oregon, #Douglas County Speedway". Then maybe one or two prescreened and vetted "reporters" could then upload their video of the racing to each state specific channel with the track name tagged. This would bring attention to lesser-known tracks and hopefully bring cars and fans to the seats. Back when there was the Northwest Tour Car series, they really helped bring fans and cars to some asphalt tracks back then. There must be some ways to make smaller regional dirt track series based on common but lower price entry classes.
Where I am in Australia I get 5 race near me a year it's so annoying when they shut Brisbane down cause the sprinter racing was nearly every 2 weeks now I got to go four hours for sprinter racing near me
Danville IL, Boswell IN, Sullivan IN, Freedom IN These have shut down in my area.
I feel for ya up there. I guess we in central PA are spoiled as hell for local racing. There is more than enough cars that both lincoln and port royal have around 30 410s a night at both tracks. And even in the other divisions (late models, 305s, 360/358s), the car count is always super healthy out here. If you want to run in a specific area, and have a decent shot at making some money, i personally think central pa is the place to do it.
Car counts are going down each year making the races less interesting.
You nailed it on every point. 65 year old Boomer checking in to comment. BACK IN MY DAY🤣🤣 okay seriously, we had big local stars at the local tracks in the midwest. There were NO big shows unless it was a USAC race (mostly midgets with stock cars now and then) or like The Heart of America Tri State Championship race which would draw 100 cars from 4 states around Illinois. The local shows would fill the stands in the Quad Cities area (Davenport Iowa) with rabid fan bases for local stars. Then the NDRA showed up with BIG money to win ($5000) and you would get the Rodney Combs heavy hitters come to town. The local stars got old and retired, some younger guys had success but it wasn't the same. The only reason my local tracks succeed is they are both on the county fairgrounds. I think technology with the rules and computer designed equipment is an issue, but I don't know how you fix that. Back in the mid to late 70s you needed a 512 Cubic Inch big block Chevy to compete, those engines cost $3000 to build 😱 and it had to last all season. Look at the price of an adequate IMCA engine, it's $15000 and has to be freshened at mid season costing another $3000. I remember when IMCA started it was supposed to be the "economy" way to get into racing with stuff like $1000 claim on engines, no aftermarket suspension except for some minor mods. There are are 100 issues, from kids not being exposed to racing like I was at 6 years old to the machine in my hand I'm typing this on. I don't have any solutions. All of racing has passed my generation by. I guess you can call it progress. 🤷♂️. It saddens me that the local scene is not what it was, I'm glad I got experience it, sad for those who will never know the glory days. Good video.
Tanner I’m from Arkansas. I watched u at i 30 speed way like 3 years ago. i 30 closed and there is 3 track one is a good one the second one has a lot of people getting drunk and the 3 one is a test track there is basically no go cart tracks anymore racing is died in Arkansas we need help with the racing community
Having a driving dirt car experience at these Tracks is the way forward - brings in revenue - in the UK the larger road courses we have here need weekly income as the race meetings at a Local/National/World level just don't pay the bills alone
I completely agree with you. I am worried but it really doesn't do much good to worriy. Must tracks are run down and that doesn't help attract new fans Engines and rigs are too expensive. Back in the day you could flat tow your race car or tow one an open trailer I think to that there is too much down time for fans. Time trials and, track prep. Skagit never had time trials back in the day. Why don't tracks have entertainment during track prep?. .
I think a lot of tracks need to look at the ones that are running smart programs. Watching on flo, Port Royal runs an efficient show. The right number of classes and once racing starts little down time without cars on the track. And the competition is really good. Another track that does a good job is Attica and I see it in person weekly. There are some tracks that just have to many classes and don't run a tight show. That makes it very difficult to get butts in the stands. People don't wanna spend 5 or 6 hours at a track especially if they have lil ones.
Doesn’t help if ur local track runs a different tire then everyone else then you have fairbury an hr away with 100-200 car counts with late models.theres a problem when a local top competitor late model driver that lives close enough to your track he can drive his late model over from his house , yet he drives an hour out of his way to race at fairbury.
Forgot the dirt figure eight races, after a few bublies that drove fans nuts! Plus the destruction derbies
My suggestion to help resolve this problem is for track promoters to run the races more professionally instead of just kind of all pell mel. I swear, every time I go to a race, it's a total amateur hour as to how they run the event.This will help the track gain more sponsorship dollars for better purses so the drivers have a chance to win enough to afford to race.
ive seen so many dirt tracks close :(
Back in the 70's had a lot more gas stations that had cars, and sponsored, all forms of racing around Chicagoland. Tracks were plentiful. Local racing around Chicagoland died in the '90's and is dead...
I grew up outlaw sprint racing and building engines and in the 80's had some success and some failure's. With the rising costs and competition being tight they started with dollar limits on engines Yes they dictated how much you could spend to build it, then came the claim ideas if you thought someone was cheating you could claim their engine or break it down at their expense. The one thing that I learned from all of this was good teams and drivers will win even without the most money or most powerful engines. Many teams started to build their own engines bringing back the days that started it all off back in the 40's and 50's way before my time and again drivers found a way to win without the best or most expensive equipment. As for the tracks many of the promoters were former race drivers who were successful at racing but not at running a fair track and it killed the sport in the early mid 90's. The WOO was a spark to bring that back as these guys came in and blew everyone's mind setting track records and with overblown bank accounts backing them simply because of the limits the little local guy had to run and the WOO didn't. And now we are getting back to that area again but technology has now killed the ability to rebuild from the source up because you can no longer go to a junk yard by a 350 chev with a steel crank and certain heads and be competitive with some elbow grease and time not to mention the interest has gone to technology rather than hands on mechanical. Good machine shops are harder and harder to find and many refuse high performance work and the ones that do will only build not machine because thats were the money is forcing local racers out unless they have a machine shop or backer with bucks.
I have been a Skagit fan for 40+ years. Fortunately for us here, Skagit has some deep roots. There are generations of fans here. We have been fortunate enough to have some good owners that have done a good job promoting both sides of racing. For fans and drivers. And we have an amazing facility. But there have been lean years. And like any business, you have to be prepared for those down years. Re; local heroes, We have some great young talent in the area. Yourself included. I would like to see more local guys racing local. Kevin is paying $5000 to win a 410 main event on a regular night. Why are yall off running around the country for less. Seems like a local hero would be better financially racing closer to home. If more stayed. Possibly more interest? More races. More paydays. Another problem I see is drawing a crowd on any other day than Saturday. Unless it is a "big" show. Racers need to race to make money. Tracks here are far apart. Appreciate your content. 1 more comment; these sprint cars are "badass". And they look "badass".Would like to see them at the mall, fairs, parades, etc. for promotional purposes. Maybe it is a "bent" car with a "fake" motor. Most aren't going to know the difference.
@budammons4011 - You're spot on! The ownership at Skagit has done an excellent job and we're starting to see the local Saturday night races turn into something much bigger and better with the Sprint Car classes - Including the 410's. Trey Starks won two High Limit races this year (Elma and Skagit) and there are other 410 drivers at Skagit that are capable of winning against the national drivers which I think is fantastic! (Hope to see Tanner at Skagit more often in 2025)
Don't get me wrong I love to be able to watch races I can't get to but if I can make it to the track I'm there because 1 thing u can't get with the phone is the roar of the engines and the smell of fuel burning.
The same thing is happening to autograss here in England. It comes down to costs. Blue collar people like dirt racing, but they are not going to race unless they can be competitive. We need harder tyres, higher weight limits and stock motors to give ordinary people a chance against the millionaires.
What??? You’re our Local Star!!!!!!!!
Support your local race track.
It's still alive and well in the Natural Bridge speedway area here in VA . Fortunately I have several neighbors within 1/2 mile who are Dirt racing families.
Some racing at 14 yo with support of their families.
I recently pledged the first 5 gallons of racing fuel to a young lady beginning to build a car.
We need a Good sprint car circuit here in Virginia. Plenty of opportunities for stock car but very little sprint car.
Good idea On opportunity Tanner
When I go to races, fans have to sit through track preparations that seem endless. The track could have been prepped much earlier, but they started as we arrived, leading to a late night when we had over an hour ride home. Also, get the cars lined up for the next race and eliminate continuous drive-by before dropping the green flag. Come on, we didn't come to the race to watch a drive-by. Wasting time between races. Many tracks can't seem to get organized for the next race, wasting the fan's time. It's almost disrespectful and rude to the fans. The result is fewer fans. GET ORGANIZED and stop making us sit there waiting for the next race. This is the fault of the people managing the track, or they will lose fan's like me.
Five hour shows for 15 minutes of action the sport is outdated time moves on. And a rich kid like Tanner spending millions of dollars in family money and talking like he has answers is a joke.
What happens next is that you should come east to PA... Set up shop... And have the opportunity to drive for a living.
To start with there are less racers. The 5 division shows at 1 time was 3 classes. You had a street stock, super stock, and a open wheel class. It was you could go to the junk yard get a crashed car fix the body and frame and you put a cage in that was your race car.
Now we have spec frames, spec classes. 2 or 3 types of mods, a street stock, a 4 cylinder class, Late Models, Sprint Cars - Limited, 360 ASCS 360, open 360. Then the 410's.
There are way less small sponsors, Now it's big or not at all. You used to have the local bottle company's now the only do national.
The prize money was back in the 1980's was $1000 to win. 30 years later it's $750 or $1000 to win same class.
You also are having more Girls than boys. Girls are not that aggressive when they race. They also get hips and boobs, makes it harder to race.
Tanner when are you gonna win a local championship? With your social media presence you could really help a track like Skagit for example?
For me. When the Allstars went away and HL snagged alot of racers it ruined my local racing. I am a casual fan. I go to the races 3-6 times a yr. And a majority of the time you could catch a star at Attica without notice. Randomly some big dog would be there. Now their is little to no chance of it. Attica still has great racing. But just doesn't have the appeal that it had prior to the big circuits took over.
We love our local racers and super stars. I like what you do when you’re at our home track, you bring your sprint car to the grandstands. Not to many drivers bring your kind of enthusiasm to there track. Prices on fuel, tires etc is just out of hand. Perhaps local sponsors could give a boost to the purse. Bigger purses attract out of town drivers, all we need is more money. lol
More videos like this one. Everything you say is true.
Im gonna make my own track maybe you should turn your backyard track into a public track for like sharp mini late models mod lites all the micro sprints an mini stock and street stocks
Grandpa always said it takes a fortune to make a small fortune in racing.
So personally i believe that the local sprint car scene in Pennsylvania atleast is still very much alive! They dont call us the PA Posse for nothing! But like someone else in here said “young people do not care about auto racing” and that is 100% a fact, i’m 26 and my friends could care less about sprint cars and they’re all “car guys”
Keith Hall sold Manzanita to some business men in turn they sold it to a construction company behind the backs of its FANS . What a shame. Also the Apache Junction racetrack is no more.!
Get rid of the NASCAR part of the start up front go back to a handicap still start system
Well for the local stars here in Oregon we have Joey tanner calling wineburger you Bryson James and more but yea I do think it’s losing its stuff for local racing
It's not just race tracks, it is also airports. The power of developers and the lure of tax revenue is overwhelming to local governments and the relatively small number of people who object ultimately do not matter. In the end it is all about money.
Where did the west coast Whelen series go And the weekly USAC midgets and the west coast Arca cars and the west coast asphalt trucks I’m done
I would start with going to the local businesses that all profit from the races without pitching in a dime! Hotels, restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores etc.. If you can convince them to contribute money, maybe the purses will be bigger that would bring in more racers, more fans, more money for businesses!
Cali births race car talent! Once success gets to them then they are gone! Sports only live and succeed for the almighty buck! Movie theaters need bars in them! Really? Successful race tracks are at the state run fairgrounds! The fairs with racing during them succeed! They rent their buildings for many social activities year round. Competition sports etc.. Like the fall home shows. In the seventies at the dirt track in Watsonville CA I had a NASCAR license to work in the pits on the cars. My most used tool was a big hammer and a pry bar. Brakes and radiators was our inventory! Get fans involved folks. Make it affordable to participate. Tanner you are spot on in this video! Blessings John T
You going to November classic at Bakersfield speedway
I hope this video helps
We just lost irwindale speedway
#mytrackmyroots
#fuckthemall
Midwest racing is a lot different in my opinion we still have plenty of those local stars that people talk about and we have a lot of the teenage kids going to the tracks every weekend.
I’m in the Midwest and our tracks have such low car counts that they just quit running those classes. The only classes that run are b mods, stock cars and 4 bangers
@ where you located? My locals average about 100 cars a night and they are across the street from each other. Last race was a special and not even a big one and had 173 cars
In this part of your racing career, with the girlfriend competing for your time is rough. But as a 45year old dad who made babies too young and cost myself my career in Nascar that way.
Shrinking car counts because of cost and teck people to make sure cars are safe and legal to run the class ther in
I came by one time when you and your sister were racing at Grays Harbor. You sister broke a titanium in the steering arm and I removed it without damaging the threads. Most likely you don't remember because your head was on driving as it should be. I went to my first race in1962 with my dad at a track called West Capital speedway I started going as a fan there and later Vallejo Speedway then Antioch Speedway. Then in the mid 60s I got on a road race team and we ran a Cam Am type Mid engine car. I became the crew chief Learned a lot by then. I married in 1969 to woman that I am still married to today. She had a child so I didn't have time to race for a few years. Late 70s I got into Dirt racing again. Then I started building what is call shinny's open wheel with a cut down car body. Then they went to full body now they are call IMCA modifies. I built Supermodified car that ran San Jose Speedway at the fair grounds. All these tracks accept Antioch are now closed. We ran Candlestick park (SCCA) until two guys died. The guy I was on his roadcourse team use to talk about a race they had in The park in SF. now closed. So the closed track I raced at as a crew member or crew chief were West Capital (closed) Vallejo Speedway (Closed). San Jose Speedway asphalt (closed) reopened at the Fair grounds Pack the house and now it is (closed). Bay Lands (closed) Altamont speedway asphalt (closed). There was a dirt track in Sacramento that only ran one maybe two races and closed. There were at least the same number of tracks that were roadcourse that are now closed. Calistoga raceway close but there is a group trying to reopen it. So Since 1962 I have seen many tracks close their operations. When we raced at San Jose Vallejo and West Capital we built our own cars. I built the chassis and the wings and the owner built the engines in his engine shop. That kept the cost way down. We were able to run up front too. Way back then we would talk about costs and how out here on the west coast there is just to much other things to do. Boating, camping, fishing, baseball games, football game etc. The stands use to be mostly full with fans. Now I see a big NASCAR race and the stands look like they are maybe 30 percent filled. When I watch you and other guys on RUclips the stand look like there are more race team members in the stands than race fans at times. NASCAR got popular because the fans were able to go up to shake a hand even open to talk a bit. Now it cost a week of wages to sit in the stands and the only time you can see the drivers is when the walk on to the walkway when announced. Fans want to be recognized as a fan. They want to be able to walk right up to their favorite driver. Dirt races need to find ways the celebrate the fans. Maybe tracks could come up with a a game using the number on the ticket. A fan could win a free ticket to a remaining race or three or four smaller prizes free hamburger or nachos or a hat or tee shirt. Do that every race. I am 76 and retired and I can't afford to go to every race in Elma. I can come up with the money but I would have to give up other things to do that. Now it feels like the racetrack are only interested in getting their pound of flesh. The cost to operate has pushed track that way. The fan doesn't think about the cost the track pays just to open the gate. Our government has put on fees for this that and the other thing. Everyone is getting taxed to death. You had sales tax federal income tax state income tax in most states. Property taxes. luxury taxes. gas tax's road use tax. It just keeps going on. People are raising their family's. And their time is spent working to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Racer like you ( I know because I spent decade as one) are so focused of racing. Like everyone else we never noticed that our own government is slowly choking the life out of us. People no longer have extra money to spend out watching a race. If we don't take control of what these politicians do, there will soon be no racing at all.
Its not dead. Its just that my groceries cost $50 more then what it did before. My utilities cost 50% more then it did before.
My rent got jacked up $300 in 3 years.
You see where im going with this.
Im sure if our economy wasn't a disaster, then we would all be at our tracks on the weekends watching.
Pray it's not n hey there n yea you have been racing for a little bit
Here in the pacific nw the tracks payback is embarrassing. We had 35 cars show up for a class at $50 dollar entry fee, plus at least ONE pit pass (help) and the pay out was $200 to win 125 for 2nd and 75 for 3rd. Then 25 bones out the back. The money doesn't add up. We all know when a beer and a hotdog is upwards of 15 bucks, the tracks are making a ton off food and merchandise. WHY rape the people who are putting on the show?