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

I believe 410 sprint races at knoxville aren't even worth going to anymore. Whether it be an outlaw show or regular weekly show, the races are terrible. Follow the leader, no passing(there is some in the middle or back of the field) walk away winners, second place 4-5 seconds behind. It's happened a lot this year and some the last few years. I've been going to knoxville for thirty some years now and anymore it's just a waste to travel the 2 hours to go. Does anyone else feel the same? Can anything be done to get more close, exciting racing? What do you think?

Dude, winged sprints on a half mile have been like this for a long, long time. As far as K-Ville it was even worse in the early '90's when Lasoski in the Forbrook Five won virtually every feature race by 1/2 to 3/4's of a lap.

I'd like to see all tracks scrap the time trials and go to points inversion in the heats and features and who knows if attendance keeps dwindling MAYBE some day track promoters will actually listen to the fans.....

The worst president of my lifetime:
Ronald Reagan

I have to agree that the sport has gotten that way it seems. I think part of it is they keep changing the formats for tv/video. I just quit going to the 1/2 milers. Give me the bull rings anytime, makes the drivers work in the traffic.

Kinser #1 for a screen name? The Kinser man has made his legacy in our sport as the man who can dominate from the front and has often times won with plenty of seconds to spare. I am sorry as I don't buy that you would feel racing has changed as a Kinser fan when he has done exactly just that for his entire career.

Something perhaps a "30 years" of knowledge fan should be able to accept, is the changes in the sport. If you been going to Knoxville, then you have seen many changes that have affected the sport and you think this year was jacked?

Sorry.

Im jw how mark dobmeier is doin down there. Hes from where im from and he usually wins every nite here. Just wondering if hes competing good or doin better then the average rookie or what...saw last nite he passed the most cars and got the hard charger bonus

I agree that 1/2 mile tracks don't have much passing in general. I think we are lucky here in CA to have mostly 1/4 miles and also some 1/3 mile tracks with lots of passing. I have never been to the big 1/2 miles in PA, but the Posee sure does seem to love them. I have been to Lernerville in Western PA but the Posse don't consider it one of their own. I was really impressed with the track and to me it was really wide, fast, and good passing for a 4/10 mile track. I think it all boils down to what kind of tracks someone has in their area and the kind of racing they are used to seeing. I prefer 1/4-1/3 mile tracks over 1/2 miles anyday!

Ironically, I happen to be going to one of the only ones we have here, Calistoga, tonight for the Outlaw show. I always have a good time and it is a beautiful, fast track. I just don't expect a lot of passing but the Outlaws tend to put on a good show there. Next week is Gold Cup and I think it is one of the best races of the year at one of the best 1/4 tracks in the country. Another race I look forward to is the Outlaws at the Tulare Thunderbowl in February and also October, and it is a great 1/3 mile track with lots of passing. Lots of racing coming up- lucky me

dobmeier has been doing good down here..he will be rookie of the year in 410's and i believe he ended with 2 wins this season..and finished 6th in points.

-Austin Rankin

Thanks so much Michael 98. What's wrong with my screen name? It's just a screen name. I've been going to sprint races all over the midwest for a long time now and by the sounds of your post you make me out to be some kind of dummy and don't have any knowledge about sprint cars. If that's how you feel... that's fine. I guess since I'm a "rookie" on this board I don't know jack right!? So sorry that I'm not up to your standards in the world of sprint car racing knowledge.

From the "30 years" of Sprint Car Racing I have seen in the Midwest, change has been a natural progression in the sport.

The Sprints I first saw, were wingless, 317 cubic inch steel and ran Firestone bricks. Tracks were perhaps still tacky at the end of Features and dust was only if a breeze blew through the infield and kicked up some loose soil.

Then wings are strapped on and the 360 starts to show up.

A few years later, the 410s were bolted in for local shows, and a driver now had an array of tires to use for all kinds of track condtions.

When I first saw down tubes in 1986, I was like look at this wild looking Sprint. Carbon fiber wheels made me scared before they became illegal. Fuel additives were finally starting to become illegal was well. And a hydraulic wing slider? Whoa, high tech?

Body panels all the way past the cockpit. Vinyl stickers instead of actually painting of cars was hipocracy Hoods cut just to cover the block and then drivers with smoking hot wives? Winning from the front row, starts to rear it's ugly head as a driver will often state in interviews, "I hope to get a good draw or start up front.."

To say, that only recently the races you attend are different, I have seen them gradually evolve since "Day-One", sometimes for the better, sometimes for the not. I must have confused someone of triple decade racing viewing versus someone who never seen Kinser win at 1/2 miles and with great frequency to where a fan gets sick, tired and felt like "I cannot believe nobody can step up and pass this friggin' guy..." Apologies.

Maybe we have never attended the same races?

I know everyone on here want tons of water on the race track but at Kville everyone is a good driver with the best equipment you can buy and Knoxville needs to be slick for passing to happen. -Everyone can do laps wide open around there. Some cars wide open may be faster than others but not enough to get a lot of passing.

They run wings there so for the three people dying to say take the wings off STFU!.

Both classes are on too much tire and every driver can run the botton now so the only way to get passing is to slow the cars down with a slick track.

I understand kville track officials are scared of rubberdown because people get on here and say how lazy the track prep poeple are. They can't win either way but I bet there is more passing on rubberdown than on a heavy narrow track!

Look at Bill Ws report from last week for passing compaired to a rubberdown week. Brian Brown the Nationals hard charger and 410 points winner passed two cars on a heavy knoxville surface in last weeks feature. I think everyone should ease up on the rubberdown nights if it should happen so the track doesnt overcompensate and ruin the racing with too much water.

This is the opinion of someone who would rather see passing than sub 15 second time-trials. Thanks- you asked what I thought and now you know.

Come up and join us at Princeton, Minnesota, next month. It's a sure cure for the half mile blues. The dog will chase his tail and catch it within a couple of laps. All bets are off. That joint would make a preacher cuss.

Stan Meissner

Scrap time trials. It will widen up the track quicker and save the owners $$ by putting less wear on tires and motors. Save time trials for specials if you must have them.

I don't buy the theory that time trials prevents wrecks. Been through that with the late models and heard that argument 1000 times....it's hogwash. Same thing in sprints, there are enough draw/redraw, draw/passing points or lineups based solely on points out there to debunk this myth.

Rubberdown means so much rubber in one groove that it actually becomes sticky again and that is the ONLY fast way around. The rest of the track is slick. There is NO PASSING on a rubberdown track, the leaders can not even get out of the rubber to pass lapped cars.

That is different from a track that is sealed over with rubber. Those are black from berm to cushion and slick. I believe that is what you are calling "rubberdown". And yes, slick track racing is usually the best winged racing. The track does what the rule makers refuse to do. Loosen the cars up and make the driver a bigger factor in who wins.

The problem is getting the track to slick off without taking rubber and becoming a one groove follow the leader thru the rubber affair.

If you poll the drivers you'll find they prefer to have time trials.

I don't care what the drivers want. The fans pay the driver's to entertain them....without the fans in the grandstands you have IMCA and USMTS racing.

thank you brett for bringin that up. We went to the 4 nights of 360 racing in Knoxville and the best 2 nights by far (the first 2) were what would be considered as slick tracks. The 360 nationals finale on sat. and the brodix on sunday were super heavy and yeah kinda narrow as well. we still thought the races were good the last 2 nights........but after the first 2 barn-burners it wasn't even really in the same league. but I always love going to Knoxville that one time a year for the first 4 nights of So.Iowa sprintweek.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

the best race i seen all yr was the season opener at knoxville. it was just a regular show where the track was slick and 4 guys had the lead at one point. lots of passing up front and in the middle of the pack also