MARFC Attends Annual Spring MSPA Meeting!
By: Bill Barnhart MARFC VP
MARFC Board members Dave DeHem, Larry Iacoboni and Bill Barnhart attended the annual spring MSPA meeting. The MSPA short for Michigan Speedway Promoters Association is a group of local track promoters and owners who gather twice a year to collectively talk and discuss the operating and promoting of auto racing in the state of Michigan. They currently have a total of 29 race track members in the organization and an additional 29 associate members who all take a part of the discussion on how to better our sport and make is cost effective for the racers, fans, and track operators.
They discuss things like special events to bring fans into the tracks and how to cut costs in the daily operations of running a track. They also take the time to talk about the local and state laws and bill’s that are passed that affects the racing community. Liability insurance is also a big issue to all concerned in the racing business. They also work as a group to help each other out when a problem arises with many venues like track safety, advertising, rules, and the day to day operations of the speedways. A big part is also working with local communities in promoting their speedway in the area as well as giving back to the same local communities in fund raising efforts like school and church race ticket sales and local no-profit clubs in raffle sales at the tracks.
Associate members are asked to come in and speak to the members about their race series, racing products, and insurance providers. There are many different members who specialize in dirt track or asphalt racing and have items to help cut costs, schedule series races, advertise, and create better safety at the tracks for all involved in our sport.
Each year they all attend a national promoter’s seminar for all promoters across the country. Most of these track operators are individual owners. Our MSPA is being noted for helping other states organize their tracks into the same kind of association and have asked our group for their ideas and information in this venue. That is a big tribute to all of the MSPA!
The whole idea is to help each other as a group to give all of us race fans and racers a great safe place to enjoy our sport of auto racing across the state. They are doing what they can do and with this state of our economy and we need to do all we can to help keep them in operation with our support in attending and racing at these fantastic facilities in our state. With out the support of we the race fans and racers they with not survive and we will lose our places to race and see the greatest racing in the country right here in our state of Michigan.
For more information about the MSPA you can visit their web site for a list of all track members and associate members at: www.michiganspeedways.com<http://www.michiganspeedways.com/>.