I have written in the past about how difficult the spring portion of the season can be for race teams, drivers and crews.
I have written in the past about how difficult the spring portion of the season can be for race teams, drivers and crews, but 2020 has now brought upon the racing community an entirely different set of challenges that will add to this already difficult portion of the season.
At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 issue has resulted in the cancellation of all motorsports events in the United States through April 30. This will not only have a major affect on the drivers that depend on race winnings for a living, but also will have far-reaching effects through the entire industry.
April can be a difficult month for race teams to make money under average circumstances. The weather plays an enormous role in the success of a team‘s spring season.
In 2019 I believe I was only able to run two events in the month of April due to rain-outs. There were many times when we either were on our way to the track or had actually begun the night‘s events when Mother Nature struck.
The uncertainty of the weather results in a lot of wasted funds spent on diesel, hotels, among other things that you cannot recoup if races rain out. If there is a bright side to difficulties of 2020, it is that a team knows they will not be racing and will not have wasted expenses travelling to races that will get called off.
I would say most teams can probably weather the storm through the month of April, but will be certainly feeling the crunch if races do not begin soon into May.
Not only are the race teams going to directly struggle from races being shut down, but also the entire industry that has been built around motorsports.
Fortunately for parts manufacturers, their busiest time of the year is October through January or February, when all the teams are preparing for the new season. Builders will most likely use this time to stock up on inventory, but will need dollars to start flowing again soon.
Local and wholesale speed shops will also, no doubt, feel a sharp decrease in business while racers hunker down and conserve money.
Another sector of the racing industry is merchandise providers. Certainly, no teams will be purchasing new merchandise when their next event date is uncertain. These companies have many employees that would otherwise have no direct ties to motorsports.
The largest concern I have from this epidemic is how the enormous worldwide economic fallout will affect sponsors and fans. The massive amount of money that is being taken out of the economy while people all over world are sheltering will certainly be felt by all.
My hope is that fans will still have the funds to attend racing events when they are permitted to resume. Businesses everywhere will be looking at ways to cut costs, and unfortunately a race sponsorship might be one of the first items on the chopping block.
Racers lead an unpredictable existence, even in the best of times, and hopefully our constant need to adapt will help us weather this uncertain situation just like the rest of them. I find great comfort in knowing that short track open-wheel fans are some of the best and most loyal fans of any kind in the world.
My hope is that when the gates open once again, the fans will fill the seats to capacity and the remainder of the 2020 race season will be one of the best in history.
Hopefully, the popularity and quality of short track racing will continue growing as it was before we approached this issue.