Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

1.  How’s the new widened seating in the grandstand? Can you tell if you’ve got more room?  I think we are in K

2. Can you take a small cooler with ice and bottle water inside?

3. Are there pay showers near the track?

thx!

I was going to ask the same thing. Any noticeable room?

Big time difference, although you still have your big people or people who want to take up a ton of room pretending they’re sitting on their couch at home. 

I second that.

No outside coolers or drinks unless its balls hot, and then youll be able to bring one water bottle per person in. They let us do that last year.

Seats are 4 inches wider according to a man who works there. You can notice until like others say large people move in. We had some in our area but they had bought an extra,seat which was good and thoughtful. Doubt others think like that. Also asked about coolers. Small that fit under your seat. Folks were bringing in the cheap Woo coolers. It is allowed.

Attention All - the new seat numbers are on the backrest of the seats, not where your butt goes. Definitely more room though. Not sure about the showers, you use to be able to shower at the Armory across the street from the track, not sure if that is still an option. Hope you have a great time.

The seats went from 17.5 inches to 21.5 inches on average. There are free showers on the front stretch under the grandstands in the outside restroom building. 

Also, you are allowed 1 opened drink to be brought in and small coolers are allowed. They also have small coolers for sale at the beer stand. 

You can also take showers at the Rec  Center (but they charge) Go for a swim while you're there!

Thanks !  - that show with Brownie and Logan was a good one

There are also showers in the restrooms under the main stands outside the grandstand gates. They appear to be free

I have a knoxville question, but not about the facilities. More about the format, but I hate starting new threads when it feels like there's a perfectly good place to ask it. I think this will work...

Do drivers that make the B main generally not race on Friday nights? I would think they would look to grab one of the better starting positions (17-20) on Friday instead of settling for a chance to make the A main thorugh the B main settling for 21-24. I noticed Pittman and Kahne (not sure who else) passed on Friday. Maybe I misunderstand the situation or rules here, hence the question. Are they "allowed" to compete Friday and just choose not to race?

EDIT: Looked at some lists and saw that not many of the guys that qualified for the B competed Friday. Noticed that young Sheldon was one of the few and he nearly made it taking 5th. Surprised guys like Gravel starting in row 5 of the main would settle for that. I guess at least Pittman is starting in the second row, but still...

They are allowed to elect to try for a better position if they would like to but then the prior qualifying effort is forfeited. Biggest issue could be damage from a wreck or falling backwards intoa C main. Lots of good cars in the B and you'd rather start farther up. 

The guys who finish 17-26 in points start the B main 1-10 on Saturday. They are allowed to give up those spots to requalify on Friday. Only once has anyone done it (the dude).

The problem with doing it is they line up Saturday (after the A main top 16 and B main top 10) by your finish on Friday. So if you have an issue like Lynton Jeffrey did yesterday (blew up while I’m a transfer spot in one of the b mains yesterday) youre screwed. Lynton is in the E main today. He didn’t have a choice, being out of the top 26 in points, you have to run Friday, but I understand the risk is pretty high to give up a top 10 spot in the B to chance it on Friday. 

Thanks for this. Makes much more sense if competing on Friday means they are giving up their spot in the B main on Saturday. That would be more of a risk. Makes sense for Pittman now. Not sure about Gravel. Am I understanding you correctly. If so, it would mean that young Sheldon's weekend is over. Correct?

EDIT: Doubled checked. This is not the case. The guys that finished 5+ last night all seem to make up the 5+ rows of tonight's B main in their exactly finishing order. It appears only the guys who qualified for the first four rows in the B main have something to lose. 

Couple things.... as noted once spots 1-16 are locked into the A Main, drivers in spots 17-26 have choice to run Friday or start 1-10 in Saturday's B.  It is a big risk.  

Kahne for example was not in the top 26 and did not have a choice... he would have had to run Friday.  Obviously he couldn't race last night because of NASCAR duties and no doubt he won't come back tonight.  Larson said same thing before he qualified.  If he didn't lock into the A his Nationals would have been done.

This year Scott Bogucki just became the 2nd driver ever who would have locked into the B in 9th starting spot but chose to run Friday's show instead.  He was 25th in points after qual nights.  He obviously looked at the cars in front of him for Saturday's B and decided to take his chances for the top 4 spots last night.  But as you can see he was caught up in someone else's mess and destroyed a car in his heat. So now rather than start 9th in B and have a shot at making the A, he's done.

Since Bogucki chose to run Friday, that gave Kraig Kinser who was 27th in points after qual nights the option of locking into 10th in Saturday B.  He chose to lock into B and did not run last night.  Driver's who passed on Friday and start 1-10 in tonight's B are PPM, Wolfe, Pittman, Zearfoss, Eliason, Dobmeier, Gravel, Walsh, A. McCarl, and Kinser.

It's a big risk and a loaded Friday field.

The odds would tell you that you have a better chance of starting in the top 10 of the Saturday B and finishing top 4 than racing against 65 or 70 cars on Friday, drawing a good pill, timing well, finishing top 3 in loaded heats, and then finishing top 4 in that A main.  

The Friday show is outstanding.  So much action and big reward for the top 4. Needed 2 sets of eyes to watch battle for lead and battle for 4th in the a main. 

The guys that finished 5th on back last night now start 11th on back for the b main.

Gravel probably could have easily made the a last night as I think he’s faster than McMahan and Juhl for sure, but given their recent history, do they want to chance it and have something break and be in the C, D or E?

Thanks again for the clarifications. It's certainly a unique format. I've only been following the Outlaws "closely" for about a year. I'm hooked. Was cool to see something new (to me).