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

There have been a couple of post that have expressed concern about too many classes of Race Cars. I for one would have to agree, yet I would also have to argue the point that we have to many simular cars ie: Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Modifieds, etc. that are bound up by their local track rules.

I am all for entry level drivers, but the fact remains, if I build this car I can only race at ________Speedway because of the different rules at each track.

Think about IT. It's time to go back to the basics. Get cars on the track and people in the Stands.

When I say get Cars on the track, I don't mean (3) Three Front wheel drive cars running for a 15 lap feature, or 6 Street Stocks in the pits that run (3) three heats and an A-Main.

This deal has gotten way out of hand.

well said , couldnt agree more

Race tracks all over the south seem to be suffering from this. In the Dallas area we have too many tracks to begin with. We've lost a couple now, so maybe that part will get better. I agree on too many classes. Eighty cars in the pits is great if you're running three classes, but not if you're running eight classes. You'd think the promoters would be smart enough to get together and prevent this kind of stuff.

OK Unk! I have to agree with some but when you refer to Mini and Street thats entry level and advanced, but both have no consistant rules to lets you go from track to track. Mods have an entry level that produces more cars at a track than any other class. Sprint cars have more different classes than any other catagory {2 Barrl., 360, 410, E-Sprint, A class, Turf Tire, Non-Wing, Restricter, Kids Sprint, Midget}

My Point is this I agree on too many classes but the Mods produce the most consistant class and rules for that type of car and should left alone. Full Bodied cars have way too many classes as well when you put front Wheel Drive and Bombers and the assorted Street/ Factory Rules Into the mix. {These are the type of cars I own today and know my frustrations in this class}. Sprint Cars as well have too many classses and should Shrink for its survival. There has never been this many different classes of cars EVER!

New Promoters try to do whats right for that area fans and prospective car count but no one track can support all the classes that are out there as evidence by what Emmits trying to do with Creek, Mini Stock teams are out in the cold as well as another dozen classes. But Emmit knows Racin as well as Creek and have no doubts for its future.

Who's to blame................"Racers"!

"Racing is an Addiction cured by Poverty"         
BOBCAT

JD, I guess I did not make myself clear on my post, I was actually standing up for the Full Bodied guys. (no Erich, this does not includ you)

I was just using as an example: Street Stocks at one track are called Factory Stocks at another, but they are very similar with the exception of a Tire or a Pan Hard bar, etc. This keeps the local racer from traveling without being illegal at another track that is having Street Stock Special, when he has invested all of his monies in a Factory Stock to race in his backyard.

At the same time it creates TOO MANY classes of cars spread over an already troubled economy.

I never refered to Sprint Cars, or open wheel cars in my post. I was only pointing out what everbody already knows.

Things need to go back a notch or two.

I agree Unk "Too Many classes".

But my point is a promoter comes in and starts a new class and some follow that lead and that takes from other classes ie {Mini Late Model}. I wasnt picking on Sprints in my response just listing different classes.

Rule changes thou is the biggest killer in a class, some drivers want more and more and that ends up weeding out teams that cant afford the class anymore. Leave Modified alone it has an entry level as well as proffessional teams. Stock cars need work but the last time this happened was when George and Mark let OKC Pros run but thats not enough to bring this class back.

Sprint cars I have no opinion on except theres a bunch of different classes in that catagory.

"Racing is an Addiction cured by Poverty"         
BOBCAT

Uncle I did not know you were looking at my body. Kinda scary if you ask me .lol

I was thinking about this issue this morning. Yes, there are way to many classes of cars and yes that needs to be reduced. However, the cost of racing needs to be reduced as well. Hold on before you go and say racing is expensive. I am fully aware of it trust me.I have known that way before I started to build my car.

Lets examine this and I will use sprint cars as an example as it is the classes I am more aware of. Say someone wants to go race an ASCS car. The motor alone is near 30 grand and up. OCRS motor a 20 grand to 25 grand , heard stories of more, if you want to be competitive. You can possible have a 2 barrel motor that is 12 to 15 but you would get blown off the track on a tacky surface. E sprint motor heard stories of less than 4 grand. That is just the motor alone not with tires, upkeep on car, fuel to get car there etc, etc. Heaven forbid you have a open trailer in any of these classes as well. You think I can afford to get into a ASCS or an OCRS car. If you do then give me some of that peyote you are smoking. Micros are just as bad on cost as well.

If we want racing to survive in the state we have to as racers and promoters reduce the cost. You take a look at the old factory stock class at the fairgrounds. On a good night there were 50 plus cars in the pits easy. You look on this board today of those that post of who all started in that class and where they are now. The factory's started to fall apart when the rules changed allowing more expensive engine parts and after awhile they became a pro stock.Promoters are going to have to stick to a rule and enforce the rule. Not allow Joe Blow in car number whatever to say I think we need to do this because I have it on my car now and then that will make me legal. Promoters need to tech cars as well and stick to the rules they made.

On the flip side of that though. As racers we need to be smart on what we are doing to the class we run. What I mean about that is if we buy this part are we actually killing our class? Yes, I know we all try to find that edge that makes us better than the next guy and allot of times throwing some bucks at it will help speed up that edge. In fact that is the easiest thing to do. But, if we throw a grand at something can Jim next to us do the same thing to keep up or will that force him to sell out. Thus making the class loose one car when we did not have many to start with.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

If I had the money, and five years to do it, I know what I'd do. Provided I found the right people to work with., and I was untouchable for those entire five years. It would be a combination of business and entertainment- while trying to get the business side more entertaining. Good luck with that.

Fill the stands, and the energy and money will come with it, and fill the pits.

Also a combination of all the things that have worked over the years, down to a fairly rough comprimise. Some feelings would get hurt in the beginning, but that comes with the territory.

Some things are best left in the past, but some things today need changing. I would have to respect the current hardcore elements that are too expensive to change, but there does need to be some adjusting to the modern day. For sure we need to re-connect to the mainstream-in our own way-, they're killing us off as we ignore them.

I can say right now that modifieds and 360 modifieds out east are basically the same. The 360 mods can keep up with them so both those could be combined.

The injected sprints (ASCS) are alot like the 410 outlaw sprints were at Tulsa. Only Tulsa ran them so no issue there. I do not see a local track running the injected sprints on a weekly basis because the drivers want too much in the purse. Needs to be kept as a tracks "special event."

There needs to be no other sprint other than champ sprint. Get back to what the rules were like when Emmett came up with the idea back in the 1990's. The rules have got way out of hand but then again what sprint rules haven't?

Unclea is right, factory stocks here are street stocks there are whatever somewhere else. Needs to be a mediocre somewhere like the rules OKC had back when Larry Hill/Bud Carson had it and they had 60 a night at the fairgrounds. Get the rules affordable and pay decent and you could get around 30 a night = back gate $.

Southern sport modified is a great class for beginners but they need to be kept strictcly IMCA rules, none of this shock placement here, body fenders there. Needs to be kept tight and MUST be tech.

Then again, tech MUST be mandatory at all tracks. Some may not like it at first but when one calms down and see that it is for the good of our sport they could understand.

Hutchinson Raceway Parks closing is just an example it isn't just here in Oklahoma where it is dying. Yes the track has been run mickey mouse type for the past couple of years but it is never good when any track closes.

When I have a rainy day and not traveling or doing other stuff, I will search tracks in the north to get a basis on how many divisions they run and the average car count for them.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

Oklahoma State Racing Association to negotiate rules state wide between promoter and racer. Look out now, LOL

Warren Vincent
Cans 4 Kansas Heroes

360 injected sprints, Modifieds, and the entry level class would be street/factory stocks with say, 1981 rules.....let the fwd cars and minis take their rightful place as center pieces at a monster truck show.....

"its useless to put on the brakes when you are upside 
down"   -Paul Newman

Bobcat, you hit the nail on the head. The Promoter is trying to create a self sufficient track by setting their own rules that differ from each other by creating new classes. If the rules where more inline with each other and we had fewer classes, it would make for better racing.

What I am saying is if there was a Modified class, a Sprint class, and a Factory/Street class people that want to race will find a way.

I for one hate to go to any Race Track where they run everything including the tow trucks, and I get to the pay window when the Sun is coming up and still have a 2 to 5 hour drive home.