D. I. COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D ' Aprile
As I travel from race to race I always closely observe the race tracks I’ m fortunate enough to visit: some are a little nicer than others, some with fancy towers and suites, some with extensive paved parking, some more grass, some mostly dirt. But what we see up front typically represents only the extent of a facility’ s budget. I mean, you can buy the biggest and best drag strip in the country or the smallest little hole-in-the-wall track and both can be fun places to visit and race. But if I ask what’ s the difference between the two most people will talk about how nice one is physically compared to the other. We compare things, but how many of us talk about the people we encounter at these places? The fact is that people matter much more in the success of racing facilities than fancy control rooms or paved parking lots.
I remember visiting a tiny track with an equally tiny budget, but for some reason this place was packed every time I went. I wondered why, until I met the staff. They were like family to everyone they came in contact with, going out of their way to make everyone feel important and valued, and if there was ever a problem they would solve it immediately, free of any drama or runaround. This little place has been and continues to be very popular with racers and fans, and when people are asked why they keep coming back; the answer is universal and simple:“ Because we’ re always treated so well here!” Unfortunately, I’ ve also visited some very large drag racing facilities with huge grandstands and only the best of the best in amenities, only to have been treated like a number with very little value attached.
Here is what I see in a nutshell. There’ s no question we have very talented people doing tough jobs at various race tracks throughout the country, but unfortunately some have no people skills whatsoever. Time and time again I encounter the wrong attitudes running our racing facilities and frankly it’ s pretty upsetting. It’ s so frustrating to spend hard-earned money and give up time with loved ones and friends to participate, only to get treated like trash. Some of our tracks and management, even at the highest level of our sport, need to take a long, hard look at how they’ re interacting with fans and racers.
Maybe some of you are track owners or work at a track. If so, ask yourself, are you there because you love it and want to do what’ s best for everyone? Or is it just an income generator or a job? The answer is important because we really need more people who absolutely love being there. We are in the entertainment business and we need to be entertaining. This lack of personality in some quarters is costing our sport and its future.
Now I know racers will go racing even if they are treated like crap; we just want to race. But I say loudly to please share this with track owners and workers, who although we appreciate what they do, we know it would be a good idea for them to step it up in the area of entertaining racers and fans. A great example of this can be found at Summit Motorsports Park up in Norwalk, Ohio, where the Bader family knows how to make their customers smile and feel good. A pound of ice cream for a dollar or coffee and donuts being delivered around the pits makes everyone feel good, and at the end of the day that’ s something practically every track could manage.
I still remember the day I met Bill Bader Sr. He was president of IHRA at the time and he came through the pits and thanked us for coming to an event. I was shocked that he cared or even knew our names, but the impact was huge. So go the extra mile track owners! Maybe even smile occasionally. It’ s the simple things that people remember and we seldom see racers and fans being shown genuine appreciation. As a racer I go out of my way to make our fans feel special, so I ask that all you track owners and employees of these facilities do the same. The result will be a wonderful new experience that money just can’ t buy. As always the choice is yours to make.
Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated. com
June 2017
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