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State of the Speedway - Day 5

We’re going to shift directions here, so bear with us. Over the past several days, we’ve outlined where we stand as a facility and the work being done to improve it. From repairs and infrastructure upgrades, to strengthening weekly racing, building marquee events, and ensuring this speedway and the community around it remain tied together in a way that benefits both, each step has been intentional.

Coming into our final day, we’ve realized how engaged many of you have been with this series. The responses have been humbling, thoughtful, and appreciated. It also became clear that what many are most interested in is not just what we are doing, but how we decide to do it.

So today, we want to talk about decision-making.

Because in racing, especially at the weekly level, the toughest calls are rarely black and white. And over time, those decisions shape far more than a single race night, they shape the direction of the entire facility.

Some of the pressures facing weekly racing feel new. Others are cyclical, experienced before in different forms and under different circumstances. The details change and the conversations evolve. But the responsibility remains the same: to evaluate carefully and make decisions that support the long-term health of the facility.

Weather-related decisions are a natural starting point. If a forecast looks unfavorable, even several days in advance, everyone sees it. Fans monitor the same weather apps we do. The most dedicated will search for a race regardless. The casual fan may already begin making other plans.

In the days leading up to an event, conversations with meteorologists are common. Forecast models update constantly, sometimes every few hours, and we evaluate each one. The morning of an event rarely brings certainty. It brings probability.

So what do we do?

If we cancel early, we are often criticized for not trying. At the same time, many competitors appreciate an early decision so they can pursue other opportunities or spend the weekend with their families. If we attempt to race and conditions deteriorate, both teams and the speedway absorb financial impact. And even when the weather holds, the lingering forecast alone can significantly reduce attendance.

Waiting too long carries its own consequences. Once equipment is mobilized, staffing is confirmed, and vendors are prepared, operational costs are already committed. Concession inventory must be ordered in advance. Perishable food cannot always be recovered. Insurance, staffing, utilities, and equipment operation costs are incurred whether the gates open fully or not.

Unlike other forms of entertainment, weekly racing offers only a limited number of opportunities each month to generate revenue. Fixed expenses continue regardless of whether an event is completed. A lost night is not easily replaced.

There are weekends when the decision is obvious, and others that are not. Each event carries different implications depending on the schedule, the forecast window, and the broader season. No two situations are identical. Every forecast is different. Every event carries a different weight. But the process of evaluating risk, financial exposure, competitor impact, and long-term sustainability, among other factors, does not change.

Part of that financial exposure, and part of every weekly program, is the simple question of what a speedway can realistically afford to pay its competitors.

If there were a formula that allowed for a speedway to cover every team’s weekly expenses through purse alone, we would gladly apply it. We suspect that the promoter who figures it out would earn more than a trophy, but a Nobel Prize, too. Unfortunately, that formula has yet to be discovered. There is no scenario in grassroots racing where every competitor leaves having fully offset their costs through purse money alone.

When we evaluate purse increases, we do not simply ask how big the number at the top can be, but ask what impact the increase has across the division as a whole. Our most recent purse adjustment, which went into effect in 2024, focused on raising the minimum amount a driver earns simply by signing in and competing. We chose to start there because it impacts the entire field, not just the top few positions.

For 2026, the total nightly purse will increase by 25 percent across all four paying divisions. That increase is not concentrated in one position, but instead primarily distributed through the top ten in each division. It doesn't cover the cost of racing, but it moves the floor in the right direction.

When the total nightly purse goes up, our nightly exposure goes up too. We have to be confident that what we increase today can still be supported next season and the season after that. There is always debate about allocation. We believe purse adjustments should strengthen the division, not just the headline. That means evaluating how money is spread in a way that rewards success while still supporting depth.

Not everyone will agree with how a purse is structured. But those decisions are made using the same framework applied to every other pressure point. We evaluate financial exposure, competitor impact, and long-term sustainability before optics. A purse must be something we can support consistently, not something that creates instability after one season. Once you go up, it’s debatably impossible to go backward.

That applies to more than purses. It applies to scheduling as well.

The racing calendar has become increasingly crowded. Touring series expand. Special events multiply. Drivers are often faced with decisions about where to compete, and promoters face similar choices about how many major events to host and how often to deviate from weekly structure.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to balancing weekly racing with special events. Some tracks lean heavily into weekly consistency. Others build around larger marquee weekends. Most operate somewhere in between.

To use a baseball analogy, home runs are exciting. They energize a crowd and grab attention. But over the course of a long season, a strong on-base percentage often produces more consistent results. Afterall, one strikeout on a big swing can ultimately offset an entire season. For us, the goal is not to swing for the fences every weekend. It is to build a schedule that gets on base consistently while still creating meaningful moments throughout the year.

We are mindful of the broader regional calendar when building ours. Tracks in this area do communicate. There is an effort to avoid unnecessary conflicts and give competitors opportunities to race without being forced to choose between neighboring facilities. It is not always perfect. Overlap can and does happen. But the perception that tracks operate in isolation or opposition is largely inaccurate.

Beyond the calendar itself, structure within each night matters just as much. Show length and efficiency are critical whether it is a weekly program or a major special. A long season cannot be sustained if race nights consistently stretch beyond what teams, staff, and families can reasonably support. Format, division count, and pacing are all part of the scheduling conversation.

Scheduling is one example of where balance matters. Streaming presents a similar challenge, just in a different form.

Few topics generate more discussion in weekly racing right now than streaming. It provides exposure and gives sponsors added visibility. It allows fans who cannot attend to stay connected. For teams, it can expand reach and build recognition beyond the local market.

Weekly racing has always depended on live attendance. The gate remains the primary driver of a sustainable weekly program. When streaming enters the picture, the question is not simply whether it should exist. The question is how it fits within a model that still protects the live experience. For us, its value extends beyond the live broadcast itself. The ability to share short-form content and highlight major moments gives those races a life beyond a single night. When something significant happens on our track, streaming allows it to be seen, shared, and remembered at a broader scale.

While some facilities lean heavily into streaming, others limit it. Some even provide it free of charge on platforms like YouTube. Many are still evaluating what balance makes sense for their market, and that balance continues to evolve.

We believe streaming should complement the live product, not compete with it. With that in mind, we are evaluating how it fits into the next phase of this facility’s growth. More details on the future of streaming at the speedway will be shared soon.

For us, the live experience remains central. Streaming should extend the reach of what happens here, not replace the reason people come. That brings the conversation back to the experience itself.

Throughout the season, our goal is to apply increased attention placed on the fan experience. That work has already started in areas like track preparation. We feel that a consistent racing surface is the foundation of everything else. But beyond that, we are evaluating how the entire program is operated.

Race night cannot simply be treated as a sequence of races. It has to be approached more like a production. In many ways, it is similar to a live television broadcast where every segment, every transition, and every minute matters.

That does not mean scripting emotion or removing unpredictability. Racing will always carry its own chaos and excitement. What it does mean is being more deliberate about how the night flows. Pacing affects energy. Downtime affects engagement. Small gaps between races can feel much longer than they actually are if they are not managed well.

In 2025, we felt the overall program length improved significantly compared to prior seasons. Nights overall moved with better rhythm. The next step is not necessarily making the program shorter, but refining how it feels. That means tightening transitions, keeping momentum from race to race, and reducing unnecessary lulls that pull fans out of the moment.

We also recognize that dirt track racing has an advantage that many other forms of entertainment do not. It is immersive. You hear it. You feel it. You smell it. It is not something that can be fully replicated through a screen. Our responsibility is to match that natural intensity with an experience that flows at the same level. The goal is not to change what dirt track racing is. It is to present it in a way that respects the time of the fans in the stands and maintains the energy that makes it special.

We know this one was a little longer than the rest.

These are the conversations people are already having and we felt it was important to cover them as much as possible. Not every industry topic made the list. Sorry if you were hoping for us to talk about the current tire debate. But the goal of today was not to solve every industry debate. It was to explain how we approach them.

At the end of the day, the decisions a speedway makes are rarely simple. They affect more than a single night. They impact competitors, fans, staff, partners, and the direction of the facility over time. Across the country, most tracks are not making these calls lightly, and they are rarely making them emotionally. There is usually far more consideration behind them than people see from the outside.

You may not agree with every decision your local speedway makes. But more often than not, those decisions are made with long-term responsibility in mind, not casually or without thought.

Tomorrow, we’ll step back from the individual decisions and talk more broadly about where all of this is headed. Decisions on their own do not mean much unless they are guiding something over time. We believe that they are part of a larger direction centered on the long-term vision for Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and what we believe this facility can continue to become.

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