RocketChassis#1

Both the Blairs have run good at both Lernerville and PPMS. Robbie won a few LM features at Lernerville and one at PPMS in 2003, while Max won the first ever Fastrak race in 2009 at PPMS and ran well at some other Fastrak/RUSH tour races..

Look at all the guys that had to hand up their helmets because of concussions in the past 20 years, Ernie Irvin, Steve Park, Jerry Nadeau, Ricky Craven, etc. Look what happened to Bobby Allison, and now Fred Lorenzen. While not racing, one has to wonder if Ben Roethlisberger is a hit away not just from a career ending concussion, but something that might mess him up for ever. Same for Sidney Crosby, look how long it took him to recover from his last concussion. 

Maybe time for somone to open Thundervalley or Latrobe back up!  When PPms first opened in 1979...they basically took the Latrobe cars!  And Latrobe closed after 1981 season.  Latrobe basically came back to life in 2001 when Challenger was going specials only,  and did well for several years after Challenger gave up regular shows!  If PPMS does close...one of these tracks could do well.  And probably the best shot is Latrobe

The only time Latrobe was a success was when Paul Schmucker owned it. Once Teslovich bought the place, it went on a down hill slide that it never recovered. Unless one buys it from Teslovich, it isn't worth the headache. 

Today, a lot don't get paid at all. Some may even pay the owner to drive, (maybe by bringing a motor or other equipment with them). I thought the going rate for many years was 30%. Today while there still are some "helmet bag" drivers, (ones who just show up at the track with there helmets and drive), anymore most work on the cars and help out during the week.

Brandon and Bob Wearing Jr., Dave "Bucky" and Johnny Johnson, Mark and Brad "BA" Malcuit, Gary and Dan Miday, Clyde and Dave Gardiner, Norm Sr. and Jim Benning, Larry and Dick Thomas, Denny and Danny Chaimberlain, Gene and Jim Towson, Dave and John Draime, Bob and Augie Sandman, Skip and Jim Bertges, Dave and Ben Hoffman, Dave and Don Pegher, Frank and Jim Chappel, Lou, Bob and Gary Blaney, Dave and Tracy Groves, John and Mark Flinner, Gary and Bobby Henry, Danial and Chris Angelicchio,

It's very hard to get into the Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Having a name known outside of your area helps. Yes Lynn may never had been a "national" racer, he was a top "regional" racer not just a top local racer and like Dick Barton, Denny Chaimberlain, and a few other locals had the ability to go to places like Pennsboro and make the show. Sadly older racers like Husted, L.J. Dennis and many, many others get lost on younger voters,(unfortunatly some think dirt late models didn't start until the NDRA came about in 1978), plus the amount of "big" or "big paying" races were a lot less. Now, you have a dozen or so major sanction races in the region, plus a ton of smaller sanction and independent high paying races in the region, almost to the point that you might be able to go to one every weekend. The other thing that hurts guys like Rhodes is where he won races at. Sorry but winning and running well at well known tracks, vs ones not as well known will not get you recognition you might deserve.

Thank you for your prompt response. Even tho I believe retaining your orgainal starting spot in a different car is not correct way to do it. No matter when the race is run.
Thanks again for addressing my questions.

How do you even prove it? Honestly when any race is rained out/postphoned, as long as it is still the original owner/driver whatever car the team brings should be OK. With the Firecracker rained out, do you think all the cars that return are the same cars that were there originally? The race is being run some two months later.Some of the guys that are chassis builders have no problem selling any of the cars they ran. Cars get totaled, sold, and owners buy new ones.

I'd like to give PPMS and any other tracks that use it, credit for using the Rained Out texting to let people know the races are cancelled. Sure beats the old days of having to call 50+ times trying to get thru, or trying to call on the road. Sure helps when you are traveling an hour+ to get there.

There is nothing the matter with the track. The management is a different story.

Dave Wheeler just posted on J Town  FB group page about talking to someone about running the track on a limited schedule this year.

 

Hey!!  Mr. Wheeler, it's next year now.

Dave Wheeler's Comments from Facebook

I know you are all tired of hearing this, but I'm still working with a group to have the speedway at least run on a limited basis this year.

I have been working on this since I took the track back under my ownership. It's not an easy task due to getting the track back at such a late date                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

It takes everyone to make a track work.

Look at the likes on Facebook,

Question, where were those people on Saturday night at J Town.

Motor Drome has been open for years with less than average car counts

How long does a track have to be open for racers to support it.

 

I've said this before, if don't support your local track you will read about them in Lost Speedways.

While Facebook and Social Media are great new PR tools, they are no guarantee that people will be in the stands. Likes on Facebook are worth about as much as Monopoly money. Jennerstown was closed for 5 years, whatever crowd they had then has moved on to other things. Whatever management might take over would have to work hard to get those people back, if they ever would come back. Motordrome has been on shakey ground since Red Miley passed on. Racers didn't know if they would have a place to race at or not, one year to the next. Solid, long term management is what might save both tracks.The bad thing is it may already be too late for both places.

Hucks  right, the few of us super late people got to wonder if its worth waiting almost eight months to race , &  only race three months a year when you have a bunch of $$ sitting ,not that our team race a whole bunch,,,,,,might be time to buy something else,,,

I agree. Lernerville is not an option for some of us. I go to PPMS on nights even when our car isn't running, but now I can see myself sitting home, or going elsewhere, as I won't make an hour 1/2 trip to watch Crates and Sportsman. This past season most nights they had a few hundred people in the stands, I have to really doubt if 50-100 will be there on the the nights the Lates are not there. They may make money on not having the lates, but I would bet it will all come from the back gate not the front.

And we wonder why costs are out of hand in the 'lower' divisions.. A quick look at racingjunk.com turns up several 2013 Rocket compete rollers (rear end, tranny, rack,etc) for 16-20K.

Some comments were made a few years ago about why younger drivers were bypassing the Street Stock/Sportsman classes and going right into the Crate Late Models. Most comments were about how the younger guys were moving along to quickly, and how that was hurting the Street Stock/Sportsman class. But after seeing what a "new" Sportsman chassis costs, it seems like the answer is obvious. You can built a Crate Late for a bit more money, but run for more money, and with learning on a Super Late chassis, the jump to the Super Lates is easier. The big plus is also, with the Street Stock/ Sportsman class is almost every track has a different set of rules, while in the Crate Lates the rules pretty much the same, so you can race from Elkins WV to Canada without changing your car much.