Quote:
Originally Posted by rboyle
It’s a business. If anyone set this business model up for review by an investor how do you think it would go?
I have roughly 50-100 acres of land and open for business 3 to four days a week. My business sees roughly 100-250 customers per day we are open but most of those customers purchase the minimum such as food, drink tshirts and souvenir's. My maintenance crew includes an ambulance with emt a-tractor, tow truck, along with roughly 5 to 10 support vehicles, trash removal, epa inspections, noise complaints, law suits, curfews and if the weather doesn’t cooperate I have to give makeup dates or refunds. But I do it for my customers because I am passionate about it even though most of my loyal customers only patronize my business twice a year.
What would most or all of us do then if an offer Don Corleone put together would eliminate all those headaches and let us live the lifestyle most consider rich?
Just understand what we do is not a good business model for most and the amount of bashing that goes on is really sour grapes.
Many a racer will go to a race, park on test n tune day but skip the tnt so they don’t have to pay for it, park their motor home and stacker across the equivalent of 4 spots, buy race fuel from an outside source instead of the speed shop on premise, bring food in the motor home and grill it up in the pit, dump it in the race tracks garbage change the oil and dump it in the race tracks oil repository. Never visit the concession stand or t shirt stand, and expect the track to have a manned gate all night to accommodate the comings and goings of them and their crew. Then break the rules like no minors driving pit vehicles, or no noise before or after a curfew, or don’t dump your RV waste here. Top it off with rudeness and complaining about track conditions in person and on social media platforms. I include myself in some of these abuses.
We have to be better customers. It’s an expensive sport, hobby, business or whatever but let’s not abuse the privilege when given it.
Sorry if I offended anyone but have empathy for the track owners, most started doing it in spite of the bad business model that it is because they were passionate about racing too
|
I agree with you. I can't imagine what it takes to keep a track running and profitable.
Considering everything you said, why would anyone own a drag strip? Why do they exist?
As an aside, I agree with the others who say that tracks that don't advertise and use imagination in creating events can't complain about low revenues. I went to Atco on occasion to play with my street/strip cars. (I've been a fan of SS/S since the early 70's and raced Stock in the mid 90's) I can't tell you how many people would say, "Is Atco still there?", when I tell them I went there.
I'm outside of the Phila. area. In the recent past did they ever advertise? Years ago, they advertised the wheelie guys, funny cars, jet cars, etc. Like it or not, that stuff draws more than S/SS.
Does anyone know if Len Capone was a racer, or at least an enthusiast? I'd hate to be the guy who sold one of the most iconic drag strips in the country.