HOLLEY, Mich. — As the Must See Racing Sprint Series presented by Perfit-Parts.Com prepares for its 16th consecutive season, it’s full-speed ahead.
Things are certainly different than they were in 2010. The racing landscape has dramatically changed. Must See Racing was founded prior to 2010 by Jim and Nancy Hanks. Hanks didn’t necessarily want to be the owner of a winged asphalt sprint car series, but it was necessary to fulfill national television commitments they were involved in at the time.
Hanks had ventured into the national television world and was producing open-wheel events for FOX Sports and among them the prestigious Little 500 and winged asphalt sprint car races. The two series he was working with didn’t see eye-to-eye on many key issues. Instead of trying to get the two series on the same page, he created his own series.
“The day we started this I didn’t envision we’d be talking about it 16 years later,” Hanks said.
In recent years, Hanks has added a 602-crate engine feeder system, Midwest Lights Series, to his Must See Racing umbrella, further increasing his workload.
There have been several issues Hanks has had to navigate around over the past 16 years. Tracks are slowly disappearing, the car count pool continues to shrink due to costs, and getting sustainable purses from promoters is always a challenge.
At 77 years of age, one would think owning and operating a sprint car series would be the least of Hanks’ interests. But he enjoys the day-to-day operations of managing such a venture, and believes it keeps him active.
“I don’t feel any different today than the day I started it. I have a couple physical restraints as I get older,” Hanks said. “I’m enjoying it as much today as the day I started it. My enthusiasm for our sport, our series, and everybody involved in it hasn’t dwindled one bit.
“It’s changed a lot since day one. The biggest change is how we reach the fans. I guess when we started the focus was people in the grandstand, and of course that hasn’t changed. The biggest change is how we attract fans through multimedia. Network television in the beginning was very expensive. If you weren’t on network television, you weren’t leading the competition. Today with live streaming and the various ways we can reach people through social media, that’s the biggest change.”
This season is expected to be the biggest yet, but it won’t come without challenges.
“I guess comparing today to the day we started, the pool of cars is definitely smaller. There’s no question about that. However, we’re very fortunate,” Hanks said. “We’ve got teams from all over the county and Canada committed to race with us. The competition has always been tough. But it’s really strong right now.”
Hanks is set to pay out a record amount of prize money in 2025. Three $10,000-to-win events highlight the schedule. Instead of a year end points fund, teams will receive the same money in the form of attendance bonuses paid out at select times during the season, putting money in their pockets when it’s most needed.
“Must See Racing puts fans in the grandstands. The entertainment value is there. Promoters are able and willing to put more money in the purses to have us at their race tracks,” Hanks said. “We’ve always had a points fund. It enables race teams to travel a little more. The cost to travel for the teams is the biggest hurdle. The cost of fuel and hotels create additional costs.
“This year we have 11 national events and eight Midwest Lights events. Six of those are combined shows. But we will be racing at 10 tracks in five states.”
Hanks credits his wife for a lot of the success of the series.
“Nancy and I met at age 15 and married at 21. We’re not only husband and wife, but we’re also best friends,” Hanks said. “She’s been my biggest supporter in anything I’ve ever done. She knows the business. She’s a big part of what I’m able to do. She’s not a big fan of racing politics, but she sticks with it and has never wavered one bit. She stays in the background. If she ever comes to me and says she lost interest and tired of it, we’ll be done, and we’ll walk away together.
“The success of this series is faith based and staying on the high road and not allowing the market from year-to-year bump us around is key. I’m very proud of the fact our three founding principles have never changed or wavered. Safety has never changed or wavered, making the racing as affordable as possible for the race teams, creating a level and competitive playing field, and I’m proud of the fact we haven’t changed these principles since day one.”
The Must See Racing season begins May 17 at Lancaster (N.Y.) Motorplex.
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