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

Hoosier Fall Classic

USAC  back  at  Oskaloosa, &  Knoxville , Knoxville  Nationals  back to 30 or 35 laps  with no fuel stops , Labor  days  races at  Port Royal and Selinsgrove  ( day and evening events ) , 

When it was Sprint Cars only.

The Ron Shuman Classic  at Lakeside

Yo' Vande, the Fram Dash did pay $65 Large and SAMMY won it the two years it was held!  If I remember correctly he has some pretty big Fram Dash Trophies in his showroom at the shop.....The 1200 pound Nationals was one of the wildest racings I ever saw....

WoO at Bristol

Yep, made it both of them (Texas and Memphis).  HUGE $$$$$ for back then.  Amazing to me that Wolfie has photos in his book of a $39,000 payday @ Selinsgrove (no longer pays that for sure), they had the Fram Dash that paid $65,000 to win, the Nationals (don't remember what it paid then, but still big $$$), The King's Royal for $50,000 to win and the Historical Big One for $100,000 to win.

Nowadays, it's the Nationals ($150,000 to win), the King's Royal ($50,000 to win), the National Open (does it still pay $50,000 to win??), and the Gold Cup (does it still pay $50,000 to win???).

Sad part about most of these races today are that the purse is pitiful for 5th on back for what they pay the winner.....especially when they paid the winners that back in the 1980's and early 1990's.

1200 lb Nationals was wild and entertaining, but I think that year set the tone for the Nation to adopt a weight rule, nowadays it wouldn't get near the cars to attend as it did then.

The recent versions can't even be referred to as any type of "cup" because there is nothing special or unique about it anymore.  It was the highlight of my year until the purse dissapated, the format changed to be "uniform" (I didn't realize the outlaws were communists or just can't handle variety, aside from the Nationals), cars stopped coming, and the track became a one lane rock quarry due to "new clay".  As a Chico native I dream of the day when the Gold Cup returns with a big purse and a track with two grooves or at least a willingness to work on it when it is obvious that the track will be taking rubber by the feature.  I still have hope but fear that the current operator won't, or can't for some reason, make the needed changes. I do appreciate his efforts though!

accept the fact that Manzy is gone non-wingers, how about the Winged Western in Tucson come back. I believe in 2009 around 80 ASCS 360 entries, before everybody involved crashed the event a few years later. Admit it or not that was a great event!

+1

Spring afternoon races in Central PA - Saturdays at Port, Sundays at the Grove....maybe not the best racing but better than none

The heat races alone were worth the trip from the West Coast. I don't know if they would get 150 cars again, but they would probably come close if they kept it a nonwing race. C'mon Tony, do it!

+1 My only trip to Eldora and it was a great time!

A

Don't miss that at all really. Lincoln still runs the late-winter afternoon shows in Feb and March and I think that's enough to give the die-hards their fix. Night time is the right time.

A

As mentioned, Hoosier Fall Classic at Lawrenceburg 2 day show.  Mopar Thunder at Eldora, and the Tournament of Champions for 360's when they brought 15 cars from 4 regions to either Limaland or Eldora In successive years. Also, I miss when the old SCRA would come back to the Midwest to run a series  of races. 

It was a really cool 'special' show and a great trip but I'm glad they qiut. Someone was going to get killed. Forget Eldora, Knoxville or Belleville, they were just blistering fast there and were lucky to leave with only a broken leg to Randy or Kelly Kinser. Thought for sure PJ Chesson had bought the farm after hitting the inside wall on the back stretch.

I'd love to see another Mopar Million.