99 replies to this topic

[3799]

*

Edited by 3799, 29 October 2012 - 09:20 AM.

[3799]

4FUN, if I'm running a track at which a large number of the Stampede drivers run regularly on Saturday night, I tell you, "If you have a problem with us not running our regular show tonight, go bitch at Lernerville. Our drivers who are in their show had no control had no control over when they would reschedule it, and we're not going to shit on our regulars who are running there by running our regular show." If I'm a track with only a handful of drivers there I might run, but even then I might let all my drivers drop their worst night so nobody would be screwed. And with not only a lot of drivers but a lot of employees as well working Lernerville, I'm sure PPMS will run Sunday that week. And even those tracks that say they will run might look for excuses to cancel that night. It's a ballsy move to say "Screw you, Lernerville, screw you, Stampede drivers" and run that night, and I doubt even the almighty Mercer has balls that size.

What you don't see is that you are screwing over your regular drivers who will race April 13th to benefit a few who went to Lenerville. How do you justify saying to your regular supporters who will race with you all year long you can't race tonight because Lernerville doesn't want you to race.

There was no mention of a raindate 6 months later. So the drivers and fans deseve the option to get their money back. It's a simple question I have been asking that you keep avoiding. If Lernerville is so great why won't they give the drivers a choice? Offer a refund now if they mail in their pit bands. Then next year the drivers can decide where they will race without being held hostage. What is Lernerville afraid of What? They call it Don Matin's Lernerville Speedway. Then honor the way Don ran the track. This is an unprecedented low in racetrack promoting.

I will say again for you Robin, Mercer Raceway Park IS RACING on April 13th. We are not alone.

Edited by 3799, 29 October 2012 - 09:23 AM.

[weluvracin]

How many people looked at the weather for the weekend and pretty much knew that there would be no racing Saturday or Sunday and only paid for Friday? It was a $5 risk. That's what I did. If they raced, I lost the bet and would still have gone. If I can't make it back next year, then I am ahead of the game. I do agree with the thinking that they could have possibly moved up the event to Thursday and Friday only, knowing for many days that the weather was going to suck on the weekend. I think there still would have been a great car count given a week's notice of the change of schedule. JMO

[CHEVY1A]

I think the recent trend in the past two months of certain tracks rescheduling fall races until next spring is a joke. If a track cant have a rain date for a race a week or two after the scheduled date, then it should be cancelled altogether in my opinion.

[Hot Dog]

What you don't see is that you are screwing over your regular drivers who will race April 13th to benefit a few who went to Lenerville. How do you justify saying to your regular supporters who will race with you all year long you can't race tonight because Lernerville doesn't want you to race.

There was no mention of a raindate 6 months later. So the drivers and fans deseve the option to get their money back. It's a simple question I have been asking that you keep avoiding. If Lernerville is so great why won't they give the drivers a choice? Offer a refund now if they mail in their pit bands. Then next year the drivers can decide where they will race without being held hostage. What is Lernerville afraid of What? They call it Don Matin's Lernerville Speedway. Then honor the way Don ran the track. This is an unprecedented low in racetrack promoting.

I will say again for you Robin, Mercer Raceway Park IS RACING on April 13th. We are not alone.

Almost everyone I talked to knew that if they didn't get it in this weekend that it was going to be rescheduled for spring. It was of very little shock that they did this, and its not that big of deal. It won't affect the majority of cars. Who that was there would be affected by Mercer and Lernervillle going head to head? I can think of the OSW guys, Holden and Guidace in the Mods, Williams in the sprints, and Rusty Moore in the stocks. And those guys are big boys and can decide for themselves what to do.

[bonez]

4FUN, if I'm running a track at which a large number of the Stampede drivers run regularly on Saturday night, I tell you, "If you have a problem with us not running our regular show tonight, go bitch at Lernerville. Our drivers who are in their show had no control had no control over when they would reschedule it, and we're not going to shit on our regulars who are running there by running our regular show." If I'm a track with only a handful of drivers there I might run, but even then I might let all my drivers drop their worst night so nobody would be screwed. And with not only a lot of drivers but a lot of employees as well working Lernerville, I'm sure PPMS will run Sunday that week. And even those tracks that say they will run might look for excuses to cancel that night. It's a ballsy move to say "Screw you, Lernerville, screw you, Stampede drivers" and run that night, and I doubt even the almighty Mercer has balls that size.

So you are saying that all the other tracks should either not run on a scheduled regular race night or they should change their point system just because some track thinks they are more important. I am not saying Lernerville is trying to screw these tracks over on purpose. They are in a tough spot here. But it does look alittle like the really dont care about all the other tracks and that they are above them and these tracks should just bow down and do what the mighty Lernerville tells them. That is not good for anyone.

[CR9crewguy]

How many people looked at the weather for the weekend and pretty much knew that there would be no racing Saturday or Sunday and only paid for Friday? It was a $5 risk. That's what I did. If they raced, I lost the bet and would still have gone. If I can't make it back next year, then I am ahead of the game. I do agree with the thinking that they could have possibly moved up the event to Thursday and Friday only, knowing for many days that the weather was going to suck on the weekend. I think there still would have been a great car count given a week's notice of the change of schedule. JMO

That's what our whole team did but when they make you pay to get into the pits at noon saturday and we wanted to go over the car, actually replaced a transmision and we had all our food, drinks, ect in the hauler it made it tough to not pay again saturday I feel pit gates should have opened at 3-4 instead of taking all our money at noon.

[3799]

Almost everyone I talked to knew that if they didn't get it in this weekend that it was going to be rescheduled for spring. It was of very little shock that they did this, and its not that big of deal. It won't affect the majority of cars. Who that was there would be affected by Mercer and Lernervillle going head to head? I can think of the OSW guys, Holden and Guidace in the Mods, Williams in the sprints, and Rusty Moore in the stocks. And those guys are big boys and can decide for themselves what to do.

Almost half the sprint field are weekly competitors at Mercer most in the top 10 in points ths year including the OSW cars that ran with the 410's because the car count was so small. Pretty much the entire 305 sprints as they called them field, as well as virtually all the modlites, and about 6 cars each in the modifieds and stocks. I didn't see a list of the mini stocks, but I'm sure a significant number there as well especially since Sharon is not running mini stocks next year.

You didn't ask about the other tracks, but most of the modifieds run Sharon. The Fastrak late models run Sharon and Pittsburgh, and how many late models and stock cars run PPMS, Sharon and other Saturday tracks. Virtually the whole show depends on race cars that have a regular Saturday night track. No wonder they won't give the drivers a choice.

Edited by 3799, 29 October 2012 - 10:47 AM.

[blaneyfan10]

the drivers do have a choice either go back or don't thats there decision. thats the chance you take when you go when the weather is iffy.

[Round Robin]

Loyalty is a two way street, and these tracks and the other drivers that run there should cut these Stampede drivers some slack who have been forced to make a choice between going back to Lernerville and getting themselves behind in points at their other tracks, or going to their regular tracks and forfeiting the money they would have got paid at Lernerville and the cost of their wristbands. Yeah, Lernerville should have announced before anybody ever went there that the rain date if they didn't get it in this week would be April 13th, I'll give you that. But they didn't, and it would be shitty for these other tracks to insist on making the Stampede drivers make this choice, and it would be equally shitty for their other drivers to insist that they do so. If somebody doesn't back off the conflict and we reach next April 13th with the Stampede running and Mercer, Sharon and other tracks running regular shows that night, everybody involved is gonna get screwed, everybody involved is gonna be pissed off at somebody, nobody's gonna be happy, and you're gonna have a PR clusterf--- that isn't good for anybody. Listen, I don't have a horse in this race personally, so I don't care what specifically is done about it, but if we get to April 13th with no resolution I will think very ill of everybody involved. This can be resolved if the people involved will stop thinking "Hooray for me and f--- you", and if none of them do, they richly deserve whatever the consequences are.

[Sloane]

Whatever happened to cooperation between the parties involved for the "good of the sport." If all of the facilities are trying to "cut each others throats" then there will not be any tracks around. Maybe the Saturday night venues could run the April 13th events as non-points events if they do choose to run that way those who choose to attend Lernerville are not penalized. Since Lernerville has already announced the raindate it seems like the other tracks could show them a little respect and at least contact the Lernerville staff via e-mail or telephone rather than badhing them on a public forum.

[Round Robin]

Good post, Sloane. Tracks have been both cooperating and cutting each other's throats ever since I've been around racing, but it seems as if the tilt is towards cutting each other's throats. In fairness to the other tracks, Mercer is the only one with somebody on here in this thread, and I'm sure it's not at the owner's instigation. But if the tracks involved can't be fair to each other they should at least be fair to the drivers involved and cut them some slack. If they don't reach some resolution and instead insist on bullheadedly all running on that date with no relief for the drivers involved, the problem of racers and fans not supporting shows when the weather is iffy will get worse, and that will be harmful to all the tracks in the area.

[RebelYell 10]

Would a better solution perhaps be to run it on Sunday the 14th, starting at say 2:00 or 3:00? No one races of Sundays in April, and if you ever going to be able to get away with a mid-day race as far as track prep is concerned, April would be the time it could be done!

[racefan18]

Robin since the sale of the track i've had no problems with the current management. No doubt that will change now, but my loyalties are with Bill Altman and Mercer Raceway Park. So quit living in the past. Lernerville knows they won't get the cars back if they offer a refund, especially after the pitiful racing surface they gave them to race on, so they chose to hold the teams hostage. They are the ones running scared, not Mercer or any other Saturday night track. Let the drivers decide, what's wrong with that? Lernerville is nowhere near the track it was when Don Martin owned it. All they (Lernerville) need to do is give the drivers a choice. Refund their money or honor the pit bands in April. Why are they afraid of what the drivers will do? It's double the money for only one night versus tens of thousands of dollars and numerous specials the Saturday tracks put up all year long. With double points on April 13 at the Saturday tracks you can kiss a track championship goodbye for $30. And there are plenty of teams that would covet a track championship at any iofthe Saturday tracks.

As to your comment that Lernerville can shut down Mercer you must be living in fantasy land. Name your price on that bet Robin, name your price. Drive west of Butler and you will see there is a whole other world of tracks out there every bit the equal of Lernerville. Heck let me know when you want to come over and I will sign you in at Mercer.

Pitiful racing surface? Atleast the fans could see the racing unlike at mercer where all u see is one turn because of dust but hey i guess u know everything mike

[3799]

Bottom line Mercer, Sharon, and Pittsburgh have been cooperarting. Look at the schedules from last year and you will see the rotating headline divisions for big races. This incident only gives them more incentive to work together. Mercer will be racing on April 13th and we are not alone. So you boys can hash it out here amongst yourself. Our position is set no need to repeat it any further.

[Mo MONEY]

lernerville is a friday night race track so why are they wanting to race on a saturday, screwing everybody up so they should stay on their original night and not screw the drivers that want to go for their track championships. there is no need to reschedule this race for a saturday night.

[Round Robin]

Mike, I guarantee you PPMS does not run on that date. Too many PPMS officials and workers also work Lernerville, and if they want to continue to work Lernerville they have to show up for Lernerville's big shows. PPMS will move if Lernerville does not, because they'll be left without enough officials if they don't move. And I'm not sure Mercer wants to call Lernerville's bluff, nor does Sharon. Yes, what Lernerville did was shitty, and as long as it remains under its current ownership other tracks will only cooperate with it when they have to after them pulling this. I'm not disputing that. But if Lernerville insists on running on that date, does any track with a lot of drivers in that show, for examples PPMS, Mercer and Sharon, really want to risk most of those drivers remaining united and going to Lernerville? Any or all of them could lose their shirts on that night if most of the drivers and fans who already paid to go to Lernerville decide to do so. Maybe that won't happen, but in this era of a crappy economy, do any of the owners of these tracks want to take that risk? It's their risk, not Lernerville's.

[bonez]

Good post, Sloane. Tracks have been both cooperating and cutting each other's throats ever since I've been around racing, but it seems as if the tilt is towards cutting each other's throats. In fairness to the other tracks, Mercer is the only one with somebody on here in this thread, and I'm sure it's not at the owner's instigation. But if the tracks involved can't be fair to each other they should at least be fair to the drivers involved and cut them some slack. If they don't reach some resolution and instead insist on bullheadedly all running on that date with no relief for the drivers involved, the problem of racers and fans not supporting shows when the weather is iffy will get worse, and that will be harmful to all the tracks in the area.

I agree with you 100%. But that means all tracks to cooperate. Not one track telling all the other tracks we are bigger, badder and better than you so you better listen to what we say. Whether you like it or not. That is not cooperation. That is bullying. You say these other tracks should not run the night of the makeup because it will put their drivers in that position to have to chose. Well why not it just worked for Lernerville.

[flash49]

You don't see any difference between this show and an opening night show? Can you imagine the logistics of getting 200+ cars settled in on a Friday night? If so, could you imagine how much easier it would be on a Saturday?

Of course it would be easier on a Saturday, so why not the last Saturday in March so as not to step on anyone's toes? Lernerville opened for years on that weekend, sometime to chilly weather, sometimes to beautiful weather.

[flash49]

Good post, Sloane. Tracks have been both cooperating and cutting each other's throats ever since I've been around racing, but it seems as if the tilt is towards cutting each other's throats. In fairness to the other tracks, Mercer is the only one with somebody on here in this thread, and I'm sure it's not at the owner's instigation. But if the tracks involved can't be fair to each other they should at least be fair to the drivers involved and cut them some slack. If they don't reach some resolution and instead insist on bullheadedly all running on that date with no relief for the drivers involved, the problem of racers and fans not supporting shows when the weather is iffy will get worse, and that will be harmful to all the tracks in the area.

But why are you putting the onus of this problem on all the other tracks when Lernerville is the one causing the problem. First of all, I am at Lernerville every Friday night and love the racing there, but this is a bad decision. This race could so easily be held on the last Saturday in March, or the first Saturday in April. Why step on the toes of the other race tracks when it isn't necessary?