You are ignoring that this "businessman" went with the charge high prices tact, and failed miserably.
If people weren't willing to pay high prices to race and host birthday parties on these super-fancy tracks, what makes you think they would be willing to pay high prices, to race on my non super-fancy tracks?
We are a 1/4 mile away, so we obviously are/were both drawing from the same clientele, which includes the 39th, 63rd, and 99th most affluent towns in the USA.
When I book a during the week, scouting event, and tell the organizer the price per child, usually I get a reply like, "Great, that's about what we hoped to pay", or "OK, that will fit in our budget". Or occasionally , they'll tell me upfront, what is in their budget, and it's exactly what I had planned to charge.
Regardless of having a household income of over $200K a year, it's just a night out with their kids, not a trip to Disneyland.
I haven't heard your experiences with raising prices for track time, but would like to. Please explain.
"Fancy" vs "Average" tracks is a topic that hasn't been discussed, here at least. I don't think that the customer appeal of a track lies in its landscaping, I think the experience is more important. I am much more attracted to a King than a fancy English 1/32 track, and I think this would hold true with most Americans.
You seem to be equating track price with track time price, and I don't think customers do this. You are also equating one (alleged) businessman's experience with yours, and again I don't think they are equivalent.
Don't you think you have more to offer than Mr. "Ultra-fancy Business Card"? I think you do, and I also think you're too apologetic about your business. When I was 10, my local raceway seemed like Disneyland to me!