GEYER: Social Media is NOT the Problem

📸: John Lund

In the day and age of social media, you see it all the time. “Social media is killing short track racing.” Is this true?

The short answer is no. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say NOT being on social media would do more harm to the sport than social media will ever do.

Social media plays a huge part in today’s society, and businesses in all areas don’t have a choice but to use it for promotion. The short track racing world is no different, whether it be racetracks, touring series, drivers, parts/chassis manufacturers, etc. Social media has become an integral part of the success of short-track entities around the country.

As the de facto social media manager for the ASA STARS National Tour during its inaugural year in 2023, it was up to myself and series upper management to come up with a plan to maximize our social media exposure, whether it be engagement posts, featured stories, videos, or press releases in order to sell tickets for the next race or to tune in to the broadcast for said event. On race weekends, then with ASA and now with the 500 Sprint Car Tour or with FloRacing, social media is used to inform fans of what’s going on at the track, all while enticing them to either make the trip to the track or tune in live.

We no longer live in a time where a racetrack can get by solely by word of mouth. Local TV/radio stations and newspapers largely don’t support or cover local short track racing like they used to, and advertising on said platforms can become quite costly. Social media is free advertising, and with the ever-growing amount of options for families to spend their hard-earned time and money doing, social media has become a necessity.

If you don’t believe me, here are just a few of the things I could’ve been doing for the 34 weekends I spent at the racetrack in 2025.

Detroit Tigers/Red Wings/Lions/Pistons games

Michigan football games

Beach

Camping

Movies

Various home activities

Bowling

Golf

Day trips

On a boat

Fishing

Hunting

Concerts

Bar hopping

Even when it comes to my own various social media endeavors with KG Media and on my Instagram and TikTok pages, similar social media strategies dictate what I post. For example, if I’m torn between two similar shots and which one to post, and I know Picture A will bring more eyes to said post than Picture B, Picture A is going up.

Social media has allowed people in short track racing, like myself – photographers, videographers, social media managers, podcasters, writers, and the like – to build their own brands in ways that were never possible for most of the history of motorsports and has led to potential life-changing opportunities.

We’ll take a step away from the business aspect and look at it from the eyes of a race fan. How many racetracks have you discovered because of something you saw on social media, whether it be a highlight from a race, or a schedule release by a series, or because a friend of yours visited a racetrack outside of your home area and went to Facebook to tell everyone about his experience? Maybe you became a fan of a Late Model driver from the Northeast after seeing him or her win a race at Thunder Road with a crazy three-wide pass with two to go. You hadn’t heard of Thunder Road before seeing the video on Twitter; now you have a new favorite driver, and the Milk Bowl gets added to your bucket list.

Social media has also allowed race communities to form and stay connected. Over the years, I’ve personally made connections with other photographers through social media, and I’ve maintained friendships with various people I’ve met around the country over the past ten years with the help of it.

Additionally, anytime a member of the racing family is in need – whether it be on or off the track – it’s always fellow racers and crew members leading the way to ensure everything is taken care of.

Yes, racetrack drama does tend to find its way onto Facebook from time to time. So does drama from family, friend groups, work, and that bad call that cost your team the game. Social media is entirely what you – and you only – make of it.

Social media is a tool, and a necessary one at that. Make the best of it and use it for the betterment of short track racing everywhere.