Hey Chad.....

[racingumby]

Don't let this guy get to you.... There is only one person that posts on here that has been fired as the CID track manager, and it isn't you. All I heard from the guys that raced up there last year was how bad it was ran. Obviously, the money man heard the same things and eliminated what seems to be everyones common complaint. Will it be any better this year... Hell, who knows. But I give the guy kudos for not throwing in the towel and giving it another go. Hey if you want a chuckle, I was talking to a certain multi multi time class champ recently, and he was telling me the reason he doesn't get to use the Gold card he won last year. You'll have to ask hm about it, it will explain a bunch!

I am going to try and run some NMRA stuff this year, but maybe I can wire me a box in that thing and come up and play in the sandbox too. Hope all is well for you and the family and I hope that wife of yours is still keeping you in line and keeping that Barney car clean for you.
Mike

[chad378t]

Good to hear from you mike. Sure miss seeing you at that track. I see Greg Frankiln every now & then and rag on him about selling that bike and coming back. Oh....it doesn't really bother me. More of an annoyance than anything. Know what your saying though.

I'll tell ya...I like that heads up stuff. Just can't afford it. Last two years have been slim racing with the girls being born and the economy. We have plans to run as much as I want this season. Hopefully, Havana will be decent but, I like to travel some too. I have that piperack now too with a Mopar in it so I am going to run the Monster Mopar races. Maybe hit Eddyville one a holiday weekend.


Honestly, it's not near as fun as the old days when places had 60+ cars and so many pranks were being pulled at night and between rounds on each other. Lot's of good times!!

Hope to see you around this year!! Momma bear says hello.

[bobg]

I gave GOLD CARDS as part of the 2011 Track Championship in all classes.
It was the new manager that refuses to honor them.

I honored the Gold Cards that Jacklyn gave out along with the pit space money she collected.

I'll ask you Gumby.... What did I do that was any different than any other track?

I was flat screwed over by Frank and he knows it.
I still have copies of our contracts and anyone is welcome to read them.

[racingumby]

Here is your answer Bob...
From what I have heard from numerous racers up there, it was several things. Some you had control of and some you did not. Not listening to the racers, poor track prep, lack of some real safety/EMT presence and all that childish in-fighting you guys did up there and on the net made CID look like a real joke in 2011.

But, I think the main reason why that drag strip has struggled for all these years is a simple one word answer.... MARKETING.

You cant pay every race purse, electric bill, insurance, etc. out of the track's pocket from only the days gate and concessions. I think to be truly successful in a race track venture you need not only the local businesses support, but you need some of their advertising $$$'s as well. A free set of tires or a free photo guy is great, but that doesn't help pay the purse or pay the other bills that go with running a track. I see 10 good sponsors on CID's site. But when I look at the schedule, not one race is sponsored by any of them. Not one bonus bucks race is sponsored by any of them either. A sponsorship has to be more than a sign on the fence or helping with a dinner at the end of the year. A true "sponsor" needs to be a working partner willing to step up financially in some shape or form during the race season. Giving tires, pictures or other donations is awesome and the track needs that too, but it makes them just that, a donor.

Now on the flip side of that coin, look at CCD's sponsor page where there are 60+ sponsors . Now I am sure some of these are donors also, but others DO sponor races and other special events.
www.colescountydragwayusa.com/sponsors/sponsors.htm

Next pull up their schedule page and look at all the "Sponsored" races.
www.colescountydragwayusa.com/schedule/schedule.htm

Almost every race they have is backed by one of their sponsors. I would guess that these sponsors are probably not paying 100% of the purse for their race, but whatever help they are giving to the track for these races just takes that much more pressure off the track's bottom line for that day.

It boils down to the fact that you cant just show up on Sunday and open a gate, spray a "little" glue and hope the racers just show up. You have to work to make these things happen and to make them profitable. If you want my honest opinion for 2012, I will give it to you. I don't see any changes this year that will make the track any more profitable than it was 2011. The payout just isnt there and neither is the "I wanna go there" factor that a track needs to have to be successful. The two nostaglia races will bring nice crowds to the track, but that isnt anything new. The track has supported the nostaglia weekends for 20 years. They need new events and some fresh ideas or that place is on its last leg......

[ertarcb]

how about some rice burner gruge races or a shootout for the the ricers. it would take some advertising but it might draw some of them to the track

[racingumby]

Crickets......