Long Upbeat Economic Report

[Pat Joffrion]

With all of the doom and gloom reports circulating about our sport of drag racing, we felt it is time to let our drag racing community know that some facilities are still growing the sport. No Problem Raceway is having the best year ever since we opened our gates only three days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Talk about bad timing! I can’t begin to explain how many sleepless nights I spent during those first tumultuous months. After spending my entire life’s savings, mortgaging our home and real estate, and borrowing over $3-million from banks, I was thinking that I had to be the biggest fool ever for building a racetrack in the middle of nowhere!

But we had faith in God, and faith in ourselves. We believed then, as we do today, that dedication and hard work will eventually be rewarded. We dedicated ourselves to building the best darn racetrack in the country. We spent the extra bucks to make sure that the track was smooth, wide, long, and “hooks-up” at the starting line. We bought the best timing equipment, the first LED scoreboards in the county, put in R-V hookups, built hot showers for our overnight customers, and opened a sports bar under the tower. We serve quality concessions at reasonable prices; provide our spectators with covered grandstands; and demand that our employees help us to keep the facility clean and attractive.

While some say that we have been “lucky”, we reply with “The harder we work, the luckier we get”. How much unluckier could a person be than to open a business only days after 9-11? We attribute our success to hard work, dedication, diversification, innovation, and reputation. Linda and I are personally liable for the bank loan. That makes a big difference. One has to think twice before telling a customer to leave, but then, at times we have been left with no option.

Linda manages the office, personnel scheduling, bookings, and she maintains our website. On our “days off”, from our home, she sends out 1,200+ e-mails to our customer list, and she also sends weekly text messages to over 400 subscribers. I have the easy jobs… I get to prepare all the contracts, take care of the accounting and tax work, oversee the track maintenance crew, and make sure that we have enough money to pay for track expansion projects. Plus, on race days, I get to do tech and run the staging lanes while Linda runs the timing computer, handles the payouts, and sends down the pairing ladders. After the race, I make sure that the lights, water, PA systems and scoreboards are turned off, the equipment is stored, and then, she and I get to spend several hours in the sports bar with our customers. Many days begin at 7-am and don’t end until 2-am when the bar closes. Then its back again the next day at 7-am to get the track ready for 9-am Jr. races.

Innovation and diversification go hand-in-hand. Our facility would not be nearly as successful if all we did was host drag races. With all the available parking at our facility, it just made good business sense to host outdoor concerts. By holding concerts on the same day as a bracket race, we get to introduce drag racing to new customers coming for the music. Hosting “drifting” events the evening of our “midnight” street car drags bring fans from multiple activities that come early or stay late to see different types of motorsports action. We believe that the more people we can get to come to our facility will only add to the bottom line at the end of each year.

This year alone, we have spent $100,000 upgrading our track and maintenance equipment. Two new ATV’s, a new fire/rescue truck, a new VHT spray rig, and a big John Deere 4WD tractor and forklift were added. And, we are putting the finishing touches on a new 1500-seat all-aluminum grandstand seating area complete with a section to accommodate 15 wheelchairs. At $200,000, we call it the most expensive erector set we have ever assembled, but we needed the additional capacity for our large events.

So, are you wondering what are we going to do next? Well, with over 180-acres of grass to cut, we have a plan to eliminate some of the grass. We are building a series of all-terrain dirt trails for ATV’s and 4WD vehicles along two miles of the northern boundary of our property. The property is currently being bulldozed and should be ready for the spring of next year. And we expect to complete our new enclosed outdoor concert pavilion in time for the Jeg’s Cajun SportsNationals next March. The hurricanes set us back on the construction, but now that we have removed most of the fallen trees, we are back on our expansion project. Tracks across the country will see a definite loss of sponsorship revenues due to the national economic slowdown. We plan to replace these funds with new income generated from concert ticket sales.

Linda and I don’t get to travel racing very often. We miss the pit-side conversations that make traveling long distances to the tracks worthwhile. But things just don’t go the same when we are not at our track. Our customers look forward to seeing us, and most know us by our first names. We recently built a small house at the track entrance. Our home is in Slidell, Louisiana, about 100 miles from the track. For four years we spent our nights at the track in our 38-foot motor home. It was huge when we first bought it, but oddly enough, our motor home seems to have shrunk 10% a year. Now we get to sleep in our new two bedroom track house, and as Linda says, “It sure is nice sleeping in something that doesn’t have a steering wheel”. She has a way of putting things into perspective.

Since I like operating our heavy equipment (dozer, tractors, grader, etc), she tells everyone that if I get a cut, I bleed diesel instead of blood… I can only respond with the words my grandfather told me when I was young, “If you love what you do for a living, it ain’t work, its fun”. With so many tracks shutting down across the country, I just wish more track owners could have half as much fun as I do. Maybe then, our sport can rise above these tough economic times.

Pat "No Problem" Joffrion 4308 SS/KA

No Problem Raceway Park
6470 Hwy 996
Belle Rose, LA 70341
(985) 369-3692 - office
www.noproblemraceway.com

[Michael Beard]

==STANDING OVATION==

You and your family are a tribute to this sport, and an example for others to follow. Thanks for sharing your story.

God bless and best wishes,

[Jimmy Smith]

Pat, This is very good to see and I am glad it has been sucessful for NO PROBLEM . Later J. Smith 4621 racing.

[Gordie Kissner]

Great job to you and your wife Pat! Though I've not had the opportunity or pleasure of racing at your 1st class facility,your efforts and determination are truly an inspiration and one day hope to make it down your way !
Gordie

[Jim Wahl]

I've said it before and I'll say it again..... Pat for President! NHRA could sure watch you and learn a big lesson on how to run a successful drag racing business! jim

[Ed Fernandez]

Pat;
You need to make a video detailing your recipe for success in tracetrack operation,and business in general.The first copy should go to Glendora Ca.The others should be sent to all NHRA track owners.
Wonder how many track owners would request a copy.I would venture to say not many.
I probably will never race at Belle Rose but thanks anyway for what you do for us.

Ed F.

[Chad Rhodes]

Pat you are without a doubt a "racer's track owner" and the epitome of what a sportsman track woner and promoter should be. We never fail to have a good time when we are down there, and the facility is top notch. Here's to many more years of great racing at No Problem, and may more nights in the sports bar with your friends

[Jim Wahl]

Ed, It's really a shame you can't attend one of Pat's Cajun Nationals. I have been to four of them and I hope to be able to make at least one more. Any track owner that would not request one of those video you mention would just be shooting themselves in the foot! Fun is what it's all about and fun is what you get at Pat's races! He is the hands down "guru of racing fun"! Jim

[ChevyII]

Pat,

The applause for you and your wife is a standing ovation many times over...."build it and they will come."

Amongst all of the doom and gloom around us your story is a tribute to what one can do in hard times. The suits at NHRA should take a good hard look at what you and your wife have achieved and take a few lessons.

I've added visiting your track to my bucket list and want to wish you and your wife continued success.

Looking forward to a having a cold one at your trackside bar.

Cheers!

Mike Ferstl
SG SR 6091

[Mike Voth]

Clap, clap, bow, hats off, congrats and anything else that would show how impressed I am. Always wanted to get over there. Now it's moved up on the list of places to go. Too bad other track owners don't follow suit. Good luck with the facility...and the loan!!