I'm getting ready for La Crosse tomorrow and will be taking off work a couple hours early to head down there. The usual stuff, charge all the batteries and make sure I've got everything I'll need. I don't want to forget anything because it's the opposite direction so I can't swing by the house on the way like I do when I'm heading to a track up north.
I'm about to make some personal comments. This is not the opinion of the Midwest Racing Connection or the Cedar Lake Speedway. Anybody who surfs the websites and is familiar with 20/20 knows all the controversy over on that board. It has gotten so bad that I won't post there anymore unless it's racing related information about an upcoming show.
Cedar Lake was the victim of an unfortunate incident involving a sponsor pulling out at the last minute during the awards banquet. More specifically I understand that it was a DTRA points fund sponsor that didn't come through at the last minute. The whole thing escalated into a fiasco on the 20/20 board and was allowed by the board's moderators to get way out of hand. Cedar is under the microscope because they dared to be different and made some changes that were unpopular here in this area that is dominated by the monopoly that I will refer to as the "big W." Again, I won't go into the details other than to say the situation on that board is out of control and is a detriment to racing.
My opinion is that given the circumstances I think Cedar Lake should take a serious look at transitioning away from the classes run by the "big W" for their weekly racing. Perhaps a more affordable Late Model (and I understand they're doing this with some unique motor rules), a limited Sprint Car class, Pure Stocks, Ford Focus Midgets, even Legends Cars on dirt would be an option. This transition couldn't be done overnight but over a period of several seasons. I think the "big W" business model of towing a $300 to win Super Stock 300 miles just to chase national points is outdated. I think the strength of each individual track is going to be the competitors who live nearby if they are committed to a weekly show. Cedar still has the advantage of a great facility (better than anything nearby), huge special events and a large population center. Racers are fickle, give it a little time and some of these other tracks will screw up and guys will get angry about that. In spite of the chatter on 20/20 we won't really know what the fields are going to look like until this Saturday night. The Shawano Rumble is this weekend but only a few of the better funded teams travel to the invitationals. Many drivers (and this is true of all tracks) only run at their home track. This is where the addition of some classes unique to CLS might be a good idea.
Some tracks around the country have taken the emphasis off the weekly racing and run special events. This might be another option for them, specials with groups like WDRL, IRA, USMTS, WoO, Badger Midgets, USAC, big open shows like the USA Nationals. Novelty events like the School Bus night, NASCAR nights, that sort of thing. Have a band after the races and they've got the camping, make a weekend out of it. Of course it's always easy to be an armchair promoter and think of ways to risk somebody else's money. It's going to be a tough market this year and I think we'll see that when things get up and running in earnest. CLS has been under the microscope but people are edgy and it won't take much for these other tracks to upset them.
A little more on 20/20. It's just a hobby board, not a business and the website is not maintained by the person who runs the board. All revenue and advertising rights to go Delphi, it's simply a subscription service that anybody can join much like Myspace or Facebook only in this case it's a discussion forum. So who appointed them as the final authority on racing in the upper Midwest and a place that can in effect make or break a track or series? Furthermore, what fan of auto racing would allow the slander and attacks that we see directed towards tracks or types of racing that do not fit their personal preferences?
Some might think that as someone who has their own board that I'm saying this because I'm jealous of 20/20's success. If anyone thinks that they're missing the point. I have no desire whatsoever to be everything to everyone from eastern Wisconsin to Montana. I've got better things to do with my time than baby sitting something that big. I think when it grows to the point where you can't manage it changes need to be made to get the thing under control.
Operating a board the way it should be run requires frequent moderation and responsible decisions that are going to benefit all of racing. No responsible racing board should allow a sanction, series or their favorite track blind them to what's being said on the board. A board with that much success should have a team of moderators committed to the betterment of the sport and not to a personal agenda. In other words, the "big W" shouldn't be allowed to get so big that it blocks your view and you can't see slanderous posts. Too busy? I'm sorry but you built it, they came and now it's your responsibility to manage it properly.
So that's my opinion. If you're going to set yourself up as the "go to" discussion forum for dirt track racing in the upper Midwest then manage it in a responsible unbiased manner.
So that's my opinion.
By Stan Meissner
No comments:
Post a Comment