About five years ago, there was a general belief that chuckwagon racing would be , could be, should be, might be the next big thing in spectator sports.
The change, and decline, has been both immense and saddening. Chuckwagon racing has dropped to a level resembling cult status. There are many reasons.
This week at Northlands Park, crowds are much smaller than usual. Those who stand at the rail or occupy the eating places are mostly long-term followers of the sport. They know the drivers and outriders, and in many cases they know the families — perhaps because they’re mothers and fathers and aunts and uncles with a keen interest in how the children have been doing.
But if you don’t know those people, if you haven’t had a personal connection with the Sutherland family or Jerry Bremner or Jason Glass or Buddy Bensmiller and the rest, you have little reason to care about what happens on the track.
The fact is that chuckwagon racing has done a lousy job of marketing itself. The excitement of wheel-to-wheel competition is rarely passed on to the public, and the racers are to blame.
On Wednesday, the first day of competition, a brief news conference was staged at 11 a.m. Jason Glass was the only driver to attend.
There must be better ways to get publicity.
I think it was the first time I’ve ever attended an opening media event eight hours from the start of a competition. There was no chance for daily papers to describe the upcoming races.
In a perfect society, the governing body of chuckwagon racing would make sure a prominent driver was available in plenty of time to discuss the sport.Officials would also make sure that detailed information — more than simple standings and daily results — was distributed on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, we’re a long way from perfection, in chuckwagon racing and everything else.
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I have to agree with you John in a lot of respects. I’ve gotten really interested in chucks recently, and was at the track on Wednesday night to take it all in. If I wasn’t an avid fan I wouldn’t have had a clue the chucks were in town though due to the lack of publicity/advertising for the event.
They need to do a better job of promoting this sport. It’s a uniquely Western Canadian sport, and is a great spectator event.
Evan:
Thanks for your comment. The good news is that Kelly Sutherland — who’s the unchallenged king of all things in the sport — has made it clear that promotions need to be amped up.
Next year, it’s safe to bet that the chuckwagon event will be tied to Super-Ex. That’s a good step, too.
John
Was actually was doing some research and impressed by the article you wrote. Found exactly what I searched also. Thx