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

Yes it was, and like other times Larson's determination to run the high line cost him.   By the time he finally stuck to the low line Schatz already had a big lead.   Maybe if he had stuck the bottom a lap sooner?     

He had a great year and he's a great driver, but he was 1 of 4 in the biggest races of the year so he's not unbeatable. His car doesn't take off on restarts early in the race which sometimes puts him too far back at the end. In the end I'm glad for Donny, i think he had the best car and it would have taken a fluke ending to lose it.

No.

I see Carson Macedo won $50 for finishing 16th. I know there is the provisional discount but the half story sure makes a conversation knowing 1st was $75000, 3rd was $7500 and 16th was $50.

Great to see Donny get the win. 

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

Going high works out for him most of the time.   But Schatz clearly showed him a faster lower line and he watched Schatz pull out to a big lead with that low line while he was still running up against the wall.   I'm a big Larson fan but he beats himself in some cases, and that's what happened here.    

57 cars Friday.  54 cars Saturday.  Unbelievable crowds.  And purses posted ahead of time.  If none of those people care about the purse, why do you?  I know I wasn't watching Larson try to catch Schatz on the last lap thinking about how much Macedo is going to get for 16th.  

One of the odder things about the Grove purses is that while the National Open pays more than the Summer Nationals overall because of the large winner's purse, the Summer Nationals actually pays more for positions 2-24, ($62,850 to $56,050). For example, 4th at the National Open paid an absurdly low $4k where as the Summer Nats it's $5,250.

It's one of those things you'd think the Grove would fix, but all seems to be well at the Pink Lady's paradise.

I will take stab at this, maybe someone will be dick  to me also. I think at an outlaw show if you take a provisional you don't get the to start money. You get points and if you advance to a position that pays more than the start money you only get the difference between the start money and what that position pays. For instance if a race pays $1000 to start and you advance to a position that pays $1500 you get $500 if you don't advance you may not get money at all, just points for your position. Outlaw full time teams also get appearence money.

This is correct, Macedo's position paid $1050 but since he didn't qualify and took a provisional, he forfeited the $1000 and got $50 instead.

Actually...Williams Grove wanted to increase the purse throughout the field and traditionally they would. However, the sponosr that gave the money wanted it to be on top and wanted to see it at 75k. Sometimes you do what the sponsor asks...it;s as simple as that

The track took rubber on the lowside of the track.  The only way Larson was going to have a chance was to try and go where Schatz wasn't.  

When I saw how good the heats were I knew we were in trouble.  The track was at its best for the heats and the first maybe 10 or so laps of the feature after that the track took rubber and it was mostly how low could you go.  

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Actually....the Grove should have upped the purse years ago to at least match the Summer Nationals purse. Sometimes you can pay more to the winner AND the rest of the field. $4k for 4th in a crown jewel event is absurd especially with the crowds they get for the Open weekend.

You can't pass someone if you are a follow them!!!  Yes, the low groove was the place to be.   Schatz went high in one and two on the last lap almost trying to give the race away.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Yes Sir, I'm looking forward to Port this weekend too.   Williams Grove was fun to watch.  

Attended almost every race since 1976. It was probably largest I ever saw. There was an opening day in the early 90,s that may have been bigger based upon parking on roads and little to no campers. A FB thread commented by one of the best historians of Central PA dirt track racing indicated crowds of 47,000 and 29,000 in the pre and post WWII era. 

Yeah, I meant for the National Open, not ever.

I've seen a picture from the WWII days and the crowd was enormous. I'll see if I can try and find it again.

2009 and 2010 when Pa beat the WoO like 8 or 10 straight times. The National Open that Sammy won to end the streak was the biggest crowd I've ever seen there. I've also seen a Mitch Smith or two with a bigger crowd than last Saturday night.

No way a Mitch Smith crowd was bigger than the one on Saturday.

Idk man, maybe not but it was damn close. I just remember being put in the overflow lot and not being able to walk in the infield it was so packed.  I wanna say mid 2000s  when Logan won. Maybe Krimes.

That National Open was my first big time race....I actually flew in from Colorado

Worth it too....