Forum: SCRAFAN.COM Forum (go)
Moderators: ljennings

I make 2 races a year at perris, 1 regular race during the year and then the oval nationals.... I live 850 miles away... I went to the august 4th race and it was pretty much a joke, can somebody at least explain to me the low car count? Ascot was never like that.......Also, they spent more time on the stupid guys in mini-skirts than they did on the actual racing...... Thanks

You can thank USAC for the low car count, with the radios and to the HANS. Also with 360's running Ventura and Victorville running sprints now, which limited rules people with a smaller budget have a better chance to win.

(Most have read my thoughts already, but for those that missed it on the earlier post...)

Once again, I'll ask the question: How is a low car count at the end of the year USAC's fault? If we had 22 cars at the first ten races, I would agree that the radios and HANS devices could have something to do with some guys not showing up right away...but not for dwindling car counts!

Of the teams that did not show at the last race at PAS (August 4, 2007), the majority were those with lesser budgets. There were other factors as well. Cory had his cars and crew in Indiana gearing up for shows out East. The Moose team reportedly didn't get the car together in time for Jason York. Camarillo's not showing took away 2 cars. Others were waiting for money and/or parts to continue. The season is winding down...lots of torn up race cars this summer is gonna kill car counts...especially out here, where our drivers race for glory, not to pay the bills.

Someone mentioned the sad comparison to the 2007 Indiana Sprint Week...which it is...but it is completely different out here! The difference out there is that those guys have to show up or they stand no chance of taking home any money to pay their bills. How is that USAC's fault?

The West Coast non-wing sprint car scene has, and always will be, made up of local racers who do it because they love it...not because it's a job. Thus, when times are tough financially, they are forced to stay home, re-group, and come back when they can afford to.

It's that simple.

So again, how could ANY sanctioning body fix that? Our tracks are way too far away to host National points races, so our local heroes will most likely always be "weekend warriors". I admire those who do show up each and every race, or whenever they possibly can, to put on a show for us...because this sport is definitely not cheap for even the most wealthy teams. We should all just be happy we still have a place to go and watch, with the recent closing of so many tracks in this state. Support it while its here or it just may be gone before we know it...

Doug Bushey

Passionate Fan / Announcer / Media & Public Relations 
Agent 

A few of the cars were still racing back east and doing ok. Ascot had nights when the car counts slipped. But usually it happened later in the season. Ascot also had a better location. Draw a circle of about a 5 mile radius around where Ascot was located and consider the amount of teams, fans and team supporters that either lived or work within that circle. Many of those same people are still involved today. But for others, it just got to be a drag to haul all the way out to Perris. my commute to Ascot was just under an hour. Perris is about 2 hours and has been as bad as 4 hours. I had planned to go to Perris that night, but my son was flying in that evening and I wanted to be there to pick him up.

What would a circle that same size around Perris give you, lots of wide open spaces that are being developed into housing tracts.

The sprint car racing "community" is outside the mainstream of sport culture in America, and it is at once metaphoric, ideal, and real. Culture provides participants with a range of possible mechanisms for structuring, organizing, and communicating the value system(s) and symbolic system(s) involved in the construction and racing of sprint cars. Sprint car racing in America provides an outlet for a preferred way of life in which competitive behavior is a major aspect. Cooperation with those whom you are competing against functions to reinforce the values of the "community."

K45_1994AbstractKeithR

I like Mr. Bushey's answer. Mr. Car Parts is talking ragtime! Some people would complain if they were hung with a velvet rope. Kudos to Jones for thanking Swindell for a good track. Jones is a class act.

I second that about Swindell's track...That was the best I had seen Santa Maria in almost three years......I was getting tired of the Dry slick thing......Thats fun once in awhile but not all the time.....Hard on the tire pocketbook.....Jeff

Hey doug I havent posted or even looked at the board here in a while so I have no clue where you stand as far as the state of west coast sprintcar racing. Furthermore not having a good feel for your online voiced opinions and not seeing your post history I want to make very clear that Im not making a personal attack , per say ,but feel free to jump down my throat or feel a little disturbed becuase I think your commments on USAC not having a dominant hand on low car countrs are a waste of keystrokes and you should take a look at yourself and be ashamed becuase your momma didnt raise such an idiot.

What kind of rock did you crawl out from under and then decide to put in your pipe and smoke? Exhaling mindless crap about USAC not F'ck@$g up our race scene . You dont think USAC is to blame and should be held fualtless? OMG man can U not see or wait im sorry youve probly never been on the othersifde of the fence, the side where The drivers and teams are under USAC's thumb and have been reduced to Rollie and crew's little bitches. Thats right little bitches that USAC and its devine wisdom reigning from on high (indy) have their way manipulating our scene which used to be so great and prestigous. We used to be badasses out here . So much so USAC in its anger engaged on a mission to squash the only club in the nation who had equal or better drivers , payed more moneys per event and in points chases . Its no wonder USAC's stars would run with us When we toured . They got payed good and they were treated fairly .

Back to my point on Car counts.

Heres why car counts suck,: (remember when the pits had no spaces between hualers)??

Usac's rules are wishy washy, Their mandates for head and neck restraints, radios , lower car weight , little things like smaller sail panels, no dual can shocks ,favortism for national guys at our races . I could go on and on how about less pay(big time) , more bull shi% like registration fees pill pick fees and just plain crap fees like big expensive trailers to hual around 4 scale pads, Paychecks that come two weeks later (if you get paid),how about their useless promised to be great marketing amnd publicity activity that doesnt nearly due justice. How about them talking our money and sending it to indy whetre they divy it amongst a bunch of paper pushing administrators. They fu537ing suck the teams dry and make us adhere to their rules regardless of how we feel and we have No say on any aspect of our race scene.

So you and any USAC lovers can go back east and suck over there Cuz their will come a time soon when you will have no place here , Usac crooks!! We will wake up and stand together just as soon as nobody can afford to hook up their trailers and we get tired of the oppression Usac brings.

Fu#! USAC

Turn4Rob,

Did you loan this guy your pipe or what ?

USACCANBITEME,

Take a pill, your way to pent up, get a girlfreind or something. If its that bad get out brotha, your way too angry.

Lifes too short to be that miserable.

yep thats some goooooooooooooooood sh$# in that pipe I agree with almost all of what usacanbiteme said !

CYA all Sat. at the PAS

ROB

BTW usac can bite me too !!!

I'm no insider, but I think that USAC is causing the low car counts. Many people don't like USAC and that number is rising. I'd guess that all the cars that are missing are either racing elsewhere or have simply been parked. So, even though I think that usaccanbiteme's post was a little over the top, he's generally correct in his assessment.

Dear Mr. usacanbiteme:

I just crawed out from my rock (located just outside the fence), picked up the pipe and sat down to read your post. Unfortunately, it took me a while due to my poor eyesight, which by the way makes it difficult to see myself in the mirror.

I am very impressed with your creative use of encrypted expletives. I have yet to master the art of passionate expression in such forums, having only the education that mother could afford for me. However, I don't regret riding the short bus to the disabled learning facility each day. For such trips I fashioned a helmet, which allowed me to pretend that I was a short track hero, racing with USAC's finest on the clay ovals. My only regret was that I didn't have the financial resources for either a HANS device or a radio headset to complete the ensemble. Such departures from reality provided the escape that I so desperately needed from the shame that I live with and am reminded of daily.

I thank you for not making a personal attack on me in your posting.

Your argument is enlightening. After digesting each detailed explanation of your supporting statements, I have accepted your opinion as gospel with merit and respect. Believe it or not, I too have a serious problem with authority. This sport that we both adore so much is extremely dangerous. However, that does not give the sanctioning body and it's officials license to create and enforce rules equally and consistently amongst it's competitors. How dare they dictate that we must embrace items that ensure safety and efficiency. Damn those who obey! As for compensation, it is unconstititutional to conceive that an administration could hold earned payment for less than 30 days, only to administer such payment via a check that does not bounce.

Thank you for enlightening me. See you Saturday at the races!

Sincerely,

Doug Bushey

P.S. Those who truly do know me know that I view each race that I attend (with rare exception) from the pit area, and that I pay "Non-Member" fees for such passes. I have nothing to gain from endorsing either bandwagon.

Doug Bushey

Passionate Fan / Announcer / Media & Public Relations 
Agent 

It's even worse over here in AZ at Manzy. I was pissed when they came in and I saw the negative results right away with car counts being noticeably lower from the get go and the stands, even during some events that filled the joint up for years we're noticeably lower. For years I would have to get there hours before the show to get "my" spot and then have to run to get it! Not now, except the Western. I would love to see a accurate crowd count the last two years of SCRA compared to the last two years of USAC. I have no doubt, none, that the count was higher before both cars and fans with SCRA..

Like I've said before, for 51 years I loved to see USAC come to town and like my dad and his racing friends, loved to see them leave. I'm 59. Please, I don't want to hear how lucky we are to have a traditional 410 show at all that's not the point!

The rivalry is gone and that sucks too.

Kenny

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

I agree with BIG FISH the racing at Manzy as gotten really sad.Not just at Manzy but everywhere in AZ. The Leland Race was real bad, I do not think even 12 cars made the tow here. One thing I have noticed is that all the big races in AZ have been scheduled against NASCAR night raceson tv.This changes in the fall(sept.) I would rather see sprints then stock cars but why go to watch 25 or so cars and this is with the visiting cars.Two years ago , these cars that are visiting today could barely get out of the semi! And these are your topdogs now? SAD, VERY SAD!One other upcoming conflict is thursday for the copperclassic and the Western. Does anyone what they are going to about this? Bud, Coons, Darland.etc can not be at two places at one time. Are they going to split the field , Thur/ Fri? With the low car counts will they be able to split .

You have me a little confused, the Copper and the Western have never even been in the same month. This new Copper on dirt is a good deal and was a great show. How could that be scheduled at the same time as the Western, it's the same track!

With the old and GREAT Copper, the gathering of the clan.we used to haul butt from PIR for the show at Manzy and so did the drivers. When SCRA was going full blast we ran at Manzy BOTH Friday and Saturday with a fifty car field, man that was some weekends we had!

One thing that is going on and I guess it's a good thing for them but not for us here at home. A lot of our up and coming young drivers are out on the road with USAC and for instance the TNT show that is running now. Also the number of shows we have here at Manzy was cut.

With USAC now in the picture in AZ and Cal you might as well drop the CRA part of that deal. Tell me, just what impute or influence does the "CRA" have with USAC? What a joke. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in Torrance and Phoenix and CRA was it! When those USAC boy's come to town it was on! You guys that have been around, you know what I mean.

Again, I don't want to hear how lucky were are, that's not the point!

Boy's, we've been robbed in broad daylight

Kenny

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Big Fish, You are right on the money my friend.... I grew up in Long Beach and i'm around fifty years old, Ascot and the CRA was it, I very rarely missed a race.... I know what you mean.. Unfortunately there are alot of people that dont... I'm in New Mexico now and at least they are getting 30 cars for a sat night show.... They are'nt as good of drivers as the Cal, AZ guys but at least we are getting more cars to show up... I went to the perris race aug 4th what a joke.... I thought, will next time i will go to manzy to see a good show... From the way you are explaining it maybe that is not such a good idea... I guess i will just stick to the oval nationals once a year..... That is pretty sad....

The Western is still the"show"on the "BIG" 1/2 mile that separates the men from the boy's and it's still the best show over this way .Look at the names and history of the western and you will get a idea why so many drivers would like to have that trophy. Now that new Copper on dirt would also be worth the trip over. When I lived in Albuquerque for awhile I always made the trip over for the Western and the old Copper and I would still come over the the Western and the "new" Copper.

Check this out. I was over in N.M. in about 99 or 2000 and went out to Duke city to see the winged show and there was about 15 cars and more than a few were a little under funded, if you know what I mean, anyway I recognised the 45X right away and as it was being pushed off they said Ricky Hood was behind the wheel, RICKY HOOD! no way. One hot lap and I knew it was him and when he came in and took his helmet off, well no mistaking that mug, even with the grey hair. He was worth the price of admission and showed em how to get around that joint.

Keep a eye on the Copper on dirt deal, they had so many cars that it needed to be a 3 day show and maybe it will be if it continues. I hadn't see the big cars on dirt since the old fairgrounds in Phoenix as a kid and it was great to see them on dirt again. Dennis Woods put that show together and now that Manzy has been sold and Dennis is no longer there, we will just have to wait and see.

P.S. I have pictures of Hollywood hills speedway as it was being built, now thats what all the Casino's should do with a couple of mill they have laying around. LOL

Kenny

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

USAC = ALOT OF $$$$

ALOT OF $$$$ = LOW CAR COUNTS

THAT IS HOW I SEE IT.

Big Fish........ Duke city is long gone....... After closing for a year Hollywood hills is open again, new promoter (Bobby Seals) and new clay, pretty good racing now 20-30 sprints show up... Nobody can touch Johnny Herrea, yeah that Johnny Herrea from woo.... I guess he has to race here and stay in state because of his probation... He has won everthing.... Other than that freaken Tom Ball is the hot shoe out here... lol He raced with scra a few years, at least he tried........ Thanks