Caution Flags(Continued)
With that said, THINGS HAPPEN!!!
There will always be cautions that slow the action, and lets face it, even our hard-working track crew and safety workers deserve at least one visit to the restroom and a bottle a Pepsi throughout the course of a five-hour race night. Unfortunately, an intermission is necessary for this to occur.
However, this season I promise to do all I can do to “Make Caution Flags Fun!!!”
We come to PRP to watch drivers slide their cars around our track side-by-side at speeds of over 100mph, but there’s absolutely no reason we can’t take what is typically considered the worst thing about a night at the races and turn it into one of the evening’s most enjoyable moments.
This year, as your track announcer, I am determined to “Make Caution Flags Fun!!!”
I have a couple of games in mind that we can play during any unforeseen delays depending on the time we have to work with.
Here are the games and how they will operate…
“Let it Ride or Race Home”
In “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” fashion, we’ll find out who’s a gambler and who’s conservative. A lucky fan or two will be selected from the stands to participate in the contest. The prize in most cases will be Boonie Bucks!!!
Just for participating in the game, our lucky fan will receive two Boonie Bucks, but if this fortunate soul can correctly guess how many laps will be completed in the current race on the track before the first caution flag falls, that fan will double his/her money to four Boonie Bucks.
If our fan guesses correctly again, eight Boonie Bucks will be the prize. With a third correct guess, the fan will receive 16 Boonie Bucks, and with yet a fourth correct guess, 24 Boonie Bucks is the prize, which is equivalent to two free general admission passes.
However, if at any time during the game our fan guesses wrong, the built-up funds will be lost and the game ends with only a pair of Boonie Bucks being awarded. Our lucky fan can hold at any time and walk away with whatever he or she has earned, or our contestant can go for broke and let it ride!!!
Unlike the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, there isn’t only one life line. Everyone in the grandstands is encouraged to provide their input as to whether our player should press on or walk away.
“Guess the Winner Giveaway”
Correctly chose whom you think will win a race, and you’ll become a winner as well.
“PRP Trivia”
Listening closely to P.A. announcements, checking the PRP website, reading your PRP program, and paying close attention to what takes place throughout the night will help with your chance to win at PRP Trivia. When time permits, I’ll spout off a question over the P.A. system. If you bring me the correct answer you’ll be a winner!
PRP Trivia can be a great way to test your knowledge about our nightly and season-long sponsors.
“Traveler’s Treasure”
With gas prices souring to ridiculously new heights, I might occasionally feel the need to give a little assistance to a wary dirt-track traveler in search of a good race. Whoever can show me their driver’s license proving that they are from far far away, may just get a little Boonie-Buck compensation for their long journey to PRP.
Believe it or not, some folks from Hawaii were in attendance a few years ago.
“Young Guns and Old Dogs”
Race fans can’t start too young. For ma’s and pa’s who like to bring their young’ins to PRP, you might be the recipient of a prize if your child is the youngest in attendance. Same deal might go for our eldest race fan.
(On behalf of my fiancé who is an audiologist, parents of young children please make sure your child uses proper hearing protection when being subjected to loud noises, and anyone at the races who is wearing a hearing aid probably should turn their volume down while the racecars are running.)
“PRP Publishings & Fast-lap Funnies”
On Portsmouth Raceway Park’s official website, www.portsraceway.com , a new segment was added this spring inviting race fans to share their stories with all of us. If you e-mail me a story or a good joke that is selected to appear on our website, you could be a prize winner. Please send your stories to chuckgreenslate@yahoo.com.
I would love to share your PRP memories with everyone online and at the track.
*If things go as I hope, we won’t have time for any of these games. We’ll have over 100 cars in the pits with us every night. We’ll get our nightly festivities going at 7 p.m., and we’ll get through hot laps, time trials, the Late Model Dash, all heats, B-Mains, and A-Mains without one single caution. No one will wreck. No one will get injured. There will never be a line at the concession stand. And every single race will end in a three-wide photo finish.
However, if things don’t go as planned in my perfect world, bring on the cautions because I’m ready for them!
Looking forward to the fun,
Chuck Greenslate
PRP Track Announcer
Copyright © 1997-2008
Portsmouth Raceway Park, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. PRP Legal Page.
This Website designed and maintained by
Last Updated: