44 replies to this topic

[Walt Wimer]

Here are the Late Model car counts from last weekend taken from press releases and websites.

 

 

Pittsburgh  20  ($3,353 to win)

 

Stateline  19

 

Thunder Mountian  18

 

Dog Hollow  16

 

Eriez   14

 

Lernerville  13

 

Marion Center   12

 

Hummingbird  9

 

 

     Overall not too good as only 3 of 8 tracks had anywhere near a full filed.   Sprint Car and Modified fields were all 18 to 22.

 

 

GOOD RACING TO ALL

 

Walt

[jo73]

Walt, I have to ask what are the possibilities of you showing how many drivers are running more than 1 night in there late models ? The Blairs, Alex ferree, norris and I think Kenny schultbrand are the only teams I can think of. I ask you because I believe you get the results from the tracks. With PPMS paying the extra money were or what track did these guys come from ? To many tracks not enough cars to go around anymore. $$$ are killing the local SLM. Keith Barbarra and Miley pick and chooses were they go racing anymore.

[SprintFun]

Crate late models and way too many division choices are destroying late models. Car counts haven't been that great at Ohio tracks either this year, although not as poor as that. 

[sicario]

From what i've seen there are a lot more drivers that run both Stateline and Eriez than those in the Pittsburgh circuit. As mentioned, the Blairs, as well as Hedman, Bossard, Eck, Hackett, Oakes, Dorman, Gardner, & Boozel. Hess sometimes runs Stateline in addition to Eriez and the car Schell drives at Eriez is usually at Stateline but with a different driver. Also, Walt, have Thunder Mountains counts been up from the beginning of this year? When we had gone there earlier this year they had 9 or 10. Just wondered if that night was an anomaly or there has been a recent surge. Thanks.

Edited by sicario, 30 August 2017 - 06:11 PM.

[coconut]

30 at ohio valley . Or is that too far

[714d]

From what i've seen there are a lot more drivers that run both Stateline and Eriez than those in the Pittsburgh circuit. As mentioned, the Blairs, as well as Hedman, Bossard, Eck, Hackett, Oakes, Dorman, Gardner, & Boozel. Hess sometimes runs Stateline in addition to Eriez and the car Schell drives at Eriez is usually at Stateline but with a different driver. Also, Walt, have Thunder Mountains counts been up from the beginning of this year? When we had gone there earlier this year they had 9 or 10. Just wondered if that night was an anomaly or there has been a recent surge. Thanks.

In the 4 weeks before this week, Thunder Mountain shows 17, 11, 19, and 21 starting the features. I'd guess the night with 11 was probably a lot to do with weather (it's been brutal on Friday nights this year) quality of cars/racing has been improving constantly this year as well. Getting a lot of guys traveling in, and most end up coming back.

[Walt Wimer]

jo73........I think what we have as far as the Late Models go is three two night circuits.  Stateline-Eriez, Dog Hollow-Marion Center and Thunder Mountain-Hummingbird.   Each one has a handful or so that run both nights, but I haven't sat down and done any number checks.

 

Lernerville and Bedford are somewhat on islands anymore with Pittsburgh not running Late Models full time.   I think there are some Bedford drivers who still go to places like Port Royal, Sellinsgrove, Winchester, Hagerstown and Cumberland when they run, which does not seem to be full time. And Roaring Knob has only run two Late Models races all year that I know of. However, I could have missed one since that track sends nothing out to the media or even keeps their website updated!!

 

As far as the Sprints & Modifieds go, most weeks it seems there only some 3-5 drivers who run Lernerville and then Mercer or Sharon on Saturday.

 

One of the really big problems with today's car counts is that so many drivers are only running once a week. High costs, especially in the Late Model Class is the main factor.  Also today's cars require so much more "upkeep" than those of years gone by.  Things today are a far cry from the early 1950s when a driver in the Penn-Ohio area could race seven times a week if he wanted!!

 

GOOD RACING!!!

 

Walt 

[jo73]

To me Walt. The greatest error of dirt track racing in Western Pa was between the mid 70's to early 90's. As a youngster I started out going to Heidleberg, South Park for what i can remember probably 59 or 60. So yea i walk into a speedway today and i really do miss those days. There never coming back no matter what. Don Martin kept adding seats to Lernerville because it just kept growing year after year. It's one of the big reasons why I like the penn ohio series so much. I guess it takes me back to those days of guys working in there garages into all hours of the night getting ready to head for the track.

[snooky]

Thunder Mountain increased their purse in most divisions about a month ago. That has increased the SLM car counts. Track has been fast and racey.

[blue by you]

To me Walt. The greatest error of dirt track racing in Western Pa was between the mid 70's to early 90's. As a youngster I started out going to Heidleberg, South Park for what i can remember probably 59 or 60. So yea i walk into a speedway today and i really do miss those days. There never coming back no matter what. Don Martin kept adding seats to Lernerville because it just kept growing year after year. It's one of the big reasons why I like the penn ohio series so much. I guess it takes me back to those days of guys working in there garages into all hours of the night getting ready to head for the track.

amen to that.

[Cool1]

Lets only hope the Penn-Ohio Homak series continues to grow and prosper. Shaun Hooks has a great series, allowing the drivers to build and work

 

on their cars, just like it should be, hats off to you Shaun, for continuing the "real" racing tradition. Thank You

 

Edit--- sorry, I meant this for the Penn-Ohio Homak post, but I guess this will suffice

Edited by Cool1, 31 August 2017 - 11:20 AM.

[BRC27]

Cool1 the Penn-Ohio series is nice, I like the idea of unified rules, but it's not the answer for the stock classes.  The rules for that series don't work well for local racers who are trying to keep costs down.

[TCM29]

Crate late models and way too many division choices are destroying late models. Car counts haven't been that great at Ohio tracks either this year, although not as poor as that. 

Crates have not done much for pavement either- Jennerstown had only (8)

 

Here is where you want to be this Saturday:

 

[94.3-RADRACER]

comparing sprints and modifieds is foolish, as they have one track basicly two nights.  60 lm's at 3 tracks saturday, 47 at 3 tracks friday, and 14 at one track sunday. to many lm tracks......and one night a week, there are still cars out there. what blows my mind is, eriez is one of the racist joints around, and gets the fewest cars. sunday is the worst night because of work, and cars are wore out. as for crates ruining slm, that is horsecrap. at least 20 some young slm drivers now race because of a move up from crates. no other division can say that.

[Cool1]

Most of the guys I know running Homak are all local racers, have been for years.

[sundance]

What 94.3 says is correct. There are still more LM's running in the area than Sprints or Mods. They are just divided among more tracks.

[Walt Wimer]

That has been the case for decades!!!  Late Models have long been the most "popular" top class in the western PA area.  Nothing new here!!   But not the case in New York or central PA.  Around here Late Models have long had the most tracks and thus the most cars overall.  And I don't see any changes on that in the wind.  But the Late models are in trouble with high cost and high tech that may cost them even more tracks and cars in the coming years.  Crates aren't the total answer either as on some nights tracks that run both supers and crates have more supers than crates!!   Such was the case at Stateline and Dog Hollow last week!!  Not a big difference in counts, but some, like 2 at Stateline and six at Dog Hollow.     

[Wolfie29]

Thunder Mountain increased their purse in most divisions about a month ago. That has increased the SLM car counts. Track has been fast and racey.

Yeah,$1200.00 to win at Thunder Mountain for super lates.

[Wolfie29]

Crates have not done much for pavement either- Jennerstown had only (8)
 
Here is where you want to be this Saturday:
 

I'd like to see Jennerstown drop the late late models and make the pavement e-mod division their top class...I think they'd get 20 cars a night because the mods their now pull in twice as many cars as the late models.

Edited by Wolfie29, 31 August 2017 - 03:24 PM.

[LM63]

comparing sprints and modifieds is foolish, as they have one track basicly two nights.  60 lm's at 3 tracks saturday, 47 at 3 tracks friday, and 14 at one track sunday. to many lm tracks......and one night a week, there are still cars out there. what blows my mind is, eriez is one of the racist joints around, and gets the fewest cars. sunday is the worst night because of work, and cars are wore out. as for crates ruining slm, that is horsecrap. at least 20 some young slm drivers now race because of a move up from crates. no other division can say that.

Man your gonna make a couple of these professional keyboard guys heads explode with a comment like that.... Lol