Supported Your Local Track Lately?

Originally Posted on June 4, 2006 on Foxsports.com

I spent the last two nights at my local track.  My local dirt track.  I am continually amazed by the loyalty shown by local fans.  Some are there to support their friends and neighbors who are racing, but many are there because they love racing.  It makes me feel guilty for not going more often.

I think the proliferation of Nascar races has done damage to the local track scene.  Each fall another half-dozen local tracks close due to poor fan turnout, rising insurance costs, and "progress" (ie more housing/shopping malls). 

Nascar now races Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.  I confess it is easier to stay at home and watch the race in my air conditioning, my own bathroom without waiting lines, and whatever I want to cook or order in to eat. 

But I lose out on the spectacle of racing - the pageantry of the pre-race line-up, the interesting conversations with other fans, the excitement of watching a car slice through the field to get to the front, and the fun of tramping through the mud to get to the pits to talk with whomever you find there after the race. 

The Nascar and open wheel stars of tomorrow are out there waiting to be "discovered."  Already many USAC drivers have the eye of  team owners - drivers like Bryan Claussen, Josh Wise, Levi Jones, Jay Drake, and Tracy Hines.   Drivers like Denny Hamlin races at local tracks until the opportunity arose to go to Nascar.

But without fan support at the local track, these future stars will not have places to race, as these tracks will be gone.

Also lost will be the opportunity for fans to watch the race - and bring their friends with them.  The cost of attending a local track race is a fraction of the cost of a Nascar race.  In theory, it can be done for less than $20 a person. 

So, how long has it been since you supported your local track?  Why haven't you gone?