Car Counts!

[Easy E]

I'm throwing this out here, My name is Chuck Eckert, I would like to know anything on where the neets car counts went?? The last to years we had 30+ cars for small class and 30+ for big. I would like to know if it's me or something else,any feed back is welcome. Thx

[Poppop]

I moved to Florida Chuck, that's one.

[Tracy57]

Since Big Diamond cancelled the rest of their enduros for 2013 maybe you'll get some from there. (Just posted on FB last night)

[Erin C]

I read that on the Press Release on their website as well.

"After the completion of the days events, a decision was made by management to cancel the remainder of the Enduro events scheduled for the 2013 season. We thank everyone that did support this years events and the Enduros of years past."

Sucky decision for the locals but could turn out to be a good opportunity for Chuck.

I did not see specifics in car counts, just top 5s. Can anyone provide some insight on the day? We missed this as we were in NY for my birthday.

[kmw]

well i struggled w trans prob til 1130pm nite before giving up
and couldnt make it w/ new car
hope to make the next one , so heres another one to add to the list.
all in all its been hard year for lots of us $$ wise , and some have had alot of life hardships, im sure its frustating to see counts down but all in all 20 cars is good to have in times like these, hopefully the word goes out and we can encourage others,
dont feel bad was only myself and 1 other car showed up for the bridgeport practice for enduros
we hope to get 10 or 12 just to be able to do it more than this time friday nite.
maybe it would help to reach out directly by phone to any of the guys you know who have cars sitting and talk with them, heck if 10 phone calls yield 2 cars its still worth it , justta thought.

[greenflag]

I read that on the Press Release on their website as well.

"After the completion of the days events, a decision was made by management to cancel the remainder of the Enduro events scheduled for the 2013 season. We thank everyone that did support this years events and the Enduros of years past."

Sucky decision for the locals but could turn out to be a good opportunity for Chuck.

I did not see specifics in car counts, just top 5s. Can anyone provide some insight on the day? We missed this as we were in NY for my birthday.

Erin, there were only 12 Four Cylinders and 10 eight cylinders. When I arrived at the track 45 minutes before the event, there were just 3 Eight Cylinders and 8 Four Cylinders. Very sad day indeed.

[glassmanjtf]

I talked to a couple of guys at the race and they said just couldnt afford the hundred dollar fee but were coming to the next race, there is a couple more cars.

[Philter39]

AS you know I like to put my 39 cents worth out. I supported Outlaws opener. But the question is why did some of the NEETS regulars not ?More than likely many different reasons from waiting to see if Chuck would pull it off ,car not ready, not enough money for racing, etc. I Do agree with kmw direct phone calls to as many past competitors is a great idea. But here is the thing. If we who were there want to continue racing enduros at Grandview we need to make those calls today to our friends to get that car ready and come out and support Outlaw enduros, Dont forget to ask family and friends to come out and watch from the stands. I also think having Womens races will bring more cars and people out. In the end we ALL lose if fans and car counts do not stay high enough to support. I think Chuck did a great job in just his first time as a promotor. After all the indecisions I saw at BD Saturday I think Chuck and his team did an outstanding job. As the song goes " You dont know what you got till it's gone ". Dont let it go away. phil

[Maddawg]

I agree, lots of different reasons, but honestly the $100 entry fee was the biggest !!! I know of a couple more cars that weren't ready yet , and of some new ones coming ---
Keep up the good work Chuckster --and the cars will come
Maddawg

[tbirdracer]

my reason was work and did not have ride or motor . i also know some guys just had enough racing and hung the helmet up. do not take it personal. build it and they will come get down and dirt. soon as i have car i will be there! Ray 2ez

[CJfilms]

My few cents....

1. Yes, it always breaks down to money... The good and the bad sides of it...GOOD: Chuck gets more money for the first race allowing him to focus more on pulling off the event rather than losing sleep over financing a race. BAD: No one likes to pay more money than they have previously.
---Truth is, NEETS ran enduros for nearly 7 years at $50/race. There wasn't an increase until just two years ago and it was only $15. An increase to $100 now is not a MAJOR bump in the road for most people, however many newcomers and veteran drivers all will wait to see what the change in price will bring as well as.....

2. Rule Changes/Modifications... I ran races MY way... Chuck runs races HIS way... If you were to start your own series, you would run races YOUR way too... The point here is, "Was what was said to have changed actually changed, or ran the same old way?" I cannot answer that as I am not a racer and I was not inspecting vehicles...whether the rules (OUTLAW or NEETS) were followed, word will spread via word of mouth, internet and emails. There is nothing that any promoter can do to prevent or promote the conversations had privately between drivers. All I can add to this is....when everyone is talking, be it on the forums here, facebook, texts, phone calls, emails or even in the pits after a race.....BE HONEST. If something didn't go your way, don't bash Chuck or his series.

3. The wait and see... As I've just stated, some drivers are holding off from participating to "Wait and See" what happens....what Chuck does...what Kenny does with his water truck...who passes tech...how many cars show up...how many cars are paid out...how much money is paid out...what kind of problems arise and how they are handled...how the show runs...etc... This is the biggest factor that leads up to Phil's quote "You don't know what you've got until it's gone"..... Those who wait it out are waiting for it to end. Stop criticizing every detail and participate while you can. Before you know it, we'll have more drivers in the stands than on the track.

4. Chuck is new at this... That's not me making a joke, it's a fact! Chuck has one race under his belt at this point. He needs YOUR help to make future races possible. Even if Chuck is capable of making all the above issues go away, he can't build and drive 40+ cars in each division by himself... The point is he needs your help understanding where there are issues that need addressing and suggestions on improvements. When people come on here and just post something negative, it won't solve anything........however, if you post about a problem you observed and suggest a solution...you've just made the show more enjoyable for yourself and everyone! It's simple.....you make it possible by participating...

5. Last but not least...persistence pays off. The biggest and most challenging aspect of being a promoter is being consistent! Drivers waiting to see that consistency will consistently see racing go away. Help be a part of the consistency and participate.

[glassmanjtf]

Great response Joe, I think Chuck is doing a great job trying to keep us racing. I am in it for the long haul hope everyone else wants to keep racing on Sunday too !

[madbutcher666]

Thumbs up for Chuck stepping up for us to keep racing! And everyone else who's keeping it going. If theres anything I can do to help, I will.

[Tracy57]

I think the other thing we need to do is try to get some new people involved. it might be too late for that to make a difference this year, but could help next year.

Larry and I got into this when we met Joe and Erin at Schnecksville fair. They were set up there (with cars) promoting NEETS. We had done a few demo derbies, and Josh, Joe and Erin made us recognize it wasn't too much more work to put an enduro car together. Maybe getting a car out to a fair or 2 something might help, at least for next year. Getting those potential people to a racing flea market where you can get seats, nets, etc for lower prices may help too.

as for this season, we're in, the hundred bucks stings a little, but it think there's a lot of little stuff that happens at Grandview in the way the race is conducted that is good, we enjoy being there.

I think Phil was right when he says we got to recruit those that aren't making it and see what we can do to help them get there. We need to lay the foundation for next year by trying to get some new people in.

[greenflag]

When a new fan attends an enduro for the first time it is essential to display our product of racing properly. The racing speaks for itself. Over the past couple of seasons some of the best racing that I have seen is in the enduro classes. We need to convince these new fans to become involved. Once they get to the speedway and see what we have to offer, we just might have gained a few new teams for the future.

The most difficult step is getting the new fans to attend. Grandview Speedway is doing their part. This past Saturday evening during their regular three division show I'm told by several fans that Ernie Saxton plugged the next Outlaw Enduro/Blast From the Past show on three different occasions. That is excellent in my opinion. Getting the word out early is very important, never wait until the final week to promote these events. When I did PR in the past, I always tried to start building up a race early. For instance Big Diamond's Coalcracker is Labor Day Sunday, I usually started writing press releases for the Coalcracker in July and kept at it the best that I could.

Now onto the other point about car counts. I am not a competitor, so it's difficult for me to weigh in on this. But, for the past several years I have feared a car decrease in the Big Cars. As the cars get older, it has to be difficult to find parts. I always thought that four cylinders would really take off in counts but that doesn't seem to be rising much either.

Enduro racing is still a hobby, which is a great thing! Many drivers have family things that they do, and they may miss a race here or there. I think overall, car counts will get better as I stated in another post.

The cars will come I do believe, we just need to work hard at promoting upcoming enduro races. Get the word out, they will come. Weather must work with it also. And don't give up. I know when we post about enduros on sjdr, we get about 100 minus signs lol, but that's okay. The important thing is we keep spreading the word.

[cassady66]

Would like to thank chuck for taking over and giving us a place to race this season. However as many others have stated the 100 dollar fee is rough. Not only is it 100 dollars to race but 30 to get into the pits, 20 to get a transpoder if need one or go out and buy one for yourself for a few hundred dollars. So just for the day your looking at either 130 or 150 dollars to race that day. Not to mention the fact you need gas to get to the track. I know lots of guys are coming from jersey or up schuykill county way. How much does it cost them for the day to get back and forth. That extra 35 dollars to race that might be the differnce of racing or not because some guys may need that 35 dollars to get to the track that day in gas. Plus not to mention you need gas in the race car to race. I know I wouldnt mind paying 100 dollars entry fee if that included my pit pass for the day. Maybe If you wanna keep charging 100 entry fee guarentee the top 5 will be paid out not based on how many cars. Even if 5th place is 30 dollars at least the driver will feel somewhat better at the end of the day that they at least got there money back for getting into pits. If there is 30+ cars or more and more can be paid out there is great but at minimum top 5 should get paid no matter what the car count is for entry fee being 100 dollars.

Also as a 4 cylinder driver watching the first part of the big car and vintage race from the grandstands on the front strech was tough and heard some complaints from people in stands why the enduro didnt get on the track til almost 2 pm. I think the vintage guys need some better communcation on when starting where to line up and what not. Seen alot of them just driving around as flaggers and others were trying to get them lined up. Also dont let kenny water the track so much before there warm ups and first race. It was way to muddy for those guys for the warm up part of there show and it took them awhile to run it in. The enduro is to start at 1 so have the vintage mods be on the track at 1230 for warm ups and have there first race at 1 followed by the enduro. Perhaps the vintage drivers should be ready in there car so when our meeting gets over they can head right out to the track to start there warm ups. That gives them 20 minutes or so until all enduro drivers are ready for transpoder check time. During the transpoder check give the vintage tome to make a few small changes and get back out ready to race there first race and get lined up in a decent matter.Try to keep things running smooth to keep the fans happy in the stands and they will keep coming back.

I think there is a good thing going on at granview once a month on sundays with some small adjustments I think it would be a great thing and get back to car counts being 30+. Also chuck I like your idea of having an open comp race at end of the season and open the rules up like susky does so you can have multiple cars from multiple tracks. With a track the size of granview you do not need the most motor to win so i think an open comp would be good after our regular 6 race season. John #66

[rustyboltz6]

I'm still rebuilding!! I hope to be ready by the June race??? I was in attendance at the first race and think it went well. It was a bit chaotic in the beginning slowing things down and not staying on schedule. It didn't matter to me, but that could lead to some upset fans and drivers who may have travelled farther to get there?? I think moving the cars eliminated some wrecks and didn't effect the "tempo" of the race. I saw some obvious rough riding that didn't get called. Overall, I think it was a good day!! Keep up the good work Chuck!!

[team32]

As of the 2013 racing season opening team 32 was looking forward to running Grandview shows. Team 32 ran into extreme difficult times. Due to that i have decided not to race the 2013 season. There is A very SLIM chance that team 32 will come out at the end of the season but i dout that very much. I have talked to many drivers why I am not going to be there, it was extremely hard for me to talk about it. I have also talked to Chuck Eckert, Joe and Erin about my issue. My goals for the 2013 season is to help the 36 Justen Steigerwalt and the 44 Joel Pilgert. If it would not be for my difficult situation team 32 would be racing the 2013 season. Entry fee was not an issue for me. This was not easy for me to put my personal issue on this forum for everyone to see but enough is enough. GOOD LUCK TO ALL DRIVERS AND CHUCK ECKERT FOR THE 2013 SEASON Sincerly Joe Kunkel

[cassady66]

Hey chuck few ideas to maybe get a few more fans and few more cars over the season. I'm not sure who gets the money for the spectators but maybe you could offer on the saturday night before the show bring last night stub and get in for 5 dollars instead of the normal 7. Also maybe talk to kenny and he would let 3 or 4 drivers bring there cars and park down in the turn 1 area they have set up to help spread the word of enduros at grandview.

[Philter39]

Sorry for what ever issue you are having. But glad you are still part of the equation and helping out. phil

[greenflag]

Hope all works out for you car32.

[Dirtlmracer2]

Good luck to you team 32. Maybe you can join us as a driver at the end of the year

[renegade racer]

i was a racer some of you no me.its great what chuck has done to keep everyone racing.my problem was when he said no ladies class and my daughter wanted to race. i sold my car and bought a go kart for her.i think a reason that people dont show is it is not advertised.not just the racing paper but you have to get local papers and tv in on it.the elite dirt karting seris is going thru the same thing and there paying 1000 to win but no one in the stands. they have some great racing

[greenflag]

Advertising in the area paper or local radio station is definitely a good idea. There are still MANY folks who don't participate in social media.

But as I stated, Grandview does plug the enduro races well. People are made aware of it. We need more competitors to get involved, and to accomplish such a thing, you need more fans. $7 adult general admission to the grandstands is a bargain. Everyone needs to stress that admission price, you can't go wrong.

And then there is weather. We really need Mother Nature to work with us next Sunday. Lets hope for the best. This next race is very important. Good participation on both ends is what we need.

I've often said the past "do us a favor and tell your neighbor". Spread the word. 200 total laps plus two features for vintage cars, only seven bucks.

[madbutcher666]

I know I'm fairly new to Grandview but as for someone who isn't local, I'm from NJ alittle over an hour away, if there was a way to get some local businesses to offer sponsorship to some of us unfortunate poor people such as myself who lives kinda far away. Or even the local drivers who just don't know anyone out there. If I had a business or had family or friends who did, it would be easier for sponsorship, but I don't. And if I had a business myself, I would help others. But I'm just a poor stay at home dad who just loves to race. And I doubt anyone out here who doesn't really know me is gonna sponsor me since I'm not a sprint car or modified weekly driver. I think this might help be an incentive for people who can't afford it 100%. Maybe bring up the car count for new drivers or ones that left who can't afford it anymore? Every little bit helps. Just throwing this out there. Either way I'm racing if I can afford it or not, lol.