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

As fans it would be interesting to see what you would like to see moving forward involving race event, safety, ticket prices, your ideas:

- More 2-3 day events and less 1 day shows (Saves fans and teams on travel costs) going track to track over several days

- Hold tracks accountable for safety improvements to host WoO races (Fix it or forget it) ((Put safety teams together to inspect tracks over the winter to look for ways to improve the track safety))

- Increase or enhance package deals for events 

- Need for hotels/restaurants to get on board with race fan discounts like the old days.

- See a WoO display for fans of a complete car, and different parts on display for kids to see and touch

-- This could also be interactive on a screen showing how a quick change rearend works, how a engine works, wings etc...

- Promotors get together and offer ticket giveaways to each others events.

- Bring out the retired drivers for autograph sessions wherever they live near a track. Shane Carson does a great job of this at Devil's Bowl. WOuld be great to have a table lined with PA Posse guys at Williams Grove, California legends at Tulare etc.

- Kids in victory lane photos

- Get local military units involved with events - Posting the colors for events, fly bys, volunteering to assist at the tracks  

I would like to see more consideration given to scheduling events with a better contingency for a makeup date, in case of a weather issue.  Example, if a Friday or Saturday show can't be run, use the following Mon-Thursday as make up dates when possible.  And yes it is understood that travel time has to be considered, therefore attempt to schedule with less travel time to the next stop.  

Also scheduling races in locations in early spring and late fall in areas that are subject to severe weather conditions, should be considered.  Case in point,  Dodge City in late October.  If I recall, wasn't that event cancelled last year because of cold and wet conditions?  And is very likely to happen again this year.  

Many of the smaller, remote tracks depend on just a few or maybe even just one special event each year to be profitable.  When those shows are cancelled, those tracks suffer.  I also recall gulf coast tracks that use to schedule  2 WoO events a year, have had both cancelled and no longer schedule or the WoO will not schedule.

Perhaps those that have been putting the schedules together, already consider all things suggested above and are doing their very best to please all tracks and the car owners.  I'm sure it's a difficult task. 

Going forward....schedule another race at Cottage Grove in Oregon.  And make the Nashville race happen.

I’m hoping DirtVision continues to get better. I think someone doing interviews in the pits during the races like the Eldora broadcasts would be cool. 

More tracks with less repeat visits. Basically reach a larger geographical area. Just a thought. A few Canadian stops would be nice but the exchange rate has kiboshed that. And your teams may have to pay tariffs on the steel in the haulers, on the food in the fridge and the fuel in the tank when they try to return. Might be more hassle than the WoO wants to experience.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

I think everything you say makes sense with exception of the "hotels/restaurants to get on board with race fan discounts".  If I own a hotel within 20 miles of a WoO event, there is no way in hell I'm lowering my prices when there's demand.  Restaurants either.  In fact, I'm raising them.   I know a large percentage of folks continuously refer to this as price gouging.  I call it supply and demand.

That argument aside, your ideas are pretty good.  I especially like the "more 2-3 day events" idea.  

For me (and I know some will disagree) my only request would be to change the format to encourage more passing.  I wish everynight was similar to the Knoxville nationals format.  I have a hard time paying $25-$50 to see a race where the fastest guy starts in front.  The last World of Outlaws race I went to, they inverted the top 6 (quick time started 6th in 1st heat) and you needed to finish 6th to get your time back, I think the top 10 raced in the dash.  This was a better format but guess what, the fast guys were just fine riding in 5th or 6th, I can't say I blame them either..  I've heard the arguments that it's too hard to have a format like that these days, but in my opinion it should be hard, these are the best drivers in the top series, it should be a hard format.  This is just my opinion.

Right on, brutha!!!!

No kidding.... Knoxville motels charge $200 a nite for Nationals & they sell out every year. I stay at Motel 6 in Des  Moines, easy 35 minute drive & cheapo rates

I agree. Made it to quite a few races this year and finally canceled out on the last few.

Man, I would love nothing more than to see those guys have to come from at least 4th to try to get in to the Dash.

I’m thinking that’s why more and more the All Stars are starting to be a fan favorite! Just such good racing from beginning to end. With the WoO you can look at Heat race lineups and pretty much name the results!

Thats my only suggestion.. for what it’s worth! 

Totally agree. The crappy format is the primary reason I don’t go to a lot more WoO races. 

Amen Brutha Hardon!   Keep Preaching It!   The WoO format sucks....

If they have to do the dreaded time trials, please do 3 cars at a time. Nothing sucks the life out of a show like watching 50 cars take 2 laps.Also do away with the dashes, just another chance to wreck and very little passing anyway. At the end of the night the same fast guys are starting up front.

Would like them to free the car up by making the top wings smaller and quit getting bigger and bigger rear tires because at the rate they are going they are going to be as big as NHRA slicks. Less follow the leader racing would follow with these changes. Would also like this fast cause the rear tires are stupid big

And it wears on the track, especially during hot and dry conditions

I actually like the Outlaw's race format. I know some people can't stand it due to the whole qualifying process and how "boring" it can be, but to me and my opinion the races have been more competitive. Heat races matter because a position in a race can be worth 3-4spots in the A-main. The old format with inverting heat races you had complaints that guys were "sandbagging" qualifying to get a front row spot in the heat races, to get into the dash, and then people complained about front row winners or the winner coming from the top 4 spots. People were winning but the gripe was, well he didn't pass a single car and qualified 16th and on and on.

As far as a fan's perspective since I do not own a track or car, therefore I do not tell people how to run their business. I hope safety does get improved from the car and track perspective but I do not have any suggestions on how. A simple request from a parent's perspecitve would be have some things to do before/during the event for the kids to get them involved. Whether it is allowing them to sit in a car, touch some parts, games, whatever to reach them and keep them interested. My little 3 year old loves going to the track and watching the races. However inticing other parents that are the "casual fan" to bring their kids might be an area to where they could improve.

Unless you're a photographer and need to get single car shots of the entire field.  Then TT's are your best friend. 

I shot for about 15 years but have always enjoyed TT as far back as the IMCA Sprints in 1960.  It was fun to write down times and get a feel for which cars were fast.  Probably not so important nowadays with everyone pretty much being familiar with the Outlaws but I still like TT.  I still drag the camera out a couple times a year and shoot for my own personal collection then go to the stands for the Features.  I like getting those single car shots. 

Stan Meissner

Making the right rear tire narrower is not going to free up the cars.  It will actually stick the car harder.  Physics will prove this in a very simple manner.  The wider the tire, the less the car is stuck.  The bigger the surface area, the smaller the resistance per square inch.  Take the same amount of weight and put it on a narrow tire and you still have the same weight pressing on a smaller area which makes the car "stuck" even harder.  Physics 101 my friend. 

I'm going to respectfully disagree with that statement.  If what you are saying is true then tires in all forms of motorsports would have never gotten any wider than they were in the 50s or even earlier.  Yet all through the 60s and 70s as technology improved the tires got wider, and the cars went quicker.

From a dynamic standpoint as a car enters a turn at speed a narrower tire would have less surface area in contact with the track, and as the weight of the car shifts to the outside there would be less overall resistive force available from the tire's contact patch to prevent the loss of traction.

Signature here.

Not bashing your opinion, but I agree with Nick14.   I have been to quite a few WoO races since the format change and I have yet to be disappointed in the night of racing as a whole.

That said, I have always liked this idea:  (as I have stated here before)

1.  Scrap time trials

2.  Pill draw for heat #1

3.  Run heats

4.  Run heats again with a complete invert of starting spots

5.  Give points for all finishing spots and line up the mains

6.  Draw for invert for dash (as done now)  Add finishing points of the dash to finishing points of the heats for A lineup---not necessarily how you finish the dash

???? Thoughts?????   More racing---more action