Rumor mill is running absolutely wild over this one… could the late model oval racing guys be making a move to gain back the popularity of oval racing that it once enjoyed?
What I’ve heard is that the racers themselves have decided to create and run their own corporation/association to run and promote races and the race drivers. The really exciting part? They want vintage oval racing to be a big part of the show! The big rumor is of a "pilot" race this winter (perhaps at the track in Sauk Centre?) to test the concept and the response.
Boy do I hope this is true. Nothing would make me smile like seeing thousands of fans out watching oval racing where ever it goes again. It’s going to take a lot of work, and the Internet will be absolutley key to the marketing success of such a venture… but I believe the drivers and race teams taking charge of thier own sport is the right way to go.
More to come …
UPDATE: THE RUMOR IS TRUE!
Check out this post in the Bull Sessions. From the post: "The Oval Racers Alliance is very happy to announce the 1st Annual Am-Can Nationals Ice Oval Race at I-94 Speedway in Sauk Centre, MN February 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2010. This organization was formed to help promote the sport of Ice Oval Racing and bring it back where it belongs as the premier form of Snowmobile Racing. Although the ORA was formed primarily by late model racers and crew members, we knew early on that including the Vintage Racing community was going to be essential to gain the membership and fan base that we would like to attain. We will have more details on the event itself in the next week or so, but as of last evening, the date is set and the race is ON!"