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Opening night and the preparation for it can be hectic, but it is also not the time to cut corners. Kitchen equipment must be ready to go, the PA must work, the track must be in shape, and new employees must be up to speed, but as important is the place itself. How did the facility weather the winter? Do buildings need paint? Is signage shabby? Are parking lots graded, mowed, and standing tall? Most important, are the restrooms freshly painted, perfumed from cleaning, or instead dank, and an afterthought? The opener is your one chance to prompt fans to say to themselves, “My they’ve been working hard here to make this a place my family can come to,” and entrants to say, “Wow, they care about us and they’ve made the pit area nicer!” There is never the second chance to make a first impression.

Copyright 2010-2012, Racing Promotion Monthly, a service to promoters sponsored by K&K Insurance Group, Inc. and Hoosier Racing Tire Company.

Why every spring do we read short track Tweets discussing last Sunday’s Cup race from short tracks whose fans are hungry for information on THEIR FAVORITE LOCAL DRIVERS?  Are we so unimaginative that we must parrot SceneDaily and sell someone else’s racing instead of breaking news or creating conversation about our new season, or the drivers in our own pits?   It may be only a short-lived 140 characters, but it’s still a shamefully wasted opportunity and a strategic blunder.  Your fans are anxious to hear about your drivers, your sanctioning group, your track’s events and personnel.  We remember as a young fan, how we couldn’t wait to hear what was going on, and called friends to shoot the breeze to see what drivers and crews were doing, and what new events would take place.  It was hard to find it out then.  Now it’s easy for you to tell people.  Feed the anticipation, who’s bringing out a new car this year?  Who has reunited with a crew chief from whom they we estranged?  Which driver just returned from a pre-season honeymoon or celebrated the birth of a daughter?  All these things build bonds between fans, drivers, and your track.  The enthusiasm created makes them more loyal followers of your racing and prompts them to buy tickets more often.  Don’t Tweet about someone else’s racing, Tweet about yours!

Copyright 2010-2012, Racing Promotion Monthly, a service to promoters sponsored by K&K Insurance Group, Inc. and Hoosier Racing Tire Company.

Think back to last season.  Did you have more than one or two one-car spins any race night?  If you did, you must ask yourself whether your starter works for you or for the drivers.  Since hard tires and competition parity became common, too many shows have too many spinouts, caused either by drivers’ unnecessary abandon, or by drivers’ desire to draw a yellow to improve track position.  The reason for the yellow doesn’t matter as much as the damage done to the show.  Drivers will spin until they are made to stop and when they spin too much, fans lose patience and stay away from the track.  This season, work with your starter, and with drivers.  Tell your starter, corner workers, and drivers that you will not tolerate unnecessary spins or the overuse of yellow flags.  Establish a so-called “no-spin” or “no-stop” rule to discourage over-exuberant drivers, or those who use the solo spinout as a track position strategy.

Copyright 2010-2012, Racing Promotion Monthly, a service to promoters sponsored by K&K Insurance Group, Inc. and Hoosier Racing Tire Company.

Looking for some media attention to kick off the season at the first event?  Time demands on today’s radio, TV, and newspaper reporters mean more than ever you must have a catchy hook to get their attention.  As important, you must do everything possible to make their visit quick, and productive.  For a hook, typical driver stuff, example: “Multi-time Champ Returns,” won’t do it, but an unusual human interest story will, especially if it has a local tie-in.  Look for ties between your drivers or your track and popular causes, fund raising, community services, etc.  At the track, make the reporter’s entry quick and barrier free.  Assign an ambassador to accompany him or her. Prepare those who will be interviewed, so they set aside time.  Background the reporter so they are up to speed.  Tell the driver how you backgrounded the reporter, so he or she knows what’s ahead.  Pre-plan for photo-ops and photo backdrops.  Have handy your wired or wireless hotspot login info so, if necessary, the reporter can file the story before leaving the premises.  Call or write them afterward and express your appreciation for their reportage.

Copyright 2010-2012, Racing Promotion Monthly, a service to promoters sponsored by K&K Insurance Group, Inc. and Hoosier Racing Tire Company.

It’s no longer exclusively about the racing though the racing must be as good as ever. It’s about the experience of being there. Especially new young fans, and even the graying fan that recently joined the “Facebook generation,” expects an experience that engages them, announcing and activities in fan areas that involve the racing personalities, track officials, the races, and the digital media they thrive on.

Copyright 2010-2012, Racing Promotion Monthly, a service to promoters sponsored by K&K Insurance Group, Inc. and Hoosier Racing Tire Company.