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Ocala Speedway's takes gamble on surface switch
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Location: Blogs Running Wide Open |
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| Posted by: Joe VanHoose |
2/29/2008 7:42 AM |
You can feel the optimism and octane in the air as Ocala Speedway opens up for the 2008 season tonight. It's an optimism that hasn't been around the 3/8-mile oval for quite some time.
Ocala Speedway isn't just another small town bullring. The track happens to be the oldest in the state, even older than Daytona. If that doesn't give the place a little prestige, the track owners want to make sure it gets a little more.
The short track racing industry is a dying one, and it's been dying for some time. Cars are expensive to build and maintain, fuel and tire costs are high, and track insurance rates have skyrocketed. The general trend for any track in Florida is for both car and fan counts to go down.
That trend will be bucked tonight at Ocala Speedway, but only because track owners Mike Peters and Angie Clifton challenged the status quo. The two decided to put 350 truckloads of dirt onto the asphalt track in hopes of reinvigorating the driver and fan base.
So far, the risk looks like it's paid off. Peters has 52 late models pre-registered for tonight's $3,000-to-win United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series race. To put that in perspective, the track's premier race last year, the $5,000-to-win Powell Memorial, brought in 26 late models.
That's the same number as the number of drivers who won't qualify for tonight's feature. Talk about a quality field.
As successful as tonight may be, this won't be the measuring stick for success Ocala Speedway achieves this year. The real question will present itself next week, when the weekly classes race without a special event. What will the car counts and grandstands look like in July when the newness of dirt racing has worn off?
I think they'll look pretty good, pretty full, showing proof that the racing industry has gone full circle.
When the first rash of short tracks started popping up in the South, all of them were dirt tracks. Then NASCAR started getting popular and local tracks followed suit. That meant the dirt was covered by asphalt, and stock cars began looking more like race cars.
But now, asphalt racing doesn't work anymore. Local drivers - most of them, at least - can't afford $200 tires, fancy suspension pieces and race engines. The product of single-file parades with the fastest cars leading is no longer appealing to the average race fan.
Dirt racing, by contrast, is a little cheaper for drivers because they don't have to blow money on new tires and big engines to compete. Cars can run anywhere on the racetrack and pass each other. Track promoters can pay out smaller purses because dirt racers don't spend as much money.
Peters saw the trend and made this permanent change. Will it be a change for the better?
I can't wait to find out.
Joe VanHoose may be reached at joe.vanhoose@starbanner.com or 352-867-4124. |
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