Yea I would consider my self a "hardcore" but I see nothing wrong with ending the night off with a fun event like a demo derby.

You have to be careful running demo derbies and other side shows at your race track. You are sending the message that the racing is not enough to get you there and keep the fan's attention, you need another show to make it actually interesting.

They have been running Demo Derbies at stock car races across North America for over 60 years . Some of the most successful tracks ever have run Demo Derbies over the years , even Lowe's aka Charlotte . Side shows as you call them such as Ken Carter , The Hell Drivers and demo derbies etc etc are a big fan draw and very popular with the majority of people .

Darn I keep missing the the demo derby at the Cup races I guess.... 😉

If at the end of the night the fans want more, before next week, you didn't put on a very good show..

Plus any 1/2 decent derby is going to take longer than 1/2 an hour, so you can't run it after the show, or you will be going all night. unless of course you cut your racing for it.... Hmmmmmm....

Not if you watch the ARCA race earlier in the weekend... ;D Seriously though, the side shows are there (stuff like the US Army Challenge, or the Dewalt interactive display, or the pre-race concerts) but not on the track (excluding the annual 'Invasion of Grenada' at Lowes). 'Gimmicky' or non-racing stuff shouldn't be the bread and butter, but there's no reason it can't be used to bring people in and turn them into weekly racing fans.

I love the gimmicky stuff. I think there needs to be more. Anybody remember seeing Bo from The Dukes of Hazard perform at Barrie Speedway years ago?

I used to go to Pinecrest and Sunset with my Dad when I was a kid. The one thing I remember very vividly from Pinecrest is the Hell Drivers.. man they were awesome. To see cars go over jumps or the t-bones was just as cool to a kid then as I am sure they are today.

Even as an adult I sat fixed to the tv watching the camper/trailer races. These guys have a truck and pull around a trailer (some big silverstreams while others boats) and nothing stops the race. These guys will spin in a corner and the other guy will driver through side of trailer and keep racing with fridges and stoves around the track to avoid... super cool.

Of course this is just my opinion but I think going to the races should be like going to the circus and be a different treat every week.