87 replies to this topic

[BRC27]

Sounds like the majority of us are in agreement.  Take note all you race promoters out there!!!  Reduce the number of classes and create a general rules package that is basically universal.  Allowing cars to travel around and not be locked into just racing one track.  Don't forget to enforce these rules and your car counts will go up.  I would be willing to bet that if a track did this that in a year or two car counts would rise.  You would have more than 10 cars in each class, racing would be more exciting, Fans will stay longer, and come back more often.  You want to grow the sport??  Simplify it first!

[The Legend]

I always hear these claims ... Show me a list of names they would race 2-3 nights a week on a consistent basis with different rules

[BRC27]

there are a number of reasons why drivers wont run multiple tracks 2-3 nights a week.  1.Money being a big one (However, if you make a consistent set of rules where no driver in the area has more than another in a car, drivers will have more money to travel. Also levels the playing field for better competition.)  2. Crash fest: drivers won't run certain tracks that they are legal to run, because the track is notorious for being a demo derby. (making a unified set of rules will allow those drivers to travel to other tracks in the area.) 

 

When 4 or 5 tracks in the area have the same set of rules, you essentially combine the entire region and pull from a larger pool of drivers.  At any given time drivers who want to try out another track can do so without having to change a lot.  Sure each track in the area would have lower counts some weeks but your average car counts for the year would go up.  Plus by reducing the number of classes you run each week, you have now increased the car counts in other classes by forcing drivers to move classes and adapt.  The number of drivers is the same regardless of how many classes you have.  You can't tell me that by dropping crate lates that those guys would all sell out!  they could still run with the limited lates/Steel blocks.  My point is the people that are racing now are doing so because they love the sport and will do whatever it takes to race.  So in turn you now have 4 or 5 classes among 4 or 5 tracks.  Instead of 4 or 5 tracks with their own version of 6 classes.

[714d]

I don't think it's so much to allow guys to run multiple nights a week, but more to run when/where you want. Not many guys run for points anymore so welcome people from other tracks. Let guys move around and have some different cars every week. I'll use hummingbird street stocks and pure stocks as an example. There were 2 street stocks that didn't miss a week. I don't remember, maybe 3 or 4 pure stocks. So why make rules track specific if no one is loyal to a track anyway. There are so many mid season specials scattered around for all classes, that no one wants to stick to one place all year.

[The Legend]

You need more cars !!!! Not a redistribution of existing cars ... Classic liberalism where they feel there is a set amount of wealth that needs distributed instead of creating new wealth ....

[714d]

Not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying that no one sticks to a track anymore. I just looked. 29 street stocks and 2 made it every week. 22 pure stocks and 4 made it every week. Guys don't want to run weekly. They want options obviously. It wasn't a money issue. The guys that didn't show up weekly usually were running SOMEWHERE that week.

[BRC27]

Again with the freakin politics!  And actually I'm going to say that you were wrong in stating that it's Liberalism (which I'm not sure is an actual term) and correct you by saying that I am suggesting Socialism among racers.  everyone gets the same treatment and rules to follow.  No one is able to strong arm another with money. 

 

And if you would pull your head out of your ass and look into the future you'd see that the only way to get more cars into the sport is to reduce costs and get more people interested.  If you have 4 or 5 Classes of exciting racing, you will attract more fans, sponsors, drivers ect.  And by limiting everyone to certain rules/ dollar amount using claimers and what not, you will lower the overall cost to be competitive.  Personally I would rather see all cars around 600hp competing evenly, than see a few guys with 900hp racing against a bunch of guys with 600hp.

[ramsey31]

While I don't disagree with you Jon, I do not see that happening any time soon.   Again, look at the average age of a car driver in our area.   Im willing to bet there are more in the 35-50 range, than the 18-35 range.   Comparing those stats to say the 60's, 70's and 80's through conversation with both my father and stepfather who raced in those years, that statistic is backward.   That says we are losing the battle.   There is a good chance todays 18-25 yr olds have never driven, let alone ridden in a rwd car.   They have never tore down an engine, or even seen a driveshaft.    We are expecting this age group to magically get involved in a sport where the fuel system of choice hasn't been used in production since the mid 80's.

 

Look at our age group, are we running around wrenching on flatheads and setting points?   doubtful.   Much like a FWD is not exciting to me, neither is a rwd carburetor fueled car impressive to a kid now a days.   This is the age group our sport needs.   That fine line where a job pays enough to have disposable income, and no real responsibilities to manage financially.

 

The target market that we would pull from now is busy with $20,000 side-by-sides, and $60,000 pulling trucks.   Lord knows there are no shortage of either in the area, just like there is no shortage of people who want instant gratification that a truck loan or a ATV loan will grant them, where as a racecar will not.

 

I am a firm believer, our generation will be the last generation to keep the dirt track popular as we know it now.

[The Legend]

It's absolutely dying .... Because of liberals teaching kids that blowing dudes is cooler than racing cars .... But I don't see anything suggested in this thread helping

[BRC27]

Is that what happened to you?  I bet you went to Catholic school too!  You have pillow fights with the other alter boys?  You're really one to talk about a dying sport.  you go to two or three races a year and give your money to a major touring division instead of supporting a local track.  yeah you have reasons, but if you were really concerned with the sport you'd be supporting your local track instead of bashing everything they've done wrong and the way everyone else drives.

[The Legend]

My " local track " doesn't run weekly super lates and I'm not about to buy a crate when I have 5 super late engines all for the right to junk a car every 3 or 4 nights . I support my local track way more than a sane person could justify

[DRTLMFN]

Honestly I think it has more to with a combination of too many classes and too many tracks in the region. You've got thunder Mountain, eriez, stateline, conneaut, mercer, Sharon, tri-city, lernerville, ppms, dog hollow, marion center, hummingbird, hesston, smethport. All of which are within approx. 2 or 3 hours of each other and competing for the same cars. It's saturated with tracks and not enough cars to go around.

Legend, you have some serious homoerotic thoughts that come out in your posts. You may need professional help coming to terms with them.

[jo73]

Legend. Just a curiosity. What local tracks beside PPMS have you run ? Myself, I want to clarify. I understand your racing schedule. Our racing plans are gone due to what lernerville is doing to the sportsman guy's.

Everyone can come up with what they believe that are the rules to save the sport. I wanna see a local track say in 2016 we are running crate late models next year. NO, WE ARE NOT PART OF RUSH. That group needs knocked on there ass.

If speedway's would come up with a fair purse structure, RUSH may be no more. What a dam shame. I feel racers have a dislike for RUSH. I may be off base but there would be less bullcrap.

The second biggest issue is. There is 2 many tracks in western pa. running Saturday nights and same divisions. THERE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH CARS.

Back to the Legend. If PPMS would say where not operating in 2016. What would be your future in LOCAL racing. That question could be asked to many more than 1 racer.

[The Legend]

Im not sure. I really don't have time to race every week anyway so making trips to ohio every couple weeks really wouldn't be a big deal

[ramsey31]

One question that's always crossed my mind, is what has changed from the 60' and 70's?    We had 3 times the amount of tracks, and a good amount of drivers could run darn near 3-4 times a week, as racing mid-week was common.   People that went to the races religiously, would never step foot near a track now.    What changed?  

[BRC27]

the 60's and 70's the sport was booming.  Cars were easy to find.  that was the muscle car era!  plain and simple.  V8's and carburetors were easy to find.  RWD's were the majority of cars on the road.  Now everything is fuel injected FWD  parts are harder to find and getting more expensive.  the days of pulling a car out of the junk yard slapping in a roll cage and motor Wednesday and racing on Saturday are over.  kids are getting hooked on video games instead of working with their dad's on cars.  There are still a few kids out there who are getting that experience.  Mine is for sure!  I'm a 4th Gen driver and plan on passing on the passion to the next generation.  unfortunately not everyone is as passionate about racing as I am.  The economy is not in a good enough state to convert fans into drivers. 

[jo73]

I remember Eddie Sanger ? from waterloo, iowa. Lernerville back in the 70's ran a 100 lap race. This guy comes rolling in with a first. That car was surrounded in the pits. Why ? He had 1 of the first pro built chassis that anyone had ever seen in western pa. and to top it all off. Small block powered. The big block diehards thought he never had a chance, well, that car thru the corners was on rails. No, he did not win, if memory is correct Clate Husted passed wearing and it was over. Point being, after that, you started to see the pro built small block cars. The coil sprung weight jacked heavy framed cars where dead.

Anyone remember who had 1 of the first pro built modifies in are area ???

[deadpush]

I saw Ed Sanger win the World 100in I think,1980. He had a tube chassis, small block, Camaro bodied car. He had 5 slot Anse n aluminum wheels on the car. Almost everyone else had steel wheels. The big question before the race was would the aluminum wheels make it for 100 laps. They did, he won, and it seemed like everyone went to aluminum wheels almost immediately.

[Skull]

I remember Eddie Sanger ? from waterloo, iowa. Lernerville back in the 70's ran a 100 lap race. This guy comes rolling in with a first. That car was surrounded in the pits. Why ? He had 1 of the first pro built chassis that anyone had ever seen in western pa. and to top it all off. Small block powered. The big block diehards thought he never had a chance, well, that car thru the corners was on rails. No, he did not win, if memory is correct Clate Husted passed wearing and it was over. Point being, after that, you started to see the pro built small block cars. The coil sprung weight jacked heavy framed cars where dead.
Anyone remember who had 1 of the first pro built modifies in are area ???

Lynch, Sr.? 1976? I'm not sure who built it, maybe Tobias?

[scruffy1a]

I know of a sreel block that can rt with the supers and beat em on a good night when all the rt choices are made!

Does he?  Or does he run well enough in a limited class that you believe he can?  "Super" late model classes aren't exclusive to aluminum engine cars, so he's welcome to do it, whoever this driver is.