Rain

 It seems a bit unfair that one of the biggest factors in the success or failure of outdoor events like automobile races is beyond the control of the promoter.

 The weather can be the Achilles Heel of promoters everywhere.

 I felt for Senoia Raceway’s promoter Sonny Pollard and his crew last Saturday night, when a pop-up shower forced the cancellation of the race program. I can honestly say I know just how they felt, having had rain negatively impact our recent Inman Antique Truck Show here at the farm.

 In my years as a motorsports journalist, I’ve written many a story about racing and the weather. Some of those stories recount events that occurred long before I ever l had my first byline, which by the way was about racing at Senoia.

  A big part of the history of our area’s biggest track, Atlanta Motor Speedway, is that track’s battles against Mother Nature.

 Eight of the first 10 races at the Atlanta track, originally known as Atlanta International Raceway, were rain-delayed or postponed, the added costs and lost revenue putting the track in such financial peril that it barely survived. The track, often called “Atlanta International Rainway” back in the day, eventually fell into bankruptcy in the 1970s, in large part due to rain.

 Some years back, I interviewed Stacey Cotton, the court-appointed trustee credited with steering the track out of bankruptcy, to find out exactly how he turned things around.

 I figured he would tell me about cost-saving measures, management changes and other business decisions.

 Mr. Cotton said there was no magic formula for reviving the track. He said the truth was that it didn’t rain during the time he was signing the checks.

 Rain wasn't the only curve that Mother Nature threw at AMS over the years. 

 The famed Blizzard of 1993 hit town the same week as the NASCAR circuit, forcing a week delay in the race and reducing profits for the speedway.

 And in 2005, a tornado ripped through the facility, toppling one of the scoring towers and damaging nearly every building on the property.

 But the track has been resilient. It even got back one of the two Cup dates in lost in a schedule shuffle several years ago.

 Rain and other events out of their control can frustrate promoters, but the good ones – like the Pollards – take the setbacks in stride. (I’m not against rain; we need plenty to make our Christmas trees grow.)

 Others can get spooked by an unfavorable forecast and prematurely cancel events. That can lead to long-term troubles as some fans will begin to make other non-racing entertainment plans if there’s a hint of rain in the forecast.

 I often think of the sign on the turn-off to the old West Atlanta Raceway in Douglasville, which was run at the time by the late Ed Massey. At the bottom of the sign was this message: “If it’s not raining at 7 p.m., we’re racing.”

 That’s my kind of promoter.



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