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In March 1999, Stock Car Racing magazine printed what I consider the "Primer for Promoters."

It is a 12-step program for curing dysfunctional short tracks and was written by Karl Fredrickson and Rob Snedden. I'm not advocating that the Pahrump Valley Speedway is dysfunctional, but it does have its problems just like any other dirt short track located between the two coasts.

STEP 1. Admit the problem. I think that Dave and Christi Hall have addressed this to a point. The car count was down and so was the usual packed stands.

Let's be realistic, the Saturday night race program is a "social" event for the residents and race fans here in Pahrump. I'm sure that both would like to see the super-stock class reach the numbers that were usual in the early and mid 1990s. I realize that the IMCA modified ranks absorbed many of those drivers; hopefully some of the minis will move up a class.

STEP 2. Try watching your own show. I honestly believe that Dave and Christi have attempted to do that, albeit very hard when dealing with the inherent issues associated with running a small track. Perhaps a poll might shed some light on what they could do to provide a higher degree of entertainment.

STEP 3. Make entertainment -- not racing -- your highest priority. Again, I believe that Dave and Christi had attempted to accomplish this task. The inclusion of the youngsters into the show with their outlaw karts is a perfect example.

The racing is clean, entertaining and from what I can tell free of any apparent cheating. While not a huge fan of the "kiddie rides," it does provide an outlet for entertaining the younger generation; I just pray that no one ever gets injured or scarred for life.

Setting a limit on the amount of yellow flags that an individual can cause might do wonders to speed up the show, as well as, not detracting from the overall show.

I understand that there are rules about how many yellows a driver can cause before being relegated to the pits with a black flag, now it just needs to be more tightly enforced.

STEP 4. Stop trying to be the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. I don't think that the Pahrump Valley Speedway has ever had aspirations of emulating NASCAR. They have kept their prices very competitive and seem to have become more fan and driver "friendly."

This hasn't always been easy but from I saw, after my first trip back to the track in six years, in-roads has been made and the entire track crew strive to make your racing experience an enjoyable one.

STEP 5. Find a good announcer and pay him what he's worth. Ever since the "mouth of the south," Michael J. Rollins left the scene; the track has suffered in this area. Michael J. believed in "no dead air" and the combination of music and non-stop commentary was truly a sight to behold.

Many nights I witnessed Rollins leaving the track dripping wet from putting his soul into entertaining the crowd. I'm a firm believer that drivers should be introduced before their heat races as well as honoring their sponsors.

If the pronunciation of the driver's name is in question, for heaven's sake go into the pits before race time and get it correct. While you're in the pits, pick up little bits of info to pass onto the fans. Cut the shtick, it turns fans off and quite honestly, it sucks.

STEP 6. Tighten up the show. The speedway has done been innovative in this respect. Staging lanes are ready and there is very little down time between the races. As I already alluded to, stricter enforcement of the yellow and black flags would also tighten up the show.

STEP 7. Don't be a slave to procedure. This is a tough call, basically what the authors were alluding to was it's okay to have an occasional human error than risk boring fans with too many delays.

Having cars circle the track under yellow, lap after lap, until the "official scorers" are absolutely certain who's in 11the or 12th in the mini stocks is boring. Make the call and get on with it.

I hope to shed some light on what a thankless job being an "official scorer" can be in an up-coming article. The drivers are the biggest offenders of dragging out the shows; they know if they've been lapped and they also know whom they were behind before the yellow flag was waved. This isn't rocket science and despite what drivers may perceive, the flagman is THE man; take your punishment like a man, not a baby.

STEP 8. Subtract divisions and add cars. Six classes in an evening performance are just too many. Maybe the solution is to rest some classes and then run them the following event, I don't know. If there are only six or eight cars showing up for the evening, dispense with the heat and run just a feature. How many of those six or eight will make it out of a heat or "qualifying" race unscathed?

I appreciate the fact that the track is trying to provide a "learning curve" of sorts so drivers can get the seat time but the attention span is dictated but what the derriere can withstand.

STEP 9. Make a commitment to enforce your rules. I believe this is being done and it is being done with maturity beyond her age. It would be nice to maybe tighten up the super stocks and quite possibly the mini stocks about apparent "cheating." To think that someone would cheat <!-- 2013(unknown) --> come on, these are mature adult males were talking about.

STEP 10. Always remember that no racer is bigger than the show. I will quote, verbatim, what these authors had to say, "anyone who stops at the flagstand to argue with the starter should be parked for a month, no matter who he is or why he's mad."

Any prima donna who threatens to take his car to the track in the next county should be encouraged to do so." Enough said!

STEP 11. Clean up your act. This refers to the condition of the stands and parking areas, as well as the pits. I think the staff at the track are meeting, if not exceeding, what is expected of an aesthetically pleasing environment to enjoy the night's program.

STEP 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, try to carry this message to others and practice these principles at all your weekly events. The author added, "If that's too wordy, just remember Mike Veeck's mission statement: 'Fun is Good."'