Dear Santa, can you bring these things to the world of short-track racing?
Merry Christmas, Circle Track Readers!
It’s been a little while since I put together a wish list of any kind for good ol’ Santa Claus. By this time, he seems to know that I like things with the Edmonton Oilers logo on it, and anything that can make my life a little easier and more fun. And thanks for the Ninja Bullet. I love smoothies. But I figured it’s time to channel my inner 8-year-old self and go back to the days of circling items in the toy catalog.
Like I said, I like things that make my life easier and more fun. A good day at the racetrack would make my life easier and more fun—so would a good season. I think that would be good for all of us, right? So, here goes my wish list for short-track racing. If Santa can’t deliver, maybe we can work on these things together.
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Simplifying Rules. Santa, reading some of these rulebooks makes my head hurt for a few reasons. The biggest reason is the cost of racing. Sure, there need to be classes that should use the highest-end products and the best of everything. There are racers out there who can afford it. But can’t we come up with a cheap Late Model or Modified for everyone else? And when we do develop those classes, can’t we keep them at the baseline where they start? I remember the birth of Limited Late Model classes. Now, some of those classes have $30,000 motors and expensive shocks. They’re basically a part or two away from being a Super Late Model.
Which brings me to my next point on this, Santa—why do we have so many classes that are basically the same thing? I’ve been to tracks with three kinds of Late Models, four kinds of Stock Car, and so on. From the grandstands, they all look the same. It gets confusing. How about we stop inventing classes and just clamp down on the ones we have now? For the weekly divisions, we can have an economical Late Model, Modified, Stock Car, and Four Cylinder. The big-buck-type Super Late Models and Mods can do their touring gig. This one might take some doing, Santa. But I have faith in you. You did bring me that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Van I asked for when I was 7.
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Can’t we all just get along, Santa? I’m pretty sure when you’re making your list and checking it twice, you’re probably starting by going to everyone’s Facebook page. Before you start putting names on lumps of coal, please remember racers and fans are passionate, and sometimes they don’t really mean what they say on social media. That’s why the delete button is there. I’ve been guilty of it, too. So maybe, Santa, can you help us all start thinking about the consequences of what we post online? Now, more than ever, we live in a world of instant news, controversy, debate, and more. And even though that delete button is there, someone always seems to screen cap something. Maybe we should all have a rule for ourselves to wait a few hours after a race before we decide to post anything. Instead of taking our beef to the world, we could just go talk to the promoter, tech guy, or flagman. If you bring us some patience, we could save you some money on coal next year. The fossil-fuel market is extremely volatile; you never know when those prices will skyrocket.
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Last wish here, Santa. This one is important. Can we have more of our fans back, please? We’re not entirely sure where they went. They might have gone to start watching NASCAR races, then lost interest. They might have their noses buried in their iPhones. If that’s the case, can’t we get them back? At some point, they liked racing. We’d like to help them refuel that passion. Watching 100 Weekend Warriors battle on a quarter-mile sure beats anything I’ve seen on TV or any app I have on my smartphone.
Help us get creative, Santa. There are a lot of other ways people spend their entertainment dollars. Give us a few ways to show them why we’re better than spending way too much money on movie popcorn. There has to be a way to get them involved with their smartphones on the premises or fun promotions to enhance the experience. Minor League Baseball and hockey do some of those things. Can you help us use a few of their ideas to draw in new fans? We’re pretty sure once we get the fans in to see our product for the first time, or for the first time in a while, they’ll like what they see.
Thanks for reading, everyone. We at Circle Track hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Let’s hope with Santa’s help, we can make 2017 an awesome year for short-track racing!
The post Off the Mic: My Short Track Racing Christmas Wish List appeared first on Hot Rod Network.