Where'd Ya Go.... What Did You Watch?  

Where/How Did You Atttend:  Went to New Egypt - Modifieds, Crates, NEW Wingless Sprints, 4 Cylinder & Vintage  (Attended as a fan in the stands - $23)

Liked:  Very good show.  Racing very good (Modified feature winning pass made on the last lap), Track very good/racey/smooth (little bit of dust, but unusually, there was no wind to help it drift toward the backstretch so I had my clear glasses for the modified feature), Show started right on time (a little before 7pm) which is definitely the norm at New Egypt.  Show moved along well.  I left after the 2nd yellow in the last feature of the night (crates) and was in my car by 10:15.  Definitely felt like I saw a good night of racing in just over a 3 hour period, which is perfect for me.

Dislikes: (Almost none...  It's that good of a show.... but here's one that I  think would improve the show....)  Like other tracks, the PA volume during intermission is set at the same level as when the cars are racing....  which means, IT'S TOO LOUD.  Intermission is an important part of the show, and New Egypt does a very good job with their giveaways, and other activities that keep most folks engaged.  But intermission is also a good time to talk to the friends that you are sitting with and it is absolutely impossible to do so with the PA volume still set at "11" when there are no cars on the track.  Hopefully somebody can do a sound check during intermission, so that the level can be adjusted down some, so folks can hear what's going on with the giveaways and stuff, without causing everyone else in the stands to have to scream over it, just to have a conversation with the person their sitting next to.

Suggestions:  Victory Lane Cermonies, as currently offered, is kind of a wasted opportunity to create a stonger bond between drivers and specators.  It should be moved closure to the crowd.  For two weeks in a row, Justin Grosso won the modified feature, but I'll bet 90% of the folks in the stands still don't know what he looks like because Victory Lane is located way over on the inside of the frontstretch, and very few can see the winning driver during their VL interview because it's pretty far away from the seating area, and because the view is blocked by photographers and well wishers standing between the winner and the paying spectators. 

(Pretty sure Justin Grosso and his race car are in there somewhere....)

Here's how it looked a few weeks back when Danny Bouc won (same situation... fans can't see the winner):

Fans watch a driver run their guts out for 30 laps... The race is over...  The excitement is still in the air....  There's a natural curiosity right then to want to see who was that behind the wheel, and to see their reaction.  Is there a more important time to actually see a driver?  It's definitely a more impactful moment if you can see the driver while they're being interviewed, instead of just hearing a voice on the PA. 

ALL NJ TRACKS need to realize that if fans just wanted to see cars go in circles and crash on occasion, we'd all just park at the Pennington or Whitehorse/Mercerville Circle... and wait for the next wreck. 

Short track racing is about having favorite drivers, (and maybe some not so favorite)... and I'll bet folks wouldn't be in such a big rush to leave the track as soon as the checkered flag waved on the modified feature if the victory lane interviews were conducted closer to the paying spectators where they could hear and see them.  A lot more would stay even for the last feature, if they knew they could see the winning driver right from their seating area, and equally important, a lot more would make plans to be in attendence again next week..... Better than just moving VL closer and moving folks out of the way, set up a small (moveable) platform, and interview the top 3 right in front of the main bleachers, right by the starter's stand.  More folks would choose to sit closer to the tower/flagger which I think would add to the atmosphere even more if they knew that was a good seat to see victory lane up close. (It's not my idea...  I just watch Flo and learn, and I hope NJ tracks would do the same, and watch how victory lane is handled at tracks like Kings Speedway in Hanford CA, or Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare CA.  The interaction with the fans at these tracks is so engaging that I know more about the drivers that run there (Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Shane Golobic, Justin Sanders, etc.,) than I do about drivers from my local NJ tracks.)

Going back this month?  Yes.  As mentioned before, if you're a dirt track modified fan and live in the area, head over to New Egypt and enjoy a well run show at a first class facility.