A good friend of mine says that gas prices are killing his racing series. They race in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and fuel costs are higher than the race purses. He's lucky enough to have a sponsor who gives him 25k per year but some of the other guys can't afford to run more than a few races.

Eastern Ontario Modified racer Pat O'Brien says that it's not fuel prices that are killing short track racing, but rather the costs associated with making the cars go fast...chassis, engine, and tire costs are ever increasing as well...and they make the price of gas look like a drop in the bucket.

.... But the big problem with high gas prices is it effects all aspects of the short track scene. Fans, teams, and food concessions. The "battle" to get new fans to short track racing just gets tougher when the cost continues to rise.

Look around your local short track and see how may older fans there are. Usually there are a lot -- fans that have enjoyed short track racing for years. But a lot of them are also on fixed incomes.

If the promoter decides to cut costs by making the racing cheaper, the fans base is going to wonder why they have to pay the same price for limited sportsman over the super late models they were used to seeing.

Anyway, we all know this. The only thing that will save short track racing is new fans. And the rising gas prices are not going to help.

The only way to get "new" fans is to get the children of the longtime fans interested...I don't personally feel like there is a great untapped resource of people my age (the coveted 18-30 demographic) who are going to start going to short tracks, no matter what kind of marketing you throw at them.

TommySalami - 05 June 2008 06:47 PM

Eastern Ontario Modified racer Pat O'Brien says that it's not fuel prices that are killing short track racing, but rather the costs associated with making the cars go fast...chassis, engine, and tire costs are ever increasing as well...and they make the price of gas look like a drop in the bucket.

His brother Danny,i think was one of the best Modified racers in N/A with what he had,next to Bear foot......