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

Like it or not Sammy has been out to lunch on setup ever since the WoO switched from Goodyear to Hoosier.   He has never completely figured out the setup for 410 racing, and his results in 410 racing the last several years pretty well makes it obvious.   

I'm 67 and soon to be 68 in a couple months so I'm close in age but a few years older than Sammy.  I can still work pretty hard but it takes longer to recover.  Every so often some new ache or pain pops up and unlike when I was younger they keep adding up and don't always go away.  Another effect of aging is that it gets harder to see at night and spot those deer on the way home from the races.

The reason I bring these things up isn't an attempt to get sympathy, I can still take a five mile walk every few days and I'm doing well for someone my age.  The reason I bring the effects of aging up is that they're relentless and subtle.  I think its funny whenever I bring this up in a Sammy discussion because it seems like a lot of fans think that because Sammy is a famous Sprint Car driver who has had a long career that gives him some kind of special immortality.  I'm sure I'll be scolded by his faithful when I so much as suggest that he's not exempt from aging.

One of three things generally happens when athletes stay a few years too long.  Their skills drop off dramatically almost overnight.  They get hurt and can't continue and the healing process takes longer because older bodies take longer to heal.  Or in some cases the skills diminish gradually until they're only a shell of their former self.  As a fellow old guy and a Sammy fan I want to see him do well and score one for us old guys but I know the reality of aging and based on that I'd say the driving career will come to an end sooner rather than later.

I'm looking forward to the cat calls because I am realistic about the aging process.  By the way, how old is he now?  64?  65?  

At an elite (WoO) level yes, but he’s still had a great deal of success at lower competition  levels. 

Its been interesting to follow the older guys the last decade or so. 55-57 seems to be the time when they can no longer consistently compete with the best. Steve was leading WoO points as late as 2011-12, and then he was no longer a threat. Sammy lasted even longer but he kind of slowed down a few years ago. Dude the same thing. 

At an elite (WoO) level yes, but he’s still had a great deal of success at lower competition  levels. 

Its been interesting to follow the older guys the last decade or so. 55-57 seems to be the time when they can no longer consistently compete with the best. Steve was leading WoO points as late as 2011-12, and then he was no longer a threat. Sammy lasted even longer but he kind of slowed down a few years ago. Dude the same thing. 

If you go back only a few short years you'll find that the best of the best that now have age on them were doing quite well when thay had quality rides under them. Sammy/Big Game, Dude/Big Game,Blaney/Big Game, Dollansky in assorted top rides, and not long ago those guys were all up front. And there were others. So why did the rides dry up. The number one key is the pay and drive atmosphere of todays sprint car world. Put Sammy and the Dude in a quklity car with the proper budget and crew and watch what they can still do. Some won't be surprised at all. Others simply have no clue just how good those guys were, and have remained. 

I'm 67 and soon to be 68 in a couple months so I'm close in age but a few years older than Sammy.  I can still work pretty hard but it takes longer to recover.  Every so often some new ache or pain pops up and unlike when I was younger they keep adding up and don't always go away.  Another effect of aging is that it gets harder to see at night and spot those deer on the way home from the races.

The reason I bring these things up isn't an attempt to get sympathy, I can still take a five mile walk every few days and I'm doing well for someone my age.  The reason I bring the effects of aging up is that they're relentless and subtle.  I think its funny whenever I bring this up in a Sammy discussion because it seems like a lot of fans think that because Sammy is a famous Sprint Car driver who has had a long career that gives him some kind of special immortality.  I'm sure I'll be scolded by his faithful when I so much as suggest that he's not exempt from aging.

One of three things generally happens when athletes stay a few years too long.  Their skills drop off dramatically almost overnight.  They get hurt and can't continue and the healing process takes longer because older bodies take longer to heal.  Or in some cases the skills diminish gradually until they're only a shell of their former self.  As a fellow old guy and a Sammy fan I want to see him do well and score one for us old guys but I know the reality of aging and based on that I'd say the driving career will come to an end sooner rather than later.

I'm looking forward to the cat calls because I am realistic about the aging process.  By the way, how old is he now?  64?  65?  

What? You mean to tell me that Sammy's not a super hero? What a letdown. :0

Sammy is indeed competitive at the 360 level, but it's a different tire.   If the WoO switched to the ASCS tire he'd probably be a threat to win again.   I have no doubt about his abilities behind the wheel even at his age.   

Thinking about this discussion and putting this question out there.  If we're putting together a Sprint Car team with all the good stuff and the goal of starting out locally and getting out on the road after a couple seasons who are we going to put in the car?  Someone who'll be 64 this fall or someone like Buddy Kofoid who won a recent All Star race with a last lap pass?  Picking Sammy for a one year deal kind of reminds me of my Minnesota Vikings having a team with some potential to go deep in the playoffs going all in on Kirk Cousins instead of drafting for the future.  A racing team that had everything in place and wasn't looking at the long term might decide to put a Sammy in the car.  On the other hand, a team building for the future with a three or five year plan might opt for bringing someone in who can grow with the team.

Or to put it another way.  My oldest daughter was born in 1975 and will be 44 this fall.  When she was was little we used to always go to see the World of Outlaws every year.  I bought her a Sammy Swindell shirt when she was about eight or ten that she saved and still has today.  That Nance Sammy shirt is probably about 35 years old.  What other driver can anybody name who is still driving that was active 35 years ago?  There are probably a handful across the country and that's pretty amazing considering how demanding this sport is.  Hell, when it gets to 95 I'm MIA at the tracks while I sit home and watch PPV at this age.  I can't imagine being bent over a car working on it in this heat then driving the thing after working on it all afternoon. 

I do think Sammy is pretty amazing but I don't want to see him hurt himself at this stage of his life and not be able to enjoy his retirement. 

You can run the ASCS RR tire in WoO competition. The RR tire Rule is the H15, W18, H20 or Medium tire. LR is either the H12 or H15 tire.

ASCS tire rule is Medium or Hard Hoosier on the RR, and open on the left as long as it is a Hoosier.

A lot of guys that run 410 stuff are running the H tires on the LR anyway for 360 shows because that is what they have and are used to. The only real difference between the H LR tires and the RC, RD, or D series LR tires is the sidewall. I ran 1 more pound of air in the LR tire with the H series tires over the RC, RD, or D series tires. 

If the tires truly were the issue, I would imagine they already had tried running the ASCS RR tire with the WoO. 

That sucks.  Sammy looked pretty decent in the ride too.  Hoping he can find a good ride for Knoxville in August.  He looked fairly decent there on Satuday night last weekend, and was hard charger at Beaver Dam.  

I do not know how Sammy could have driven any harder than he did at Knoxville.  He was on cushion and never lifted.  I would guess car is down about 25 HP but Sammy did all he could do.  Time trials can kill you if down a few HP.

You all seem to forget last year, in the same car (diff #) his first four nights out he was 10th, 6th, 2nd then 1st. Yes it was against the All Stars but doesn't matter.  He can still drive and he shows it time after time.  He also hopped in the 39, last year I believe, but they broke that night.  At his age, he can still get it done. 

Interesting.   Just curious, but has that been the rule since the switch from Goodyear or did it change more recently?   

Interesting.   Just curious, but has that been the rule since the switch from Goodyear or did it change more recently?   

Like it or not Sammy has been out to lunch on setup ever since the WoO switched from Goodyear to Hoosier.   He has never completely figured out the setup for 410 racing, and his results in 410 racing the last several years pretty well makes it obvious.   

Sorry Dryslick, but I compelled to call BULLSH!T every time I see the Sammy 'never figured out the Hoosier tires' thing.

1. he figured out everything else in 40 years - including many tire brands/changes/compounds. The last one did him in? I don't think so

2. me thinks he likely wasn't a big fan of the last iteration of Goodyears - and he wasn't alone

His results in 410 racing 'over the last several years' are because he added 'several years' to his age.

Disclaimer: I've never been a big Sammy fan. But there's no denying he was one of the best.

And that big scratch on the rear door of the otherwise Sammy Swindell spotless Old Milwaukee trailer ?- I helped put that on there. Me and a crew member dropped the spare chassis while trying to unload it from the roof.

Remember those days? - when they did have a spare car - after assembling it from scratch in a motel parking lot.