Are you showing your favorite racing space enough love?
It's no secret that racetracks and speedways across the country are closing their gates and shuttering up their box offices for good at unprecedented rates. Gone are the days when people would group together and spend the weekend at the races and filling the stands is proving to be a challenge for not only smaller tracks, but iconic ones as well. The question is why? So let's talk about it.
The Facts
Racing in some form or another has been around since the 1800s with the world's first motoring competition taking place in 1894. Since that time, motorsports have continued to develop, expand, and diversify into countless categories with further niche styles and setups. With the growth in both size and popularity racetracks began to pop up either for horse racing and were repurposed for motorsport, or were designed specifically to facilitate the need for speed.
The Downfall
Fast forward a hundred years or so and take into account the boom in population, ever-increasing need for housing and infrastructure along with rising inflation, and the implementation of safety requirements, rules and regulations is it really a surprise to find racetracks and speedways at a distinct disadvantage? The owners of these often large plots of land, with urbanity encroaching from the outskirts, have to contend with newer, larger attractions in the area, imposed zoning restrictions, noise complaints from nearby residents, and corporate hound dogs with deep pockets vying for the space to pave someone's paradise and put in a shopping mall.
The Future
All hope is not lost though; places like the Nürburgring, Irwindale Speedway, and even small-town tracks like Lake Erie Speedway have (with proper management) found a way to stay alive, even make a comeback. Whether you're into drag, figure 8, rally, drift, circle track, endurance, electric, or any other kind of racing- the spaces you have left to perfect your craft are dwindling and the last ones standing need our support. Tag your track when you're there, try and make it out to events that aren't in your wheelhouse and bring a friend or three. We've worked with several tracks throughout Canada and the U.S to help them find ways to pack the stands and keep their gates open another season.
If you're a driver and know your local track is struggling, or a track owner who's looking for ways to increase revenue, reach out to our team.