Rumors, Facts, Why I Care, Earnhardt Jr., Cheech and Chong

Yesterday I mentioned the rumor of a possible early August co-sanction with MLRA and NCRA at a Midwest track.  Apparently that is not so, but the MARS Dirt Car Series may be joining NCRA, at least according to its website.  I have already expressed my opinion of MARS appearing at Midwest tracks like I-80 Speedway or Adams County Speedway-MARS is a southern Missouri and Arkansas sanction that doesn’t bring enough cars north to cover its fee.

I have heard from a number of people wondering what I think about the rumored new Sunday night NASCAR sanction in the Midwest.  What do I think?  I think it is a battle between ego and common sense whether it will happen.  Ego is attaching the NASCAR logo to your track, though I don’t buy it is worth as much for grassroots tracks as it was 10-15 years ago.  Ego is sticking it to another promoter’s track or other efforts. Common sense is NASCAR runs stock cars, not some other division.  The stock car fan and driver base in the area is Omaha/Council Bluffs.  Promoters at I-80 Speedway think Sundays are no longer viable. What makes Sundays more viable at a track further from the fan/driver base?

Which will win out?  If I were to bet I would put my money on ego, the holy grail of Midwest dirt track promoters. And if you wonder why I write about weekly racing when the only weekly show I plan to attend is at US 30 Speedway, the reason is simple.  Weekly racing is either going to add to or take away the resources a promoter has available.  If cars and fans don’t fill the pits and grandstands, what is likely to happen to the track?

Junction Motor Speedway is making raceceivers mandatory for late models, Modifieds, and B-Mods this season.  They are not renting them, drivers have to buy their own for about $100 from Speedway Motors.  This is a great idea.  If a driver cannot afford $100 for a raceceiver, I question whether he can afford to race at all. Raceceivers and transponders are NOT technology of the future, they are the present.  Promoters who do not use them are forfeiting a great tool for keeping their show running in a timely fashion.

I don’t have a Wild West town like Dale Earnhardt Jr., but like Cheech and Chong, I got a basketball jones.  Tonight will be the fourth night in a row Matt and I will be sitting in the grandstands at some gym, and the fifth night out of the last seven. Basketball jones, I got a basketball jones, I got a basketball jones, baby ooo-e-ooo. It might not be the same as camping out in an RV in Tucson for a week of racing, but we all do what we can do.

Basketball games start on time.  There is a clock to show how long intermission is going to last-maybe race tracks should try that.  Games do not end at well after midnight.  There are plenty of fouls in a basketball game, but it doesn’t take five minutes to line up the players each time, like race tracks seem to take lining up car on each yellow flag.  Admission to high school or small college games is $5 or $6, even to games involving ranked teams (the equivalent of a race special which costs $20-$30). Maybe I should do a basketball blog instead.

Or just keep blogging about auto racing and like a Chicago Cubs fan, tell myself this is going to be the season when everything comes together. Thanks for stopping by.

Sorry Tony-I’ll have to save my Anville/Earnhardt Jr. story for another day.

Schedules-Sort Of And A Racing Fantasy

ASCS has announced its Midwest Series schedule.  The 360 sprint cars will race 19 times on 7  different tracks in Nebraska, Missouri,I owa, and South Dakota.  Six of the dates will be in conjunction with the ASCS National Series.

An NCRA late model schedule is also out-eight races at tracks in three different states.  That hardly seems enough to crown a champion, especially when the odds are great that the series will not average a full field of cars.  There is a rumor that a 9^th event, a co-sanctioned topless race with the MLRA is in the works, but a promoter I know said he doubted the MLRA would be interested in a topless race. A two night event at Junction Motor Speedway in August is listed on both NCRA and MLRA schedules.

I checked the track website and www.dirtdrivers.com for more information on the I-80 Speedway weekly schedule and fan pertinent information like starting time and admission, but found nothing new.  Maybe this information will be given out at the track’s banquet tomorrow.

One of my favorite racing fantasies is winning the lottery and flying my son and 14 racing buddies to Speedweeks in Florida.  Please note, any of those 14 so inclined to question my having 14 racing buddies will be removed from said list.

Anyway, I foresee chartering a jet, limos for transportation, a nice hotel, good food, maybe a round of championship golf and I would foot the bill for everything.  Of course there would be lots and lots of racing. 

We would fly into Florida on the Wednesday before the Daytona 500 and leave immediately following the conclusion of the 500.  In between there would be four nights of short track action at Volusia Raceway Park, with super late models and big block mods on the bill.  At the big track in Daytona, we would take in the Sprint Cup Twin 150’s on Thursday, the Nationwide Series 300 mile race on Saturday, and of course the Daytona 500 on Sunday. 

At Volusia it would be pits before the races and reserved seats during the races. It would be suites and catering at the big track, with lots of pre-race face and photo-op time with the stars of NASCAR.  I would love to get a photo of Tony Anville with Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Being an accountant I can count to 16-14 friends, Matt and me-so hopefully no one would get lost. I always wanted to be in the tour business and being well organized I already have a plan, just in case the Powerball winner is me. This is definitely on the win the lottery bucket list.

Ah to be old and retired with funds instead of just old.  In 16 nights between February 10^th and February 25^th, dirt fans could watch 15 super late model races, with 3 sprint car and 4 big block mod races thrown in too.  And add in the big track action if you want. Or, if you are like Ivan Tracy, you could park your luxury motor home on the grounds of Volusia Speedway Park on February 12^th and not move it for 12 days, watching 410 sprints, modifieds, late models, and big block mods in action.  From Sylvania, Georgia to Gibsonton, Florida, to Barberville, Florida, it sounds a lot for fun than shoveling snow in Nebraska.

Being poor like me, you can still make it to Florida via the internet.  DirtVision will webstream all 12 nights of theVolusia Speedway Park action. Information is not yet available on the East Bay Raceway Park website, but X.Celerated is supposed to webstream 12 nights of Winternational action from the Gibsonton, Florida track including 3 nights of UMP Modifieds, 6 nights of Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models, and 3 nights of 360 Sprint Car action.

Just to irritate Anville I may purchase both packages.  I will be so far in front of him in the 2012 Super Fan contest he won’t even be able to eat my dust.  Barring rain, none of the Florida events are scheduled for day racing. Arizonans seem to be the only people with a love for daytime dirt track racing.

Thanks for stopping by.

Arizonans Love Daytime Dirt; I-80 Likes Friday Nights

From TMC who was actually at the Wild West Shoot-Out in Tucson last weekend:

“Hate to be harsh, but they get a D- for track prep on Sunday.  A shot of water and turning up about 2 inches of dirt won’t cut it and they should have known that.  The wind blew half the moisture out before the track got packed by the mods (after what seemed like 100 laps of “packing”, some guys even pitted to re-fuel before the A started), and everyone there knew that it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Then to do the same thing again before the LM feature was just plain silly.  Either blade off the week’s worth of rubber that was on the track, open the damn thing up and water it or just leave it alone because an hour and a half of jacking around with track prep accomplished absolutely nothing. There was no improvement whatsoever with either track prep attempt on Sunday.  The night shows weren’t bad at all, but Saturday and especially Sunday weren’t up to par and you can bet that it will cost them some cars and fans next year. 

This was not an issue last year, and the weather wasn’t really a problem, so whatever they did differently this year didn’t work and I hope they’re smart enough to realize they have a problem and are willing to address it for next year.  I’d hate to see yet another great race go down the crapper because of bad management.  I get enough of that without having to leaveNebraska…”

Tom-you got to see what was going on while I was watching US Steel infomercials.  You were able to judge the effort, while I could only judge that one was made.  There is no question that you are one of the most knowledgeable fans around, so I have no problem changing my thoughts to what is a clearer picture.

I honestly do not understand the thinking behind scheduling a daytime dirt track race.  Drivers do not come from over 1,000 miles away to drive on a rubbered down one groove track.  I typed in race instead of drive, but realized that wasn’t so.  Sprint car fans call going fast and turning left racing, but late model fans want to see side by side action.  Day racing leaves both drivers and fans upset-except Arizonans, more later.

So again, why schedule day races, including the biggest race of the entire event?  I agree with TMC that if the track doesn’t address this problem before 2013, it is going to lose some drivers and fans.  Before Sunday’s race Matt and I were talking of 2013.  His in-laws own a condo in Mesa, and Matt could go racing in Tucson, while Steph and Henry visit her mom.  After Sunday though we both agreed that if the weekend races remain day races there is no way we want to go.

I really enjoyed the Wednesday and Friday events on www.dirtondirt.com PPV, but if the promoters don’t make all the races night events, I would not purchase the whole package like I did this year.  I would probably just choose a one night package on Friday. I realize it is winter, the WWS is late models and mods, but I don’t subscribe to the theory “whatever promoters give us is OK.”

I do hope the track will make some changes, and get the word out early.  This could be a great event and like TMC said, we don’t have to leave Nebraska to see bad track management.

However, this from one of the www.dirtondirt.com people on site this weekend:

“First, you have to understand (and you can look back through our archives for proof)…that they’ve raced in the day for the Wild West Shootout for a LONG, LONG time…and 990% of the time the racing is great. Even the Saturday-Sunday before our PPV started, there were several near photo-finishes with the heat races. Is day racing typically bad across the country? Yes…but out there, up until this past Saturday-Sunday, it has worked great…they just missed this year. So it’s not a “daytime racing is always terrible” thing…when daytime racing out there has always worked.

Secondly, racing in Arizona (fans wise) is COMPLETELY different than
anywhere in the Midwest…those people all prefer racing earlier, and
getting things done, they don’t like to attend races at night…that’s just the way it is out there…another unique dynamic.

Hope I answered your questions.”

So, from those answers I suspect that the program will not see major changes in 2013.  Will drivers and fans give them a second chance next year?  I wonder about name drivers.  The Moyer family?  Likely.  John Anderson-likely.  Jimmy Mars-probably.  Don O’Neal or Tim McCreadie, I wonder. Will fans give them a second chance?  Well, the locals will.  And maybe fans that have been to past WWS events will too.  I am not sure what to think.   

And an email racing flyer from Ivan Tracy provided more confusion.  Ivan has moved his RV to just north of Phoenix at Canyon Speedway Park.  Starting on Friday the track will host 6 races in 9 days, headlined by ASCS vs. USAC Sprint Cars with a support class of IMCA Modifieds.  Three of the shows are weekend events, and much to my surprise, the weekend shows are scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.  I have wondered about Arizonans before and this adds to my wonderment.

Finally, Joe Kosiski sat with Matt and I and Mike Pierson for about half of a basketball game last night.  I learned more about the thinking of I-80 promoters moving to Friday night racing, and will be commenting when the track schedule is announced.

Thanks for stopping by.

I-80 Hardcore Heard From; NASCAR Loyalty; And Running A Track Like Running A Small City?

Below is a post on a racing forum regarding I-80 Speedway’s decision to run on Friday nights:

“I don’t care which night they race on, I don’t care what the rules are, I don’t care what class is in what tier, I don’t care if the track works with any other track, I only care to now know that there will be racing in 2012 at I-80 speedway, which is all that really matters. I wish the track nothing but success moving forward!”

Obviously that is a hard core race fan speaking.  Unfortunately tracks need casual fans in the grandstands to make money, not just the hard core.  Casual fans have certain expectations, and I wonder how many will rush from Omaha or Lincoln or Council Bluffs or Fremont to I-80 Speedway after a hard Friday at work.  Time will tell may be a cliché, but it is also true.  Hopefully enough so the track does have the success the poster above is wishing for.

There are many hard core fans that quit going to I-80 Speedway because of all of the changes promoters made to what once was one of the best weekly racing programs in the U.S.  The track is going to have to woo them if they want them to return as many are not forgetting or forgiving that the track did away with weekly super late model racing-it couldn’t afford then, but now can.

How can they woo hardcore?  No price gouging for one thing.  Check what other tracks with expensive feature classes are charging, and do not set admission price any higher.  Start the program on time-honestly I am not a fan of “Hot laps at 7:00 p.m., racing to follow.”  That just means the track can start the racing at whatever time they get around to it.  Be organized-during the Wild West Shoot-Out USA Raceway had the next race entering the track as the just ended race was leaving.  Raceceivers would be a huge addition in getting races restarted quickly, but I suspect that won’t happen.  Same with transponders.  This isn’t the technology of the future; it needs to be used now. 

I know I-80 has plans to run six classes on some nights.  Anyone willing to sit through six classes either has a friend or family member racing, or he is much more hardcore than me.  I won’t do it, and I have had friends tell me the same thing.  Let the wooing begin.

Speaking of wooing, rumor has NASCAR offering another area track a Sunday sanction.  That is interesting.  I-80 Speedway has remained loyal to NASCAR for whatever reasons, and it seems like NASCAR is returning this loyalty by dumping on the track.  If another area track gets a Sunday NASCAR sanction that locks I-80 Speedway into Friday, even if promoters find Friday racing is a mistake.  That also would make it difficult for I-80 to run several Sunday night specials like the Alphabet Soup Race and the Charlie Clark Memorial. 

A columnist in Area Auto Racing News likened promoting a dirt track to being mayor of a small city.  In many ways that thought is true, but in one big way the two are terribly different.  Most mayors have a city council whose members have differing backgrounds and life experiences.  They offer the mayor advice and help run the city.  Notice I said differing backgrounds and experiences.  For the city to function well, the mayor has to learn to trust those with differing views, not just council members with the same experiences and viewpoint.  Most mayors understand they must do that-most dirt track promoters do not.

Thanks for stopping by.

Who Gave Morgan Bagley Permission To Play With The Big Boys? And, Is That A $10,000 Check He Is Holding?

So my friend from Auburn will not scream at me anymore, I admit I have not yet watched the archived Saturday afternoon races fromTucson.  Matt and I went to three different basketball games in two different cities on Saturday.  However, after watching yesterday’s Wild West Shoot-Out PPV from USA Raceway, I may not watch those races. Regarding yesterday, I would give the racing a C, the track a B for trying to make the racing better and a D for scheduling an afternoon race, and a C+ to the PPV production.

All of the grades stem from dirt track afternoon racing.  99 times out of 100 it isn’t going to work well.  It didn’t yesterday.  A track prep session prior to the USRA modified feature did not keep drivers from burning up their right rear tires, and another track prep session prior to the late model session bought about 10 laps of racing before the track became a one groove follow the leader around the bottom track.

I say afternoon dirt track races should never be scheduled, rather be kept as a last resort rain date.  The results end up being fair to neither drivers nor fans, both who travel long distances to be a part of the event.

I would give heat races a B, features a D+.  The track did try to fix its problems, but racing in the afternoon just does not give much room for fixing.  The PPV production?  First, I learned far more about the process of manufacturing steel than I ever hoped for.  However, at about the 5^th time the US Steel infomercial aired, I was ready for something else.  Same with whatever racing product ad that used the Lucas Oil Dirt Series announcer screaming “Jimmy Owens wins.”  I am more than OK with never hearing that line again.

Scott McBride commented on an earlier post suggesting that ads from Tucson businesses could be part of the PPV airing.  I think the PPV people need to have a fall back position, i.e. have several videos available for play when there are lengthy delays in racing like yesterday.  More driver interviews would have been OK too.  But playing the commercials time after time after time during track prep became irritating.

Congratulations to Omaha’s John Anderson for being one of a handful of drivers to make all of the WWS late model features.  Anderson may have had the best car on the track at the end of yesterday’s feature, but simply could move no further than 3^rd because of track conditions.

Al Humphrey, the other Nebraskan racing in Tucson had plenty of bad luck during the two weekends of racing.  Yesterday ‘The Hombre’ finished last in his heat, and wrecked in his B feature, hitting the turn three wall hard on the driver’s side of the race car.  I could feel the crunch back in Fremont.  Al is no youngster, but he was able to climb out of his wrecked car and walk back to the pits.

Billy Moyer appeared to be cruising to another USA Raceway win when he had mechanical problems for the second day in a row.  Moyer’s trouble gave Morgan Bagley the lead.  Yeah, me too.  Who the heck is Morgan Bagley?  After doing some checking, I found Bagley was last year’s O’Reilley SUPRA champion, and the $10,000 check he took home to Texas made the Bill Cheesbourg Memorial 40 the biggest win of his career.  Amazing.

Despite not being into yesterday’s racing, it was still race cars going fast on a dirt track, turning left, throwing dirt and mud through each corner, live in the middle of January.  I got my money’s worth from the PPV.  Actually, if the races were all evening events in 2013, I think I would try to talk Matt into flying to Tucson for at least the last three days of the WWS.

I would like to hear from Ivan Tracy and Tom McLaughlin who were at USA Raceway this weekend-their take on yesterday’s happening, and why they think the track schedules a day time event.

Since my name isn’t Ivan Tracy, that will be the last racing for me until mid-February.  I am sure Ivan has all of his weekends for the next month scheduled with racing, but I am just tired, not retired like the Lincoln super fan.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Little I-80 Speedway, Plus 54 Year Old Arkansan Takes WWS Late Model Feature

I have said this before, but every time I mention the Silver Dollar Nationals or I-80 Speedway, my numbers jump.  I interpret this as fans still care very much about stock car racing in this area.  Promoters need to know that these same people who have been staying away from weekly racing would be willing to return under the right conditions.  I don’t think Friday night racing is the answer, nor do I believe people are unwilling to go out on Sunday nights-I believe a certain other track proved that for 40 years.  However, having super late models and A mods on the same program might be a start. 

Night four of the Wild West Shoot-Out is now in the books, or at least on the blogs.  51 USRA modifieds and 64 super late models raced last night and I would like to salute promoters for an excellent job running the races.  The first modified heat took to the track 3 minutes after the advertised starting time, which most tracks would classify as starting early.  The 12 heats, 5 B features, and 2 A features were run in 3 hours 10 minutes, something most dirt track promoters can’t seem to do despite having a much smaller car count.

I tuned into the PPV early, figuring on pre-race commentary and interviews, but instead got an hour of hot laps.  I am not sure how I feel about that.  I do enjoy the roar of high performance engines, but would not have minded hearing what the likes of Moyer, Mars, and McCreadie had to say about what would unfold that night.

Wednesday night I gave the racing a B and the PPV production an A-.  Last night I would give the racing a B+ and the production another A-. 27 states and 3 Canadian provinces were represented on the track last night, and my thought would be that if you came a long distance to race you have a good race car and plenty of experience, both of which make for good racing.

What would a late model event be without some controversy?  Don O’Neal provided it last night.  O’Neal won his heat race and was interviewed on the front stretch after the race.  Instead of driving his car over the track scale though, he drove directly to his pit stall.  Of course that is a big no-no, and he was disqualified.  He chose not to run a B feature to try to make the A main, but I suspect there were plenty of words surrounding that decision.

Billy Moyer and Tim McCreadie started in the first row and raced side by side or nose to tail for the first 20 laps of the 30 lap feature.  Splitting a lapped car it looked like McCreadie was about to capture the lead, but the 54 year old Moyer had other plans, and drove away from the field in the final 10 laps of the race.

The finishing order was Moyer-McCreadie-Vaught-Looney-Babb-Mars-Korte-Stovall in the first seven spots.  What promoter wouldn’t love having any of those drivers at a late model race?

One thing I am wondering about is fans in the stands.  Several shots showed a nearly empty portion of the grandstands, though it was grandstands at the end of the front straightaway.  Ivan Tracy and Tom McLaughlin are in Tucson-how full were the stands guys?

The races today will be under the Arizona winter sun.  Everyone says that dirt track races during the day leave much to be desired, but USA Raceway appears to be the exception to that rule.  The track has produced some good afternoon events, and if this was is not one of them, I am sure I will be hearing from my friend Tony Anville who opened his wallet for the first time in 2012 to purchase the last three days of the www.dirtondirt.com PPV. 

Thanks for stopping by.

A Raving Lunatic Speaks Out On I-80 Speedway, Arizona Dirt, and Dirt Covered Asphalt

Please take a look at The Raving Lunatic’s comments on my last post regarding I-80 Speedway.  I started out writing down all the points he made that I agree with (including sharing our dislike of 66JJ), but I was agreeing with almost everything he said and figured it was easier just to ask you to read them-and I would love to hear your comments on Raving’s Reproach.

I received my son’s proposed 2012 racing schedule.  The list is all specials, and mostly OK.  We disagreed on a few venues, and I am hoping for one more road trip in addition to the USMTS show at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City.  We both really liked Deer Creek Speedway last year, so maybe a trip to Minnesota for the Gopher 50 or a USMTS show can be worked out.

Tonight is Round Two of the Wild West Shoot-Out on PPV via www.DirtonDirt.com.  If you haven’t already done so, I would encourage you to go to the website and order at least one night of the event’s final three shows.  I enjoyed the racing and the quality of the production, and definitely got my money’s worth.  I would like to hear from anyone who does watch the PPV.  And I would like to hear from you too, Ivan Tracy.  How is the weather in Tucson?

Berlin Raceway, a 7/16^th mile asphalt oval is returning to its roots for the track’s 2012 season finale.  The track’s surface will be covered with dirt, and WoO late models will be the premier class for the 9/21 and 9/22 show.  The 9/22 feature will be a 100 lap, $20,000 to win race. 

I wish that Bristol International Raceway would reconsider and run a dirt show at least every few years.  There would be thousands of people in the grandstands, and with the PPV technology that is now available, I am sure thousands more would purchase such a package to watch at home.  Make it worth the track’s efforts by running two nights of sprint cars and two nights of late models.  I am not a fan of the WoO, but it would seem a logical sanction for such an event.

Yes, there are logistical problems for the track, but if a track like Berlin Raceway can do it-and with far less resources than Bristol, BIR should do it too.  It adds dates to the facility, and even though Bruton Smith has too much money, you would think he would want to make even more.

Yes, I know, it is a crazy idea.  I bet it won’t be the last crazy idea you read on this blog.  Thanks for stopping by.

I-80 To Race On Fridays With Super Late Models-Cross Your Fingers And Pray

After watching Nebraska defeat Indiana in basketball last night, I logged on to www.DirtonDirt.com to watch the Wild West Shoot-Out from USA Raceway in Tucson.  It was simply great to be watching live racing in the middle of January.  60 super late models and 45 USRA modifieds-including several USMTS drivers-filled the pits and provided plenty of thrills and spills. 

Don O’Neal became the third different late model feature winner in the first three nights of the WWS.  Billy Moyer took night number one and Tim McCreadie captured the checkers on the second night of racing.  O’Neal started the feature on the pole and held off Moyer in the waning laps of the race.  Moyer moved from 6^th to 2^nd.  Ronny Lee Hollingsworth won a B feature, started 14^th and climbed to 3^rd.  Terry Phillips did not look good in his heat, barely qualified through a B feature, but moved from 23^rd at the start of the A feature to a 5^th place finish.

At $7.00 for over three hours of race watching, I figure I got a bargain.  I would give the racing a B and the production of the PPV an A-.  My only complaint with the production was the only time you could hear to roar of engines was at the start of each race and during winner interviews.  Go to www.DirtonDirt.com to purchase the PPV-you can get the remaining three races for $28 if you are a member of the site, or $15 for one race-Friday’s racing is at night, while the weekend racing is in the afternoon.

It is official; I-80 Speedway will run on Friday nights in 2012.  The feature class will be NASCAR Late Models-super late models per the announcement in dirtdrivers.com, but not to be confused with the SLMR late models.  Sorry, but in my dotage I am as confused about this as a sprint car fan watching side by side racing.

First, aren’t the drivers who would race “NASCAR” late models the same drivers who would run the SLMR series?  The rules can’t be different if promoters want drivers to run both.  Does this mean the SLMR series won’t run at I-80 Speedway? If the SLMR does race at I-80 Speedway (the rumors I hear are twice a month), what becomes of the “NASCAR” late models?  Do they race too?  If not, how can the “NASCAR” late models be the NASCAR tier one representative, racing only half the time?

The track announcement on www.dirtdrivers.com says promoters worked with Adams County Speedway and Junction Motor Speedway on the NASCAR tiers.  ACS has always had the real deal late models, but JMS late models have been more like GN’s.  Does this mean that JMS will be running super late models?  If not, driver’s opportunities to finish high in NASCAR national standings seem limited.

If I was a promoter of a rural Nebraska track, I would now be very concerned about my SLMR race.  To race in this area the past few years, drivers of weekly type super late models had to follow the SLMR series.  Now these drivers-many from the Omaha metro area-can race at I-80 Speedway.  Are they going to travel to compete?

As always, the track announcement left many questions.  There was nothing about rules for the drivers, nothing about starting time for both drivers and fans, and nothing about admission for fans.  It did mention there are six different classes and there will be nights when all six classes run.  I felt like taking a tranquilizer after reading the track would run on Fridays. Running six classes has me praying.

I suspect Matt will try to drag me to a weekly show, and maybe I’ll go, though my love affair for weekly shows has been destroyed forever by the doings of area promoters.  My fear-and really why I wrote all of this-is that running on Fridays with super late models will be a detriment to the track’s specials.  Will Friday racing put more butts in the grandstand than Sunday racing did?  Don’t most of the problems remain the same-plus you exchanged the problem of people getting up early to work the next day after racing Sunday with the problem of people getting to the race track on Friday after a long day at work? If there aren’t many more fans watching a more expensive weekly show, what will that do to the races like the Alphabet Soup, Trifecta, and SDN?

What will be the car counts in support divisions?  Beatrice runs on Fridays, is IMCA sanctioned, and a number of name drivers in the modified division live in that area.  Will the super late models put enough butts in the grandstand to pay for adding their large purse to the weekly show?  Will the hard core return in numbers?

I wish I had a crystal ball to see right through the haze.  I don’t agree with the promoters’ decisions, but that has been the case for many years.  However, I do hope that they can prove me wrong, that Friday night late models will be a big success, and that the SLMR will still be a viable tour.  If that happens, no one will have to tell me I was wrong.  I will announce it in bold letters on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bloomquist & Silver Dollar Nationals? NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Here is something to warm things up on a cold January day in Nebraska. Was Scott Bloomquist overheard at the Chili Bowl discussing SDN tire rules with Hoosier Tire representatives and Lucas Oil Tour Director Ritchie Lewis?  I can’t prove it, but I can’t say no with any certainty either.  Bloomquist can’t be thrilled about racing on hard tires.  So, has anyone else heard this story?

Writer David DeNenno had an article in www.bleacherreport.com about 10 Driver Non-Winners in 2012.  He was writing of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, and the drivers listed were:  A.J. Allmendinger, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, David Reutimann, David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin, and Clint Bowyer. 

I agree with most of his picks, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.  He has been picked many times in the last three years-including by me-and everyone who picked his was wrong.  Maybe when-or if-he wins a race, picking him would make more sense. 

The one driver I would disagree with DeNenno on is Clint Bowyer.  Unlike the others, Bowyer is a recent winner, and I think he will take his MWR Toyota to victory sometime in the fall of 2012. 

The late Richie Evans, a modified champion fromNew Yorkwill be a 2012 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  I think it is not only a good thing that someone outside of the sports premier division was selected, I think the museum should establish a wing to honor short track and weekly racers.  Evans won nine NASCAR Modified championships and over 400 feature wins and is rightfully a part of the Hall.  But there are many other who belong in the Hall of Fame as well, and may not get the chance because they don’t have PR people beating the drums for them.

Drivers like Buzzie Reutimann and Bugs Stevens were great, but Midwest drivers like Gary Webb and the Kosiski family were champions too, with hundreds of feature wins.  Don’t choke here-I argue with the K’s as promoters of I-80 Speedway, but no one can argue with their on track success. 

Not only should people be added to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but tracks should as well. Martinsville and Darlington are no brainers, but tracks like South Boston,Virginia and Sunset Speedway deserve the honor as well.  Like so many other things in racing, I don’t expect these thoughts to ever come to fruition.

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Going To Penalize You; There Is More To Racing Than What Comes Out Of Charlotte, North Carolina

My son Matt thinks that like football teams, race tracks should have a delay penalty-when races don’t start on time or when they run long.  At first thought that sounds like an unenforceable penalty, like penalizing a team that loses too often, that can’t make free throws, or gives up 70 points toKansas in football.  However, it could make for a good promotion.

A track could advertise that its policy is for all shows to be over with by 10:30 p.m. or four hours from the scheduled starting time.  Print on the ticket: “If this shows ends after 10:30 p.m.,” or “If this shows lasts longer than four hours from the scheduled starting time, please bring your ticket stub to the ticket booth next week and you will receive a half price admission.”

Instead of having an angry customer, the track might get someone who hadn’t planned on attending a race to actually attend.  In this case, half price would be better than the no dollars the track would have collected, plus the person will purchase concessions.  No, I don’t see promoters doing that, not even on a one time basis-if they can do it once, why can’t they do it every time? It would make a bold statement though.

Rumor has it that at least 60 midgets went airborne during the Chili Bowl run.  Racing in January and cars flipping in roughly half the events-for an open wheel fan that is having your cake and eating it too.

When we get to the “boogety-boogety-boogety” hype of NASCAR Sprint Cup races in February, we will hear repeatedly how difficult it is to win such a race.  I agree it is very difficult to win a Sprint Cup race.  However, as a column in Area Auto Racing News pointed out, it is not easy to win major dirt track events either.

Even though occasionally a driver gets on a hot streak and makes it look easy to win the Knoxville Nationals, it is extremely difficult to survive the preliminaries and come out on top in either the sprint car or late model versions of the Nationals.  Ask past winners of the World 100 how difficult it was to take the checkered flag in that prestigious late model event.  Check in with the modified winner of the IMCA Supernationals at Boone Speedway to see if being first of several hundred drivers is an easy task.

The point of the columnist was that despite all we hear from Fox, TNT, and ESPN, winning at any race track can be difficult.  NASCAR Sprint Cup racing for over 30 weeks a year can be a grind, but so can tour racing like 80 plus nights for USMTS modifieds or WoO sprint cars.  The dirt track drivers don’t have private jets to fly from home to an airport near the race track, nor do they have helicopters to fly them from the airport to the track.  While Sprint Cup drivers have someone to do almost every task for them at the track, if you walk through the pits prior to a dirt event you are likely to find the driver working on his car.  Is the pressure to perform greater for a driver wanting to impress a megabucks sponsor, or a driver needing a good finish to put fuel in his hauler to get to the next race?

I would like to attend a NASCAR Sprint Cup race once, but only once, to say I did it.  BUT, I would much rather spend a night at Deer Creek, Knoxville, Wheatland, or Columbus.

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