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

the tractor pull guys come with there 100 k engines and get payed 200 bucks to win! and make the fair all kinds of money! it would be good for the sport! we used to race sprint cars here but all the guys whined about the track and the payout! which i dont blame them one bit! wonder how we can change this?

Last time I was in the Iowa fair grandstands, for a race, it was for a friday night 360 show. I don't want to complain but it was one of the worse shows I had ever seen. I think their idea of water on the track was to go out and spit once on the track, then call it watered. Then combined with the fact they had to start early in the daylight, to make sure to make Des Moines noise cerfew, makes for one dirty track. Though it wasn't much dusty to see but more about you better have goggles to watch.

It wasn't their fault but the whole stands was filled with millions of mosquitos. I remember my mom asking if we both had chicken pox when we got home.

I think I have been to maybe 4 or 5 sprint races at the State grounds.

I didn't want to be much of a negative Ned but figured I'd share my childhood experience. It's been awhile since I have even heard anyone mention sprints there. I remember alot of old timers sharing the same crap experience there. Which might be why they don't race sprints there.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

If a sprint car race at the Fair would make more money than concerts, tactor pulls, ect. there would be one.

The demand isn't there. The competitors aren't there.The money isn't there.

Accept facts and move on.

I remember a World of Outlaw race at the State Fair back in the early 80's. Biggest problem was that they always want to run the races during the DAYTIME during the fair so they can use the grandstand for concerts at night (concerts bring in much more REVENUE).

I saw in the DSM Register yesterday that the Fair paid Sugarland $350,000 for thier date last Saturday (cancelled due to the tragedy @ the Indiana State Fair).

In the event that it rains out a concert, the Fairgrounds is still on the hook for the $350,000 plus have to refund tickets. Since Sugarland cancelled the concert due to the tragedy in Indiana, they just had to refund tickets and owed no $$ to Sugarland.

Racing is less risky, but they must not feel that they can get a big enough crowd to justify the expenses they would have.

i think for the past 3 years the outlaw race has been the only thing at the Spencer fair that has soldout or came even close to selling out

On the other hand I did use to enjoy going to the Iowa Fair grounds, in the winter time in the 90's, to see indoor racing at the 'Winterdome' They use to take the indoor show cattle ring and put down dirt and hay bails and race everything. go karts, motorcycles, ATV's, cage karts. It was a show let me tell you, you had to have some spare parts for sure to race their. They had to all race on top of each other and not give an inch.

God, those were the good old days. Iso wanted to be one of those kids out there driving in that cluster of a mess. I have no idea how many people I remember seeing hitting hay bails and flipping over handle bars. it was some wild wild action.

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

should work

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

I love this subject.

I attempted to put on a race in 2010 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Got pretty far with them and then all of a sudden they stopped the talks and negotiations. My sources told me one of the reasons why it did not go through is because the current promoter of the facility on a weekly basis threw a fit.

Here are some things that came out of our discussions:

1) The noise ordinance does NOT play a factor at the fair grounds as it is a state owned facility.

2) The majority of the Fair Board would like to see a sprint car race at least once a year.

3) The Fair Board stated that they could not have a race during the actual State Fair because of issues with where the Midway is (in the traditional pit area).

Those who were working with me on this side of things knew this was going to be a BIG race, paying good money and would encompass good pay to other classes of racing as well. When I submitted my proposal to the Fair Board they agreed that I would have first consideration for promoting of any sprint car race to be held there for the next 15 years (yes I do have that signed). On another note, I do want to thank everybody who worked hard making phone calls, advising, and other contributions towards the event that should have taken place in 2010. We do hope that one day sprint car racing will make a return to the Iowa State Fairgrounds. When it does, it needs to be done in grand fasion.

Nothing's going to happen during the Fair after the big wreck they had when cars went into the midway back in the 70s. I remember a local guy named Bill Hudson was one of the guys who crashed. I think it may have killed and/or maimed some fairgoers.

Aldo Andretti nearly got killed at the track during a IMCA race which may have been held during the fair back in the early 70s as well.

Regardless, there just isn't the market for it now. Those days have gone by and ain't comin' back.

Keep It Real

sprint car races?

There is an annual IMCA late model race during the fair

The last time I remember sprint car races at the state fair, Jerry Crabb launched his car going into turn 3 and wiped out a bunch of cars in the parking lot. My kids were about 5 and 6 and still talk about that wreck.

There is a market for it now, just not during the fair. When I spoke with them, safety was key to the point. Our next visit with them would have included a tour of the grounds to show where cars, trailers, etc... would not be allowed to park or be period. My guess it was going to be a considerable distance away from the track but still plenty of space for everything as the fairgrounds is vaery spacious.

My sincere hopes is that some of the renovations that they will be working on in the near future would be additional safety barriers on the back stretch and the corners. To say that "Those days have gone and ain't comin' back," may just be farther from the truth than one may think. As I stated before, the fair board in general would like to see sprints back at the facility at least once a year, they just have some concerns currently.

I have often thought of passing a petition around requesting a sprint car race at the facility to be able to show the board that there is genuine interest in attending possibly a multi-day show. Can I count you in a signer of the petition?

I'd sign, just water the track

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A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Already one of the things that was discussed. Thanks for the support!

well what ever we need to do! im sure some of us could help!

The Minnesota State Fair was one of those historic old half miles with racing in the afternoon and concerts in the evening. They paved it, think it was 64 but the exact year escapes me now without looking it up. I grew up three blocks from the Fair and remember attending the dirt track and peeking through the gates just about every day. A neighbor kid's dad ran the mini doughnut stand under the grandstand so we were there all ten days. After it was paved they went quite a while where they were still running a daily racing program but eventually cut back to one ASA Stock Car race per year. I remember meeting Ken Schrader and Mark Martin and getting an autograph at one of those races. The last open wheel race was a Silver Crown race, can't remember the year but I met Chris Economaki at that one.

Eventually noise complaints and the Fair board's desire to have a permanent stage resulted in the closure of the track a few years ago. Race fans were upset because they had no advance warning and didn't get a chance to attend the final event. The announcement came later in the year during the dead of winter.

Des Moines sounds like it's heading in that same direction. Most of the Minnesota State Fair track is still there but it is used for a service road and they've got permanent structures inside the track area now.

Stan Meissner