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

Next year Knoxville is having the 2 day Usac show on the July 4 weekend so assuming the Woo date at Cedar Lake stays the same,this issue will go away. 

The racing at Knoxville is always top notch but 18 cars is just not enough. They need to do something or it’ll be a specials only track at some point in the future.

boogity boogity

I like bigger car counts because it makes the heats more meaningful. If everybody makes the A, heats don't mean as much

But as long as fans are enjoying it, have fun!

The current format gives out points for qualifying and heats... adds them up (before an invert is drawn) to determine starting position in feature.  The more cars you pass in your heat, the more points you get.  For a brief time the format for heats was invert 6, take 6 to feature.  That format sucked, as the heats were glorified hot lap sessions.  What they have now isn't perfect (what is!?), but ok.  

The A Feature is what gets talked about by those that attend......but there are ways to spice up the racing when there is a a short field. Using a car count of 18......two sets of two heats rather than three heats total......but have two draws for position in four heats (1-2 and 3-4) Each car runs two heats lined up differently in a relatively new mix of cars. No real need for qualifying a short field. Heat races pay points for starting the A Feature. Now for even more added spice.....Invert top six in points.....but.....offer bonuses to those in the top six who accept a spot in the last three rows of the Feature. If only two accept the challenge, they would get inside/outside row seven (9 rows). If all six accept then of course all three of the last rows, top points starting last row. Any number 1-6 can accept or not. The enticement might be something like $500.00 each to accept the chalenge and another $500.00 to finish sixth to second and $1,000.00 bonus to win. With a short field the normal purse should allow for the fact that the added money isn't all at the tracks expense. With a larger field more would be paid out in most instances. Just rambling thoughts.....

Say for example that an intersection has an SA on one corner and a Holiday station and Quick Trip on the other two corners.  Should Casey's be allowed to build a station on the empty corner?  Or to put it another way, would 500 miles have made any distance?  Is the problem too many races within a specified distance or not enough 410 Sprints?  And lest we forget the IRA factors into this as well if we're going look at miles.

Another question, who comes first in the pecking order, the Outlaws or Knoxville?  And since we're talking numbers of cars at Knoxville give it a few weeks and there will be a gazillion down there for a couple weeks.  

Everyone is for the American way, free competition and may the best business prevail.  Until it comes to Sprint Car counts then how dare anyone draw more than their fair share whatever that is deemed to be.  Socialized Sprint Car racing, your car has been assingned to Knoxville to maintain even distribution for the entertainment of the peasants in each sector.  I'm LOL at my post and just having fun playing devil's advocate. 

Stan Meissner

I would think that anyone who is in top 5 for points, and draws a 3rd starting spot for the feature isn’t going to take the chance starting at the tail and hurting their season points chase.   JMO

I like Blazer 00 idea.  Eliminate time trials. Draw for starting position in heats.  Award points for heats.  Invert the whole feature by points standing at the beginning of the night.  No bonus’s awarded.  Just like the fair use to do it on Friday nights in Des Moines.  It makes for a lot better race and a show for the fans.  It also gives the slower guys half a chance.  Going to Knoxville or a WOO show is like watching the same movie a thousand times.  You know how its going to end every time.

 Good post......And for those concerned.......If you check the Knoxville website, Knoxville doesn't expext anybody to give up shows for their benefit. Just the opposite. Knoxville has dropped the ASCS race that was scheduled for the !4th so that ASCS guys will be less divided on where to race.....other races are also set for that date. That agreement was between the ASCS and Knoxville just recently. The two day wingless deal for next year at Knoxville is set for the same weekend that the WoO have stated their two day show will again be at Cedar Lake.....so no conflict there. The only one(s) who seem to have brought up the numbers in a negative way from this past Saturday is the person or persons struggling to swallow sour grapes.......not the fans that attended and certailny not anyone associated with Knoxville Raceway. Yes, today more than ever it takes cooperation to operate a very independant business like dirt track racing.

This has nothing to do with this discussion, but since this topic is Knoxville, maybe someone can help.  I’m attending the nationals this year and wanted to ask for recommendations on parking.  I already looked into the chamber of commerce one at the park south of the track.  Just wondering what other options there are.  The track info is not very helpful.

I like that too, but I've never been to Knoxville other than Nationals, so my vote doesn't count....

I'm sure a lot of people can help you out.......I'd like to know where you are staying while you are there. What direction you are coming in from for the races can have a lot to do with where you should park. You will want to flow in to traffic and not just sit and wait in traffic any longer than neccessary AFTER the races. We camped about ten minutes north of Knoxville, so I always parked to the East of Hwy #14. My father (God rest his sole) always drove in separate because he din't care to go into the pits. He always parked South of the track in a huge vast lot on the west side of #14 near the hospital. So we go in the pits, and more than once when we left we'd flow right in to the traffic and pass my frustrated dad as he sat in traffic. LOL! That would really piss him off. Of course we'd rub it in each time we arrived back at the campground ahead of him. (I sure do long for those good old days from time to time)

Thank you, I appreciate the info.  I know what you mean about traffic flow.  I always try to park for easy exit when I go to bigger shows at places like Eldora.  I’m coming in from the south on State Road 5 and headed back south after the race Saturday night.  That’s the only night I could go so I was trying to figure out what my best option for parking would be since I’m not camping or staying close by..  Thanks again.

Looking at the original post, it seems the whole point was trying to prove or justify Badlands running on Saturday two race seasons ago supposively against Knoxville. During this point in time it was assumed that people who supported Knoxville were upset because Badlands was directly "hurting" car counts at Knoxville by running on Saturday instead of Sunday like Badlands/Husets had always done.

When in all actuality nobody was really complaining of the fact that Badlands/Husets was running on Saturday, or saying that no track should run on Saturday X amount of miles within Knoxville. Rather they were questioning the method and logic as to why the promoter had made the decision. Such methods like paying drivers who lived close to Knoxville to driver hundreds of miles and race Husets, or posting on social media & scoreboards what the car counts were at their track versus Knoxville specifically. By doing this it was as if a certain individual was trying to create a rivalry between two tracks which is almost unheard of and a little bit dumb in today's racing landscape. In most areas, track are trying to figure out ways to more or less "work together" or make the pie bigger itself as opposed to trying to get a bigger piece of the current pie.

Fast forward 2 years, the track that did not get caught up engaging in childish business tactics is still up and running, still has the biggest race of the season, still racing weekly, along with other tracks hundreds of miles away that race on Saturdays as well. Basically because those tracks continued to focus on what made them money, did not rely on outside business ventures to support itself, and did not get caught up stating why you should go to that track versus another track. Badlands/Husets could still be up and running whether it would be Saturday or Sunday if the operater's ego would not get hurt at any amount of contructive critism geared his way.

Okay......after 35 years of camping we stayed with my brother in Des Moines so we left to the South. There is yard parking all along the street that runs east/west along Hy Vee...W Rock Island ST. Find a spot near the Hy Vee store in one of those yards within 2 blocks of the track. When you leave, go east to the first corner......N Grand St, go right to the stop sign W Pleasant St, go right to the stop and go lights that's Hwy 14......go south/left to Hwy 92 then East and get off 92 at Hwy 5 south. Google Knoxville IA area map..... and you'll see all this. That's a pretty direct route, plus you will always be in the flow of traffic and the stop and go lights guarantee getting into the heaviest flow. Should get out of town pretty quickly.

You can pay to park at HyVee, or the barbeque place, or a bit cheaper in people's yards across the street from race track. Not usually a big problem. I'm talking about regular cars or pickups, not campers or big RVs

If you're cheap (like me) and don't mind walking/biking a little bit, you can park a few blocks south of Rock Island on the side streets... shoot south to Pleasant St after the races and you're on your way.  You can also park on the side streets off of Larson NE of the track closer to the Northstar Elementary School.  Same deal... take side streets south to Pleasant then after the races.  You can pay to park in lots/yards much closer to the track... but I'd rather spend that $$$ on beer and t-shirts (well, maybe just beer).  

I sometimes refer to a "tipping point" in regard to low car counts.    As you point out, if numbers dwindle to the point where the races lose their entertainment value then we have reached that point.  These days I get the most bang for my buck and stream races.  No late night drives, no crowds, cats to hang with in the man cave and a 30 second walk to bed.  I haven't had to dodge any deer between the recliner and bed and every race is a big special with plenty of cars.

Racing compared to other sports is in a unique place.  It's the only sport that depends on the average working person to be both competitor and fan.  Money gets tight and what could possibly go wrong? 

Stan Meissner

I think what makes Knoxville a little more possible for lower car counts is hosting various classes of sprintcars.

Back in the 1960's-70's you either drove a sprint car or you didn't, no in between.  I am sure if car counts were really an issue they would go back to that. There are great races in the 360 class and up and comers in the 305.

But usually mid- July more connecting state cars start showing up to test for the Nationals, then the end of July even more show up.