Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

SEE LAST POST FOR UPDATE...

If we can get 100 Modifieds to show up at this year's USMTS Texas Winter Nationals which starts in ten days at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TX, next year's race WILL BE a Texas or Southern JAMBOREE! I confirmed that with USMTS promoter Todd Staley a while ago. I'm not sure he believes we can do it. I KNOW we can!

That means the win purses in 2008 will double to $2000 to win on Thursday, $4000 to win on Friday and $6000 to win on Saturday. It's been a long time since we've seen more than $10,000 to win for a weekend in Texas. The February Longhorn at Super Bowl Speedway is the only race that pays $10,000 anymore and it's been weathered out two straight years. That USMTS Featherlite Fall Jamboree this past September in Minnesota was a good deal for all the racers the way it was structured and I know the guys down here would like one too. Each night is a fresh start and they had a non-qualifier feature that paid well too.

This past weekend, we had 42 Mods in Corpus and 58 at Thunder Valley -- about the same distance from Houston in opposite directions. Plus they had another 23 in Milton, Florida (with Ken Schrader sweeping those 2 nights for $2000). That totals 122 right there without Schrader but throw in Howard Willis who I don't think raced anywhere this weekend and we're back at 123. OK, I'm spinning my wheels here but let me ramble some more tidbits atchya....

Milton, FL is 8 hours away from Baytown straight down I-10/1-12/I-10. That's closer than El Paso which is 10 hours down I-10 the other way (off course they get to run like 90 for half of it!).

A lot of the El Paso/Las Cruces cars were in Vegas last week along with race winner Eddie Martin and will be in Arizona this Sunday for the conclusion of a $10,000 to win weekend. That makes it tough to turn around and race 16 hours away (Casa Grande, AZ to Houston) just 4 days later but I hope some of them can make it. Even if they don't come until Friday or Saturday, they can still get a fresh draw for $2 and/or $3000 to win. The BRA is an American Racer KK704 series too so a lot of them already have the tires it's just that this time of year is very busy for that bunch over there.

On Nov 10th, I counted 140 Mods racing between HRP, Cowtown and Paris, all in Texas if you didn't know.

We got 73 for a 1-night $3000 to win USMTS show this year (July 27th) in Monticello, Arkansas!

Here's the deal though, if you CAN make it to the Houston show but you rely on all these other guys to get to that 100 mark and we don't, once again, Texas and the midsouth will miss out. I really miss the big Batesville shows when all the best Modifieds in the region would gather up in one place close by for a showdown. Well here's our chance to get one going again.

So if you haven't mothballed it or tore it down for the winter, come give it a shot this year and the rewards will be even more in 2008!

GOODLUCK. Pay now and u will have even more next year!!!!!

$6000 to win over the three days and a combined $750 to start this year isn't exactly chicken feed. That's tied for the most payout in Texas this year (last week at South Texas paid the same). More than Texas Motor Speedway's March and September dirt track shows (and the Houston facility is just as nice only it's next to a NHRA dragstrip instead of a superspeedway AND it's raced on and the dirt gets worked every week!) and more than Abilene's Southern Challenge!

Anything in Oklahoma pay this good this year? I think there was a 2-day $5000 to win but not sure how pay down and start money vs. entry fee and pit pass money worked out when compared to the USMTS shows like at Enid and West Siloam.

Help me win this bet and we get $12,000 to win at HRP in 08!

For Houston, Texas this weekend

Now THIS is a weather forecast!

Thu
Nov 29 Mostly Cloudy
72°/55°

Fri
Nov 30 Partly Cloudy
75°/60°

Sat
Dec 1 Partly Cloudy
80°/63°

Source: weather.com, Monday at 11AM.

OK, maybe 100 Mods was unrealistic on my part for this purse, this date and today's fuel prices but we can still set the Southern Series record for car count!

We had 59 on Thursday night. The USMTS Southern Series record and the biggest car count for USMTS all year (not counting the Fall Jamboree) was the 73 they got at Monticello.

15 more and we get 74. I know we can get 15 more for $5000 to win over 2 days and perfect weather. If we can't, I have to wonder what the problem is.

Now, the track was rough last night, no doubt. I know they had a bunch of rain last weekend but still, they can have it much better than that and I know it will be much better tonight. One thing for sure, it ain't follow the leader!

Can't make it tonight? Come Saturday! Maybe we'll do it then.

On the behalf of tidbits poster "dogwater," also known in real life as Eric Jennings, here are some Souther Series tidbits:

The series opener at West Siloam had car counts 55 and 53

Enids first double-header weekend at 67 and 57: The second double-header saw 45 and 44 cars

That is a total of 321 drivers competing in six races with an average of 53.5

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Texas

Motorama had car counts of 53, 47, 40 and 38

Gator had 32

105 Speedway had 54

South Texas Speedway had 47 and 41 cars with a total of 372 drivers with an average of 46.5

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ArKANSAS (as Les Miles puts it)

Batesville had 49 and 58 in their two shows

Moticello had 82

Average for ArKANSAS was 189 drivers with 63 cars per race

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Louisiana

Fast Trax had 62 cars with Boothilll 54 cars for a total of 116 drivers at an aveage of 58 per event.

Closing thoughts. Texas hasn't really had good car counts (before this weekend) but still 46.5 crs per event is not too shabby. OKC and their six events look better with 53.5 cars per event, all for $3000 to win on each nights final race.

Not enough races to judge for the states of ArKANSAS or Lousiana.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com