Fan Commentary

What TRAC Needs to Do

by Grandstand Bob

The Team Racing Auto Circuit has a very steep uphill climb ahead of it; however, since NASCAR seems set on feeding it a market, the challenges aren’t insurmountable. With a focused effort and clear vision, they could, in fact, become serious rivals to larger stock car racing circuits.

Without a doubt, the first thing they need to do is win over fans. That seems too simple to even write, but some much larger stock car sanctioning bodies seem to have forgotten the principle that the customer is first. If TRAC can stir the kind of loyalty and passion that was once prevalent among stock car fans, there will be a huge market for their commodity.

Simple enough, but how do they get fans? Two ways: learn from the mistakes of other sanctioning bodies and correct those mistakes. This seems too easy, doesn’t it?

It is too easy, because I’ve intentionally left out the part about money. That’s the sticker in the whole deal – TRAC must come up with the cash to convince people to take them seriously. Any entrepreneur knows the challenge of coming up with enough operating capital to do what is necessary to take a business from concept to reality. This situation is no different.

It’s completely unrealistic to think that TRAC will be able to boast of big names in their series right off the bat. The top Winston Cup and Busch drivers are mostly happy pulling in millions – apparently happy enough to avoid rocking the boat too much. In short, don’t look for a mass exodus of your favorite drivers. At least, not right away.

But, are all the talented, exciting drivers already driving cars in the top series, whether that is open wheel, stock car or other? Hardly. Anyone who has ever visited a local track knows that there are a ton of really talented drivers trying to make something of their careers, without the benefit of big-time sponsorship and the equipment that comes with this financing. Since they don’t have a ton of cash helping them launch their careers, it’s extremely difficult for them to land a top-level ride.

Now, if TRAC could dip into this pool of underfunded drivers, kind of like baseball does with its minor leagues, they could pull out some real talent with some very compelling stories. Imagine some dirt-poor kid from an obscure town in the Midwest getting plucked from a local track and finding success in the big leagues. Fans, many with dreams of their own, would be quick to embrace him. When fans embrace him, sponsors will follow. And, that’s really a big piece of the puzzle.

Auto racing at any level isn’t cheap, so big-time sponsors with big-time money are necessary. TRAC’s plan is to have teams owned by high-profile groups in major metropolitan markets. The way that I understand this, it would be like having members of the Braves and Falcons own a team, which would attract people in the Atlanta area. You can imagine the power of catching this crossover audience, which maybe hasn’t previously had an interest in stock car racing. With this fan base, sponsors will come.

When sponsors and money come, television will follow. If the right TV deals are in place, fans in all locations, with only basic cable, will be able to watch every race. If the racing is good, they will become loyal, planning their weekend around the race. But the racing has to be good.

As some of the larger sanctioning bodies have proven, even with big-time sponsors and lucrative TV deals, the racing sometimes isn’t at the quality it should be. TRAC has a plan for this also. They plan to race technologically equal cars, and thus put the racing on the track in the hands of drivers and crews, rather than in the wind tunnel and in the hands of fabricators and engineers. Sounds, kind of like stock car racing, doesn’t it?

Of course, you have to put those cars on tracks where competitive racing is possible, even probable. That means getting away from the large flat tracks, and going toward the banked short tracks. Look at the attendance records for places like Bristol and Richmond. That should tell you what fans want.

Good racing and healthy teams are two parts of the three-part puzzle. The third, and most critical, component to TRAC’s success is meeting fan expectations. We’re not unreasonable people – we just want to be treated fairly and to have a sport that we feel is responsive to our needs. TRAC can be that sport, if it does the following things:

Keep prices low, and make fans comfortable at the track. Don’t charge for parking. Don’t put silly bans on coolers and bags. Seek out vendors who can offer good products at reasonable cost. Allow the purchase of tickets to single races.

This seems almost too easy, doesn’t it? In all honesty, these recommendations might be a little bit simplistic, but I believe that most of what TRAC needs to do is simple. If they can put this all together, fans will come.

What do you think? If I've missed something here, please write me at bob@arsracing.com, and I will include a select few comments in an upcoming column.

Grandstand Bob Profile and Past Columns

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.