Knoxville Raceway: The Need for Speed
Entertainment, Spas, Other
Written by Amanda Gaines   
Saturday, 01 November 2008
Knoxville Raceway: The Need for Speed
This Midwestern racetrack has stood the test of time by always putting its customers first.
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The days of fast cars, childhood heroes, and $3 beers are still alive in Knoxville, Iowa. For $44, a family of four can take in three hours of lively dirt track races, have dinner, and go home feeling they’ve spent their hard-earned entertainment dollars well. And that’s what’s made it possible for the spirit of Knoxville Raceway to touch the lives of those across the country for nearly 100 years.

Knoxville Raceway: The Need for Speed
Brian Stickel, director of marketing and sales
The history of Knoxville Raceway dates back almost as far as its home turf, the Marion County Fairgrounds, which were purchased in the late 1800s when a half-mile horse racing track was built. The fairgrounds’ first auto race was held in 1914, and from that point on, it only got bigger and better.

Through to the 1950s, the track had roughly 1,500 seats. In the early 1970s, that number expanded to 5,000 and then to 12,000 in the ’80s. By the ’90s, the number grew to just shy of 25,000 and was complemented by the addition of 52 luxury skyboxes that include closed-circuit televisions, upgraded sound systems, refrigerators, and sinks.

According to Brian Stickel, director of marketing and sales, the addition of the skyboxes brought one of the country’s largest dirt racetracks up to the next level of hospitality for its clientele.

“We have a lot of car owners and business owners who are invested with the cars,” he said. “They make an investment in racing and the car, and when they come, they want to have a good time. We see a more upscale, business-oriented group in there, and several of our sponsors use the skyboxes and to entertain clients.”

Make ‘em happy
Measuring a half-mile inside track length, Knoxville Raceway isn’t only one of the nation’s largest dirt racing tracks. It’s also one of the most generous with its drivers. Each year, the track gives away a little more than $2 million in prize money. Its Knoxville Nationals, which has been held every August for the past 48 years, gives the winning driver $150,000 of the $920,000 purse. For its 50th anniversary in 2010, the purse will be $1 million.

According to Stickel, there are very few races that pay more other than NASCAR, Daytona, and possibly Talladega. But for Knoxville Raceway, customer service doesn’t only mean providing fans with $3.50 hamburgers and $4 tenderloins. It also means going above and beyond to make its drivers happy.

“We put a lot of money into making sure the surface is prepared adequately so that there’s good racing throughout the night because it’s important to the drivers,” he said. “We also provide each driver with secondary insurance when they race here in case they do get injured, which is another reason they like coming here.”

A typical event draws roughly 100 cars, and the $100,000 secondary insurance policy covers every driver on Knoxville Raceway’s track. If a driver is injured on site and has to be taken to a hospital, if he doesn’t have insurance, Knoxville Raceway’s policy becomes the primary one. In August, when a driver was injured, his primary policy wouldn’t pick up the transportation to another state for specialty services. The secondary policy covered the costs.

“It comes back to customer service,” said Stickel. “We feel it’s important. The drivers are our show. Without them, we don’t really have a reason for being in business. We need to make sure they’re being protected and make sure they can come back another day.”

The right direction
One of Knoxville Raceway’s biggest challenges of late has been keeping attendance up. The advent of super cable and competition with the obligations of busy children has played a role, and the racetrack has found itself in uncharted territory.

“Our business is about the racing, but, at the same time, we want to keep the costs affordable for the families and make sure people can continue to come, which is always a challenge in this economic time,” said Stickel.

To combat a shrinking audience, Knoxville Raceway’s volunteer board has taken a more proactive stance in advertising, and Stickel has started spreading the word on what the racetrack offers both on the Internet, through marketing campaigns, and with promotions similar to those at baseball games, with giveaways and chances to talk with the drivers.

“I’m currently writing a press release with Tony Stewart in it,” he said. “We haven’t touted racing celebrities a whole lot previously. The drivers come and show up, but the reason they come is not for our benefit. They come to race.”

That’s where the racetrack’s focus on customer service will come into play. Kids tickets are only $3, adult tickets are only $12, and the concession stands are run with inhouse food and beverages, so the rising costs associated with fuel won’t have an impact in Knoxville today, if ever.

In the future, Knoxville Raceway hopes to turn an empty area in the main entrance of the fairgrounds into a two- or three-story retail space, with a restaurant on top and suites in the middle. The structure is in the preliminary stages at this point, as the racetrack doesn’t carry debt and will only build the structure if and when it fits into its budget—another way  this Midwestern gem shows its staying power.

“For us, it’s about the customer and about the driver, who is our other customer. It’s about making them happy, taking care of their needs and desires, and still turning a profit. Yes, we want to make a profit, but that’s not always the driving factor in the events we do. We always put the customer first and foremost, and, if we do that, we feel it’s hard to go wrong.”
 
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