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SOS Q&A with: Ken Pelkie
I’ve told this story a million times, BUT - I still remember busting tires for a friend at Toledo Speedway on a supermodified in 1990 – this couple came over that used to help out Jimmy Brown with his super and started raving about all the great sprint car racing going on especially on dirt. I thought, here we are at a high banked paved ½ mile with supermodifieds – how can it get any better than that? – those stupid sprint cars on dirt thing, could never be better than this. BOY WAS I WRONG. Over the years I got to know this couple, Ken and Cheryl Pelkie and they have a passion for the sport like no-one else I know. At times I don’t see eye to eye with them – but I certainly respect what they have to say and I am ALWAYS interested in their thoughts “regarding the state of the sport”. Lately the Ohsweken Speedway has been honored with several awards – most of those awards have been presented to Glenn Styres – but I’m sure Glenn would tell you that the efforts of Ken and Cheryl Pelkie are a big part of those awards. So we asked Ken (Cheryl too) for their thoughts…
Pete Turford
President
Southern Ontario Sprints
You’ve done several jobs within the sport photographer, promoter, media officer, race director etc – which one have you enjoyed the most?
Also builder, driver, mechanic, car owner, concession worker, ticket seller, announcer, and fan. I guess you could say that I (we) have seen all sides of it.
There really is not one piece of it that I like more than another as they all get you involved to one degree or another, It just depends how much you want to be involved or are willing to sacrifice for. The one key point of our involvement is that we have done most of this on a volunteer basis – pure love of the sport.
Right now our work as unofficial promoters is the most rewarding part of the sport that we have ever been involved in. But it is not easy. We have had a total of two days off since the green flag fell at the Canadian Nationals last September – that is whole days where we did not have to answer the phone or email and field a racing related question. Most of these days are at least eight hour days with some up to twelve. Not complaining one bit though as it is necessary to build what Ohsweken is attempting to build and is very pleasurable dealing with the different industry people (at least most of the time).
If I have to pick one area that is something that I think is long term enjoyable I would say it is the photography piece as there is not much pressure. Just show up and do your thing – then off you go to the next venue. If you get lucky and capture a great shot it is rewarding; if you don’t then it is no big deal, you just move on. I don’t ever see us giving up the photography totally as it has been very rewarding and we have met many fine people through this avenue. The part that the average person doesn’t understand is that it is expensive to secure the necessary equipment to do the job correctly. Today’s digital cameras have flooded the industry with a group of people who are using the photographer disguise and their $500 cameras to seek access to areas they have no business being. This often makes it difficult for legitimate photographers to do their jobs properly. These people by and large have never been published on anything but their own websites and probably never will and do not represent any viable media; they are just looking for a free ride.
The announcement of weekly sprints at Ohsweken certainly set tongues wagging – was the response about what you expected?
The jury is still out on that one. Ask me at the end of the 2009 season and I will be able to give you a better answer.
Now with that said; so far I have to look at it as better than expected. We have had a great deal of interest expressed from a number of existing teams from the area as well as established teams from both New York and Michigan. Several inquiries from people looking at getting into the sport as well makes me think that we should have a solid car count each week. With Humberstone running bi-weekly and the SOS offering a traveling Saturday show, I personally thing it will position sprint car racing overall in a strong and viable position in the area.
At Ohsweken, Glenn has been most cooperative in letting me and Cheryl look after setting up the program and providing both the cash and facility to make the program attractive.
Fan response has been extremely positive and as we are getting ready to hit the winter “Show Car” circuit so we should get a much better feel for the overall pulse of the situation.
One thing that I can say is that the support both sponsorship and contingency wise from the various vendors in the industry and local business has been more that we expected and very encouraging. And we have been able to sign a title sponsor for the Ohsweken sprint car division in “Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc” from Richmond Hill.
With 2 World of Outlaw Sprint shows, a World of Outlaws Late Model show, the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals plus all the other specials at various area tracks how do you make a weekly sprint show “Special” enough to get the fans to come out?
“SOLID” I believe is the word that is the main objective that should be targeted for a weekly show!
These other shows are indeed the “Specials” that should highlight the season and there is plenty of room for them. However if you do not have a “Solid” weekly program to make the track attractive enough to make it feasible to open the gates weekly, then I believe the facility is in trouble. Others have tried the specials only direction and the amount of success speaks for itself. So you need to offer something different in hopes of attracting attention.
For the most part, the World of Outlaws “Specials” (both Sprint and Late Models) attracts its own solid following of fans which is essentially different from what you would find at the weekly shows. We were surprised to find that the 2007 World of Outlaws Sprint show attracted an almost exclusive Ontario based crowd. We do definitely count on the support of the weekly fan for these shows as well and are proud to have the opportunity to bring these types of shows in for their enjoyment. However, many of the people who attend these major events are the same people who support a wide variety of other things such as baseball, concerts, etc. and not a weekly speedway. Most of them in fact do not attend weekly racing anywhere. Our job is to try to bring them in to our major “Special” races and expose them to a taste of our weekly grass roots show at the same time. And then maybe, just maybe we can attract some of them back to a few of our weekly events. That is what is going to make the longevity of the facility a reality. That is the real purpose of “Specials” and you have to take a chance and bring them in.
As for the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals; it is growing in fan popularity and is still the “Flagship Event” for local / regional sprint car racing. It has been designed for the race teams and their support has been outstanding from the start. The event should over time produce a show that is a “must see” on the fans yearly calendar. The formula has proved to be successful and we are seeing fan attendance growing each year. We no longer see this as just a race but rather an event that was planned to grow quickly into a highly recognized event on the 360 Sprint Car circuit. It has produced results much quicker than expected and has had a great deal to do with Ohsweken’s recent success. It is indeed a major factor in the speedway still operating.
Regarding specials at other area tracks; they are and will always be an important part of their program. We have been very careful to try to schedule around established dates at other speedways and will continue to do so as much as possible.
At one of the fall meetings, promotion was brought up as an issue, you mentioned the various attempts made in the past using print media, radio etc. all provided little if any bang for the buck, for the track – what is the 2008 promotion strategy for Ohsweken? What should the rest of the sport be doing?
There are a lot of differing opinions on this however I do stick to what I said based on my personal past experiences.
Now, that does not mean that I am giving up on using print media or radio. Both are expensive and you really have to be careful where you choose to spend your advertising budget.
Starting with radio – how many of you listen to radio other than to catch the local news, weather, or traffic reports or the occasional Leaf game and really pay any attention to the commercials. Then when do you listen and to what station – is it Am of FM or now even satellite or your MP3 player or CD. Where and when do you spend your money – morning or afternoon – major stations or local? All have one thing in common – they are expensive. For a traveling series it is just not cost effective and for a track to do it sporadically it is no more than hit or miss with minimal return. Giveaways over the radio prove to be just that – giveaways. Traveling series such as the SOS are not in a position to give away tickets and for the speedways there is a better way to do this.
Print media is a bit better as you usually have a fixed circulation but how many of the demographic target groups read the newspaper thoroughly enough to see the ad that most of us can afford to take out. And how much support do you get from the local media in covering auto racing? I am not bashing either as they are also in business to stay in business. The fact is they don’t see auto racing as a highly visible market with major support to their listeners or readers.
And some people will say that television is the real way to get out your message but again, other than price – where do you go to market your wears and when?
The internet is the other major area that needs attention and has proven to be the quickest and best means of advertising and reporting. It is definitely growing in strength. It is also putting major strain on the print and radio side of the business.
We have had some moderate success with both print and radio but not what I would like to see. A concentrated effort will be made with Raceline radio (Burlington) this year to try to take advantage of their syndicated show. RaceTime radio (Owen Sound) has also been supportive in the past and we will continue to utilize their service while stepping up our support to them.
CFPL Radio (London) who produce a racing report weekly will also be a focus area while print efforts will be concentrated locally within the Brantford market as well as Racing print media in New York State.
Other than that, the most effective results for the track are local show and shine events, Custom car shows, and in reality anywhere where the fan and racers can interact.
You’ve been to tracks all over North America – what track/promoter really seems to be above all others in terms of putting fannies in the seats? And why do you feel they have been successful?
There is no doubt that Eldora is among the leaders. It is mainly due to the established product that people can see year after year. Big names, Big car counts, and Big shows. The fact that Tony Stewart now owns the place hasn’t hurt anything either as there are still people who will go there to see a glimpse of Tony. But it is more or less the longevity of the establishment that has been the key to their success coupled with location, big purses, and racer support.
Similar to the previous question – What is the best operation you have seen and yet it is not normally on the tips of most people’s tongues in terms of a good track to see a great show, great concessions etc.
Fremont Speedway (under the Jim / Joanne Ford direction) – great show – great food.
Always treat their fans and racers with respect and try real hard to entertain them. It has also been around for 50 plus years but was essentially resurrected seven years ago by the Ford family after being shutdown for a few seasons.
A two part question – a): What is the biggest threat to area sprint car racing? b): What is the biggest threat to sprint car racing as a whole?
Answer to both parts – EXPENSE.
And it is not just to the cars and race teams – it is also a major problem for the fans and promoters. Insurance, food, purses, fuel costs, employee wages, hydro, and on and on – it is getting really expensive to put on a show that is affordable and entertaining.
That is one of the largest reasons for switching to weekly Sprint racing at Ohsweken.
First of all it gives the fans an option over the modifieds as a headline division on the area dirt tracks.
It will also give the racers an opportunity to race for a decent purse without as much travel so hopefully it will build up the basic car count in the area.
And it will hopefully provide enough return to some teams to make it possible for them to travel to SOS races and compete, rather than to have to park their equipment or totally sell out.
What is the best race you ever saw? – you can even say a pavement show if you want – smile
That is a hard one to narrow down. – Seen a lot of good ones in a lot of different classes on both Dirt and Asphalt.
Let’s just say that any race where there is real competition and skill being displayed is a good one. But it is no secret that I like 360 Sprint racing as much as I do. Very seldom is it a sleepy freight train run from start to finish.
Okay, a lot of us saw the article in the Toronto Star on Jan 12 – when do we get to see the dome at Ohsweken?
Good question – my only comment is that if Glenn has the notion to do it – it will happen eventually.
There is still much to do at Ohsweken before a dome needs to be erected. I believe that a good weekly (mid-week) go kart program needs to be developed to support the dome when it is ready to be erected.
With respect to the big track there is many improvements (additions) that need addressing. This year the front stretch spectator stands will all be removed and 8,000 seats erected going 26 rows high from turn four to turn one. The rest of the Musco Lighting will be installed and the original ten rows of stands from the front stretch will be moved to the pit.
Also in the future plans are new concessions and washrooms for the front stretch along with a VIP structure and new control tower complete with infrastructure to handle live internet broadcasts and support television for the major events. New signal lights along with retaining wall improvements need to be addressed. Then we have to look at the pit parking where light showers on Friday afternoons can cause the nightly programs to be scrubbed when the track can be made raceable.
Then up goes the dome (lol)
What would fans be most surprised to find out about Ken & Cheryl Pelkie?
I don’t know if it would be surprising but I think that if people knew the amount of time that we put into racing they would be amazed. We see somewhere between 80 and 90 shows each year starting in January and usually ending in November. From Florida to New York and as far west as Iowa, if there is a sprint car show running we have either attended it of at least considered it at some point. With that we served as race day officials with both SOD and the SOS last season along with the promotional duties involving the major events at Ohsweken including advanced ticket sales which were all done from our home on our private phone line. And why do we do it? – Sometimes that is a good question but never believe that there is any motive that is not directed at strengthening sprint car racing in Ontario.
Rest assured that when entering competition under our direction, every competitor should know they are doing so on a level playing field. Even though we know some competitors better than others, we have no favourites once the green flag waves.
And when the day comes when it is time to walk away, that is what we will do with no regrets but not just yet. |
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