Class Nationals event planning

[Michael Beard]

Just curious if you could explain the reasoning for the big gap in the entry fees for those who might not understand where you are coming from. I'm assuming that its because the bracket race will have buy backs and pay out less for the round wins.

That is exactly it. Class Racers don't like buybacks, which reduces revenue, and the gap between getting paid $200 for winning 2 rounds vs $80 for winning 3 rounds is huge. The round money that S/SS classes are paid is more than double that of No-Box. The total purse for one S/SS class is thousands of dollars higher than No-Box, with half the cars. No-Box has an established base for this type of event for roughly 125 cars. Stock and Super Stock should have an attainable base of 65 cars per class, and if we do our job with promotion, sponsorship, and generally providing the type of race that you the customer wants, we could see 100+ cars per class. We'd also laid out where S/SS classes could earn an extra $5,000 added to the purse if a given class got more than 128 cars -- a bonus not offered in No-Box, which needs that kind of car count to start with. S/SS has the added expense of additional staff required, around $1,500 in trophies just for Class winners, and two days of track time on just one entry fee as compared to No-Box which is an entry fee each day.

I have a Race Purse Calculator spreadsheet that I have spent years developing that crunches just about every number you need for a race: Give it entry fees, buybacks (with multiple options), car count, payouts, spectators (actual # or calculated as 'people per car'), and it will tell you how many cars are in each successive round and how much the payout is for each round, how long it will take to run the race, front gate/back gate income, itemized expenses, and much more. Realistically, just for two days track rental, purse, and misc. expenses, you're looking at close to $60,000.

Great question. Hope this helps!

[69Cobra]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

That is exactly it. Class Racers don't like buybacks, which reduces revenue, and the gap between getting paid $200 for winning 2 rounds vs $80 for winning 3 rounds is huge. The round money that S/SS classes are paid is more than double that of No-Box. The total purse for one S/SS class is thousands of dollars higher than No-Box, with half the cars. No-Box has an established base for this type of event for roughly 125 cars. Stock and Super Stock should have an attainable base of 65 cars per class, and if we do our job with promotion, sponsorship, and generally providing the type of race that you the customer wants, we could see 100+ cars per class. We'd also laid out where S/SS classes could earn an extra $5,000 added to the purse if a given class got more than 128 cars -- a bonus not offered in No-Box, which needs that kind of car count to start with. S/SS has the added expense of additional staff required, around $1,500 in trophies just for Class winners, and two days of track time on just one entry fee as compared to No-Box which is an entry fee each day.

I have a Race Purse Calculator spreadsheet that I have spent years developing that crunches just about every number you need for a race: Give it entry fees, buybacks (with multiple options), car count, payouts, spectators (actual # or calculated as 'people per car'), and it will tell you how many cars are in each successive round and how much the payout is for each round, how long it will take to run the race, front gate/back gate income, itemized expenses, and much more. Realistically, just for two days track rental, purse, and misc. expenses, you're looking at close to $60,000.

Great question. Hope this helps!

Thank you Michael. You put it into words way better than I could have. I've done a little bit of what you are doing but nothing at this level. I just thought it would give people a little glimpse at what all you have to consider by putting an event on such as this. I wish I was back home to help you in someway.

Also, getting back to the double entering for stock and no box. Will there be an issue of a stick car using a 2 step and line lock in no box?

Thanks again.

[Michael Beard]

Will there be an issue of a stick car using a 2 step and line lock in no box?

Not at all. Again, "No-Box" rules, common in Div. 3, are much more open than "Footbrake" rules of Div. 1 and down into the Carolinas. Even in Footbrake, though, Stick cars are allowed a 2-step and line lock.

That's one of several reasons why I paired this event with a No-Box race, to provide more racing opportunities to those S/SS racers who wanted to do so. All S/SS cars are legal to run No-Box. Noted S/SS and 10.90 racer Rick Baehr along with partner Jeff Stewart had promoted the Bottom Bulb Extravaganza for two years (2010 & 2011), and had anywhere from 115-150 cars. That's a tough range to make a big money race live on its own. The risk vs reward is very high, and its very easy to just go racing rather than spend the better part of a year working to try to make a single weekend enjoyable and worthwhile for everyone involved. (I know after mentioning the possibility of adding a 4th event to our promoting schedule in 2014, I received a quiet "Mm." from my wife...) Anyhoo, by combining two "almost make it on their own" events, I think we can have something that's a big enough event, yet still something that's manageable in size. I think we should end up with right around 250 cars on the grounds, which will allow for good parking for everyone. With double-entries, you've still got a good time frame for running the show, and potentially have the makings of an annual event. And hey, if y'all blow the roof off the place, maybe we can go to 3 days the following year with more S/SS-specific festivities.