(Press Release from Riverhead Raceway)
While Riverhead Raceway is the shortest track visited by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the demanding bullring nestled on Eastern Long Island will again be the most frequented by WMT teams in 2023. Track owners Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz have inked three dates for 2023 with Riverhead Raceway anchoring the 19 event WMT schedule.
The first WMT stop at the demanding but always exciting bullring features the Buzz Chew Chevrolet-Cadillac 200 Saturday evening May 20th.
“It’s going to be a busy year for the WMT” proclaimed track GM John Ellwood, “Connie, Tom and I are super excited that Riverhead Raceway will be right in the thick of things in deciding the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship through our three races”.
Indeed there is cause for excitement for the ’23 WMT dates as in 2022 each of the three races told a very different story. Last May, just days before the Buzz Chew Chevrolet-Cadillac 200, Doug Coby of Milford, Ct., was announced as a substitute driver for Jimmy Blewett in the Tommy Baldwin Racing entry with Coby promptly winning the race. Fast forward to over a month later where four-time track Modified champion Kyle Soper of Manorville scored one for the home team winning the Miller Lite 200 becoming the first weekly Riverhead driver to win a WMT event since 1995. For the third WMT stop last season history was made when infield pitting was introduced at the inaugural Eddie Partridge 256, a race won by Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, notching his 9th career WMT triumph at his home track.
The first WMT stop of 2023 at Riverhead unfolds Saturday evening May 20th with the Buzz Chew Chevrolet-Cadillac 200. Joining the WMT stars are the Blunderbusts, INEX Legend Race Cars, Street Stocks and Eddie Partridge Vintage All Stars.
A month later the WMT troops return to Riverhead for what promises to be a very special evening, the Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200 Saturday June 24th. The race will celebrate the always popular and successful Mike Ewanitsko who ranks first in NASCAR WMT victories at Riverhead with 11. Ellwood noted, “Mike remains a polarizing personality whenever he visits the track, especially Riverhead and we feel it is time to honor his successes & popularity”. Ewanitsko will serve as the Grand Marshall for the night that includes the Crate Modifieds, Super Pro Trucks, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks.
The 2023 WMT visits wrap up with the 2nd annual Eddie Partridge 256 Saturday September 16th. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Director Jimmy Wilson in conjunction with Riverhead Raceway officials announced that the infield pitting procedure introduced last year will be in place again for the 256. The first two Riverhead WMT races will use the “hot pit” set-up in the track pit area. The Late Models, Blunderbusts, Street Stocks and Eddie Partridge Vintage All Stars round out the program.
Make your plans now to join us for one, or all three of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events at Riverhead Raceway in 2023. The 2023 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series opens up Saturday May 6th with seven divisions in action. The next stop for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is Friday March 31st at the Richmond Raceway. Weekly Riverhead racing as well all WMT events can be streamed live on the Flo Racing platform.
To view the 2023 track schedule please visit www.riverheadraceway.com and click the events link, e-mails reach us at [email protected]. The phone number is 631-842-RACE.
Boy, how things have changed,… Thompson and Stafford used to grab as many races as possible…. Thompson had 4 with Stafford having 3 = 7 races on the 1/2 & 5/8 milers each Season.. The 51 had a hay day at Thompson going on Winning streaks and piling up Wins along with points to secure Championships… Having Thompson off the schedule hurt the 51 big time…It’s quite interesting now with no races at Stafford.. the smaller tracks have taken over those 7 dates and thereby putting more emphasis on your short track programs..Thompson used to put pressure on your Horsepower in your engine … You needed Big Power to run with the Big Dogs on the High Banks… Thompson has since grabbed a Couple [2] of Tour dates back which is good in my eyes….I don’t see Stafford bringing in the Tour because of the Home Grown Opens and Fantastic rebrand of the SIZZLER making it a HUGE RACE , a MUST SEE event with the duals on Sat… Large Purses have restored the RACE to it’s former GLORY… It’s probably my favorite Modified Race on the schedule right now…. Riverhead has 3 Tour dates with the short track in NH grabbing 3 , Seekonk 1, Thunder Road 1, plus more .. I think you see the point… Tour is running on more smaller tracks than ever before….Funny how things change…I know this…it’s much easier on the engines than days of the past..After Ed’s passing we didn’t know what the future of Racing would be at Riverhead … Well I guess.. We got Our answer loud and clear… Weekly Racing and 3 Modified Tour Dates !!! great news…
I get the impression that Stafford is\was unhappy with the way they were treated by NASCAR,, and have elected to go their own way.. would like to see them align with Thompson and Waterford at some point.. bring back United Stock Car !!!!!
Thanks to FloRacing I’m a Riverhead fan now. The tour mod guys are terrific we see it in some of the impressive finishes they get when the tour visits but the other divisions great as well. Love the figure eights.
I guess you could say the NWMT ship has long sailed for Stafford. Since they left they’ve made some mind blowing upgrades to the facility so clearly revenue hasn’t suffered. Maybe it’s the SRX shows that make the re-investments work but it’s clear they wouldn’t do it were it not for the system they have in place that’s working. Absolute loyalty to weekly divisions, four nicely attended opens plus the Sizzler two day extravaganza and MMTTS Fall Final. They’re just clicking on all cylinders with strong fields in most divisions, few empty billboard spaces, event sponsors, race sponsors and a video production department second to none.
As much as I think tradition demands at least one Tour race at Stafford it ain’t happening for the foreseeable future. Streaming conflicts likely at the center of the issue plus some lingering hard feelings.
I find it interesting that 10 years ago there weren’t many small or short tracks on Nascar’s Whelen Modified schedule. The popular opinion was that there were not enough grandstands to make them work. I am not sure what changed. Did Nascar reduce their purse requirements, or did a few promoters roll the dice and beat the odds by scheduling tour races? This year’s Whelen Modified Tour schedule will have over a third of its dates on tracks less than a half mile. I generally enjoy the short tracks more than the big tracks. So, I couldn’t be happier with this recent development. I also don’t see Nascar and Stafford getting back together again. I am not sure if that is for better or worse, but they both seem to be doing fine without each other.
for most of my life it seems, Stafford had 4 tour shows, Sizzler, Fall Final, then two in the summer
Well then you should be overjoyed this year because over half are on tracks shorter then a half mile.
Yeah, given that the NWMT is turning into a bullring series, it will be interesting to see what happens at Loudon.
Every Modified dreams of being a NWMT Modified.
Long ago Loudon used to have the Twin 125’s; Modifieds and Busch North drew pretty good crowds in the usually cold April weather. Amazing to me that there is only one “big” oval car race at that track. It’s too bad the Musket races just didn’t draw a crowd, they were fun to watch. How about Modified twin 100’s with a PASS/ACT twin 50’s? Practice and qualifying one day, then consi’s and features the next. That would give the WMT another “big track” race. PASS and ACT races are usually good there as well, pretty wild watching them go 4-wide sometimes!
The whelen modified tour is turning into a club like isma and nema. It’s a place for rich guys to go spend money where everybody knows they make the show. Fan support is going away and nascar doesn’t care to fix it. There are 4 or 5 good teams running the whole thing. 80 percent of the cars in each race have almost no real chance of winning unless something crazy happens. The series doesn’t draw in new england like it used to. Crowds at lee, mad dog and claremont last year were terrible. They tried the musket races in loudon and got rid of those because they couldn’t even draw 1500 people. A track like stafford saw value in 4 whelen tour races every year for decades and then decided to get rid of all of them. They didn’t get rid of them because they were making them so much money or drawing massive crowds. Having more events isn’t making the series better. More events is just so nascar can make more money from team owners.
“Streaming conflicts likely at the center of the issue plus some lingering hard feelings”
And now that they are using the same partner, who knows, right? I think the sizzler conflict was a bigger issue than streaming. That will be hard to bury the hatchet.
Who’s to say Flo won’t pressure the two sides, one of their most successful asphalt tracks and one of their most successful asphalt series, to kiss and make up?
Stafford is important for flo, but idk if there is a bigger partner currently than nascar.
Who’s to say Tri track won’t ever enter an agreement with a non Flo streaming service, which would cause issues with the fall final.
Who’s to say the tour won’t ever have a resurgence to the mid 30’s in car counts again? Tour has had its ebs and flows for awhile now. would be hard to ignore that for a track.
I think there’s been more things than ever that are “never going to happen” actually happen in racing the last five years. I dont think that thought process is a good one this day in age. Nothing should surprise anyone anymore.
Whose to say the streaming bubble won’t be burst in a few years. There’s been some pull back and unhappiness in some places lately
Ok Stanley, new name, SAME DRIBBLE, i must reply, so the WMT is a mens club? Hmmmmmmmmm 67 Drivers entered a race in 2022, Big mens Club!, Only 4 or 5 good teams? 11 race winners in 2022! and i would say many GOOD teams didnt win a race so 80 Percent SEEMS a lil High!!. 3 NH tracks had terrible crowds, hmmmmmmm but all are back in 23, they must love losing $$$, 1500 people at Musket 250? I was there and believe me More than 1500 fans there, The Stafford model has worked with great Support from SK teams with open Cars, Bravo to them for what they have done!!! Thompson Model has been a Stuggle, hopefully things change for them.
MY fav line of course is Fan support is going away and NASCAR doesnt care to fix it??????? SO all races on FLO, big Point Fund and Higher Purses don’t help, nawwwwwww, NEW SMYRNA posted award was $122,108 and i guess you didnt hear the race was sold out, With so many choices between WMT, TRI TRACK, opens, MRS, Racing Guys, JDV ROC and, SMART both teams and fans have to make choices, my choice is NOT to constantly Bash a series but enjoy what each brings to us Fans!!!!
You don’t read good wmass? I said there were 4 or 5 good teams running the whole series. 11 race winners last year, but only 4 of those winners were regulars. 9 events won by 7 part time drivers last year. Most of the winning was done by guys who didn’t care to run the series all the time. The guy who finished 5th in the standings last year had one top 5 finish. If the 5th best driver running the series all the time has one top 5 in 16 races that tells you a lot about how bad the field is.
I said the series doesn’t draw in new england like it used to and you said new smyrna sold out. Huh? Check the map, new smyrna is not in new england bro. New hampshire track crowds were terrible. About 800 at lee and less than 1K at mad dog and claremont. Helps when nascar is leasing the track and they don’t care about the front gate. All about that back gate cash.
Stanley(Bro), Most of the New Smyrna crowd was from New England…. I met people that live 2 miles down the road from me but ok, lets do your well informed story.
Why DOES it matter how many teams run the entire series?????????? U say doesn’t draw like it used too, welll i think that goes for Most Motorsports and Sports in general, how DO YOU know how many people are home watching on FLO instead of at the track? Seems to be working to me but its just alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll about the back gate, i guess you told me or is it i cant read or understand your Points, so when you lease the track you dont care about the front gate???? hmmmmmmm ok then, you must be the ticket taker at all 3 tracks to know the EXACT number of front gaters, ty for telling me how it works STAN.
wmass01013 wrote, “Why DOES it matter how many teams run the entire series??????????”
Are you serious? It’s ALL about the car counts. Fans come to see a full race track.
Field size has been reduced, haven’t had a full field or consistently full field, with cars sent home, in many, many, many years.
If cars son’t show up at the track and then fans don’t show up at the track like they used to, what does that mean????
You think the sport is going to survive on the back gate and no fans in stands? If you want back gate to carry the sport, better get the CAR COUNTS UP.
There has been incredible excitement and relief that the Cup series sold out a couple races so far this season. Why????? Wanna guess?
-“There are 4 or 5 good teams (in the NWMT) running the whole thing.”
I’d push back on that. This year we have the 16, 51, 79, 7ny and 58 all very competitive well funded teams and perhaps the 5 referred to. In addition there are easily another 6 well funded teams. It’s unfair putting them in the irrelevant category simply because they aren’t vying for a championship or talked about as potential winners.
-“80 percent of the cars in each race have almost no real chance of winning unless something crazy happens.”
If there are 25 cars in the race and 5 have a legitimate chance of winning how is that not good? In all of racing, in all your experience as a fan where has there ever been a high level division where many more the a hand full of cars are capable of winning any race?
-“9 events won by 7 part time drivers last year.”
In context you make it sound like a weakness of the series. I’d suggest it’s a strength. The Tour to be congratulated for streamlining limited licensing and providing good purses to attract invaders. How can anyone say a Riverhead regular winning a Tour race at Riverhead is a bad thing. Nocella also a part timer but one that’s more then paid his dues and his win very popular. Fact is in this era of picking and choosing you could say NASCAR has done a stellar job to tap into rather then be defensive of a current trend.
-“Crowds at lee, mad dog and claremont last year were terrible.”
While it’s true Lee and Monadnock were anemic Claremont had a respectable crowd. Josh Vanada is doubling down on that gambit from last year. It’s surely his thinking that a brand can gain momentum if you stick with it. We should be respecting his judgement as well as his title sponsor for the New Hampshire three race package and see how it goes the second time around. You get Hirschman finding a reason to join in again I ask how is that a bad thing?
-“Having more events isn’t making the series better. More events is just so nascar can make more money from team owners.”
That’s very cynical and doesn’t really make much sense from a financial standpoint. It presumes NASCAR can pick and choose and track they like, pick a date, have an event and no matter what happens get a fat check. The reality is it can be hard finding tracks to take the risk and that’s exactly why Josh Vanada has established his own niche in the schedule.
-“I said the series doesn’t draw in new england like it used to”
That’s all true but I’d ask how relevant is it other then from a historical or regional pride perspective? New Smyrna, Wall, Thompson, Riverhead, Claremont all had races with good fan attendance that I can recall. The races the Tour does in conjunction with CUP races are painful from a live attendance perspective but NASCAR has their own good reasons for including them. Again it gets back to steaming. We won’t ever get the real numbers on that but the peripheral evidence shows that it’s becoming a bigger deal every year. The commercials alone have exploded in the last couple years and you can bet companies aren’t buying time in a product no one is watching.
Why does it matter how many teams run the entire series? You know why wmass. I know you are playing stupid. It’s hurting interest and attendance. For most of the history of the whelen tour it’s been where the best teams and drivers always raced. In 2005 if you went to a whelen tour race you knew who were you going to see. Maybe a wild card might show up sometimes, but for the most part if you bought a ticket you knew what drivers you were getting. Now fans don’t know what they are going to get at any race so they just don’t go. Fans don’t know if matt hirschman or jimmy blewett or anthony nocella or bobby santos or mike christopher or patrick emerling or jake johnson or ronnie williams or timmy solomito will be racing until a couple days before a race, so they just don’t go.
Car counts make a BIG difference, particularly if you’re a fan of a particular type of racing. If there was a WMT race scheduled at a New Hampshire track on the same night as a Stafford Open race, here’s the choice. I’m a Modified guy, so do I go to a track with 20-23 WMT cars and maybe 12-15 SK Lights? OR… do I go to Stafford with 75-85 Modifieds between three classes? I’ll be at Stafford, thanks! Second scenario: a WMT race on the same night as a TriTrack race. 150 laps of of WMT? OR… 3-4 heats @ 10-15 laps ea., 1-2 consi’s at 15 laps, plus a 100 lap feature? I’ll be at the TriTrack race, thanks!
Stafford? Sure if you cant sleep and the sound of cars following… FOLLOWING each other around the Track in the 1 groove it has puts you to sleep Stafford is the place for you. 75-80 Mods?? OK how many with a shot to win?…. Exactly.
“I’m a Modified guy, so do I go to a track with 20-23 WMT cars and maybe 12-15 SK Lights? OR… do I go to Stafford with 75-85 Modifieds between three classes? I’ll be at Stafford, thanks!”
But that’s a choice that rarely has to be made. You went to the race at Stafford last week. This week the Tour is at Seekonk. The choice is do you go to Seekonk or stay home.
TO Dadumb I NEVER said Any series can survive on the Back Gate Only, That was Stanley Steamer saying Josh Vanada France leases the tracks and Only cares about the Back Gate.
Again who cares How many teams RUN the whole series, if certain races draw different teams to races, Great IF Hirschman, Santos, Newman, Soper, Ebersole, Williams, Krause, McLaughlin, Nocella, Sesely, Hossfeld, Blewett all show up a handfull of times at Different tracks and yes i dare say any Southern teams in races down there. i LOVE IT
Back in 2005 many things were cheaper and there was NO Opens, Tri Track, just the WMT and newly MRS which was 2 yrs old and mainly a much smaller scale series, Teams have many choices to run races Today, gone are the days of Evans, Kent, Cook running 50-60 races/
The WMT puts out an Entry list about a week before each race, while there might be a withdrawal or 2, the Entries are who shows up!!!!!!
You Keep saying fans are not going????? I say NEW Smyrna ,Lancaster WALL WERE PACKED, other tracks had good crowds again Yes COST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAS increased and some may stay home and WATCH on FLO, Add the Pandemic which changed many things, hell half the people still work from home Now, in the 70s 80’s 90’s and early 2000’s i used to go to 30/40 PLUS races a yr, now with age and time and FLO i watch most on FLO, called an Option i chose! NOT because the same guys not running every race or NASCAR only cares about their $$$$$
“Who’s to say”. That’s a great premise for a comment isn’t it? With the sea changes that have happened local short track racing generally and tour mods specifically who is to say what’s on the horizon literally anything good or bad is possible. But there are clues to what could happen or not happen so why not add those as well.
“Who’s to say Flo won’t pressure the two sides (Stafford and the Tour), one of their most successful asphalt tracks and one of their most successful asphalt series, to kiss and make up?
Stafford is important for flo, but idk if there is a bigger partner currently than nascar.”
I don’t know about all of FloRacing but as far as asphalt goes NASCAR is the big dog and by a lot. However Stafford along with Thunder Road were the first asphalt tracks to come under the FloRacing banner, NASCAR a year later. Both Stafford and NWMT are content. Both have their own lanes and both have value staying in separate lanes. Both have other options if FloRacing were to do any arm twisting which nothing they have done suggests they ever would do.
“Who’s to say Tri track won’t ever enter an agreement with a non Flo streaming service, which would cause issues with the fall final.”
Each MMTTS track determines their own policy with regard to streaming races. The TTMMS management nothing like NASCAR. Their control, business model and profit motives are entirely different. This was all graphically demonstrated with the MMTTS race at the Speedbowl last year. Speedbowl management could not come to an agreement with Racing America and it was solely the Speedbowls decision to make.
“Who’s to say the tour won’t ever have a resurgence to the mid 30’s in car counts again? Tour has had its ebs and flows for awhile now. would be hard to ignore that for a track.”
As recently as 2019 there were 16 races on the NWMT schedule, 11 of those events had 30 cars or more. No race had less then 27 and 18 teams participated in at least 15 events.
So yes the NWMT has eroded a good bit since just a few years ago but just whoa there Tanto there’s more to this story. In 2019 the fifth place finisher was Swanson 139 points back from the leader Coby. That year only Coby and Bonsignor were actual contenders a theme that had gone on for a number of years. In 2022 you’d have to go all the way to 10th place to find a point disparity of 139 and 4 teams had a statistical chance of winning the championship in the last event. One most of us saw that was very dramatic.
Who’s to say that the Tour won’t at some point get back to 2019 like numbers but in the mean time why not appreciate what we have which is pretty swell wouldn’t you agree?
“I think there’s been more things than ever that are “never going to happen” actually happen in racing the last five years. I dont think that thought process is a good one this day in age. Nothing should surprise anyone anymore.”
Bingo! That’s why it’s always prudent to add “for the foreseeable future”.
“Whose to say the streaming bubble won’t be burst in a few years. There’s been some pull back and unhappiness in some places lately”
“Bubble” you say? If you’re going to use that particular word it implies you may not be a fan of streaming which is fair a lot of folks aren’t. In any event I don’t see how the failure of streaming in any way helps local short track racing on any level.
I’m not trying to be confrontational here I’m purely curious. Pull back where?
Doug, if there is not a schedule conflict I’ll go to as many as possible. For me Seekonk is a home game, the closest track to me. As much as I’d like to go to Thunder Road or Oxford Plains they’re just too far for a day trip.
dug, im pretty sure there was almost 30 different modified winners at Stafford last year.. and the single file comment kind of shows that you havent been there in a while…
Great car stats Doug! I’m guessing the increase in short track venues and the JDV program might add to WMT part-timers running in our area (I hope!). If a team wants to run the JDV series, they need all the NASCAR credentials which might entice them to enter additional WMT events. There are 5 short track events in New England along with 4 at Riverhead & Wall, plenty of WMT possibilites for the “bullring” race teams.
I don’t know that Stafford and NASCAR would ever come to terms in the near future. Besides the streaming issue, there is also the large amount of sponsorship support at Stafford from NAPA, which I’d bet is an issue for NASCAR’s Advance Auto Parts weekly series.
i think that the “straw that broke the camels back” between Stafford and NASCAR was NASCAR’s reaction to COVID mandates by state of Connecticut.. Because of seating restrictions,, NASCAR canceled racing events leaving Stafford (a long time partner) high and dry.. my guess is that it will be a long time before Stafford puts themselves in that position again..
Well modfan because i am a degenerate Modified fan I go to Stafford 2-4 times a year even though I know they will be some of the most boring races with so little side by side racing…..instead I see the dive bomb going into turn 3. Thats the extent of racing at Stafford. Unfortunately unlike most of you, I remember Stafford racing before they ruined it with the repave in the mid 90s.
AIJ,
There were no issues involving NASCAR cancelling any events at Stafford during the COVID mandate era.
I must be watching the wrong Stafford or the luckiest person in the world. When I go to Stafford, the racing is pretty good in the open wheel divisions. They are side by side for multiple laps on restarts which is pretty good for a big track. My only complaint about Stafford is that they run the main event last on the card, forcing you to stay to the end. Throw in a couple of messy features, a wall repair, maybe a sprinkle of water and it can be quite a long night. Granted, I only get to a few Stafford races a year these days, but for the most part, my experience has been enjoyable going in person.
As far as streaming goes. I have heard of certain tracks reducing their streaming presence. Lincoln Speedway (Dirt 410 Sprints in PA) has broadcast their entire schedule on Flo Racing for the past few seasons. This year, they cut back to around half the shows streamed on Flo. Their thought process was that the online broadcast was keeping people from attending their shows in person. I don’t agree. Last year, the high price of gas kept me from going to any races outside my immediate geographic region. No trips to NY for some vitamin D(dirt big blocks). No trips up North for a quarter mile bullring fix. Last year, I only made it to Stafford, Thompson, and Seekonk all within less than an hour’s drive of my home. It was primarily the cost to attend that kept me local. This year, Lincoln has had a couple of races broadcast online. A midweek opener with favorable temperatures produced an exceptional crowd. A second show a few days later on the weekend, with a bad forecast, produced a much smaller crowd. Both were streamed, and both had one division of 410 sprint cars. In terms of attendance, the results were completely different. I don’t think you can blame streaming for all your attendance shortfalls. There are other factors to consider; maybe it was the weather in this case.
Four things primarily factor into my decision to go to a race or not. 1 cost (ticket price; food; mileage/gas) 2 Time (length of show, order of show, weather issues, time to travel). 3 alternatives (local entertainment: baseball cookout, hockey/race on tv.) 4. field/format (number of classes I am interested in or not interested in/order of show, expected car count/certain drivers, time trials/heats, count cautions or not) I will bend the rules for a new track or a series that I don’t get to see often, but for local events, that is the thought process. I used to average more than 1 show a week. Now, I am down to about 1 per month, I will say Flo has kept me interested in Stafford when I probably would have lost interest having cut back so much over the years. I know that year they were on Speed Sport pay per-view, and I only got to 1 show. I lost a lot of interest in Stafford. Getting to watch them weekly when I don’t go entices me to go more often. Last year, I noticed the shows were getting over in a timely manner on Flo. Couple that with a posted schedule that had the SK’s running prior to the last feature convinced me to go to a show. Had I not been watching online, I wouldn’t have looked into getting to a show.
Watching streamed events has gotten me interested in attending a race event at tracks I haven’t been to. Riverhead, Eldora and Port Royal are now on the bucket list to attend races in person after watching them online over the past few seasons. I’ve also been able to keep up with my favorite race division, the Dirt Late Models, despite the fact that the nearest race is about 300 miles away. Streaming has turned me into a fan of USAC sprints and midgets which I haven’t been exposed to living in the Northeast.
When it comes to streaming, I would think the benefits for race tracks and series outweigh the negatives as long as they are receiving some money from the streaming provider. There is no doubt racing can be better when attended in person. You can watch who you want to watch. The noise, the smells, the fans. Tracks have to make the experience of going in person more enjoyable than watching online. I think it can be done. Until it is done I will go to a few shows in person and watch the rest of the shows online. If they ever go off-line I will probably lose interest and stop going at all.
.
“Each MMTTS track determines their own policy with regard to streaming races”
For now. They are probably one of the few series that don’t control streaming rights left. All it takes is one good offer from Racing America. Not saying it would ever come, but they would be objectively foolish if they wouldn’t even consider it.
“Both have other options if FloRacing were to do any arm twisting which nothing they have done suggests they ever would do”
do they? Sure NASCAR does, but Racing America is the only other service that would be even halfway to the level of Flo for stafford though. A PPV model again would be very unpopular with its fanbase.
Lets go full tinfoil hat and say NASCAR buys out Flo racing, and combines with the NASCAR RTA owned Racing America after they button up their next TV deal this summer. And being a nascar track is part of the agreement. what would stafford do then? obviously would never happen though.
“why not appreciate what we have which is pretty swell wouldn’t you agree?”
I am fully ok with the current state of the tour. I’m not one of the boomers that think you need more than a full field for the race to be good. but if the tour got back into the mid 30’s, with some of those being tour only guys. it would be hard for stafford and fans to not want to see that show there.
I’m not trying to be confrontational here I’m purely curious. Pull back where?
lincoln pulled back alot of races off of flo this year. STSS has alot less money going into their big shows this year. Kokomo pulled out last year. I think the promoter at perris was saying how flo only gave him $1,000 a night.
MAVTV+ out right failed as an entire service.
I can’t see how Flo can stay at 150 very much longer. i also cant see how much longer these tracks will trade off some tickets for a wider audience reach. Eventually theyll stop growing, and youll have to take a hard look if the rights fee is actually worth it.
“NASCAR canceled racing events leaving Stafford (a long time partner) high and dry”
I’m sure Stafford would have loved the alternative of paying the full amount they agreed to before covid and being able to sell 20% of the tickets.
i dont see why people continue to think you need to be a nascar weekly track to have a tour race lol.
Boy that’s a good point. Staying connected.
In this forum we have all sorts of fans but the most devoted split into two distinct groups. The travelers and the home team. The travelers may have a home track but love the adventure of seeing their favorite series at different tracks. Love hitting the road, the price of gas notwithstanding, love seeing the uniqueness of different tracks, their fans and local racing. They may not know anything about the support divisions but that’s fine. They know good racing and always have the division they came to see that they know so well in the feature event. The home team goes to their local track every week. Sit in the same place, like the ritual of the track and everyone around them having a sameness. They may have their favorite divisions but they know most of the drivers in every division their strengths and weaknesses.
The fact is not every fan goes to the races every week in fact the vast majority don’t and that where streaming comes in. Csg put it in personal terms but it’s true for most fans. Like any form of entertainment from movies to pro sports it’s all about knowing something about what you’re seeing. You’re watching the Bucs to see Tom Brady, watching a movie to see Robert De Niro racing is no different. You have to know who Hirschman is and why they call him “Big Money”, know why they refer to the infield as “Reen acres” when a guy named Reen is spinning in the grass and why Nick Anglace is getting booed having displayed two middle fingers in front of the crowd on the front stretch several weeks prior.
I don’t know about other tracks but there is no evidence Stafford’s streaming efforts, that are second to none, has done anything to hurt live attendance and why should it. You can see all sorts of sports, bands/singers and movies at home yet people hunger to go to live events it’s just human nature. In the year of the pandemic we saw limitations on crowd size, events were available on streaming and yet fans were chomping at the bit to be at the track with limitations in play and an element of risk as well. I’m watching the Uconn Huskies in front of a packed Madison Square Garden that you can see on TV but people just have to be there. Why would you think racing is any different?
Streaming has the potential to introduce people to local racing so they just have to see the thing in person. It has the ability to keep people connected to the sport all the weeks they don’t go so when they go they’re not catching up or figuring anything out. Racing is as much about feeling you know the drivers, their personalities, strengths and weaknesses as it is about the visceral and social experience of being there. More so in my view.
Streaming allows you to have a feeling of a relationship with the drivers and teams which is exactly what most entertainment is about.
I love the Flo Racing and Racing America.. I save TONS of money not traveling to Stafford each Friday…Me and the Bride look forward to Friday’s
Show…She is even gaining interest more and more with the great group of female drivers at Stafford… It used to be about $100.00 bucks to attend in person per … Now it’s like $10.00 bucks to watch on TV…. Well it’s a no brainer as far as my choice.. But i will take in certain shows in person also.. With weather that may or may not interfere with the Racing I can sit tight at home … If it rains… no problem… switch channels… If it’s great weather for Friday night and a special show , I may plan the 2 hour ride and attend… All I know is the Drivers are getting a slice of the Money , So that makes me even More Eager to Sign up for Flo….. Have Fun = BE HAPPY ….
OH yeah does anyone know why the Mod Tour Nascar page has the Mod Tour Schedule all out of ORDER ???? Check it out…. Silly ??
LOL hey shout out to dareal dumbfella ! the tour turning into a “bullring series” should have money Matt at the top of the heap ! give him the trophy NOW. me thinks this will be his most prolific season yet dollar wise. I am picking him to win the SMART title and the most races of any modified driver in the country including the modified tour ! you read it here first !