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

Well, I can check another track off my list. After attending Eldora for the first time during this years Kings Royal, I thought I would share my thoughts and experiences.

The Good - The atmosphere there is great and I really liked the facilities. Visually, it was pretty much everything I had envisioned. I spoke with several strangers while I was there and I must say that the "local" fans there sure know the sport, probably more so than any other track I have visited.

The speed there is pretty awesome and it sure was fun watching Saldana "tempt" the wall. His moves in the Friday night dash were NUTS! I have no doubt now that there is someone on the tour that has bigger nads than Sammy did. OK, back to the track...

The slide jobs there are a blast to watch and it was also cool watching drivers looking a lap or two ahead, setting themself up for a pass, because of all of the momentum.

We really had a good time in the stands, actually much more fun than at the Nationals, there were a lot of drunks, but they seemed like "happy drunks", lol.

The Bad - The track prep has to be the worst I have seen in over 40 years of attending races and when people sitting around me were saying that "this is the best we've seen in here in a while" made me wonder what in the hell people will endure just to see cars go fast, next to the wall. I tell you, it was miserable. I'm just glad that Eldora is not the place that will keep the future of the sport alive, due to it being in the middle of nowhere. I would never subject a first time fan to the blinding dust during hotlaps that we endured. I ate more dust in one night at Eldora than I have during all 15 of my Chili Bowls, combined. If I had Stewarts money, I would hire the Duncans away from Knoxville.

That format HAS to be the worst I have ever seen. Why would a guy even want to set a quick time? Why try to reinvent the wheel, passing points is the only way to go if you're going to have an inversion.

They need more entry gates into the track, we went in kinda early both nights and the lines were pretty bad, due to checking all of the coolers and bags, I can only imagine what it was like closer to race time.

General bitches and complaints - Ok, is it Kings Royal rules? Or WoO rules? Please make up your mind. One minute we were told that per the WoO rules, a race has to have 2 green flag laps before a checkered flag flies, then in the next breath, we were told that per the Kings Royal rules, lapped cars are left in place.

Also, the "WTF" moment of the weekend had to be the dash start on Saturday night. Even though I disagree with recalling the second start, saying that Madsen jumped, when he clearly didn't, why in the hell would you give a guy a second shot at a start when he was penalized in the first place???????? IMO, Kemenah should have been on the pole on the 3rd restart...

Summary - Though I told the folks that I camped with that I would be back again next year, upon looking back on this weekend, I don't think I will attend another winged race at Eldora. I can only imagine what kind of "tar and feathering" a person would receive if the weather would have been the normal seasonable 95 degrees. Why travel 7 hours and spend a few hundred dollars on that when I can go roll around in the dirt in the front yard for a lot less.

Though I can not do it this year, I am seriously considering going to the 4 Crown Nationals next year, I can only imagine what a nonwing race must be like (if the track were to be tacky) on that banking.

For years, people have told me that I could not make a comparison on the speed and banking between Eldora and Belleville until I attended a race at Eldora. Well, I have now attended both and I must say, if you think that Eldora is a "speedplant", then Belleville must be the "speeduniverse".

Member of this message board since 1997

the reason they called madsen for "jumping" and put schatz back on the pole was because they had already made the check for the royal out to donny. and they only had one check,with no white out on site. lmfao.

I tell you what I could not have said it better myself I had a good time and will probably go back but it's not what I thought it would be I still have not found a track that has as good racing as Pevely does I-55 Raceway is action packed.

Sorry I missed ya Hawker, I agree with putting Kemenah upfront in that dash. It has always been Eldora's baby on the rules. The wife always hated time trials but even she found them entertaining in turn 2 Sat. night. Sat in turn 1 Fri. night & did'nt get any dirt. Sat. night sat in turn 4 & it was not as bad as it has or could have been. If Mike Brecht is in a Silver Crown for the 4 Crown you need to watch, That man is awesome. We set in turn 3 1 year & it felt like getting sandblasted. Hope ya come back in the near future.

The best dirt track race on the planet is still the Chili Bowl. Nothing else I have attended even comes close.

If you're not a midget fan when you walk in, you will be when you walk out...

Member of this message board since 1997

Andrew Quinn ... looks like you made the right call.

www.globalspeedwaytours.com.au 

I live less than an hour from Eldora and been witness to every change from the time double strand Armco barrier was added all the way around the place. That comes to around 42 years worth.

It would take more time than I have tonight to type up all the screwups that have occured since Stewart took over the place. Most of the blame for what you saw centers on 2 or 3 things.

One - The management team seriously under estimates the amount of prep time required to do a decent job. Example - under Earl Baltes, it was normal to be out there on Tuesday or Wednesday cutting open the surface, leveling out bumps, and adding water. There have been times under Larry Kemp when nothing was done to the track until the morning of a race event. You can't cut corners that much and get anywhere close to an adequate job done.

Two - The track re-surfacing project was seriously delayed by the weather in March and April of this year. What should have been a progressive job over a period of at least 2 months, was crammed into one week as all the dirt was shoved into place to try and get the WoO doubleheader weekend ran in April. Mercifully, the Saturday night portion was snowed out.

Three - Most important.... The hundreds of truckloads of new dirt that make up the surface at Eldora now is just that - dirt... Common old Van Wert County cornfield dirt. It is NOT racing surface CLAY. It does not have the traction properties of clay. It does however take rubber more readily than clay. Thus you have a surface that yields slower speeds - (must make the tracks insurer happy) - and throws blackout amounts of dust into the air.

If you pick up the snall chunks that get thrown, they are dry, brittle, and crumble to dust between your fingers. The old clay would sail over the wall in moist heavy ropes as much as a foot long and an inch in diameter. Those pieces had moisture in them like clay should and were pliable. Get rid of that dirt and replace it with REAL CLAY and many of the problems will be cured.

The bankings have been lowered - make no mistake about it. This may be in response to an ongoing push by the tracks insurer to slow the place down. This is something that goes back for a few years before Earl sold the the place. The pressure from the insurance company was understandable to some extent. They were getting hit with medical claims on almost a weekly basis, even among the support class cars, that was hideoulsly expensive. One lard butt, part time modified driver backs it into the wall, complains of back pain, and by the time his out of shape carcass is hauled to the hospital for exam and later released, the bill can be over $5000. Now factor in a few unfortunate driver deaths that occured in back to back years, and you can understand why there is such a push to castrate the place.

I was at the Royal too. I've seen some excellent battles that are forever etched in my memory, and there have been a few really horrid shows that ended up paying some driver 50k regardless. I'm still trying to make up my mind if this year's race was the second worst Royal I've attended or the absolute worst ever.

In any case, the Eldora I've known since my chidhood is gone now. In it's place continues to grow a commercialized monstrosity known as Tony Stewart's Old Tyme Dirt Track Hall of Ghosts and Nascar Flavored Bordello. I would trade the Musco lights, all of the billboards, and about half of the new restrooms to send Larry Kemp packing and get the old banks and surface back. There was nothing wrong with the old surface - it just needed a lot of prep time to be right. After 42 years of watching races there, I'm done with the place. There's nothing more to see........

   Easy choice,Eldora isnt my most favorite place to watch winged sprinters.

You stay for Kokomo tonight Hawker?? Best feature so far (besides Clayton winning the other night!)

I'm glad that someone who knows the place can "validate" if you will my feelings. Your post only makes me wish now that I would have made my first trip to Eldora about 6 or 8 years before. After what I witnessed this weekend, I was having a hard time figuring out what all of the hype was about.

Member of this message board since 1997

This was my first Royal as well. I also was very very disappointed with the track conditions. I also felt that the royal was just "given" to Schatz. From the way Schatz and Stewarts rigs were parked side by side, to the format as to who ever wins heat 6 is on the pole for the dash. I didn't think much of it, but looky looky who is in heat6. Schatz started in the 2nd row. Maybe it was the first row, don't remember now, but just felt like they gave it to him. Then add all the hype of the last numerous years how the 2nd place finisher won the year after. The format for the King's Royal, how does it exactly work? As long as this format is the format they use for the Royal, I will never go back.

Jeff

When I went to Eldora in the middle 70's the track sounded the same. One huge dust bowl. From what I've seen in person and on TV the track has never had the right "dirt" or else it has never been prepared correctly. Obviously it hasn't been good clay as you couldn't put water back on clay after being run in (unless it's chopped up) and Baltes would run that water truck around just to settle the dust the first few laps, and make the track slick very briefly. Then, the dust would be back. I wasn't there this year... but the dust bowl doesn't sound much different than it was in the 70's. Go to Riverside/West Memphis for real clay.

I agree with pretty much all your comments but there is a downside to having a heavy track at Eldora. It becomes a freight train with no chance of passsing as everyone can be hammer down fast on a heavy Eldora track. I definetly agree it should not be blowing dust in hot laps but I think a slick Eldora come race time provides better racing.

For me if I want to see the outlaws no better place then Lima, Pevely, or Haubstabt. Quarter mile bullrings! Thats where you see racing and not parades like Eldora.

I for one try to make a positive post and not be so good damn negetive about everything. Your mothers should have told you at some point if you don't have anything good to say then zip it. I have been going to Eldora for thirty years and I plan on going for another thirty the good lord willing. I have attended all 23 Royals and I can't wait to return next year for my 24th. The only thing that was dissappointing was to watch one of my least favorite drivers dominate Saturday. If you people don't like watching them run up on the expressway inches from the wall and exchanging slide jobs all weekend then please stay home or go somewhere else so that you can bitch about a different track. Hawker you are not God on this message board and your rankings and opinions mean "Jack Shit" to me.

OK.... the KR at Eldora was GREAT, AWESOME, SENSATIONAL, PHENOMENAL, UNBELIEVABLE... but I won't be going back to another KR...

Shoes, obvious your mother didn't give you that advise either.....re-read you post s l o w l y

LMAO

Member of this message board since 1997

Along with that dirt is some big ass boulders that would hurt someone if they ever hit liftoff status. I pointed one out to the wife Sat. night just coming out of 4 that would crack your skull. Speaking of the conditions, I was wondering if we were going to have another blowout fest. It was, just not the tire kind.

By far not the best track I've seen out there, but yet again not the worst. But here in Central PA we've been putting up with this off and on all year at just about every track in our area. I guess thats a chance I take everytime I go to the races. But I do indeed return week after week. To each is there own and I look forward to my 7th trip in a row next year for the KR. But maybe thats the partying, hanging out with friends from all over the country, and generally having a good time talking.

.

There are good & bad nights during Kings Royal weekends every year.  At least they took the grader to the track after Friday nights program & attempted to get some moisture into the track.  I can remember a few years when Earl owned it that a grader never even came out between races & the track being in very poor shape.  I've seen worse races at Eldora over the years & Saturdays Kings Royal was a BIG disappointment after watching the action on Friday.  It was also the worst wind I've ever experienced at the track over the years, and I'm sure that didn't help the track prep either.  It was the worst dust I've ever voluntarily experienced at Eldora, but that was only because the wind was blowing right at us in turn 3. 

My biggest question is why the hell do they have to start time trials at 6:30???  A little early for the summer months & it's not like most of the folks had anywhere to be the next day.  I'm sure it didn't help track conditions either.

The Kings Royal format does need some adjustment, time trials seem pointless using the current system.

Friday nights racing action was great & it sure as heck won't be my last Kings Royal.  Despite any complaints, the atmosphere is 2nd to none I've ever experienced.  It was great to see everyone again & it's become like 1 big disfunctional family in the campground!

_

Hawker, I have said every year after the race that I won't be coming back the next year but I have been going back for the last 4 years. The track could be a lot better but I still enjoyed it. Most of the people I met were great people. Will I go back next year?? Maybe. Ask me again in the spring of next year probably "Hell ya I'm going".

Went Friday, thought it was brutal and found out that the track was still not being PREPARED during the week and decided I would catch a movie on Saturday night and I/We did. As soon as Tony hires a track prep man and he works it during the week ESPECIALLY for the biggest sprint race of the year, I will be back. Heck, as bad as it was last year I think both Dale Blaney and Kevin Swindell passed over 20 cars on each night to provide the fans who knew what was going on with them their money's worth.

I know Tony has some changes in mind for next year and they will be exciting, if the one I just mentioned isn't one of them I will be stunned and absent, along with hundreds if not thousands of others. Take It Easy.....

I have been going to Eldora since 1995. I very much enjoyed the USAC show earlier this year and was looking forward to the KR. I was very dissappointed in the track surface. It is ok to be dusty, but the racing is much more enjoyable when there is more than one racing groove.

Just my opinion.