pittbull_033

Evolution is the killer of dirt track racing. Older people talk about "the good ole days"  Well these good times only saw a limited amount of divisions. Perfect example is Marion Center. I have no clue how many different late model classes that place has but instead of having a Huge field of maybe super lates. They have watered down classes that spreads the car count. While i dont think any of those classes are hurting for car counts it the principle that instead of having 40 latemodels in one class they have 10-20 in seprate classes.  Another example is Sprint cars, 270, 600, midget, limited, 305, 360, 410. Can you imagine the increased car count if 410s and 305s were the only options. How about Mini stocks and pure stocks, Before ministock came on the scene the lowest level was pure stocks and many of the low buck guys that are now racing minis would most likely have a pure stock in the garage. Also how about the series that have been made in such a way that the only place a car can run and be legal is a a sanctioned track.  The difference in rules from track to track doesnt help either. All the tracks should come together and run 1 set of rules and stick to them. That way if a racers want to go race 3 night a week he can and be leagl at all venues.   I guess what im trying to get at is there is simply to many classes and not enough car owners. The classes used to be more concentrated and car counts were up. Now every division has a spin off which just spreads the car count even thinner.

We currently own a Micro Sprint and have been watching the 305 class very closely. Our plan is/was to make the jump to the 305 sprinter in the near future and hopefully one day land ourselves in a 410. But i must say all this engine controversy will be a huge factor in us probably running a Micro for a couple more years until all this is ironed out. What i would personally like to see is:

1. A permanent engine package. Whether it be 5.3 or 305, crate engine I dont care. But i would have a hard time dropping my hard earned $ on an engine that i cant race because the engine rules changed.

 

2. No spec tires, Like was stated somewhere above 305 guys are suppose to be a budget outfit. Ive been involved with racing my entie life and have not 1 good thing to say about a spec tire. Im sure when i make the jump it will be with a mixture of new and used tires. Many 410 teams will sell you a tire that might only have a heat race on it for a fraction of the price of new.  While a spec tire looks good on paper it very rarely is anything other than a hinderance.

 

3. A uniform tech program, what i mean is the division assembles a group of tech officals they trust and have a common set of goals. Every track will be appointed one of the choosen tech officals (not supplied be the track but appointed by the series) and the class be checked rigorously after every event. Takes a little time to tech the top 3 or whatever but the peace of mind would be worth it.

 

It sucks to say but i was looking forward to building a 305 team this winter but i think we will watch this all unfold from the sidelines. To much drama and gray areas for me.

[quote name='Mo MONEY' date='Dec 29 2013, 10:22 PM' post='383344']
i don't know where you have been racing that there are more than 10 cars but there aren't that many.
sportsmans speedway had 16 to start the year because blanket hill wasn't running, then they dropped down to about 10 cars after a month and the last month they had an average car count of 7, except for that extra money show which drew 22 cars and half of them where first time runners there and they took home most of the extra money and like i said before at least 3 drivers are moving to the sprint cars,so where are all these cars going to come from?

and another thing if i owned a micro or a sprint car i wouldn't race there because of the hazard there!
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Now dont get offended because im not picking on you but this is in no way accurate imformation. Sportsmans did infact start the year out with a higher car count then they ending with. The micro car count was in the 20's (22 to be exact) until Marion center opened up to micro"s. Which left 16 regular cars. Towards then end guys had some torn up equipment and/or couldnt afford to race and parked them for the year. MICRO MANIA drew 31 cars paying a "special purse" of $500. Out of 31 cars i can only think of 2 that were not local. Trust me the car count in western PA isnt a dismole as you seem to believe. Many guys own cars and dont run them simply because the payout in this area isnt well. Well hummingbirds payout is the best ive seen in this area for quite some time. I know all this because I lived it and i keep records of everynight we race, Where I start, Where i finish and how many cars.


And I read a few people talking about payout, Nobody has a clue what one of these little cars costs.
$8k for a roller,
$5k for a motor (many of us have several motors)
$1700 for a shock a good package,
$3k in tires for a season
This is all new stuff and you can certainly buy someones used up junk for far less.

By the end of last season i was well into $20,000 for my "hobby" so please dont think because the cars are little that they are cheap. I also know that some of you latemodel guys have way more invested then that and i can definatly respect that. If you dont believe me go to these sites and see for yourself. www.hyperracing.com or www.rtschassis.com youll find all my pricing to be consistant to the actual retail. So i hope that little bit of info helps you see why the payout is justicfiable.


On a side note i am absolutley stoked to be racing hummingbird in 2014. I 100% enjoy the place and cant wait to be a part of the action. I cannot wait till the season opener and im not alone, Almost every western PA micro i know is planning to attend. I really see this going well and i hope we can prove our worth and be a valuable asset to the saturday night program. Ill see you all in the spring!