Reserved Seating at The Racetrack

Reserved seating at the race track is an interesting subject to talk about among race fans. Some love the idea. Some hate it. Myself personally, I like it WHEN it is done properly. I will talk about what it means to do it properly, and talk about my past experiences when it was right. I will also talk about my not so great experiences with it when it isn't done properly and in an organized fashion.

Organized and well prepared reserved seating at a race track can be an absolute blessing for a race fan. It is nice to know you have a guaranteed seat. If you want to get up and walk around, want to get some food, need to use the restroom, or anything else, you know when you come back you will still have your seat. You can also know that if you happen to get to the track late for whatever reason, you are still guaranteed a seat regardless. When done properly, the seats will be marked clearly and well in advance of the event. A good example of this is how tickets are sold for the Illinois State Fair races. The sections are clearly marked (even though they are for multiple reasons outside of just racing). The promoter uses these sections and seating arrangements and sells tickets. It is efficient and organized, and always goes off smoothly.

Reserved seating that is done at the last minute, rushed, and not as prepared as it should be can be a nightmare for race fans. I JUST experienced this myself at Farmer City this evening. It was posted online that at 8 AM that all seats not marked were general admission. That is all well and fine, but they didn't put up signs and start marking until 11 AM. You do the math. There was some tension amongst fellow fans, but with some patience we all settled things in a calm and civilized way. There was some confusion among people who had reserved tickets and those who didn't as to seating. If seats had been marked well in advance, this problem wouldn't have occurred.

Reserved seating, in my eyes, is a good thing. However, to be successful, it HAS to be planned out and marked well ahead of time. Things can't be done at the last minute. It saves track workers as well as fans a lot of hassle if it is efficiently and effectively done.

Racer Nicknames

In the racing world in general, drivers earn nicknames. These nicknames can be picked up for a variety of reasons. One might be based on where the driver is from. Others might be based on their personality. Yet others may be based upon a person's driving style. These nicknames can be found from your local race track up to NASCAR, Formula 1, and so on.
One set of nicknames are based upon where drivers are from. There are many examples I can state that support this. Dirt late model driver Shannon Babb is known as The Moweaqua Missle, since he is from Moweaqua, Illinois. Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa is known as The Muscatine Madman. Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tennessee is known as The Newport Nightmare. These are just dirt late model drivers who have earned their nicknames based on where they are from. Tony Stewart, 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, has a nickname based on where he is from. He is known as The Rushville Rocket since he is from there.
Other drivers earn their nicknames based on their personality. NASCAR driver Carl Edwards is known as Cousin Carl. This is because his cousin, Ken Schrader, gave it based on his calm demeanor. Kevin Harvick is known as Happy. This is kind of an oxymoron. It is kind of based on Happy Gilmore, a character played by Adam Sandler who was a loose cannon golfer. Harvick was early in his career as well, but he has mellowed out some since. Dale Earnhardt was known early on as Ironhead because he was dead set in his ways and no one would get him to change that. Later on he became The Intimidator because of his driving style and image as well.
Other drivers have earned nicknames based on their driving styles. Jason Feger is known as The Highside Hustler. This is because he loves to run his car right up next to the wall on the high side of the race track. Sprint car driver Danny Lasoski is known as Catfish because he likes to run the bottom of the race track. That is where catfish like to be in a lake or river as well. A lot of drivers get the nickname Mr. Excitement. Billy Moyer has earned the nickame Mr. Smooth because of his smooth driving style. He is always in control and rarely erratic. Jimmy Mars is known as The Iceman because of his cool demeanor behind the wheel. He is smooth as well. Tim McCreadie is known as Topside Timmy because of his liking to run the high side of the race track as well. Sammy Swindell, a famous sprint car driver, earned the name Slammin' Sammy because of his willingness to slam the car up on the cushion.
These are just a few of the numerous examples of nicknames that drivers can and do have. Some drivers can have multiple nicknames as well. They are fun for announcers. They are fun for us as fans. Heck the drivers have fun with them for the most part too.

Announcers

One thing you will find out very quickly at a race track, is if the announcer is any good or not. The opinion can be quite subjective at times. I actually think, here in Central Illinois, we are actually blessed with some great announcers at our local race tracks. I have heard some bad ones as well, but I don't want to go on sounding like a negative person.
A good announcer has various qualities. One of the most important is that he knows and can pronounce the names of drivers correctly. Nothing can drive a fan crazier in the stands than hearing an announcer massacre the name of a driver. They also know the sponsors that are on the sides of each driver's car. This shows that the announcer has done his homework and actually pays close attention to details. Another good thing is they have a good delivery. They can call the action as it happens, and don't scream into the microphone. Good announcers also know driver nicknames as well These are all traits of a good announcer.
A bad announcer have their qualities as well. Bad announcers butcher the names of drivers, if they even know who is in what car. I have rarely seen this thankfully. They also don't know nicknames, or don't get them right. Bad announcers also have terrible delivery. They either are too quiet, or too loud on the microphone, and sometimes try to make things more exciting than they are. There is nothing more annoying than announcer trying to hype up a race that is obviously a snoozer throughout the field. Good ones will do this, but don't get carried away like bad ones do.
I know announcing isn't an easy thing. It is something that does require a little natural talent, some practice, and a lot of observation. If your track has a good announcer, let the promoter know it. Thank him/her as well as your announcer. If you have a bad one, let the promoter know it as well, in a kind and polite way. That may be what it takes to get a new announcer.

Race Track Food

There are a lot of things that can be said about race track food. It all depends on the race track, and how good the food is. Most race tracks on average have ok food. It isn't your first choice, but it isn't terrible either. Some tracks do have better food than others. I myself can attest to that fact.
Certain race tracks are/were known for their food. Macon Speedway was known for a long time for their jumbo pork tenderloin sandwiches. Eldora Speedway is known for the pizza burger and the cheddarwurst. Martinsville Speedway is known for it's hot dogs. East Bay Raceway Park is known for its strawberry cheesecake. I can go on an on, but the mere thought of all of this is making me quite hungry. My suggestion on race track food is this. Ask other fans what they think about it, if it's any good, and so on, and don't be afraid to try it yourself. If there is a line at the stand, either service is slow, the food is really good, or a combination of the two. ENJOY!!

Racing and Friendship

Racing is more than a sport we watch for excitement. In a lot of cases, it is a time where we get together with fellow fans whom we have met at the track and became friends with. I have met many wonderful fans at the racetrack, who I became good friends with. They mean a lot to me. Just like all of my friends do. The same goes with drivers who I have met. I know and am friends with numerous drivers as well. We fans will help another out in many ways. If one has car trouble, we are willing to help. We save each other seats in some cases. We are willing to make the beer or concession stand run for our friends so everyone doesn't have to miss out on the racing going on. We get together, enjoy the races, as well as the company of friends as well. It just makes the experience that much more fun. So when you are at the track and don't know your neighbor, don't be afraid to say hello. You might just make a new friend.

Sponsorship in racing

Sponsorship is one of the key things that makes the racing world go round. Whether it be tracks, series, or drivers, sponsors are key in helping fund any of these. Tracks use sponsorships in many ways to help keep things profitable on their part. They can range from money sponsoring a division that is racing to food companies cutting promoters breaks on pricing in return for getting their name out there to the fans. They also help to pay point funds to the drivers at the end of the year. Driver sponsorship dollars go a very long way, especially at the local level, all the way up to the touring series, to helping keep the operation afloat. They aren't strictly just names on the car, this is $$ that buys things such as tires, motors, spare parts, and so on. Touring series use $$ nowadays to pay points funds, purchase television time so the series can get noticed in the national market, and to pay the daily expenses associated with running a series.
At the national and global level, sponsorship doesn't change much in principal. The idea is still the same. The $$ goes to support drivers, series, and tracks to help pay the bills. The big difference is the amount of money sponsors pay out. In NASCAR for example, an average sponsorship per year for a large corporation can range from $20-45 million. In Formula 1, a sponsorship can be $150 million or more. These companies don't pay this out just to help people out. This is a form of global advertising to them. They hope and expect to see returns on their investments.
We as fans come into the equation in this way. We have a driver we like. To support him, we buy products from their sponsors. We know those sponsors are helping keep our driver on the track. This is why sponsors use racing to advertise. They realize we are willing to buy products if they support our favorite drivers. For them, as well as the driver, it is a win-win situation.

Track Preparation at the Dirt Track

In dirt track racing, track preparation is probably the single most important thing in the eyes of a driver outside of making sure the purse money is paid. Track prep can make the difference in a track that is racy, multi-grooved, wet, and smooth, and one that is rough, dry, and one grooved. Tracks can end up in a combination of those listed above. Last night was an example of mixed track conditions at Macon. It rained a lot, so it was plenty wet. It kept getting quite choppy in spots, so it was rough. Drivers had more than one place to run, so it was at least partially multiple grooved. The promoter, Bob Sargent, did everything he possibly could to make the race track smooth. It kept tearing out in turns 1 and 3, and made for quite a rough racetrack for the drivers. I heard that from a couple of them I know, and even one of the feature winners said that in his interview. This promoter is known for having good race tracks, and working to fix ones that aren't. Rain, plus new dirt helped contribute to what happened there. He literally did everything he could, grading multiple times and using a harrow behind a tractor to try and tear it up so it would pack, then come back up smooth. It just wouldn't come back up smooth. It was smooth for practice on the Wednesday before, so I don't expect this to be a recurring thing. Every track can have an off night. This wasn't as bad as another track in Ohio, Eldora Speedway, known to many as the Big E. The track literally got so bad, they canceled the show after hot laps, due to track conditions. It was very dusty and rutted, and it was deemed unsafe to race on by track and USAC series officials. Eldora is going to be dusty regardless due to the sandy clay that is native to that area of the country. The degree to how dusty it is varies. Track preparation is something that it is easy to see if the effort has been put in by a promoter. A good track promoter will be out working on the track throughout the week, as well as on race day. When you get to the track early in the morning for a big show and the promoter is out on the grader or out watering, doing some form of track prep, odds are the fans and racers will be rewarded with a quality racing surface that night. When you get there at 1, and the promoter doesn't go out until 2:30 to even start on track prep, odds are it could be smooth, but it may be quite dry and possibly even dusty. Just remember, if the track isn't perfect, and the promoter gives it their best effort to fix it, that is all we as fans can ask. If the track is in great shape, thank the promoter for a good track that night if you see them. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!