The main topic of discussion at the Estevan Motor Speedway annual general meeting on Monday was how to get the organization's growth on the right track, in terms of attendance, finances and involvement.
Members also went over financial information from last season and oversaw the formation of a new board.
It was stressed that the balance sheet for the 2014 season, which fiscally ended in November, is unaudited and may not be entirely accurate. It showed a loss of $37,310.25 for the year.
In 2013, the Speedway made a little over $14,000.
There are some matters still unaccounted for, such as the facility rental for the Eve of Destruction, which is a little over $4,000.
According to the unaudited balance sheet, total income was $360,795.51, down over $33,000 from the previous year, while expenses were $398,105.76, up about $18,000.
A major reason on the income side was admission revenue, which was down $17,000 from 2013.
On the expenses side, advertising was up about $11,000 and track repairs were up $9,000.
It was noted that only 10 races were run last year, compared with 11 the year before.
The new executive is comprised of president Lynn Trobert, Gregg Mann and Tyson Turnbull, whose terms were not up for re-election, as well as Byron Fichter, Jim Harris, Geoff Mann, Keith Cassidy, Gary Goudy Sr., Darcy Yergens and Doc Runge, all of whom are either starting new terms or are newcomers to the board.
It was announced at the AGM that marketing manager Tracy Lewis-Miller has parted ways with the Speedway and taken on a new job. The board is thinking of splitting the position into separate office and marketing jobs.
"We have to get the right marketing person," said Trobert. "We're going to be fine, but it's going to take some work."
Former board member Dale LaBatte expressed his concerns about the track's growth, saying, "If we continue at this pace, we're done," adding it's the same people who come to the meetings every time.
He added concerns about attendance, although Lewis-Miller's report actually showed attendance was up four percent to 9,056 in 2014.
The car count was down slightly, to 789, but Richie Mann noted, "We have to sell the sport to the public. Our car count is good."
LaBatte also suggested focusing more on attracting Canadian drivers from Swift Current and other parts of Saskatchewan.
Trobert added that all sports are dealing with lower attendance due to more entertainment options.
"We're all trying to get the dollar, but there isn't enough dollar to go around."
Volunteer Tim Pippus suggested doing a better job of marketing the young drivers and making better use of social media.
Also up for discussion were the late model and sport modified classes. The late models were a semi-regular class in 2014, running six nights. There was a debate over whether to continue with the late models, and whether to give the sport mods another crack after a failed attempt two years ago.
Cassidy noted that the late models need another year to develop their program and find new drivers.
"You can't be switching classes every year. You need some consistency."
Turnbull, who drove a late model last year, said it is challenging because drivers say they will come, but they often don't.
Meanwhile, Kyle and Tim Fedyk came to the meeting to make a presentation about the possibility of running a sprint race at the track. Kyle is an accomplished sprint driver in the U.S. and he said there is a group of about a dozen drivers with cars in western North Dakota looking for places to race.
"We're just trying to get our foot in the door," said Kyle. "We just want to race."
They have a purse structure set up, with $800 for the winner and $400 for showing up.
Trobert told them that if they can get the info to the board on paper, it would be considered.
It was noted that the annual stop on the Dakota Classic Modified Tour will be on Monday, July 6.
