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

I would assume that Tony Stewart's 14 and 15 would have nearly identical components. Forgive me if I can't see clearly enough from Canada or right me off is a freezing Canuck. 

I know I'm only referencing one weekend but Madsen seemed to do better than Donny at Knoxville. I would have assumed the 15 to do significantly better if everything mechanical was equal. Any theories thoughts or suggestions? 

And to save the trolls from trolling I am not hunting for Donniy's head. I am aware this is my 1211th attempt to troll Hoseheads.....

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

In a similarly related subject, I was chatting to my wife about what would happen if Donny and TSR split.

Going back three years or so I don't think a single person in speedway land could imagine TSR dropping Donny//Donny walking away from TSR vice versa. It was such a winning formula that no one needed to think about it. 

Could we be starting to see the cracks show for a potential split? What if Kerry wins a handful of the upcoming crown jewels and Donny stays stuck on 299 with a heap of top 10s.

Hypothetically speaking, they come to a 'mutual agreement to part ways' like we've seen from hundreds of driver/owner pairings in the past.. Donny shows up to the next outlaw race with a black and yellow 15 J&J chev, how long does it take for him to get the 300th win? 

Actually, I've wondered some of the same things as you and Rod have.   I think Donny has pretty well demonstrated a few times that his frustration has/had reached a boiling point.   I don't think Donny has lost anything as a driver, yet it's mid-June and he still doesn't have #300.   I also wonder if he would land with another top team as opposed to starting his own team.    I also wonder if Sheldon wakes up every day and thanks God that Stenhouse landed on a Chevy team...

Kerry is a little  younger and more aggresive then Schatz. Kerry and Donny are both probably in the top 6 drivers on the circuit. The difference is it is Kerrys main job and Donny is an established business man and doesnt actually need the money and every year makes a little difference. No such thing as Ford or Chevy but block confiquration.The rules kept both Toyota and Ford type engines from being able to develope more power.There is not one driver that is exciting to watch as Sheldon which makes him a crowd favorite.

Kerry is actually about 7-8 years older than Donny.    Age has little to do with how they drive.  The difference is in the style of how they race, wide open free flyer vs. methodical and calculating.    I"m sure when Donny chooses not to want to win races he will quit, but I don't think for one second when Donny straps on the helmet he thinks about the family business.  To your point, he doesn't race for a living and probably spends more traveling to the tracks than he actually makes. 

There is a difference between the motor configurations of Ford and Toyota vs. Chevy.  It has some builders concerened based on the way they are constructed and what the future of engine development could entail.   Time will tell......

It is not the engine.  It is the set-up.  Donny can cry all he wants about the engine.  Kerry is running very well with the same package and loves the engine.  I think Kerry said it was sweet!  The only differance is the guy turning the wrenches.  Maybe it is time for Donny to get back his mechanic he has had so much sucess with over the years.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Suppose Donny decides now would be a real good time to go late model racing instead? Crazy idea, but Dave Blaney left the WoO and went NASCAR racing.

As we all know it takes more that just the driver to win. My educated guess wouild be the crew chief change a couple years ago.

Such a ridiculous thread. Madsen (as usual) blows 2 excellent opportunities to win races by screwing up late, and suddenly he's better than Schatz? If I read between the lines of recent articles about the new motor program, Schatz is probably too particular about what he wants in the car, and they can't find the right mix. That said; this is the first weekend the 14 has been clearly better than the 15, and Knoxville is one of Madsens best tracks. And he should have swept the weekend, but he didn't. 

They may or may not have identical components, but the two drivers have completely different driving styles. I know a lot of people who are manufacturing loyalist will point to the whole Ford thing and blame it all on that. I am not sure that it is the main reason for all fo the troubles the 15 has had with respect of not getting the finishes they are accustomed to having. To me that car is not driving/handling the way Donny is used too. A couple of races like Eldora it looked like he was going to win it but faded late which is very un-Donny Like. Normally he closes the deal at the end of the races which is what won him those races. Jacksonville which is not an engine track he had a shot at the end of the race but Sweet got back around him. Plus you add in the two ignition type problems that took a couple of wins away. If he closes a couple of those nights and is inside 100pts of the lead I do not think this discussion is had.

In any case, there might be changes coming for TSR as I am sure the current performance is acceptable for anyone.

I mean thats not even remotely comparable. Blaney left to race for significantly more money in a series that is broadcast nationally and has millions of people that watch. Late Models at this point are less popular than sprint cars.

Starting position. Kerry's been timing good and starting on the front row just about every race lately. Unfortuntely he hasn't been able to stay up there all night, but he's real close. Donny's starting back a little farther but coming forward but seems to get stuck when he gets up to about 3rd.

A

I haven't heard Donny "cry" about the engine at all...

That said, I'm wondering how long Stewart's contractual obligations to Ford last?

& I'm curious how Donny would do if he went back to a "Chevy style" engine

But I suspect crew chief is the bigger of the 2 main variables (engine & crew chief)

I don't think he's washed up as a driver at all

    I guess I can agree about the comparison being a little wide of the mark. What I'm saying, is that it's not impossible to believe that someone as successful as Schatz would leave sprint car racing for some other form of racing. He's dabbled in late models for a while. Maybe it's about the thrill of racing, and of winning that's important. At this point in his life, I doubt he has to do it for the money.

     As far as popularity level between sprints and late models goes, I dunno. I'm a sprint car zombie so I don't pay too much attention to late models. But it seems every time you turn around, they're having another fendercar 100 race somewhere paying big bucks. Any late model fans want to chime in on that aspect?

Late model drivers historically have done a much better job forcing promoters to pay them, so you get a lot of podunk hillbilly tracks paying $20k ton win. So I don't think lm are any more popular than sprints, but there's more big money shows thaf pay between $20k and $50k to win. That said, there's no lm races that compare to Knoxville and Kings Royal purses, so it all evens out. 

     Aren't there a couple of LM races that pay $100,000, $125,000 or something similar to win? Are you saying those don't compare to Knoxville or King's Royal in total purse, or in prestige?

The Kings Royal pays $175k to won, $48k more than any lm race. Knoxville this year could pay $200k to the winner which would be $73 k more than any lm race. Signifcant differences there. 

Brandon Overton just won 273,000

For one stop in Eldora. He had to win four features. The features were worth 126000 + 127000 to win. I don't watch late models closely but they seem to have first place payouts of $20,000 quite regularly. Seems like more through the season but not as much for their crown jewels.

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

Cedar Lake Speedway near where I live has their USA Nationals that the last time I looked paid $50k.  I have been to at least a dozen of them and camped at the track a few times.  They do have some good purses, there is no denying that.

Stan Meissner

Of course he's going to say it's sweet, and if Tony was hiring anyone to drive one of his cars they would no doubt say the engine is awesome...