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

Yes ,there  are only so many   cars , so many owners , so many team members . And again we find many good drivers out
of rides in PA for one example and I 'm sure others elsewhere . Teams can't keep up with the costs . Its already happening that   promoters are  looking for lower purses  to pay , and larger car counts . I have my thoughts on what may happen , whats your thoughts ?

Teams can't keep up with the costs?  That's capitalism baby.  Motorsports is one of the few sports where you usually don't see salary caps, luxury taxes, or other types of regulations of that ilk.  (I know there are some, F1 comes to mind, but by and large its "smoke em if you got em.). Based on what some of you were posting on another thread, you should be happy about that, right? 

What do I think will happen?  1) Teams will continue to spend money looking for any kind of advantage they can get.  2) Promoters and track owners, no matter what their financial situation is, will still claim poverty.  3) The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west.

Here are my thoughts.  1, Promoters will be wanting large car counts and to pay them less. 2, Good drivers will be out of rides, and 3, Costs are rising and teams can't keep up. 4, LEARN TO TYPE.........

I know what's going to happen. I be going to the races just as I have for the last 50+ years and I'll keep trying to ignore the people that always speak of the negatives.

Once again, you claim you have your thoughts but refuse to say what they are which tells me you have no thoughts, you're just once again bitching to hear yourself bitch. So tell us, what are your ideas? What do you see happening in the future? I'll tell you my thoughts since you asked. These things go in cycles. Always have, always will. Or maybe this is the beginning of the end of the 410 class as so many have predicted for the last 30 years. If it is, then 305's will be the norm in 20 years and they too will be bitching about costs, declining car counts, insufficient purses etc. The same exact thing people are bitching about today. No matter what, racing always has been and always will be expensive.

Yes, I do have thoughts and I am not trying to be negative .Costs are there and will be there,but I feel they can  cut on motors for starters , slowly eliminate some of the lighter parts, offer incentives for going back  to building your own ,open tire rule ,there not saving money with tire rule. There is no chance of going back in time when costs were not that high, but then we didn't have the technology that we have today. I don't see 305's as the answer , I see a new division coming similiar to what BOSS is doing with cheaper purses and less costs for there teams .I know the teams of local guys can't keep going the way they are, as they are out  of motors , money before end of season and have to conserve or pick and choose races. I do have many thoughts on various topics and I will say WHAT I FEEL AND BE CRITICIZED BY OTHERS FOR WHAT I THINK ON HERE. I 've tried to be conservative with my opinions but I will no longer , I think more can be done to make it things better all around  for teams , fans,tracks and more . These are my opinions and please respect them as I respect all of your opinions on all topics on this board .It won't happen but I would like to see more innovation back in racing allowed on cars  , track creativity on there shows ,for fans , the facility, good racing , quick shows , better concession foods , etc. I hope this helps to calm my critics in what I think and would do. Thanks for reading ,I only want what you want to see good racing .

How can I or anyone else disrespect your opinions when you've yet to actually state what they are? Hell anyone can say I want to make this or that better and leave it at that without actually going into any detail as to what they want to see done. Your posts are filled with “I know how to", “I have my thoughts on" and “I can make things better" but that's all you ever say. You want people to take you seriously and you want to quiet your critics but yet you refuse to go into any detail whatsoever as to what SPECIFIC things you want to change and how you intend to have these changes implemented. You just keep saying you have ideas. Well, what are they? Please, blow us away with your wisdom. All those talking points you just outlined, what are the specifics? For instance, you stated you want to offer incentives for people to build their own engines. How would this incentive program work? What particular incentive are you offering? And how will you keep then from paying Don Ott to build them a motor then saying they built it themselves? If you could SPECIFICALLY answer that question plus go into detail on all the other changes you want to make, then maybe you may silence your critics. Now please, enlighten us..........

Please ignore Bob Altman (winning drive). He rambles on so much I don't even think he knows what he wants done. It really is pathetic.    

My thoughts? 

1. Take out "team members" and "good drivers" and insert "employees".

2. Take out "promoters" and "track owners" and insert "employers".

Now, you have the same scenario that the rest of the business world deals with everyday.  And, like the rest of the business world, supply and demand will dictate what happens next.  So for now, go to the races and enjoy.  You can't do anything to help out the situation except for that.  All the other crusading on this forum is a waste of time. 

I'm not reading through some of posters silly comments but one thing we can do however small.... take a friend to the races, and buy them a beer while you're there and then go get a race shirt while you're there for both of you. 

Keep It Real

To view the Sprint Car world in about 19 years, look at Top Fuel and Funny Car drag racing.  In the 60"s there were 20 to 30 competetive cars in each class in a geographic area.  The count nationwide was over 100 in each class, cars they could compete. National events had 32 car fields.   Today, NHRA at times can barely field 16 cars in each class.  Two or three VERY well funded teams dominate, the other cars are mostly field fillers.  All this the result of escalating costs: especially $85,000 engines.  Sprint Car racing will suffer the same fate unless costs are contained.  

Wow, your ideas speak the exact opposite of what I've heard many team owners and drivers tell me.

You say eliminate teh tire rule to save them $$$, while I've heard racers tell me that the tire rule is the only thing that has reduced costs (as they have to use the same tire the entire night at most weekly tracks nowadays as opposed to the "good old days" when the top teams bolted on new tires every time they hit the track.

Are 305's the answer?  No, sadly they are not, just like 360's were not.  The rules will get changed and costs will increase (while their purses will stay exactly the same -- pathetic).

A new division like BOSS, with lower purses, yeah, that's a great idea, let's create yet another division in a very niche sport.

IMO, the best thing that tracks can do is be consistent (you can't have a different format every week, it's confusing for the die-hard fans, you're never going to attract new fans if you change the rules week to week (it'd be like using hte 3 point line in basketball and saying it doesn't exist one week, making them worth 4 point another and 3 the next, fans wouldn't watch that, if the rules and format are consistent, it's easier to build a fanbase).

I personally feel like I've seen the best "racing" over the past 5-6 years (it is LIGHT YEARS ahead of racing in the 1980's and 1990's in my opinion (I remember seeing the winner MOST NIGHTS only having 2-3 cars to contend with for the win (when they pulled in the pitgate) and usually only 3-5 cars on the lead lap by the end of a 25 lap feature.  I'll take today's racing anyday over that.

Do I think the racetracks could improve their facilities?  Yes, but nothing is FREE, so where does the $$ for that come from Bob?  Raise ticket prices?  Raise pit passes?  Lower the Purse?  Raise concession prices?  You've stated numerous times in the past that you think that ticket prices, pit passes and concessions need to be lower priced, so that only leaves one thing (lower the purse).  Maybe you should talk with a businessperson on how busisnesses operate (because that's what racing is, a business).

And we have yet to actually read anything you have to say. If this board was lip service, your mouth would be open all the time but nothing would be coming out. You put "these are my opinions and please repect them" but you offer no opinion. Put up or shut up once and for all. Let's see what your opinions are.

if gas prices stay where they are, this year could see a boost in attendance...particularly for fans who drive an hour or more to the races.

look around you, racing attendance has become more and more GENERATIONAL in the last decade...as older fans stop going, younger fans are NOT there to fill the seats.

perhaps winning drive should be posting to a drifting message board...and forget about these pipe dreams of "build your own 410 engine".

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

Dang guys, wait till you get old and your thoughts are a little off but you still want to contribute, I hope you aren't attacked for every view you have.  Heck, he's a Posse guy and I feel like defending him all the time, the world must be upside down.  Having said that, as somebody closer to 70 than 60 I can relate to what he's saying, if he's just a youngster then have at him I guess, lol.....

Mike, if he would actually come out and say what his views are, that would be another thing. All he ever says and says and says is he has these opinions but never states them.

Methinks people take this place WAY TOO SERIOUSLY and I've been here since the beginning, survived the wars and continue to laugh at many of the thoughts and opinions as I am sure many others do.  Aaron Rodgers said it best, R  E  L  A  X.....

I also don't quite get the anger this guy inspires. Don't get me wrong, he says absolutely nothing in his posts, but just ignore.

Reminds me of the person who came on here and had the audacity of posting real time WoO results. They were accuses of "plagarism" by one of the genius keyboard commandos.

He isn't old and senile. His thoughts were “a little off" back in the late 90's and early 2000's when he ran Pa Posse fans association. I remember standing there when he was talking to my friends mother bitching and whining about the same shit he does now and even as a kid, I thought what the hell is this guys deal anyway? If it's really that bad, stay the f*ck home dude. Then when she finally pried herself away from him, I remember her saying what a pain in the ass he was and that he always does that. I'm sorry but you can't come to this message board or any other and post incoherent crap like that and think that people aren't going to call your bluff. So if he's butthurt over it, so be it. I think you just like him because he supports your theory that Pennsylvania fans are a bunch of loud mouth morons who wouldn't know a rational thought if it kicked them in the ass, which couldn't be further from the truth. Just a couple of idiots who give the rest of the 95% a bad reputation.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, ahhhh nevermind........