URC to Close Down Operation in December 2014
After nine seasons as a corporate entity, the United Racing Company will cease operation in December 2014.
Low car count, a diminishing number of shows, the rising cost of operating a 360 sprint car and less fan appeal make it difficult for promoters to see a positive financial impact when adding this division as an event at their race track. As a result, many race teams have turned to other options as well, like the forever popular 410 sprints with other teams going to the more affordable route of the 305 sprints, where they may compete locally to avoid the travel cost.
Unfortunately, even on a national level, the 360 sprint division has fragmented due to the rising costs of racing, building apprehension for sponsors, promoters, race fans and even the car owners. These race teams make a huge investment in their equipment, and with every year, the number of racing events seem to slip away. To attract additional events or new tracks, you need to travel further, adding another negative dimension, the impact of travel costs.
The URC Management Team worked hard to maintain the nightly purses which remained at $12,800 right up to our last event. URC distributed $350,000 in point fund dollars that went back into the wallets of their loyal teams during the nine year tenure of URC as a Corporation. Over the past three years, our goal to find creative ways to get higher purses for the race teams. We never went down the path of asking our competitors to race for less money.
We value the friendships we made, and appreciate the help of our dedicated officials and past sponsors. We also thank the many drivers and owners who supported the series during this time.
URC Owners, John and Cher Zimmerman and Bob Miller are proud of the efforts made with URC over the years. We’ve offered some of the highest paying events, took our teams to some of the most prestigious race tracks to include Williams Grove, Knoxville and Eldora as well as many, many other exciting tracks. We brought corporate sponsorship to URC and year after year delivered point funds that exceeded the expectation of many. We also offered one of the most recognized and professional banquets in the sport.
URC would like to thank Bob Mermuys, Clay Parks, and Shelly Gascoigne for two decades of premiere Tour Sponsorship. In addition, URC would like to thank the promoters, fans, competitors, , and media for their support over the years.
URC sincerely hopes that 360 racing finds its path back to greatness, and above all we wish everyone good luck and safety in the future.
