Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

Massive amounts of work and no guarantees.

Norwalk didn't get to where it is overnight, but it has certainly continued to raise the bar year after year... for decades.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...87217965_n.jpg

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

Free tickets from summit didnt hurt.. just fill the seats and impress them with sportsman racing and a show! not to mention some good icecream for a buck!

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

This sounds like very smart marketing. Just think about how many bugers, fries and drinks that 40 thousand fans would purchase. There's more ways to make money than just selling tickets.

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

Your right Richard , some people step over dimes to pick up pennys !!!!! I would think a lot of tracks would at least want to try this.
Jerry

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

I think it was in 2009 when VMP gave away free tickets at certain auto parts stores for their Div 1 points race and the stands were packed like it was a national event.

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

SMP gives them out to Summit Racing (of course) and other sponsors as well to hand out. They also give them to employees to hand out to family, friends and co-workers. I had 100, and I know some of my fellow employees had several hundred to give out. It gives a chance for people who have never attended a race to give it a try for no monetary investment. If even 5% are "hooked", that's still thousands of new fans. The numbers over the weekend were around 70,000 for the three days. I was there Friday and Sunday and the crowd looked pretty good both days.

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

It ain't the ice cream, the free tics and other fan friendly enticements, everywhere you go there are booths for a myriad of snacks, drinks, souveniors; it is a money makin' machine that works when you have fans attending (thru the loss leader concept); we raced there in 2011 and 12, and I was amazed at the lines at almost every carnival-like booth, plus clean and signs everywhere about customer must be satisfied.

There are multiple other reasons whereby the fan is treated and appreciated, but the Bader's have a formula that, for some reason, other tracks refuse to emulate.

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

Just a glimmer of the crowd....

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

Nice picture Wanger it tells the story. You had to be there to believe it. If you haven't been there you need to come one time. When S/Stock was called to the lanes for 1st round Sat afternoon the road to the staging lanes was so congested with fans it was impossible for about 50% of us to get through. Tech guys had to clear the crowd so we could get paired. Never seen anything like it.

Another big plus, Alcohol, Comp, Stock and S/Stock all park on black top, many with electrical hook ups.

Like Randy said it is hard to believe there are no other track operators trying to do any of it.
Dave

Re: LIVE from Norwalk LODRS
 

New England Dragway gets a big turnout for its points race, but they talk to the Baders.