XENIA — Betty Hosta has taken Kil-Kare back to the old school.

Hosta, the vice president and promoter at Kil-Kare, Inc., understands that as the economy shifts, race tracks have to adapt. That means adjusting to what’s worked in the past.

“The economy has made us think about how we do business,” said Hosta, whose parents, Richard and Barbara Chrysler, ran the track in the 1970s and mid-1980s. “We’ve tried to accommodate. This is a depressed area, and yet we’re not seeing depressed people. We’re seeing people with smiles. We’re seeing a lot more children who play behind the grandstands because their whole family is coming. When I see a lot of kids out there, I know we’re doing OK.”

The track has done several things to help fans come back to the track or dragstrip in these tough times. Kil-Kare lowered its rates from $12 to $10 and allows all children 11 and younger free admission.

Kil-Kare has also offered bigger purses at both the speedway and the dragway, plus allowed drivers to eliminate two weeks worth of points if they decide to go on vacation.

“If we’re making money, then we ought to be able to entice (the drivers) to come out and race,” Hosta said.

Kil-Kare also added two new series — the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Mini Cup at the speedway and a street bike class for the dragway.

Shady Bowl Speedway promoter Charlie Stapleton also lowered prices at the DeGraff track from $15 to $12 and is offering more money to drivers to start the race.

“We wanted to combat some of the things that are going on,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton said things are “slowly starting to pick up” over the last few weeks as several businesses like Honda in Marysville start picking up.

He also believes that once the economy levels off, smaller race tracks will come back as strong as they’ve ever been. The prices to attend national events, like NASCAR and the IRL, have skyrocketed to the point where the small guy can’t attend an event.

“They’re discovering they can come here for a lot cheaper than what they can at the big tracks,” Stapleton said. “They can spend a 10th of the money and still get a pretty good return back.”

Kil-Kare, which is affiliated with both NASCAR and the NHRA, has also benefitted from its dragstrip, which allows fans to watch racing from 10 a.m. to midnight every Saturday.

It also has a test-and-tune night every Thursday, which allows fans to watch racing on both the dragstrip and the speedway.

“It’s been very successful, especially for the young kids,” Hosta said.

Hosta understands her business will have to keep changing if it wants to thrive in such a tough economy.

She wants to cater to fans as much as possible.

“We’ve been there,” Hosta said. “I know what these people are going through. It’s tough, but you still need to go somewhere to unwind. That’s why we’re here. We’re an entertainment venue.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0365 or mcooper@coxohio.com.