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

Why do we need filler classes? I guess to make the night longer. The Dodge City show is just dragging out because of this stuff. Who in the stands really cares about that stuff. I bet most of the fans are there to watch the Outlaws and not the IMCA modifieds and whatever the other class is.

Fill classes get more fans in the stands, gives people who might like those classes a chance to see a Sprint car and like it. Also, it gives time for crews and drivers to get stuff ready. 3 basic answers

But yes, this is taking a long time on this one.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

You are really asking why there are filler divisions? It is because they pay the same pit price as the headline class, but race for almost no money. That is why so many tracks in the country have all but given up on even trying to attract a weekly crowd and just went with a backgate mentality of 6-7 classes.

4th point well put singlefile. Ofcourse, I don't totally agree with the back gate thing, i mean you are right about saying it. Most tracks for every pit pass paid for is equal to 2 1/2 people in the stands.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

I agree also with Singlefile with the pit gate. But it sure makes the night drag out. Guess you drink more beer and eat more hotdogs if they haven't run out by that time.

I'll take the so called filler class if they put on a decent show, and don't take forever to do it. I don't mind Lates or mods at all, and think they can be exciting to watch as well. In fact the Late Models in Grand Forks did a great job filling in this year. Support divisions are required at almost every WoO show to fill in some of the downtime between races. Tracks I've been to like Knoxville and Husets have their 360's and 305's. Cedar Lake usually run mods. Back in the day Fargo had the Wissota sprints. Princeton this year also had 360's. Almost every track the outlaws race at have some type of other class on the program. The only place I can think of that runs strictly a 410 show when the WoO are in the house is Williams Grove. Then you have the big events like the Kings Royal, Gold Cup and the Nationals that don't need a support class.

Knoxville Natioanls attendee since '95
Favorite Tracks...River Cities, Knoxville, Cedar Lake
Favorite Drivers...S.Kinser, T.Kaeding, K.Madsen, S.Smith
Proud Canadian 

Kings Royal has NRA Sprint Invaders 360 sprints.

Yeah, as drunk as I was at the royal, I remember a support sprint class. I remember getting a $2 shot of crown and seeing some good racing on the track while waiting for my Eldora chicken wings!

Check coolers!!!!! Nothing like Everclear put in water bottles. Then mix is with some water and those little kool aid packs!

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Filler classes serve 1 purpose: padding the promoter's take. That's it. Nothing more.

It's crazy to think that someone goes to a WoO show to see the limited modifieds or street stocks that fill the show. Thinking that someone paid $35 to see limited modifieds and might discover sprints... come on! Can't be serious.

The weekly $10 show... all 500 people that go know what they're getting. They don't pay $35 to see the same thing... they do it to see the big dogs. Do you pay $12 for a Big Mac or the usual price? Don't sell the fans short.

I've been to way too many sprint car special events that had 1-4 support classes that were just terrible. It's all about the 3-4 people per limited modified that buy pit passes and hedge the bet on "can we cover the purse tonight?"

I've been to races where the WoO were the 'filler' class. How does that suit us? 27 WoO and 60 late models.... seen it! It is weird but it happens. Was at a West Plains, Mo WoO show one year where WoO was a filler

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

This group must go to different WoO races than I do. I've been to three in the last month and seen no more than 15 410's at any one race. The 360's they fill in with pretty much start and park. It's a joke. Thank goodness there were support classes. With the exception of the Lakeside Speedway in KS City, the support classes were a better show than the outlaws. I would much rather attend a regional ASCS show with 25-30 cars than an outlaw race!

show a little respect for the big ticket and save the track - no heats, feature only for the back gate classes. if the WoO can't find a lcoation where they run 410s for a full field, I can send them a map to a location where there are plenty of outlaw @sswhippers waiting.

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

Wake up promoters! This is one of the reasons attendance is down. One filler class is ok, but 7 or 8 ....come on! Plus a lot of times they ruin the track for the sprints. Most people work for a living and do not want to sit untill all hours of the night watching junk. JMO Take a lesson from Haubstadt and Peveley on this one.

I was seeing that Ocean Speedway has 8 classes of racing, does anyone on here attend there and how does it go along?

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Waynesfield ohio had 6 classes last nite.Started at 7 was done at 11.Not too bad.Only complaint was sprint car feature was run 4th out of the 6 divisions.

Our local (Tenn.) 360 group USCS will probably have 7 support classes tonight at Clarksville. We sat through 145 cars one year at Atwood, 154 the next year, after that I never went back. Its too bad because they usually put on a pretty good sprint show.

when the taco bravo series runs at ocean there are usually not more than three other classes, and one of them is usually non winged sprints. at some times the program consists of 360 sprints, non winged sprints and micros, that's all. on nights that the sprints are not in competition the track may run more classes, but not with the sprints.

to indy and beyond!!

I totally agree with you on this one.

Personally, I don't call unlimited late models and 360 sprints your "typical" filler class. Those are exceptional cars, very fast and very very fun to watch. If you are lucky enough to get to have those as the "support" class, a better word than "filler", then you indeed are going to have a fun night.

Also, around here what used to be called Wissota Mods and now called A-Mods and the Midwest Mods which are now called by most tracks the B-Mods, those classes offer plenty of excitement. The only class here in the midwest that I don't personnally care for and that has more to do with my not being able to sit and stand for that long a period of time, is the street stocks. BUT, the guys driving those street stocks are probably having more fun than I've ever had, at least outside of the bedroom.

I once told a guy sitting next to me that I couldn't figure out why this one sprint car driver kept driving year after year. He finished last all the time, always drove around to the very inside, which the other drivers could count on knowing where he was and my friend next to me told me what I said in the 2nd paragraph: "think about it, he's driving a 13 or 1400 pound car with at least 700 HP" nuff said.

 Lawlessness and liberalism equals Hell.  NY City, 
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Burning hundreds of buildings, a thousand assaults and 
dozens of murders. Getting worser and worser.