Thunder Cave Raceway - A Fantasy Track (part 1-7)

Part 1 - The Dream

In my years of Slot Car Racing I have seen a lot of great tracks and a lot of poor tracks.  I will tell you this as a fact, a poor track is better than no track.  It can be frustrating but it is still Slot Car Racing which I happen to love.  I have raced R/C cars and was even somewhat successful at it.  I was never as good at R/C car racing as my brother, who unfortunately suffers from dementia now.  However, I was good enough to win a few races.  R/C car racing never brought me the enjoyment of Slot Cars though.  I don't know why, maybe it was that slot cars takes timing instead of two handed coordination plus timing.  Maybe it was because Slot Car Racing was less expensive and I was racing on a very restrictive budget.  The fact is, given the choice of R/C car racing and racing Slot Cars I will choose Slot Cars everytime.

I have seen locally quite a few tracks open and close.   In the late 1960's an American King and an American Black were in the basement of a toy store.  This was run as a recreational track with no competitive racing program.  I got my introduction to Slot Car Racing at this track.  It was not organized but it was fun.  Eventually the store owner decided he could make better use for the space by stocking merchandise there.  He actually offered to give one or both of the tracks to me if I had somewhere to put them.  Not having a building available I turned down the offer and he had the tracks hauled to the local land fill as garbage.  Later a track opened with a Blue King and the racing was organized.  It was primitive by today's standards.  It had a lap counter that was based on a piece of wire hanging down over each lane and would count the laps as the cars tripped the wire.  This place even had trophy races occasionally.  Eventually this track owner lost interest and closed the track.  The next local track that opened was in an arcade in the mid 1970's.  This location had two tracks an Orange Monarch and an 110' American Black.  I always thought the Black was the better track but it did not have any banked turns and the Orange had one slightly banked turn so everyone ran on the Orange.  We had races there and a lot of fun.  Next was the first "Modern" track to open.  It had a Blue King and an Orange Monarch track.  Why do I say it was the first "Modern" track?  That is because it was the first track I ran on which had you change lanes and run rotations.  This was probably the most fun of all the local tracks I had raced at.  It was well organized and had every part for every car the track sold ready to be purchased if the need was there.  In other words it was well stocked and we did take advantage of the stock of parts.  Unfortunately the owner was not in a big hurry to start races and we would sometimes sit around for an hour or more waiting for him to start the races.  He eventually fell pray to finances and could no longer keep the track open.  Today we have a local track with a 110' orange and a large tri-oval.  There are competitive races being run at this track, but the races are not being run by the owner.  A person volunteered to be race director and is doing the best he knows how to run the races.  Over all, it is not as professional as the last track opened in our area but it is still fun.  The owner put an incredible amount of money into opening this track.  I wish him success in this effort.  We need people in this hobby that are willing to do more than "talk" about opening tracks.

Why do I mention these tracks?  I was a truck driver for 20 years and part of that time I was carrying my slot car stuff with me.  When I would be in a town over night I would check for a local slot car track and try to go to it.  As a result of this I was able to see a lot of really well run tracks and a lot of poorly run tracks.  I was able to see what made a track successful and one unsuccessful.  I came to understand a lot more about why the local tracks in the past had all failed.  I learned about the pattern of a slot car tracks life in most cases and how some people were able to over come the difficulties other tracks experienced.  This has led me to dream about one day having my own slot car track and run it the way I would like to see one run.  While I may not agree with the way some tracks operate I want to state as a fact that I have great respect for those who put their money up to open a slot car track.  These slot car track owners have the pleasure and the opportunity to run their tracks the way they see fit.  Even if I disagree they have the right to run it how they wish and we should be thankful to them for opening the track.  After all opening a commercial Slot Car Track requires a significant amount of money and they were willing to put it up to open a track and maybe fulfill a dream instead of just writing about it.

This will be a series of articles written based on how I would open a track and run it.  I will write it from the view point of actually doing it.  My investment budget will be $25,000.  The time span will be shorter than actually building and growing a race program, but it will be in the order and the fashion I would be shooting for if I actually did this.  In these articles you will get to see my actual vision of what I would love to see in a Slot Car Track.  You will get to see how I would plan out a location, select tracks, order parts, start the business and run the race program.  Remember, this is all fantasy as I am not spending the money and making the commitment that actual track owners have.

Be watching for "Thunder Cave Raceway - A Fantasy Track" Part 2 - Looking For A Home.

Part 2 - Looking For A Home

First thing needed is not an inventory or even a track to open a Slot Car Raceway.  The first thing needed is a home for the track.  There are some common knowledge and common sense requisites for a home for a Slot Car Raceway.  The first is it must be a leased building and not a purchase.  In the world of Slot Car Racing often a track needs the availability to change its location.  This is based upon the thought that you are looking for a location that will bring customers to you and not depend upon you bringing all the customers to the track through advertising.  Ideally, the track location will be in a multiple building facility like a strip mall.  A location that has other businesses close by that bring a variety of people right by your door on a daily basis.  The location should also be within visibility of a heavily traveled road.  This traffic means a large number of people will see your sign every day.  Ideally the location will have the square footage that is approximately three times the foot print of your main track you will be using.

Since the footprint of the track I will be trying to buy is 20' X 40" I will need 800 sq. ft. X 3 or 2,400 square feet.  This will allow for the main track (800 sq. ft.), counter, sales, and repair/work area (200 sq. ft.), space for 6 pit tables tables (200 sq. ft.), length of work bench along one wall for work space (160 sq. ft.) space for a secondary track, bathroom, and other purposes (940 sq. ft.).

The reason for leasing instead of buying is the ability to change locations and gain a new influx of racers from a new location if the current location starts to fail. The thought here is that your old dedicated racers will follow you to a new location if you have to move and you can pick up a lot of new racers through the exposure to people who have never seen your track.  Leasing a location also means you can open for a lot less cash than if you build.  If you own a building already it would be great, but you are still tied to that location and probably would find it difficult to change locations if you needed to.

Now, why do you need a location that brings so many people by your door?  In order for a commercial track to stay open, with the assumption it will have to pay for its self, you must have enough people to spend the amount needed to survive being in business.  Some of these racers will spend a lot of money especially at first.  However, you will find many only have X amount of dollars to spend on a hobby in each week.  If you approach business from the view point of these people will only spend X amount each week then you can figure how many people you will need as regular customers/racers per week to keep the doors open.  Anyone spending more than the X amount each week is a premium and gives you the opportunity to make improvements.

Figuring on a maximum lease of $2,500 per month (if a lower lease amount can be found it will be a premium), utilities of $500 per month,  plus other expenses of $500 per month means a needed profit of $3.500 per month plus any employment issues.  $3,500 profit per month on slot car, parts, etc. is an enormous amount.  Considering a 40% profit margin (note, profit margin is not the same thing as mark up) on cars, parts, etc. you will actually need to bring in a little over $8,500 per month.  Figuring a person spends on the average $35 per week on slot cars (this is figuring the spending habits after the person has bought their first run of cars and controllers) it will take approximately 60 regular slot car racers to achieve this.  60 regular racers is a large number of racers to maintain, this is why you need a premium location with a lot of exposure.

I have found such a location!!!  This is a real location and the figures are real however I will not say the name of the actual street or the street number.  I have found on a very busy street, in a growing area of the town of Flowood, MS.  The location has good parking joining in with other business.  It is in a strip mall type situation.  Many identifiable businesses are immediately around the location including major chain restaurants and clothing locations.  Drive thru traffic in the strip mall immediately in front of the location is over 1,000 vehicles per day.  The actual square footage is a little smaller than first desired as it is only 2,150 sq. ft.  This is still a workable amount of square footage especially considering the lease is only $2,200 per month.  This will mean gross sales for each month can be $750 less making over all sales needing to be $7,750 per month instead of $8,500.  It also means only 55 racers will be required to keep the track afloat as opposed to 60.  It will still allow for all the needed space allocated with the space for the secondary track and extra spaces reduced to 640 square feet instead of 940 square feet.  This number is still workable especially since I have something in mind concerning my secondary track.

Cost for getting the lease, local permits, licenses, sign on building, and utilities turned on....$8,000.  Remaining budget $17,000.

Location found!  Part 3 will be about finding my main track which I already have a line on.

Part 3 - Getting The Track

(Please Note....The track is an actual track up for sale. For fantasy purposes I am going forward as if I have actually purchased this track.It is an actual track on the market with real life numbers and situation.)

So, the location has been found and the lease has been signed for two years in a prime spot.  I have now locked down my track which I will travel to pick up.  The track is located approximately 12 driving hours from my home.  This will require a four day rental of a 26' truck, I am going to rent the next larger size in case there are other opportunities while I am at this location.  Day one I rent the truck and drive to the location of the track.  Day two I load the track and negotiate purchase of inventory that is at the track (this is a track which has gone out of business).  Day three drive back to my home town and rest for the night.  Day four, unload the track and loosely set track into positions to start assembly on day five.

The track is a 155' Oglivie Swoopy King.  It comes with two power sources, computer, two monitors, and race program software already loaded onto the computer.  It is a turn key set up for a legendary track in excellent condition.  The price for this track and everything to operate it is $3,500.  The braid is still in good condition, but I will be putting new braid on it as I set it up.  I will also be having a sign painted on the surface of the track before I put the new braid on.  The sign will be across the large banked turn and will declare the track to be "Thunder Cave Raceway" complete with my little caveman holding a controller logo.

While picking up the track I will be discussing purchasing the owners total inventory for 25% of actual cost.  If he doesn't like this idea and wants more for his inventory I will offer 50% of actual cost for parts of his inventory I will pick and choose from.  I realize some may think 25% or even 50% is trying to take advantage of a person when they are down.  This is not the case.  I am sure I could get the new inventory at a small discount with my first order considering it will be a large one.  Doing this ALL  my inventory will be fresh and exactly what I want to sell.  I am not about to pay 75% of cost to someone else to purchase what THEY felt was their vision of what their track would need.  I will also be discussing the purchase of a number of pieces of equipment such as commutator lathe, tire truer, magnet zapper, various chassis jig plates, soldering station, etc...  Due to the fact that I intend to work on cars for people who need the service I will be buying any tools I can at a discount if possible.

I will also be looking at purchasing fixtures.  I have a local source where I can buy glass display cases for $100 each.  If I can buy his for $50 each I will do so.  Any wall decorations he is willing to sell will be considered.  I will have approximately 80' of wall space to decorate.  The rest of my wall space has a purpose already and will be arranged as such.

Track purchased.  Remaining budget $13,500.  Part 4 will involve the actual trip to pick up the track and expenses involved.

Part Four - Planning the trip to pick up the track

(Note, this is a fantasy article only.  I am not really purchasing and opening a Slot Car Raceway.  It is an exercise in what it would actually be like to do so.  I have always wanted to open a track of my own and this fantasy experience may be as close as I ever get.  Please note, all references to any details concerning opening the track reflect actual deals, fixtures and locations I have found)

Today I have checked on rental truck prices.  It is a good thing I have an excellent price on the track this is going to cost more than I anticipated.  The combined price of truck rental (including milage....I will continue to look for a rental with no mileage charges), fuel, and motel for two nights comes up to $1,800.  The truck will be a 26 foot as I cannot find a company that offers larger rentals.  This means I may be limited on fixtures I could buy when I get there.  I am not including the cost of meals as I will have to eat anyway.

I will be taking some simple tools with me a couple creepers for getting under the track to disassemble it, every blanket in our house, and my wife for company and assistance.  My wife is coming because there is no one on this Earth I trust more or work better with.  Through our 40+ years of marriage we have accomplished things I thought would be impossible.  There is no one I trust more to work on a project with.

I have also purchased three sheets of thin plywood.  One of these sheets has been painted with large black and white checkers.  I will be having vinyl lettering done at Budget Signs in Jackson, MS with the name of the track and "Winners Circle" attached.  This sheet will be on one of the walls for pictures of winners of races and track record holders to be taken in front of.  The other two sheets will be a "Wall of Honor" where the pictures will be placed.  As long as a person holds a track record in a class the picture will remain on the wall.  Special race winners will also have their pictures taken and put on the "Wall of Honor" for the following year.  Oops, I am getting ahead of myself.  The special races will be discussed later, but they will take place at least every other month and will be in multiple classes.

budget balance after accounting for the trip to pick up the track, plywood, paint, and vinyl lettering...$11,600.

Part 5 - Results of the trip to pick up the track

(Reminder...  This is a fictional story of starting up a Slot Car Raceway.  There is no real Thunder Cave Raceway.  The conditions and situations are represented by real life conditions and opportunities.)

Arriving at the location to pick the track up the owner was there to help us take it down and understand how to put it back up.  This was an all day affair as we made plenty notes on everything involved so we could reverse engineer the assembly of the track.  All went well with the disassembly and the track went into the truck with room to spare.  We were careful in loading to assure no damage would take place on the twelve hour drive back home.  Card board dunnage, blankets and tie down straps were used in abundance to accomplish this.

We tried to work a deal on existing inventory but an agreement on price could not be made.  He felt he could get more on Ebay piecing it out.  The price on the glass display cabinets was nice but not enough savings over our local prices to make the transporting of them worth the risk of glass damage.  I would have really liked to purchase the com lathe he had but that was not possible either.  I will simply have to buy one new along with all the other tools of the trade we will have on hand for repairs and improvements.  It is my plan to have a complete shop set up for slot car repairs.  Repairs and improvements will include blueprinting chassis as well as motors and even things as mundane as soldering jobs and body mounting.  Of course these will be done at a reasonable price.

Upon returning home with the track we unloaded the track and "semi" set the track up.  We will wait until the braid comes in for re-braiding and the bill board is painted on the large banked turn to do the actual assembly.  In the time while we are waiting we will be painting in the interior and getting our retail/shop area set up.  We already have our "Wall of Honor" up as well as our "Victory Lane" area for photos to be taken.  We will also be building the work bench for pit area and having electrical outlets placed every 6 feet along it.

I am now shopping for a secondary track.  This will be a short oval track which is easily taken down.  Its primary use will be for rental cars, but will also be used for promotional activities such as the state fair and large car shows.  The idea here is to buy display space and set up the track for free races using rental cars and controllers.  The winner of each race will get a card good for 30 minutes track time with a rental car and controller for the winner and one guest.  This will give me the opportunity to reach and unthinkable number of people and actually give them an opportunity to see what slot car racing is about.  The free rental time will give them an opportunity to see the actual track and be exposed to our raceway.  The additional guest will make the experience more fun and will double our exposure at the actual track making the expense of the display space even more valuable.  Yes it is a lot of work to take a track down and set it up twice, but he exposure is something you could not get with any other amount of print or broadcast advertising.  By doing this twice a year it should keep exposure at a high level and bring in new racers in the fall and in the spring.

Part 6 - The Grand Opening

(I would like to remind everyone this is an imaginary track opening.  I have always wanted to open a slot car track, but have never had the resources to open and then assure the continued success of the track.  I would like to tip my hat to all who have had the courage to actually open a commercial raceway.  It is an effort that all too often goes unappreciated.)

The final pieces are now in place.  The sign simply says "Slot Cars".  On the door is lettering that says "Thunder Cave Raceway.  My thoughts on the sign was to simply state what the business was.  I remember another track owner changed locations once and got a building you could see from the interstate exit.  He simply put "Slot Cars" on the window in huge letters you could read from the exit and it was effective.  The track has been assembled and new braid has been placed on all eight lanes of the track.  I now have a Victory Lane for photos and a Wall of Honor for race winners and record holders.

I have purchased a 30' oval track.  I had to go get it but I was able to use my own trailer as it was not too large to fit.  This cut back my delivery expenses a lot.  The total cost of transportation and track purchase was $2,000.  This track is only 10 sections so it is not so hard to set up and take down for going to commercial events for promotional purposes.

I have purchased fixtures as follows; three used glass display cabinets for $100 each, three 6' banquet style tables plus 18 folding metal chairs for a total of $150, Building materials for the work bench along one wall came to $200, the 12 folding chairs for the work bench cost me $60, the wiring for the extra outlets along the work bench was a bargain at only $500.  These items totals $1,010.

My inventory is a relatively small amount however with weekly orders it should be sufficient.
Cars including Champion Turbo Flex RTR, Womp Womp RTR, Whisper Jets (for rental), Group F RTR,
Chassis include JK C43, Mosetti Patriot, Womp Womp, Champion Turbo Flex, Group F.
Controllers include rental controllers, Koford economy and a couple Difalcos.
Motors include Hawk 7, Hawk Retro, Pro Slot 4002, 16D
Parts include 3/32 axles, Womp Womp axles, 1/8 and 3/32 tires, 1/8' and 3/32' oilites, various pinons and spur gears, braid, commutator brushes and brush springs, regular guide flags, cutdown guide flags, light weight guide flag nuts, teflon washers, lead wires, various body clips, body pins, various painted and unpainted bodies, painted and unpainted drivers, lane stickers, number and sponsor sheets.  Basically parts to rebuild any car I sell.
Tools and helpful items, allen wrenches, 0.050' and 0.032 tech tools, economy and pro soldering irons, oilers, medium tire glue, braid drops, tire cleaner, pinion pullers and presses, soldering blocks, body mounting blocks, body reinforcement liquid, body armor.
Parts total is $5,800.

These figures are $2,000 oval track, $1,010 fixtures, $5,800 parts and cars totaling $8,810.  Taking this amount from the $11,600 I had left over I have $2,790 left.  $500 of this will be used for various weekly newspaper ads for two weeks, I will not be advertising in the large local paper.  $1,000 of this amount will be used for targeted popup ads on the internet.  $270 will be used for business cards, bumper stickers, and flyers.  This will leave $1,000 for incidental expenses I have not taken into account.

The grand opening will take place the second week of my news paper ads with specials on beginners sets containing Womp Womp or Turbo Flex, economy controller, allen wrench, oiler, 2 sets of braid, and one hour of track time.  These beginner sets will reflect a 20% savings for retail price.

Be watching for my final installment which includes my actual business practices.

Part 7 - The Business Plan

(Once again, I want to remind everyone this is a fictional track.  It does not exist and it never opened.  The spending represented was based on real world figures and actual opportunities.  These articles are not meant to make any insinuations concerning any real world Slot Car Raceways that are opened.  There are many ways to open and operate tracks, this is how I would do it if I were to open my own track.)

In order to understand how to create a business plan you must know something about the customers you are seeking to have.  A commercial Slot Car Raceway is a very difficult business to be successful with due to many factors.  Some of these factors are as follows.
 1. The very nature of slot car racing means some people will be doomed to finishing in the back of the pack almost always.  This can be very discouraging and can cause people to drop out of racing.
2. The customers who are not racers will be spending very little on their hobby once they get started.  These people will not keep the doors open.  You must develop interest in racing to get people to spend money on a regular basis.
3. The internet will rob you of sales.
4. People have various interest and will not always attend races once they become racers.

I have close up knowledge of two different types of business involving keeping people spending money in a store instead of the internet, or failing to do so.  When was the last time you saw a magic store?  I was a professional magician for a few years.  OK, I was a semi-professional magician.  At one time I had one of the largest magic stage shows in the South.  When starting out I bought all my tricks and supplies at the local magic store, yes there was one.  After a while the tricks on the shelf of the store were not sufficient nor was the advise I could get from the local magic store owner.  In order to advance I had to build my own illusions and seek the help of other magicians in other areas to get creative ideas or used stage illusions.  This meant I was no longer buying from the local shop except for occasional lengths of rope or common items.  The magic store could not get enough new magicians coming along to keep them open.  In order to keep customers loyal you must provide information and an expertise in the hobby you are in business with.  This magic store owner could not.

For 5 years I worked at a motorcycle dealership where motocross was promoted.  After a while I noticed that we were not selling as many accessory items and speed parts for motocross.  Checking with other dealerships I found most of the shops were not doing as much business in motocross as they once did.  Everyone was still selling the bikes but they were not getting the extra income of speed accessory sales.  The customers who came back to us for modifications on their bikes were still buying from us.  The people who were doing their own work were not.  Catalog sales were taking dollars away from us as they could get the parts and accessories cheaper there.  The shop "sponsored" racers, who got discounts, were still buying from us but that was the bulk of our diminished sales.  We would still sell accessories to the new riders and racers but once they felt they didn't need our service they went to the catalogs.  This caused many of the motorcycle shops to almost stop selling racing accessories completely.

The common bond here is the businesses lost sales when they were not looked to for advice or service.  A small discount to the racers kept loyalty to the motorcycle shop.  The people who were not racers were willing to pay full price as they weren't looking in the magazines for places to buy discount parts.  With this in mind it is important for a Slot Car Raceway to understand the difference between casual hobbyist and racers.  It is also important to understand the spending of each.  The hobbyist will spend money to get started and then spend very little, the racers will spend a little to get started and then spend a bunch to race.  While the casual hobbyist will be loyal with their limited spending the racers will see all the options for saving money buying elsewhere and need to coaxed into a sense of loyalty.

It is my opinion that most racers will spend X amount of money on their hobby a month.  They will spend this money on parts, tools, controllers, cars...etc.  It is the track owners responsibility to get as much of this amount to be spent at his track.  Some track owners think their income should come from renting track time and some look at track time as a means to sell parts and cars.  Recently I went to race at a track and there were not enough racers to fill out the class.  The track owner told the racers, since there was not enough people to race he would open the track up for them.  I had decided to build a particular car that looked like it would be fun to drive.  This is not a class that we race but it would be fun and other tracks do run it.  Because of this opening the track to the racers I will be buying the parts from him instead of elsewhere.  Until now the cars I built for racing at other tracks I had bought elsewhere because of savings.  I guess that show of support to the racers helped make me feel a little loyal to the track owner.  Building loyalty to the track is very important to keep dollars being spent there instead of the internet.  The more a track owner is personally invested in getting to know his racers and showing support of them the more loyalty the will show to him.

My business plan would work along this order.  You can compare slot cars to bowling.  After all, in the early days of slot car racing, AMF bought out American Model Raceways because they were afraid of the damage being done to bowling by slot car racing.  In bowling you do not have to have your own ball or shoes but it is much more enjoyable if you do.  When I first started bowling I used a rental ball and shoes.  When I got serious about it I bought my own ball and shoes.  The problem with most tracks rental cars is they are not maintained.  These should be the best maintained cars in the building.  Every time a car is rented its tires should be cleaned, it should be oiled and the braid examined.  Rental cars should be almost bullet proof.  Whisper Jet cars are a good choice for this as there is little to go wrong with them and are tough as nails, or there are cars now with direct drive and no gears.  The bodies should have an undercoating to prevent them from splitting or tearing.  The purpose of rental cars is to create the interest to buy a car and a controller.  I have seen some tracks who have actually had a class racing rental cars.  This class would only use rental cars and controllers.  If you have ever raced in a regular class of racing you were not allowed to race in the "novice" class.  Not all tracks can do this, it is dependent upon having a lot of traffic coming into your store and those that rented a car enjoying the experience.  Past T.O.A. track owner of the year, Jim Honeycut of San Antonio, was known to use this idea to the point of awarding merchandise certificates for the first three finishers which could be used with other certificates to buy a car and controller.  Once a "novice" cashed in any of these certificates he was no longer eligible to race as a novice.  This actually fed racers from the rentals to the regular racers.  Well maintained rental cars are very important.

Track rental would be in fifteen minute intervals with multiple amounts of time available at a discount with the purchase of a "time card".  People would be able to purchase a set amount of time or they could pre-purchase time with a time card up to 5 hours.  These cards would have punch marks which would be punched as the time was used.  Time cards would not be transferable or be used to buy time for others.  Not allowing others to share a card may seem odd, but a person could buy a 5 hour time card at a discount then provide time for everyone.  The idea of a discount is for the person who spent the money not their friends.

In order to have a race program, you need to make sure time is available for practice and for racing.  You can not race every night of the week.  A race program can be run many different ways.  One is the track owner sets what classes and times when they will race, another is a club decides what they would like to race and talks to the track owner to set it up.  There is also the club which the track owner is involved in and works with the club to see their racing desires are met.  This is probably the best route and the one I would chose to work with.  My race program would have certain classes that I know are best for business along with races that the club members are interested in enough to support.  By having a club and giving a 10% discount to club members I will be instilling a sense of loyalty to the racers.  They would know they can get items as cheap, or close enough to as cheap, to internet prices to prevent them from wanting to go online to purchase.  By giving them part of the say in the classes we race I will have a better idea of what cars and parts to order.  The club would have monthly meetings where racers can voice opinions about the racing and make suggestions.  It would also present a platform to announce upcoming events or rule changes.  To encourage attendance at these meetings the track would be open for a short period before and after the meeting free, plus this is where racers would get their 10% discount cards.

Primary class would be an entry level class.  This would be a flexi class with cars that are commercially available under a specified price.  These cars would be of the flexi class such as but not limited to Champion's Turbo Flex, Parma's Flexi cars, Mosetti Patriots, and JK's C21.  The bodies would be GT or LMP style bodies.  The legal motors would be Hawk 7, Hawk Retro, Falcon 7, or Pro Slot 4002.  Gears would be dependent upon what ever a person decides to use as long as they are 64 pitch.  Tire choice would be open to selection.  This class would have a special race about every 2 months where trophies would be awarded.  The special races would be of various bodies such as Nascar style in February, Indy style in May, Dirt Late Models in July, Florescent painted bodies and black lights in October. etc...

Once a year a special IROC race using rental cars would be run taking racers from qualifiers from different classes.  Example, if you are running three classes, three would qualify from two classes and two from the other class.  A special race would be run on the first week/weekend of the year for all classes.  The winner of all the special races would have their picture taken in Victory Lane and would be put on the wall of honor for the year.  All pictures would be replaced by the winner of the same race the following year.

As stated earlier most slot racers will tend to spend what they can afford on racing.  It is the tracks owners job/responsibility to get as much of that and at as high profit margin as possible with out breaking the loyalty of the racers.  In order to increase profit margins services would be available.  These services would include minor repairs all the way up to car building.  These service jobs would be taken in and would be performed during the off times at the track.  Even a job so small as soldering a lead wire on would have a charge.  Parts would also be modified and sold at a premium price.  Example... you could buy a set of tires for X or for a little more you could buy the same pair that have been trued.  You could buy a new motor for X or for a little more you could buy a motor that has been pre-broken in with a read out of the rpm it turns.  You could buy an RTR car or you could buy the same car for a little more that has had the oilites adjusted so the axle turns more freely, the motor adjusted for proper gears mesh, a Teflon washer placed between the guide flag and tongue, and more.  If a class is run with motors that have removable end-bells you could buy brushes that have been pre-broken in, motors which have the brush hoods aligned, comms turned,, etc...  The idea is to add value to a product then sell it for a higher price.  This means a drastically increased profit margin on those items.  It means more of each dollar spent belongs to the track owner.

Another concept is you make money from track rental, but if no one is running on the track you are not making money.  If no one is running on the track but there are people there, find an excuse for an impromptu race for $1 entry fee.  The winner of this race gets an hour of track time.  In doing this you are not going to make much on the race but you will get people wearing out parts so they have to spend more money.  The track time the winner gets only gives him an excuse to get on the track and wear out braid, gears, tires, etc...  Not bad when no one was spending money any way.  Plus, it will help establish loyalty to the track.

There is no one exact way a track should be run.  All tracks are different and mainly are dependent upon the track owner and his set of values, skills, and personality.  This tells you a little of how my track would be run.  I hope you have enjoyed reading my meanderings.  For those who think it should be read in the toilet, I guess you get what you pay for.