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

Is it to early to press the panic button? Only 38 cars pre registered? 

no, they don't pre-register like the Sprint Car guys do

Last year Knoxville only had around 50 cars or so pre-entered & ended up with 79 total.

I'm sure that they will probably have about the same number of cars this year, hopefully more now that fuel prices are cheaper than the last several years.

Does Knoxville still have the format that every car gets to run BOTH prelim nights with the higher points total counting towards their Saturday night starting position?    If so then there will be plenty (maybe too many on Thurs/Fri) of cars....starting with a D main. 

I think that the World 100 still is the crown jewel of the dirt late model scene,  but Knoxville is gaining fast and will overtake them within a few years.    Several friends posted on FB after last weekend's dust-fest that they are planning on Knoxville instead of Eldora next year.  

Its laughable that you believe that in a few years that the Knoxville Late Model Nationals will overtake the World 100.  Certain races are in a class by themselves, they don't need mentioned.  Perhaps the dust was in part because they did race the ENTIRE Day on Saturday. 

I firmly believe it is possible that the Knoxville LM Nat's will eclipse the World in a few years....it is up to Knoxville and to be honest the first thing they need to do is eliminate provisionals.   The Big E has a 32 year headstart on tradition, but Knoxville LM Nat's has pulled pretty close in 11 years and has momentum on it's side.   

I wasn't in Eldora last weekend but do know a LOT of FB friends that are steaming mad right now and considering skipping next year.   Some have been going since the 70s.   They will most likely "get over it" but you can't have your fans leaving upset too many years in a row before it starts affecting things.  

 Heavy rain in the 24 hours before a big show almost always produces excessive dust (King's Royal this year, NASCAR trucks last) and the Saturday marathon certainly did not help the situation, but they claim Thursday's show was almost as bad. 

I don't think it is one bit laughable. I am hearintg the same Ramblings that Speed has been talking about. My buddy today at work said he has his Ohio Buddies convinced to do Knoxville next year rather that Ohio. The dust is a lot of what had them pissed off this year (he said it rained 1-1/2 inches there on Friday and the beginning of the DAY show was terrible shortly after it started) But the big selling point for them is the Quality of Racing they have seen at Knoxville! Which to me once you remove the Sprint Cars and replace them with Late Models the Quality takes a serious plunge right off the bat.

I'm pretty sure The Knoxville Late Model Nationals was an Invitational Race up to about 2-3 years ago and they only took about 60-70 cars. The World use to bring in over 200 cars if I remember correctly and this year was what 90-100 cars?

I also don't think it is a stretch that K-ville could eclipse the World.  Before I act like an expert on both, let me clear up that I have only been to the Knoxville Late Model  Nationals and not the World.

However, I know more than a handful of people who stopped attending the World and now head to Knoxville instead--and the drive is not much different--maybe an hour at the most.  And they will quickly admit that it is not because of the drive-they all say the racing is second to none at Knoxville when it comes to a half mile track and late models.  The two Knoxville Late Model Nationals I attended were excellent and track was in great shape all night. 

I wouldn't worry about car count 2 weeks away.  The big late models will follow the money and prestige.

It has never been a true invitational,  but they did limit the number of entries for few years with priority given to those who raced the previous year.  

I take back what I said about Lucas Oil provisionals,  that is not a big deal,  but they really should not award any points other than equal showup points (isn't that what the WoO sprints do for their Nat's?) to prevent drivers from intentionally bringing out cautions. 

It has already surpassed it in regards to the quality of racing, but then so have several other events (Silver Dollar Nationals, USA Nationals, Show-Me 100, etc. ).

I am really looking forward to the Late Model Nationals at Knoxville.  The quality of racing will be MUCH better than what was exhibited at the Sprint Car Nationals this year.

More racies at Eldora are dusty then not.

I have been to both and would argue that the late model races at Eldora are anything but boring.  Do you think that the Kings Royal will ever surpass Knoxville?  The answer is no, and I am a big Eldora backer.  You cant replace the 56 years that has become the Knoxville Nationals, just as you can't replace the 45 years that has become the World 100.  Like Knoxville, fans start reserving their camping spots 10-12 days in advance for the World 100.  The World has never needed a sanction and never will.  Eldora will never allow another track to lay claim to the biggest dirt late model race in the World.  It has as much to do with the prestige as the race itself.   

I hope you meant 10-12 months in advance.  If they aren't reserving camping spots until 10-12 days ahead of the World 100, it would be very easy for another race to surpass them IMO.

Do I think Knoxville will ever surpass the World 100, doubtful.  Will it eclipse the Dream 100 (maybe).

I think he meant that people are showing up with their campers 10-12 days in advance of the actual race.  

True that time has a whole lot to do with it, but Knoxville is doing a pretty good job of catching up and the more years go by, the less the impact of how many times they ran it will be.     I think that Smoke has the right guy running the joint and it will continue to be the crown jewel in the LM world,  but there is nothing wrong with two equal jewels.    

A good example of what could happen is to compare the Belleville Midget Nationals to the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.    At one time Belleville was it...nothing bigger in terms of car count or prestige for the division.   And then along came the Chili Bowl and grew itself into an event that rewrites the standard of a crown jewel.   


I think that technically the World 100 is a UMP event...or at least was.....but I think that they only use the UMP rules now.  

I've been to both the World 100 and the Knoxville Late Model Nationals.  And Knoxville is nowhere close to surpassing the World 100. I'm sorry, but that's laughable. Anyone that thinks it is obviously hasnt been to the World 100.  (And I agree with the flip side of that too, the Kings Royal isnt going to surpass the Knoxville SPrint Nationals. It just isnt). 

Side note, have actually been debating going back to the Knoxville Late Model Nationals this year and was on their ticket site this week. They only reserve 5 sections of the frontstretch stands for this race and as of a couple days ago, there were seats all the way up 2nd row from the top still available.  I'd be surprised if they have even sold 1,000 tickets based on what that ticket website looks like. 

I was at the World 100 this year the racing was incredible on Thursday night and was good on Saturday night and yes it was alittle treachourous on Sat morning afternoon but most afternoon shows are. Davenport came from 18th to 5th in that show and dropped closer to the back before starting his attack so u could pass if hooked up. As far as Knoxville surpassing the World not a chance I have been to them both and the Knoxville Nationals and the World 100 are truly in a class by themselves when it comes to atmospheres of  the races nothing like them they both are THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL for the sprints at knoxville and the Late models at Eldora and will be for many years!       

I will agree that the 2 events that you mentioned are bigger "events".  However several other events have superior racing.  For example, the WoO Sprint/POWRI Midget show @ Pevely the weekend before the Knoxville Nationals was a MUCH better show than the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals.  As for the late models, the Knoxville Late Model Nationals, the USA Nationals (Cedar Lake), Silver Dollar Nationals (Greenwood, NE), and the Prairie Dirt Classic (Fairbury, IL) are just a few of the other special events that have far superior racing take place than the World 100.

I didnt say Eldora and Knoxville have the best racing I said for the most part the racing was pretty good this weekend at Eldora and the World 100 and the Knoxville Nationals are the grandaddy races of the year for the Late Models and Sprints by a mile they have been for years and  will continue to be for years thats not an opinion that is FACT dudefan! 

I too am a fan of the Late model nationals  there are two races a year that are musts for me thats the LMN an the Chili bowl as far as racing goes front to back they are the best to attend.I was a life long fan of the Kville nationals for nearly 40 yrs now like this year I took in one nite and two nites of the 360 nats...I have donE the Kings Royal...I have done the World 100..Gold cup in CALI..Charlotte for WoO...The Show me for late models....Bellville....I have seen alot  of races an big ones at that....IMO...Late Model NATS AN thee Chili reign surpreme above all