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

While digging through just a sample of my almost 200 racing tapes and remembering what I have, I pulled out and put in the VCR a tape of the 1993 NCRA sprint car show from Tulsa Speedway. While watching what NCRA use to be, with full fields of OUTLAW 410 sprint cars at a track that was the only track to run OUTLAW 410 sprint car races on a weekly Saturday night basis, I sat there remembering when myself and alot of people from the Oklahoma City area (and racers) would hit the Turner Turnpike to Tulsa to watch some of the best sprint car racing anywhere.

I sat and remembered I would get there around 5:00 PM and as I exited the track, looking over the pit area, to see what out of town sprint car drivers were on hand for weekly racing. I would then put down my blanket on the top row of the bleachers, stroll the pit area and then get the Charlies Chicken and fries with a Dr. Pepper and prepare for what the night would hold.

When I was old enough to travel by myself (1983) until the Tulsa race track demise (year?) I would travel up the Turnpike almost every Saturday night and not miss one single sprint car special event. The friends that I made there, all those races that I can slowly rememeber, getting the Tulsa World from the Post Office to see what Glen Hibbdon would right about the week of and getting NSSN to see what Don Hubbard and his Sooner Circles would write to give us the scoop on the local racing scene,

Where did racing go wrong the past twenty years in Oklahoma? Even in the latter stages of racing at Fairgrounds Speedway there just isn't/wasn't the anticipation or weekly racing events like their use to be.

Thank you good Lord for the technology of video taping and to those who taped races that would give us "old timers" a chance to reflect on what racing use to be and the memories that bring a smile to our faces.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Hey David it is not just in Oklahoma, it is all over. A lot of it is some promoters seem to do things in a different way. But in defense of promoters there is a diluted advertising market with so many ways to market your business. Too many choices to spend your advertising dollar and lots of ways for the public to spend a smaller entertainment dollar. We all want racing to be what it was. Local racing suffers when everyone wants to be Steve Kinser but has a street stock budget. Sponsors are less and the good ones are gobbled up by big names traveling on a national circuit or a sanctioning body, this leaves out the little guy. The little local racer with the open trailer and affordable car is what its all about but it seems like those classes just evolve into expensive classes because no one likes to enforce rules because it is confrontational and a lot of work. You have to have thick skin to be promoter, drivers want a dry track to even out the field but it seems a lot of track prep guys cant balance out dry with no dust, dusty tracks do not have many fans for obvious reasons, cant see eyes hurt wife complaining  on and on.Money is the bottom line for both sides and it is the promoters job to work year round to help all involved to get sponsors for the speedway and his racers. No one does this, its all about me me me. Take the personalities out of it and do what is good for the sport. Oh buy the way make a living while your at it. Who would want this job hehe. Ole G W and others did it and it can be done again it just does not pay much for all the work. just blowing smoke here. Happy new year and get off your asses its almost racing season. Lanny and Emmit are way ahead of everyone. they work..