Comments for Save Nashville Speedway

Comment on Bob Reuther by Save Nashville Speedway » Blog Archive » RIP: Bob Reuther (1927 - 2008)

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:20:11 +0000

[…] Our First Champion: http://savenashvillespeedway.com/blog/2007/12/27/bob-reuther/ […]

Comment on Typical Attitude or Abberation? by Interested Parties : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee

Interested Parties : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:33:21 +0000

[…] Glen Harness notes the presence of outside agitators in the debate over the future of Nashville’s fairgrounds: If we don’t do something soon, racing in Nashville will be a thing of the past. If you’re a race fan, take off the morning of the first Tuesday of the month and go sit in on the Fair Board meeting. The “neighbors” (I put that in quotes because from what I can tell, they’ve brought in outside “neighborhood activists” to attend the Fair Board meetings) are certainly there at every meeting. […]

Comment on Bob Reuther by Save Nashville Speedway » Blog Archive » Keep our first champion Bob Reuther in your prayers

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:43:59 +0000

[…] http://savenashvillespeedway.com/blog/2007/12/27/bob-reuther/ […]

Comment on Taylor Ryman by HeatherChase

HeatherChase — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:34:21 +0000

Grandson of Paul “Fot Boy” Ryman

Comment on Tennessean Story on Consultant Report by Glen Harness

Glen Harness — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:42:24 +0000

Thanks Rob.

Comment on Tennessean Story on Consultant Report by Rob S

Rob S — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:55:36 +0000

I was at the meeting,and it appeared that there were about as many people there as there were at the public meetings in January. The meeting was only for Markin Consulting to explain where they are in their study. There were no oral comments taken, though there were sheets of paper where comments could be written. The Powerpoint slides will be put on Markin’s website. The future of the track does not appear to be as ominous as The Tennessean made it sound in today’s paper. They basically said that if racing was going to continue at the track, some sanctioning body changes should be made, or the fair should take over operation of the track itself. They did not recommend tearing the track down, though they did not support it either.

Comment on Markin Consulting’s Fair Assessment by Glen Harness

Glen Harness — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:10:56 +0000

Rob, I hope you’re going to be at the meeting on the 28th. Hopefully Markin knows about the conditions you talk about here. While I certainly don’t expect the track to make as much money as it did when it had major touring series coming, $50,000 certainly seems like way too little for that facility.

Comment on Markin Consulting’s Fair Assessment by Rob S

Rob S — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:31:47 +0000

While I agree that $50,000 in revenue is not enough for the speedway to be considered worthwhile to the fair board, they need to realize that the landscape of stock car racing itself is much different than it was 10 years ago. There are several reasons for this, and I think when combined, they could account for much of the $350,000 difference in revenue.

In 1997, there were 12 Busch and Craftsman ruck races at tracks which also hosted weekly events. In 2007, there was one such race between the two series (CTS- Mansfield).

Also, in 1997, both TNN and ESPN often televised races of lower divisions (ASA, ARCA, All Pro), now only Speed shows anything beyond Nascar’s “Big 3″. Even then, those events are rarely live (with the exception of ARCA) and are usually condensed to an hour. The demise of TNN was a deathblow for ASA, and Nascar’s new TV deal in 2001 virtually eliminated any racing coverage on ESPN for the next several years.

In 1997, the ASA and All Pro series were both strong short track series and were regularly televised. Now, neither is in existence. While the new ASA and CRA have somewhat filled the void for viable short track series, neither has any sort of major television coverage, and other than fans who regularly read Late Model Digest, no one knows who a majority of the drivers are.

The way I see it, Nascar and CBS are equally responsible for killing short track racing nationwide. Nascar took premier series away from the venues that needed their draw the most. They also eliminated the All Pro series. CBS killed TNN, and the ASA by association (I’m not a dirt track expert, but I would bet that the WoO is missing TNN’s regular coverage as well). Couple these two facts with Dover Downs leaving the Fairgrounds for dead, and it is easy to see where the $350,000 went.

I don’t know that the nature of modern stock car racing will allows for any way to recoup those losses. As you said, an ARCA race would help, as would a return of the Hooter’s ProCup series, but even then there is a void. The AMA bikes could help, and the Major League of Monster Trucks could give Live Nation/Monster Jam a run for the Speed TV deal in the next few years, so it might be good to host that series. The only way for the Fairgrounds to bring in the revenue it once saw is to think outside the box. Hopefully current and future promoters and lease holders will be able to do just that.

Unfortunately I think that even if the fair board was aware of these facts, they wouldn’t care. If it is indeed all about the bottom line, I’m afraid the Fairgrounds may be in trouble

Comment on Chad Chaffin by Tennoutdrsman

Tennoutdrsman — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:18:10 +0000

The Main Reason i started going to Nashville fairgrounds track….Chad has a fantastic racing background.His battles with Joe Buford,were as memorable as ever.Chad won most of those battles,and eventually won the championship.Now,it seems he he still searching for the right ride to show his racing ability..My family wish Chad all the best in his future,also hoping we will one day see him race at the fairgrounds a few more times..

Comment on Scoreboard by Calhoun

Calhoun — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:43:24 +0000

So if you are really good, you’ll know what race the photo of the old scoreboard is from.

Name the race and who are represented in the top five.

And yes, I know.