Promoters Upbeat About 2009

The Speedweek Annual Workshop of the Thirty-Sixth Annual RPM Promoters Workshop Series concluded with promoters looking for a good 2009 season despite a tough economy. Highlights from the workshop included the revealing of Joe and Walt Doellefeld, Stateline Stadium & Speedway, Idaho as 33rd Auto Racing Promoters of the Year and the keynote address of H.A. (Humpy) Wheeler President and CEO of The Wheeler Company .

Other sessions during the three-day workshop stressed building a base crowd of local fans, and new communication technologies such as viral marketing, SMS messaging, and online social networking as well as topics covering the breadth of track operation.

“We’re entering the decade of the ten-dollar ticket,” said Stewart Doty, Workshop organizer. “Short tracks prospered throughout past recessions because they were the reasonably priced, nearby entertainment attraction for families, and we see the same trend developing again.”

The Speedweek Workshop was the final event of the Thirty-Sixth Annual RPM Promoters Workshops Series. Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea newsletter of auto racing promoters, and the Workshops are produced with the year-round support of K&K Insurance Group, Inc., Hoosier Racing Tire. The Thirty-Sixth Workshops Series was produced with additional sponsorship support from: the Eldorado Hotel Casino, INEX, GM Performance Parts, Lucas Oil Products, Moffett Productions, MUSCO Sports Lighting, World Racing Group; Simes Graphic Designs, RACEceiver; AMI Graphics; and the WISSOTA Promoters Association.

The Thirty-Seventh Annual Series will kick off December 3-5, 2009 at the Eldorado Hotel casino, Reno, Nevada, and return to the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary February 8-10, 2010. More information on the Workshops and the promoters’ newsletter may found on the web at www.racingpromotionmonthly.net, or from RPM editorial offices, P.O. Box 195, Edgar, WI 54426, 715-536-1067, FAX 715-536-3616.

Create The Illusion, Make It Reality, Wheeler Tells Promoters

In a motivational keynote address Monday, H.A. (Humpy) Wheeler, President, and CEO of The Wheeler Company, a sports management consulting firm, told promoters they must create the Illusion that their events are so big fans cannot miss them, then make it a reality on race day.

Wheeler’s remarks opened the Speedweek Workshop of the 36th Annual RPM Promoters Workshops Series. His remarks were the first of thirty-six sessions which also included promoter Roger Slack’s “It’s The Show Stupid," Craig Armstrong’s “Building Local Buzz,” Jenni & Terry Hoenig’s, "No More Regulars Shows," and “Capturing Drifters and Their Fans” presented by Karl Fredrickson, editor of Speedway Illustrated Magazine.

The Speedweek Workshop is the second event of the Thirty-Sixth Annual RPM Promoters Workshops Series and the 97th produced by RPM during its 36-year run. Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea newsletter of auto racing promoters, and the Workshops are produced with the year-round support of K&K Insurance Group, Inc., Hoosier Racing Tire. The Thirty-Sixth Workshops Series was produced with additional sponsorship support from: the Eldorado Hotel Casino, INEX, GM Performance Parts, Lucas Oil Products, Moffett Productions, MUSCO Sports Lighting, World Racing Group; Simes Graphic Designs, RACEceiver; AMI Graphics; and the WISSOTA Promoters Association. More information is available from RPM at 715-536-1067, or on the World Wide Web at www.racingpromotionmonthly.net.

Doellefelds, 33rd Auto Racing Promoters of the Year

In the Grand Ballroom at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary, February 9, Joe and Walt Doellefeld, promoters of Stateline Stadium & Speedway located in Post Falls, ID. was revealed as the Thirty-Third Auto Racing Promoter of the Year by Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea newsletter for auto racing promoters. The Doellefelds received the industry's most prestigious award on their fifth nomination. The ceremony was part of the Speedweek National Workshops, the concluding event of the Thirty-Sixth Annual RPM Promoters Workshops Series, forums and trade shows for promoters, which will conclude Wednesday, February 11, at the hotel. The Auto Racing Promoter of the Year is selected annually in balloting by promoters nationwide.

Honored as Regional Auto Racing Promoters of the Year were Bill Ryan, Oxford Plains (ME) Speedway; Bruce Rogers, Grandview (PA) Speedway; Billy Thomas, East Alabama Motor Speedway; the Nuckles Family, Columbus (OH) Motor Speedway; The Queensland family, Deer Creek (MN) Speedway; Toby Kruse, Marshalltown (IA) Speedway; Lanny Edwards, Devils Bowl (TX) Speedway; and Joe & Walt Doellefeld, Stateline (ID) Stadium & Speedway.

Two other awards were presented during the ceremonies. John McKarns, whose motorsports ventures have included ARTGO promotions and MotorSports Management Services which operates the weekly racing program at the LaCrosse (WI) Fairgrounds Speedway was awarded the Tenth Annual Stew Reamer Service Award, recognizing lifetime service to the weekly auto racing industry. National Speed Sport News, presented the nineteenth annual National Speed Sport News Award for outstanding annual short track event to the Dirt Track World Championships.

The Speedweek Workshop is the second event of the Thirty-Sixth Annual RPM Promoters Workshops Series and the 97th produced by RPM during its 36-year run. Racing Promotion Monthly, the idea newsletter of auto racing promoters, and the Workshops are produced with the year-round support of K&K Insurance Group, Inc., Hoosier Racing Tire. The Thirty-Sixth Workshops Series was produced with additional sponsorship support from: the Eldorado Hotel Casino, INEX, GM Performance Parts, Lucas Oil Products, Moffett Productions, MUSCO Sports Lighting, World Racing Group; Simes Graphic Designs, RACEceiver; AMI Graphics; and the WISSOTA Promoters Association. More information is available from RPM at 715-536-1067, or on the World Wide Web at www.racingpromotionmonthly.net.