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

no start and park this year at knoxville, please ! its a napcar thing not a sprint car thing . i bet Tim Shaffer would agree !

+1

Gary Allbuagh

stop complaining.  Others have done the same (yet people forget) when a driver change happens. Once a car is qualified, they can replace the driver with whomever they like (if a car is qualified for the front row and the driver gets super sick / arrested / appexnix bursts / car accident on way to track, etc.) and they can take one lap and collect start $$).

Rico qualified the car for the main event.  Couldn't be there so they replaced him with someone else.

Didn't really matter.  If Tim Shafer is mad about it, maybe he should have run better and put himself in the main.

Agreed..Why should Rico's team have to give up that kind of money? He worked his butt off on his qualifying night and earned that spot.

He knowingly entered & qualified for the Super Bowl of sprint car racing and with wanton wreckless disregard for the sport prceeded to go out and play in a low level NAIA college football game instead. 

so, when Tyler Walker did the same it was OK?   What about Sammy or Haud when they quit rides after their qualifying nights?

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean he did anything against the rules.

I think the reason everyone looked down on what he did was that it made the Nationals seem 2nd fiddle to a crappy K&N East event. Clearly, Rico needed to race in that event more than he did the Nationals to achieve his ultimate goals, but it rubbed everyone the wrong way. 

I don't agree with what Rico did for two reasons. First, he made two commitments that coincided with one another.  He entered the Nationals knowing that he would not run on Saturday night at Knoxville because of a prior commitment he had made to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Second, by his entering the Nationals he ran the risk of being injured on his qualifying night, and potentially missing the K&N Series event. In my opinion, his making two commitments in that way shows a certain amount of disrespect to both events, and in particular to his crew, sponsors and owner on the K&N team.

The people who get upset because Rico "chose" the NASCAR K&N race over the Knoxville Nationals are a bit silly. Rico had a contract with HScott Motorsports to race the full NASCAR K&N series. It isn't a pick and choose type of deal, when you're contractually obligated to race somewhere for a NASCAR team. Would I have rather seen Rico in the 24 car race in the A-Main on Saturday night? Sure, but I understand why he couldn't.

Ask Frank

This has happened for years when any Nascar or superstare wants to run the Nationals.  Nobody complains if Tony Stewart or Kasey or Jeff or even now Kyle were to enter the Nationals full knowing he wouldnt be able to complete on Saturday.  They made the show fair and square, people need to quit complaining.  If another team didnt make the show then that means next year they will need to work harder and got beat fair and square.  

To the best of my knowledge, neither Tony, Kasey or Jeff ever entered and pulled out of the Nationals A Main on Saturday to fulfill a prior racing commitment (correct me if I'm wrong).  As for Kyle entering this year, that is an off weekend for NASCAR, so I'm quite certain his commitment is to Knoxville and he will run Saturday night if everything goes well for him.

I think the point was would the uproar be the same? I can name a few that have done it as well. Wayne Johnson did it at the 360 Nationals one year. How was that fair to the guy that ran 5th in the B that night? Skip Jackson didn't qualify for that race. The points are for the car at the Nationals not the driver. Until they change the rule any car owner including Tony Stewart could have Donny Schatz qualify and then fly him somewhere to race and put Joe Blow in the car. The rules are the rules you either play by them or use them to your advantage. I've used the rules to my advantage before why wouldn't anyone else? After all thats what racing was based on gaining an advantage. 

Get real. All that NASCAR $$ from guys like Stewart, Kahne & Larson helps keep sprint car racing alive. We're lucky Rico is willing to risk his life for comparative chickenfeed on dirt tracks. Maybe if he succeeds in NASCAR he'll sponsor a team some day

OF COURSE we'd all like to see him at Knoxville, Indiana Speedweek & everywhere else. We'd all like to win the Lotto too

Agree with this 100%.  The dude who whined about Start and Park needs to smoke weed an chill.

It's not that big of a deal, but I'd rather see the spot go to someone who actually intends to compete.   You gotta look at it this way too, that driver that would have had Rico's spot might have spun in front of Schatz and taken him out.   You just never know.....

teehee...

You don't have to tell me that, its legal where I live!

Right now I'm chillin' in a very cool spot, legendary lair of all the trolls... My Mom's basement! Only cool place in this Godawful heat....no herb necessary

You have a point there

Life is obviously unfair at times

Knoxville shouldn't allow it, period. Nothing wrong with him running the first 3 nights even if he has other committments Saturday(every night has a good purse) BUT if a driver who is qualified for the A main is unable to be there and start, the 5th place finisher of the B main should be added to the show as the 1st alternate. Allowing another driver to start and park(or even race) is BS. That driver did not qualify! Just my .02

A