We’ve long been an advocate of the Eastern Motorsports Press Ass’n convention, which lets you chat with the sport’s movers and shakers away from the rush of daily business or race events.
As we waited for our first cup of coffee Saturday morning, World Racing Group head Tom Deery and I discussed the attitudes and rumors on the DIRT scene.
Deery’s brother Jack, manager of DIRT’s central New York operation, has been a lightning rod for criticism, especially concerning last year’s downward purse adjustments at the sanctioning body’s tracks.
“The people up there are so passionate about this sport that they’re protective of every part of it,” offered Tom with a knowing smile. “They’re not afraid to share their opinions, so it gives us a chance to hear what they’re thinking. There’s never been a shortage of opinion, from fans, drivers or even the officials. We read of our demise quite often, but we’re alive and well.”
A cynic might say that DIRT listens, but doesn’t act on the opinions offered. Deery disagrees. “We do listen. But just because you don’t do something immediately doesn’t mean you disagree with what they said. There’s always a reason why something gets done, but people often don’t understand all sides of it,” he said.
With that, we pointed out that racers often interpret facts differently than others. For example, when most people heard that Advance Auto Parts was the new title sponsor of the World of Outlaws sprint-car series, they thought it was a great thing for the Outlaws. But to many modified racers, it was a sign that Advance would be bailing out of their tour.
“I think the 10-year history that Advance has with the Super DIRT Series shows they’re really invested in that series,” responded Deery. “I don’t foresee that at all. Advance is a big company, over 3,500 stores, and they’re in a lot more places than a few years ago. With the schedule the sprints have, it matches where a lot of those stores are, so it’s a nice addition. Some people in motorsports have lost their Advance relationships, but nothing with DIRT Motorsports.”
When asked what other complaints he’s been dealing with, Deery says: “There’s always rules issues. The big thing this year was our sportsman series, which has grown so well going completely to the GM crate engine program. Time will ultimately tell whether that was the right thing to do but in the short term, it looks like a very successful move.
“The other thing is scheduling,” Deery continued. “With our transfer to weekend modified tour events, the experiment showed that if we’re going to be a pro touring series, the weekend is where a lot of tracks need it to be. Will that reduce the number of events they race at a weekly track? Yes. You may not see some of those guys every weekend at your local track.
“The mid-week shows that Glenn Donnelly used to build the Super DIRT Series were very good, at the time the right thing to do. But times change. It’s a lot more challenging to put a team on the road now and we’re going to try and grow geographically. With all the entertainment options today, you’ve got to choose your dates correctly and Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the right race days.”
Another common theme is that Tom Deery would be with DIRT for a year or two, then move on as his predecessors did. Clearly, Tom has heard that one a few times.
“I do work for a board of directors and the stockholders. The good news is that the team has been successful and the momentum is good. I don’t see any reason for me to be looking. We’ve got great things coming and this is what I love to do — weekly short-track racing. This is where Tom Deery is the most comfortable.”
The coffee turned out to be great. But the conversation was better.