Trends In Our Sport

[Gary Smith]

Forgive me for thinking out loud & sharing this, but lately I've not been able to get this out of my mind... Has anyone done, or know of gathered data for the following metrics:

• New racers, by category, class, state, city
• Parked racers (same criteria)
• Racers who've sold off operation (same criteria)

Also:

• New race tracks (state, city)
• Track closure (state, city)
• Operating tracks (state, city)
  • Basic revenue data (profit - loss)

I'd be curious how drastic the changes would look in graph format over a 50 year period.

[Bret Kepner]

Gary, I can give you a sixty-five year "track report", (and I may be the only one who can).

No matter how many people want to argue it, the fact remains the sport has had roughly, (plus or minus five percent), the same amount of dragstrips operating at any given time between 1955 and 2013.

It's a fact; I've spent most of my life gathering proof.

[James Perrone]

Thanks Bret...the sky isn't falling..!

[JHeath]

Thanks, Bret!!!

[Bill Howell]

That is amazing. Do you have a record of just the ones in South Carolina? There are a few newer ones, but it just seems like a lot of them are gone, especially the ones closest to me.

[Bret Kepner]

Bill. most people can only see the past in one dimension. A state may have been home to seventy tracks over a sixty-five year period but the most important fact is they weren't all open at ONCE!

Even when viewed by decade, the number stays amazingly constant.

[rawhide]

Originally Posted by Bill Howell

That is amazing. Do you have a record of just the ones in South Carolina? There are a few newer ones, but it just seems like a lot of them are gone, especially the ones closest to me.

Bill,
I can reference to 25 different dragstrips in SC.
thanks, Roland

[k.pascoe]

Bret also knows in his home state the 3 drag strips in the last couple years have closed, and no new ones have been built.

[Bret Kepner]

Originally Posted by k.pascoe

Bret also knows in his home state the 3 drag strips in the last couple years have closed, and no new ones have been built.

In the "last couple years"? One closed two years ago but the other two of which you speak closed ten and twenty years ago, respectively. Missouri currently has five operating tracks, though.

Originally Posted by Mike Gray

Except in "California"

It's important to remember the period during which California had what folks would consider a large number of operating tracks was astonishingly brief. However, California STILL has a dozen operating dragstrips which many folks STILL consider a "large number".

Originally Posted by rawhide

I can reference to 25 different dragstrips in SC.

You're less than halfway there if you're trying to find 'em all, Roland.

[k.pascoe]

Bret I was only making the point that even though it might be status quo, there are areas in the country where drag racing scene isn't doing well. Such as KCIR a major city with out now a operating drag strip. And yes you're right time flies by, seems like just yesterday those historic strips were still open.