Pit stop #1 ?
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the ?Tape it up for TP? event and the special memorial presentation races a couple of weeks ago in honor of Tom Powell.? The racing community never ceases to amaze me.? Teams and fans alike continue to step up in big numbers to support those in need.? Although we know that TP can?t be replaced, J.T. Anderson did a tremendous job of replicating the entertainment value that Tom gave to the fans across the country.? I?ve heard through the grapevine that there is video of the night and hope to see it one of these days.? One of the hardest things in life is to publicly step to the microphone and attempt to convey the loss of a true friend.? Bob Fredrickson and Greg Larson did it with grace and eloquence.? It was a race night I won?t soon forget, and a true friend I won?t soon forget.
Pit stop #2 ?
There?s another good reason that I won?t soon forget that night of racing.? The racing itself was some of the best I?ve seen lately around the Midwest!? From the dominance of Danny Fredrickson to the incredible Thunder Car battle between Ted Reuvers and Brent Kane, each and every division put on a heck of a show.? Fredrickson gave notice that he?s the one to beat by showing a ton of patience before getting the lead, and then motoring away for the win.? He?s set the bar at a pretty high level for this early in the season and it will be interesting for fans to watch and see if he can continue that dominance.?
Pit stop #3 ?
The media in the Twin Cities continues to give absolutely NO respect to the sport of auto racing.? This morning?s edition of the Star Tribune has a huge article on local ?second tier? sports attractions and their quest for increasing their fan base.? There is not a mention of auto racing.? It?s all about the St. Paul Saints (baseball), the Minnesota Lynx (women?s basketball), Canterbury Park (horse racing), the Minnesota Swarm (indoor LaCrosse) and a team I?m willing to bet you?ve never heard of?the NSC Minnesota Stars which happens to be a pro soccer team.? Yes folks, for $30 you too can sit field level at a Stars game and watch grown men, most with strange names, kick a ball back and forth, back and forth, back and forth (starting to get the picture?) until you?re blue in the face.? How about $175 for court side Lynx tickets?? You have to be a huge LaCrosse fan to pay $82 for a chance to sit where the Swarm players can actually sweat on you!? There are some marketing lessons to be learned from the article, such as not what to do!? The Stars planted 2,000 scarves around the metro area that included two free tickets to their season opener?a total of 4,000 free tickets.? Just over 1,400 attended the game?some actually paying to get in!
Here?s the beef.? Why wasn?t auto racing included in this article?? The sport deserves respect and just doesn?t get it.? Heck, Strib?writer Jim Souhan?lives in Lakeville.? Yes, 10 miles from Elko Speedway?and you wonder if he even knows the track exists.? It?s really quite sad when the sport is in need of a boost and the local media simply looks the other way.? By the way, Super Late Model teams from bottom to top get more in payout than rookie players for the Saints get.
Pit stop #4 ?
Time to get off the soap box!? Spend some time to take a close look at the variety that is offered on the Elko Speedway schedule this year and talk to friends that aren?t necessarily into auto racing about some of the ?other? promotions they might be interested in.? Whether it be the Racing and Rock Series, RAW nights, Eves, etc. there is a terrific schedule of events with something for everyone.? Let?s all work together to help put the fans into the stands and grow the sport!
Source: http://chriscornerblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/pit-stops/
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