|
|
|
|
|
Hell Tour 2.0 in review: Did the changes work?
|
|
In the lead up to the 2023 season, World Racing Group officials announced a slate of changes to the DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour for late models and modifieds. Most notably, the series returned to its traditional format of contesting five to six races per week over a five week period, instead of the lengthier and more broken up schedule the tour used from 2020-2022. Additionally, a new points and payout structure was announced for the late models, with the focus shifting towards weekly championship fights rather than a season-long battle.
With the 2023 Hell Tour season in the rearview following Sunday night’s finale at Wayne County Speedway, it’s an appropriate time to take a look at the effect those changes had on the on-track product we saw this summer.
As with any decision a race promoter makes, the primary goal of these adjustments was to bring in as many cars as possible on any given race night. Therefore, a look at the car counts is as good of a method as any to determine whether or not that goal was met.
In the 2023 season, 255 different drivers attempted to qualify for at least one Summer Nationals late model race, which interestingly enough, is the exact same number as in 2022. The nightly totals tell a similar story, as the average car count in the late model division of 34.1 this season is almost identical to the average count of 34.2 a year ago.
It is worth noting, however, that the 2022 Summer Nationals season featured a two-night co-sanctioned event with the World of Outlaws Late Models at Pevely, which saw car counts in the upper 40’s both nights. If we discard those two races, we are left with an average count of 33.2, meaning the 2023 season was a marginal improvement by that metric.
That trend continues when you look at the amount of full-time competitors on tour year over year. In 2023, three drivers (Ashton Winger, Bob Gardner, and Kye Blight) attended every race. That is the same number as last season, in which Payton Freeman, Joe Godsey, and Mark Voigt all ran the full slate of races, minus the Herald & Review 100 at Macon that was not completed until Labor Day weekend. That list does not include 2022 Summer Nationals champion Bobby Pierce, who accumulated a large enough points lead for him to skip several races in the final week to run the Silver Dollar Nationals with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and win the championship anyway.
All in all, the restructuring of the tour had little to no effect on the series from a competition perspective. That’s not to say that the season was not a success, as it absolutely was. An average car count of thirty-four super late models for a regional mini-series is still impressive, and there are plenty of promoters across the country that would kill to have those numbers with their track or series.
The weekly points fund setup also encouraged national stars including Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Tanner English, and others to throw their hats into the ring when their schedule allowed, which no doubt encouraged more fans to follow the series. While few tracks publicly release any attendance figures, the eyeball test suggests that at-track ticket sales were solid at most tracks. The streaming aspect is much more difficult to judge, with the total number of paying DIRTVision subscribers being about as widely known as the nuclear codes.
At the end of the day, 2023 brought us the first “traditional” Hell Tour season since before the pandemic. The series returned once again to what it was always intended to be: the most grueling month in motorsports. And that’s a success for everyone involved.
|
|
Check out the DIRTRACKR shop! Late model and sprint car shirts are marked down to just $10 right now, and if you buy today, I'll ship today.
|
|
Grab a subscription to DIRTRACKR Plus and get access to advanced dirt racing analytics and tools to help you better understand what's happening on track with your favorite drivers and series. Whether you're a race fan, member of the media, or work for a series or track, DIRTRACKR Plus is the perfect resource for current data to elevate your knowledge. $4.99 month or $49.99 a year, cancel anytime. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
