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

is there really only 13 cars at Webster tonight?  Seems the 360 teams in Iowa sending a message to ASCS for scheduling a race same night as Sprint Invaders at West B.  Good for them...

Looks like (11) 410s at Park Jefferson 

24 at Burlington I believe 

So maybe 1 or 2 that were in Burlington would've went to the ASCS race, I don't  see your point.

I went to Webster City and Jamie Ball got his first ASCS win ahead of Johnny Herrera. Good track and race and didnt actually realize there werent a lot of cars as racing was good.It would have been caution free but a least 4 yellows for small cones  in corners being clipped and flying up the track. The long straightaways and  shorter radius corners  arent the best for sprints. Crowd was average at best and some thought $25 admission had something to do with it. If I wouldnt have heard about it on radio I woulnt have known they were going to be there. They were hoping and insinuated Tony Stewart[ might ]attend but didnt happen, It had been several years since sprints have been to Webster City. announcer was excellent and most had to use their pit carts to start them.

Not one local car attended. 

$25 for 13 cars stinks!

Sprint Invader drivers would not go to Webster City.  Only 1 Invader driver, C. Wehrie, goes to Knoxville to race.  I think ASCS teams get $500.00 tow money .  Would it kill ASCS to get on phone and call other teams and offer them say $200.00 tow money?  ASCS knew they would be short on cars because they had a race about a month ago at I think Mason city with about 15 cars.

Sing it Ref!!!

Actually M. Haase, D Clark and Josh Schniederman were all racing with the SIA the same night as the ASCS at Webster City. All 3 race Knoxville weekly, Schniederman in a 410.

I can't speak to McKenna or Dustin Clark but despite the fact that Josh runs a 410 at Knoxville there is absolutely no chance he would ever drive past 34 to go run an ASCS show 3 1/2 hours away.

Did ASCS tick some people off? I know some promoters are steering clear due to high costs. Jackson is 137 miles from Webster City and had 38 cars the previous evening. I don't believe even one team made the trip. 

Also, there was a co sanctioned  MSTS/NE360SS race in Norfolk, NE also on Saturday night that had 21 cars.......maybe 3 or 4 might have gone.....the 11 410's at PJ for 5k to win was pathetic, but with so many other races going on what did they expect....hate to see it....not good for the sport........next Friday night could be the same thing with MSTS running at Jackson against the  NE360SS Bill Smith Memorial at I-80.........when will tracks look at schedules (which are ususally out by the first of the year) and not spread cars and fans too thin?..........on a side note,  Eagle Raceway had 31 Racesaver sprints on Saturday and have averaged over 30 cars weekly all season and the Midwest Power Series events at Jackson have had great car counts and racing......the fans that weren't at Jackson for the last two don't know what they missed..............SC

I see that the I-80 Speedway Fall Brawl next month in no longer sanctioned by ASCS.

I would say we expected more than 11 410's sprint cars given that Park Jefferson was the only 410 race in South Dakota, Iowa or Nebraska, and there are more than 11 410's in those states by a long ways.  It is also nice to know we had 15 IMCA Sprint Cars as well, but of course if Eagle's 31 cars is really the only measuring stick, then every track underneath Eagle should just shut it down.

Frankly dispointed in your post Stan, and expect more from you.

Regards,

Adam Adamson

Owner, Park Jefferson Speedway

Quite honestly if it gets to the point in our area where 305s are the only thing going we'll just go ahead and buy a boat and enjoy the lake a lot more.  We're just not interested in going backwards.  I realize it could happen.  It'll be sad if it does.   

305 racesavers are doing a fine job in killing off the NE 360 series.... just saying. Eagles IMCA 305 nationals keep getting bigger and bigger and pays more and more. Now we look at the driver entry list and see alot of NE 360 guys on the list (some of which still run 360s full time) Is that really what we want??? Teams traveling from TX to NE for a 305 race? Come on. I always loved heading out to I-80 for 360 shows but the car counts are hurting to say the least. Eagle seems more than happy to rub everyones face in their new found success when others may struggle some weeks here and there.

     Why can't we just be honest with ouselves and admit that the cost of sprint car racing has gotten out of control in relationship to the number of people willing to pay good money to see them? If no one is willing to work to contain costs and crowds keep dwindling, where do we go from here?

Sorry you took offense to my post Adam, this was no slam on you or PJ, just stating the fact that there were too many races that share many of the same drivers, and although there are 410s in the area, it’s a known fact that other than the larger teams that were chasing other big shows in the area,  most Knoxville teams don’t travel much and are basically weekly Knoxville racers...even for the good money you guys offered....also, a lot of teams that do have 410’s also race mainly 360s and are chasing pretty lucrative series points funds., had the race been on a night they  could have been there, there possibly could have been more cars.......awhile ago there was to be a co sanctioned race at another track in Nebraska, which between the two them should have produced a decent car count, but at noon the day of the race, the other group pulled out and left the track scrambling to put on a show with few cars....the negative PR  was huge and probably did little to help attendance at the next sprint race there.... kudos  for the effort, but when you can’t get the drivers themselves (that all more more races)to support you, how many more times will you continue to do so.....It’s great you guys are getting 15-20 Racesaver weekly (even due to the fact that Eagle and Boone run them on the same night......the key to growing it even further is getting other racers into the sprint car division.....there werent 40 plus active weekly sprint car racers in our area in 2013, but six years later there are over fifty plus....some that had been forced out returned, new drivers changed classes....they came from go karts, mini sprints, sport compacts, sport mods, mods, even late models.... some have evolved into some of our best racers and  most of them would never have even tried a sprint if not for the fact it was an affordable way to race and be competitive without competing against high budget guys....Eagle is in its sixth year of the Racesaver deal and Roger has worked long and hard to build it into what it is.....hopefully you guys and others will achieve the same success for the weekly sprint racer, but it won’t come without hard work and the perseverance to get there......don’t get me wrong, I love ALL sprint car racing and want to see it survive, but that group has evolved into special events only and MUST have the support of the drivers with those cars to succeed.......and IaDirt......not trying to kill it off at all ......I personally have supported the 360 deal every year since they became a touring series.......it’s just a matter of with economics being what they are, and  with the number of 360s out there, how important it is that tracks MUST work together on scheduling to survive....oh, and also Mo Open wheeler.....what would’ve happened if years ago when the weekly 410 racers dwindled, that a group of forward thinking racers in Lincoln didn’t get together and invented the lowly 360 class(with small wings and carburetors no less) that resurrected weekly sprint car racing and eventually evolved into the hallowed 360s of today....LOL......history repeats itself, but most aren’t old enough to remember and appreciate the fact we still have sprint car racing.......oops, rambled  on too long, just wanted to clear the air about what I meant and my feelings on the matter......again, no offense.....JMO......SC

I wish the Park Jefferson deal would have worked out better for you guys. I really do, but being completely honest, I had a hunch that it would be a small car count. With the outlaws in ND, That took 3 or 4 cars away that used to race in our area weekly, local car owners getting out of it because there is nowhere to race locally, knoxville guys do not travel, especially coming off the 4 days (or 10 in some cases) of the nationals, it was going to be a hard draw. The money was there, no races extremely close, the logistics of it made sense, but it is still a hard pull. As stan mentioned, most knoxville regulars do not go anywhere but Knoxville, mostly because most of them live in or around Knoxville, that is a 4 hour drive with a trailer to park Jeff. Dobs, Grinde car, Kennedy, and may be a couple others that may have been there had it not been for the outlaws. No more Lunstra car, no more Sioux falls based BWW car. There is just flat no more 410 cars in our area anymore. I think that it would have been a better turn out without the outlaws in the area, especially for guys like kennedy, who could have raced Jackson friday, then Park on saturday, maybe get a couple other stragglers, but in the sioux falls and surrounding area, it is hard to pull a good 410 count these days, especially without a 2 day show.

Like I said, I wish things would have worked out better, because that is one of my favorite places to go race when I was racing, and the strides you guys have taken with that place since you took over have been nothing short of Amazing. Hopefully, next year will prove to be better, as things always do take time!