RENO, NV (Dec. 3) — Due to the length of the first part there were three interviews I wanted to include so it was necessary to split the article. This part first deals with a management change at a popular Northern California track.
The next interview is how live streaming can help short tracks. Finally the last interview is with an announcer for several tracks and why emphasis on youth helps the sport’s future.
With that in mind we’ll start with a track that is closest to Reno and has hosted races that many will look forward to. Namely Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, which hosts the annual Gold Cup Race of Champions for the World of Outlaws.
One person attending the RPM Workshop was Brad Sweet, a three-time and current World of Outlaws champion. He’s one of the partners taking over the track.
“It’s been a good couple of years for our NAPA Auto Parts car. Been fun to be a champions and obviously to get three in a row is pretty cool,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep it alive and get another one in 2022.”
Asked about how this all came about Sweet mentioned it had been in the works when they found out Dennis Gage wanted to step aside after running the track for the past 11 years.
“I’m from Placerville, California. Dennis was talking about retirement so we had the opportunity to build as a team and create SLC Promotions, which is Sweet, Larson and Copeland Promotions. Coby Copeland will be our general manager on the ground and he’s going to work along with Tory Hennig, who has been at Silver Dollar Speedway a long time,” he said. “So they’re all going to work together and hopefully we can kind of build it and grow it from where Dennis has it right now.”
In addition to Copeland and Hennig the other partner is Sweet’s brother-in-law, the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson. Both are Northern California natives.
Continuing Sweet said, “Been in a good position and we’ve got a great team there. Hopefully we can get the resources and everything we need to hold big events and kind of become what Chico what was once in its heyday.”
He added when the time is right they’ll start making all the announcements. In the plans are some changes to the facility to make for a better spectator experience.
“This is my first ever time at the Promoter’s Workshop so its been fun to kind of learn this stuff. I know a lot of people in the industry, been around it a good while now but haven’t really been on this side of the fence so to speak,” he said. “It’ll be fun, making the announcements, showing the people the hard work, what we’re doing and what our vision of what Silver Dollar Speedway will be.
“Nothing crazy that I didn’t know, always nice to kind of look at everybody’s schedule, talk rules and things like that and make sure we’re all heading in the right direction, working together.”
He knows this first year is going to be a learning experience but the team is ready for it.
“It’s a big part of having a successful ecosystem that everybody can be successful at. We’ll see how it goes, it’s our first year will be a lot of learning and we’re excited,” he said. “You don’t ever do this stuff without a little bit of nerves but we feel pretty confident that we can put something good together and hopefully do a lot with the community, a lot with the local racers and then obviously bring the biggest 410 event back to California which is the Gold Cup Race of Champions.”
For fans in Northern California as well as those in Northwest Nevada this can only be good news. The track’s website is, www.silverdollarspeedway.com.
Another notable, also a Northern California native that now lives in North Carolina, is Ralph Sheheen. He got his start in announcing at Silver Dollar Speedway as a student at Chico State then later spent 15 years announcing the Supercross series.
Currently he’s the president of Speed Sport TV, which helps small tracks get exposure. Sheheen feels live streaming for short tracks is a good thing and can only help them with exposure and gaining new fans that will attend races.
“Well I think for small tracks it’s a great opportunity because before small tracks couldn’t get on TV,” he said. “So now through live streaming there’s opportunity for the race tracks to do a couple of different things.
“One, they open up a third revenue stream. In the past you have your back gate entries that come through, your front gate your fans come through, now you have that live stream that if you work it right brings in fans that will never have an opportunity to come to your track.”
He used the example of a popular track that is known across the country for good racing.
“Maybe people on the East Coast can’t get to a track on the west coast, they’ve heard about it but now they can watch it on a weekly basis though a live stream and see the place.”
Asked about local tracks Sheheen explained it will broaden the exposure a promoter has if they use live stream.
“You can broaden awareness of your facility by putting it out on live stream. It just gives a promoter an opportunity to attract more fans than just selling tickets through the front door.”
He also explained this will take some effort as a promoter just can’t start a live stream then just sit back and watch the money flow in. It’s also a combination of pricing and giving an incentive for new fans to attend the races.
“You’ve got to work it, no different than trying to get people to sit in the grandstands, you’ve got to get them to engage with the live stream,” he said. “You also don’t want to make it super expensive or super cheap. You’ve got to have a price point that works.
“Got be enough money that people ultimately decide they’d rather be in the grandstands as opposed to sitting at home but if they can’t come to the track then they can stay and watch it from where ever they are. Say you’re a fan that comes to Susanville on a regular basis. Then you take the family on a vacation so while you’re sitting around the campfire at night you can also watch the race.”
He added there are lots of methods but one gets what they pay for.
“The current technology that is out there these days is remarkable on how good the quality is on like an iPhone,” he said. “When we go out and we do live stream events at Speed Sport TV it’s more of a true broadcast and then it’s just up to the promoter the track, the sanctioning body as to how big they want their production to be. Do they need one to 5 cameras they feel they need to cover their particular facility. Technically you could do it with something as simple as an iPhone.”
He also explained how Speed Sport TV works and how it’s different from some other groups.
“When you buy it from these other groups they come in, buy your rights, then they throw it up on the air looking for subscribers. They might just use one or two cameras then they’re on to the next event,” he said.
Then he continued, “The way we do it, we work with you, we make you an affiliate, we build you your own channel so say Fernley would have their own. We help them get the equipment they need depending on how much they want to spend, how many cameras they want.
“We help them get the people that need to run those cameras, operate the gear for them, so then when race day comes on its basically a turn key operation as everything is there ready to go. They just walk in and flip the switch and are on the air live. “
He added since they own the technology for the broadcast platform its easy for a promoter to see how many are watching. This is actually an advantage for them.
“They know what is going on, have total control over the broadcast and if there’s a hiccup any where we can fix it on the fly opposed to other groups where they have to go through a third party to get the signal out. Ours’ is owned and operated by us so it’s a very transparent smooth, secure operation.”
He added that the individual track would also have a library of video on demand. That way a person or fan that can’t watch the broadcast live can do so later. Eventually those broadcasts would move over to Speed Sport TV and offer other opportunities to see races later.
Looking over the past year Sheheen said that racing did very well despite how crazy things were during the Pandemic.
“Live streaming was a large part of that. Racers were able to go, compete safely, social distance and all that sort of stuff they had to go to get their events in,” he said. “Live streaming came along and allowed the promoter an opportunity to put that race up through a live stream so fans that couldn’t come and sit in the grandstands could buy in and watch.
“The promoter was able to have that front gate virtually through the Livestream. And make enough money to keep everybody moving forward. During the Pandemic we did over 1,300 live stream motorsports events. This year we’ll do close to 2,000.”
For further information one can contact Speed Sport TV at, www.speedsport.tv.
Keeping with the promotions theme the next subject was Steven Blakesley, who lives in North Highlands, California. For those that watch the live stream or MAVTV races from Madera Speedway he announces there.
“I do motorsports promotion and announcing and I primarily work at All American Speedway in Roseville,” He said. “I also work at Madera Speedway, the Ocean Speedway, Delta Speedway and with Mike McCloney at WMR. I announce about 70 to 80 events a year so kind of all over.
“And then Monday through Friday is all about publicity for the tracks, the series, the drivers. I think if you were to distill everything down and all the things we do, we basically have two big objectives; that is we try and get people in the stands, and try to get interviews for the general public.”
He added that a lot of the work is tailored at the younger drivers, who are the next generation rising through racing’s ranks
“So look at Madera Speedway, at the Junior Late Model program like Hailey Deegan, you look at WMR the Western Midgets, all about getting kids into full sized midgets. Delta Speedway, young kids in micro sprints so work has really become a lot about youth,” he said. “It makes it exciting because they come into the sport with a whole different appreciation and enthusiasm for it. They’re not dyed in the wool, 40 years of experience, they give you fresh perspectives, enthusiasm and they make it fun to come to the track.”
He explained it all comes back to marketing and getting people in the stands.
“You need that enthusiasm because we’re going to tell the man on the street this is the most exciting thing to be part of and spent your hard earned money on. Like Tom Deery was saying just now in the workshop in Reno, ‘we do an entertainment business.’ We get to do something fun for people that why we have a smile on our face and communicate that enthusiasm to get more people involved,” he said.
He added that tracks in California are under rules he feels actually makes the spectator experience better.
“The people in the Midwest, they’ll probably hate to hear this on an interview but as being a California guy all of our race tracks are in fairgrounds, we all have curfews, we all have sound limits,” he said. “I’ll tell you that 99 times out of 100 I am so happy that we have those time limits and sound rules because I’d rather see our families, friends and the fans be able to get out of there at 10 o’clock.
“Then the kids can enjoy it, they can see the main events I think that’s the way we’re going to grow it versus I see those tracks that run to 1 in the morning in the Midwest with open headers.”
He feels the tracks that run late are doing a disservice to their younger spectators. First without sound level rules they really need hearing protection and many times can’t stay to see the main events due to the late hour.
“In California we’ve learned and the rules make you be more adaptive as a promoter and probably makes us better at that. I was part of the closing of Altamont and I got to live what it is like when the neighborhood is tired of a racetrack. You don’t want to go through that again. At Roseville we’re very careful so normally we’re done at 9:30.”
If one wants more information about Blakesley Sports Media they are on Face Book or one can send him an e-mail at, www.steven@norcalmedia.com.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on the air from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Nevada, it can be heard over the air at 1060 AM.
There is also a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm or it can be seen live on Face Book. The show is focused on all things automotive, trends, new developments and trivia.
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