j20000

All of the people that complain about the price will be the same ones complaining when the place is gone.

I am not moving up. The reason that I am such a proponent of the crate late model class is because I would never be able to afford to race if it wasn't for this class. What Rush has done for local crate racing is honestly beyond my expectations. The Manufacturers nights they put together and giving away tens of thousands of dollars every year. I raced for years with no championship/points money, so this is definitely a nice bonus every year. But to answer your question, I currently don't even have a racecar for next year, so that's where my money will go to during the off season. I'd love to move up, it's just not in the budget. We have enough of a budget to race a crate car, within 2 hours of Pittsburgh, so that's where we try to stay.

How do I know what he runs???  He hides behind a fake name like most on here!!   And the crate races at Lernerville are sanctioned and special events, which draw larger fields.
 
Walt

Walt, I don't know what's gotten into you in your old age, but you've become quite rude lately. I have nothing but respect for you and everything you've done for the sport, so that's all I'm gonna say, but I hide behind nothing. Christ, there's a picture of my racecar next to my name, and my first and last name is in my signature under every one of my posts. My screen name is just that, a screen and it's also my email address, and every screen name for every forum I've ever been on. But I've hid from NOTHING in life sir.

I've been going to PMS since we started racing there in 1985, and if you disagree with Tommy that the racing surface is top notch since 2006 or so, you have an unrealistic expectation of what dirt track racing should be. Sure there have been a few bad nights here and there, but that's not the standard. The Underwoods do a tremendous job with that track, especially considering the equipment they have to work with. I went to Mercer last week, and was pummeled with dirt/dust so bad that I couldn't even see turn 1 (as I'm sure every other lap crash down there indicated, neither could the drivers). Almost every time I've been to Lernerville or Roaring Knob it's so dusty that you need clear glasses on to even watch the races. Even Charlotte has ruined several pair of pants from all the dust staining them. PMS is RARELY ever like that, and the racing there is some of the most racey you'll see in the area. You might be able to bash a lot of things about that place, but the surface definitely isn't one of them.

Jared Miley and Max Blair are the 2 top drivers in the crates. There are others. But, every race those 2 pull into makes them the odds on fav. Personally, I think both of these guys have those crates on the edge as far as carbs. Spring pressures , tires and they can both drive the hell out of them.

Why do you always refer to Jared like he's a "crate" racer? He's probably run like 6 crate races in his life. He's a late model driver that happens to have a crate car that he races on the side now and again. Also, I've been to Jared's shop several times, and that car isn't your typical fancy "crate" car. It had a factory sealed engine, with an off the shelf Stealth carburetor, no "crate" rearend, no "$5000" lightweight hubs...it's a late model that he threw a crate motor into. He's just a good driver. As is Max. We're fortunate to have some of the top "crate" drivers in the country, right in our own back yard.

While my car was being Tech'd on Saturday morning (before it rained), I heard Mike Ingram on the phone with someone, I'm assuming it was Vicky or Mike Leone, and he had found a crate late model with seals that had been tampered with, that he said looked like they were JB Welded back together, and there wasn't a seal on the oil pan, and several other suspicious infractions, and Mike Ingram informed that racer that he was not allowed to compete with that engine. I don't know who that racer was, but it was caught in the Tech process. If you cheat, they're going to catch you. Rush, and Fastrak for that matter don't leave any grey area. The rules have always been very black and white, and are enforced that way. Especially at Touring events.

For the record Dirt...I race there because I enjoy racing there, my sponsors are in this area, one of my primary sponsors sponsors the track. It's also 3 miles from my house. Do I want the place to close? Absolutely not. But what I do want is for the racers to be treated fairly, like paying customers. And the only reason I posted here was to have Chucks back, because he's my friend. I addressed my issue privately with Matt, and I rarely complain publicly because it's just detrimental to the sport.

93x and 2 you guys bitch every week about the place and mileys, but yet im sure the first ones there to and matt your money when he puts his hand out every week!
 
and lm racing you get the ass kisser of the week award from racestud!

Where do I Bitch every week!?! I go out of my way to promote this sport...and that race track. 2 times I "bitched" in the last 8 years...and that was when the track was so dusty that you couldn't even race. And that comment was on a friends Facebook page...not on here. And the 2nd time was just now when all of us got ripped off for $100. So unless you care to divulge your identity...as I have...your opinion means nothing to me. And do I stand there with my "hand out" after the races? You're damn right. The 93x has been there every week since 1985, with at least 5 crew members. Putting on a show for the fans in the stands. So do I expect to be paid!?! You're damn right.

That was one of the best Late Model races I've ever seen, anywhere. Great racing top to bottom! Keith Barbara coming from last to 9th (although he got screwed when Landers and someone else stole his position before the restart for some reason). Where are all the naysayers at today? If the lights would have went out or the track would have been dusty there would have been 50 comments this morning. Give credit where credit is due. The Miley put together a great race weekend. We were done by like 9:30pm both nights.

That is one thing that I think needs to change. The payout throughout the field is not good. I finished 10th last year when I raced at Sharon, and it paid more than 4th place at PMS. I'm sure that would help bring cars in, if it's worth your time to come down. You have to finish like 6th or better just to pay for your racing fuel for the night.

Also, I said this on FB, but I also feel that it's our job as racers to help promote the sport and the track. Take your car out to car shows...or yours sponsors businesses, tell people you race with to come watch you race, tell your neighbors. Racing is a spectator sport, we all have to do our part as well.

I don't have the time or money to follow either series, so I can't speak to that. But obviously those two are two of the best in the country, and I always thought it was kind of awesome that they both raced in this area. It makes you step your game up if you want to win around here. And when you talk about running for reduced money...that's not really true. Just about the only difference in money comes from the big $20,000+ championship races that they have had at the end of the year. But the actual points funds paid for the weekly and traveling championships are about the same. Having that big paying race is only rewarding a few people...just like a local guy trying to go win the Dream. It's just not likely.

Competition is good. What if Henry Ford would have never raced Alexander Winton? What if McDonalds didn't have Burger King? I've raced in both series', and personally, I prefer RUSH, although I appreciate what Fastrak did to lay the groundwork for a traveling Crate series. (I'll give a lot of credit to local track PPMS for starting Crate racing in this area. As they were doing it a short time before Fastrak was started). I think the bigger issue is as car counts drop in every class, the crate LM class remains fairly strong. However, every track in the region thinks that Crate racing is the savior to racing. Nearly every track in the area runs Crates now, and the cars are just spread too thin. Pair that with a well followed touring series in the area, and there just aren't enough cars to go around. It's a shame to see Sharon not running crates, I enjoyed racing there a few times.