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

I see Doug Esh has a new ride for 2014. Good deal!!!!!!!!!! Wonder what happened this time to that team.

Could it be Dougs heart just wasn't in it any more !!!!!!!!!!

Or this just isn't where this team wants to be!!!!!!!!!!!

Or Doug just complains all the time about the equipment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHATEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congradulations to Doug and the 8H Team.Good Luck in 2014

And Good Luck to the next of many to try the 98.

Thought Doug gave that 98 car as good a run as anyone had.  The Weikert memorial in Port Royal was a big time drive.  Interested to see what kind of program the #8h has, this should give a better idea.  

any possible chance in hell,  lance takes some sponsors with him and puts a deal together with this team?  ive seen wierder things b4... let me kno fellas...

What i heard was that the owners (who have done this to other drivers) more or less lost or never really had the commitment to run for the championship at Port as promised (no spare parts, etc) and doing things like cutting the grass or being upset with a track call were more important than racing.  It's a shame because I think had there commitment matched the driver's, they could have won that championship.  

Glad to see Doug has picked up a great opportunity with the Heckmans.  Will be fun to watch.

AGREE 100% This is a team that you can not please and when they realize with every driver they have had, that they have a champagne appetite with a beer pocket book,it is always the drivers fault not theirs. This is getting to be funny. If Lance takes this ride it would be scraping the bottom of the bucket.;}  

Tom and Fran Chiapelli are good, unpretentious people. Their business comes first and, thus, they can spend the proceeds from that business however they want.
Chemistry......it's all about chemistry............

If you beleive that , I guess they are poor chemists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Different season but the same story with the 98 car. I was actually surprised Esh made it through the whole season in that ride. I didn't figure it would last more than a month or two. I really never understood why anyone would agree to drive that car for those owners. It will be interesting to see what he does in the Heckman car. Best of luck to the team in 2014.  

Unexplainable to many, but life doesn't revolve around racing. It is a hobby for well more than 90% of those doing it.

its a hobby for most of the owners...

Why all the negativity towards the Chiapellis? I guess spending $15 for a race ticket gives people the right to blast owners who spend a minimum of $1000 a night to put a car on the track. With the lack of appreciation some people show for what they do, it's no wonder they are a dying breed. We need owners like the Chiapellis more than we need drivers. Thank you Tom and Fran for fielding a sprint car and your love of the sport!

The equipment cant be too bad. The 98 was the fastest car at Port during the first half of the season until the Hammer tore up a bunch of cars, 3 cars destroyed in a month I believe. The Hammer is exciting to watch but he is still a wreckers or checkers kinda driver thats gonna be hard on an owners wallet.    

A

Sitting here thinking back over the season I know at least one and I am pretty sure two of those destoyed cars at Port were clearly caused by someone else. I know that doesn't help the owners wallet but they can't be put on Doug either.

Exactly right. The night Doug went throught the tin fence. That wreck was caused by Jim Shuster a guy who don't belong on the track. 

why is it all poor Dougie, he had the opportunity to run several bigger shows and it was him that didnt want to race-example;Grove open,lernerville woo, CHARLOTTE next week. 

WRONG!!!!!!!!! The car owner pulled the plug on all those big races not Doug. Why do you think he went ride hunting. The CAR OWNER didn't want to race enough for Dougs liking. 

Doug said many times that he wasn't happy, but didn't want to say anything in fear he would lose the ride knowing none were avalible.

I was there that night and Doug ran over Shuster's RR on the restart. Get rid of the cone or put the lapped cars to the back and an accident like that doesn't happen.

A

Sorry but you are wrong, seems like he might have been a little afraid of traveling.  

I know better than you think. I am not going to get into how I know it. I just know I am right and you my friend are wrong.