car counts vs too many classes

latemod

Member
with the ongoing talk of low car counts I often wonder on a normal race night what is the break even point with the tracks. Meaning how many cars in the pits and fans in the stands to make money. I think there are to many classes that are close together we have a & b mods crates and super lates. it would seem that they would take cars from each other. street stocks are going away is it because its harder to find the factory frame that the class uses? I am a race fan for now some 40 years but I have never seen the sport I love in the shape that its in. drivers and owners I would like to hear your ideas on what can be done to make it more economical for more people getting involved. Promoters and track owners your ideas too.
And concerning classes & track size are the owners and drivers telling us by there actions that it cost to much money to run the big tracks on a weekly basis? this past weekend late model care count Pevely 17 Highland 25. Highland has had more late models on an average than tri city or Pevely. this is not to bash any tracks just an observation. let's get involved before we are telling stories about the racing that use to excist around here.
 
I believe Tri city is too big for the weekly racer, we saw last week only 12 midgets there. They should have kept the quarter mile in my opinion
 
I think most tracks have to many classes lets face it, most people come to see supers and amods not that there shouldn't be any other classes but I think when those classes cant go a lap or 2 with out a yellow it causes fans to loose interest in the show and they start leaving so then you lose food and drink sales as well. I think 3 classes are enough as far as track size I think st.louis area tracks are perfect size if it was up to me I would like to see the 1/2 mile back in action but we know that's not goanna happen to many cry baby's with that
 
The only way to solve the problem of car counts vs. too many classes is to compromise with the a mods and b mods and meet in the middle with them... Run smaller engines with steel block and heads. Quick change rears and 4 bar. Save the all aluminum big motors for the late model class. Make the mods the affordable class and run hornets as the third class
 
Last edited:
I think the car counts suffer when the promoters quit caring about their drivers. I have been to many race tracks. The ones who always have good car counts are also the ones whose promoters are in the pit area all night. They also follow the same rules for everyone.
 
I think that the classes for most show should be super lates, A mods, and street stocks. Not just because I have a street stock either, alot of your average fans don't care to watch 2 classes of late models or 2 classes of modifieds. Most dont know the difference, Especially when alot of the times you you can't see the difference. They street stock class adds something different that they see and think "man I can go home and build one of them"
 
we can't ask Kevin or Ray to tear down their tracks we need to find things that work for all the big tracks as well the small ones. and we as race fans need to branch out and learn to appreciate the drivers in the other classes. i to went to tri city friday night to see the midgets and i to was very disappointed can't blame Kevin for no cars showing up with a traveling series. i just want to see racing with more than 10 cars so i dont care for 6 classes if you are only going to have 10 cars in the class.
 
Tracks that cater to big money teams have hurt this sport...I'd rather promote a race that had 40x10 grand cars then have 10x40 grand cars...not sure why it is so hard for people to understand that :(
I've said it many times...get smart and come up with an entry level race car that a family can purchase it as a kit at autozone,Oreilly's or what ever then take it home and put it together in the family garage and come out and have a blast
People that say oh you must have late models weekly to have a good show are full of it. Ive been to several races down here in Miss and Alabama that had nothing but Mod's with the main event being the Mississippi street stock's and the stands were full..It can be done if you structure the classes correct and pay a good pay out to draw good looking and fast cars
 
As a Fan i hate seeing Crate models and B mods/A mods at the same show. It looks dumb. Practically the same cars racing twice

If they could find middle ground to bring the A and B mods together, and make a the class larger that would be cool?

If you want a slower late model just run a sportsman? i remember as a kid i thought a lot of the sportsman cars at belleville looked like baby late models

I miss seeing street stocks as i liked the variation in car bodies and looks
 
how many lates are from the highland area, I've said it many times...get smart and come up with an entry level race car that a family can purchase it as a kit at autozone,Oreilly's or what ever then take it home and put it together in the family garage and come out and have a blast they did its called 4 cyl but rules are not enforced properly
 
I had a friend who quite racing pro 4 because of the guys getting out of hand. He said guys were reflashing computers and what not.

A kit car would be sweet
 
they were also putting brand new crate motors in in 4cyls and then taking them to a engine builder/tuner to get even more of it you want a a good answer look up oakshade raceway and see what they are doing
 
The only way to solve the problem of car counts vs. too many classes is to compromise with the a mods and b mods and meet in the middle with them... Run smaller engines with steel block and heads. Quick change rears and 4 bar. Save the all aluminum big motors for the late model class. Make the mods the affordable class and run hornets as the third class
its not as and b s leave the a alone drop sportsman and street their are too many classes running the same speed
 
I agree on too many different classes. Not just at a track but in dirt racing in general. It waters down the competition and the result is classes where one or two guys dominate every night against a small field of cars.

On a different note...I've been to a lot of different tracks to watch and race over the last few years....the ones we have in the St Louis area are at the very top of the list and I'm not just saying it because it's my home.
 
The track out here runs a lot of classes. Average car counts of 5-10. I won't even take the time 1 hour. To drive out there for a race.

They host an imca mod race once a year and I want to go to that this year but it's the only one that draws cars and iirc it had 20 or so last year
 
part of the problem is you have good drivers retiring without new blood coming in, maybe give the guys with the 604 or ct 525 more weight breaks and bigger spoiler if that could help
 




Back
Top