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

I have sixty three years of upper Midwest racing.  I think that I have a pretty good idea of what to expect after all those years and going through the splits in 1989 and 2006.  Good point though, HL didn't schedule against the high paying shows in the upper Midwest.  Just the one that I'm most likely to attend.  Can we just admit that everyone is not excited by the repercussions of the High Limit series?  It's ironic to be scolded on a Sprint Car forum for wanting the best possible show to roll through our area.   It isn't in my job description as a fan to negotiate a peace treaty between sanctions.  The only research I need to do is to look and see that there is a pissing match in Sprint Car racing that will hurt fans in some areas in the sense that their favorites won't be with the Outlaws.  I say that because I like those drivers and not because I dislike any sanction.  Rico, Brad, Jacob and Kasey all have a lot of fans that will miss them this year.  In my book that and whatever politics you refer to are both a negative if that is what happened.  
 

It's OK to like the High Limit concept, have watched all of their weeknight races and still not be happy about it having a negative effect on fans in some cases.  I just happen to live in one of those of places that High Limit felt was OK to schedule against.
I'm never going to like that move after they assured everyone last year that they were just a little 'ol midweek deal.  

I am an outsider and be truly honest with yourself. The Allstars were dying. Tony would not have sold it if it was not. Only 2 drivers were able to run the entire series last year (Windom and Morrell) The rest were either replaced or missed time because they were injured. Only a handful of teams ran the entire year. Look at the last 3 years of the series. That is why the championship was based on owner points not driver. Now a series like the FAST series has a chance to grow.

Here we go again.

Please answer this question honestly: do you guys really believe that Tony Stewart would not have sold the All Stars to someone else had Brad and Kyle not expressed an interest? Seriously?

Who knows who would have came along and bought it - and what they would have done to it? Does the name Guy Webb ring a bell to any of you.

You guys act like they went in there and held a gun to Tony's head to make the sale.

You're running out of reasons to bash HL. This one has gotten old.

I can only speak from my experiences as a latemodel fan that watched the growth of 2 seperate national tours the last 20 years, it will be ok. In the end it comes down to the quality of race for me. You can give me the best drivers there are at the best track, but if the racing sucks it is diappointing. I am blessed to live in the central midwest and have the pleasure to attend both series multiple times at multiple venues. 

In the latemodel ranks I have witnessed drivers go from one series to the next and back again. Drivers have won chapionships with both and rookie of the years with both. Tracks have flipped from one series to the other and back again. Perfect example Deer Creek's (maybe in your area) Gopher 50 is back to outlaws this year after being Lucas Oil past couple of years. This race was outlaws before that.

Point being don't be surprised in the near future tracks in your area having both HL and outlaw shows.

Guessing why some tracks were not renewed by HL or WoO is just guessing. Money, dates, track management changing their mind, willingness to sign a different contract, etc. could be many things resulting in tracks or sanctioning bodies not renewing. Some folks will just blame HL or WoO because it fits their agenda. Go to the races or stream them, maybe both!

It's not guessing though.  SLS told Wilmot that if they booked HL, then they would lose their outlaw date.  Scott Boyd from SLS also owns Beaver Dam Raceway, so they will never get a HL race there. What other tracks in WI could have hosted a HL show?  Plymouth, maybe Dodge County, 141 or maybe Angell Park??  Ok, but in order to do so, you would 100% need the cooperation of the IRA, otherwise you would never get enough cars.  That would put the IRA in a tough spot as they used to race at Beaver Dam quite a bit in the past.  If the IRA decided to work with high limit, that would essentially burn a bridge with SLS/Scott Boyd.  Tough spot to be in.

Also, pretty sure that Scott Boyd and Kasey Kahne have had a long partnership, especially with Scott's business Karavan Trailers sponsoring the KKR 9 for many years.  Guess that relationship has gone sour as Karavan seems to have jumped ship from KKR to JJR for 2024.  Wonder why?  

It's not guessing though.  SLS told Wilmot that if they booked HL, then they would lose their outlaw date.  Scott Boyd from SLS also owns Beaver Dam Raceway, so they will never get a HL race there. What other tracks in WI could have hosted a HL show?  Plymouth, maybe Dodge County, 141 or maybe Angell Park??  Ok, but in order to do so, you would 100% need the cooperation of the IRA, otherwise you would never get enough cars.  That would put the IRA in a tough spot as they used to race at Beaver Dam quite a bit in the past.  If the IRA decided to work with high limit, that would essentially burn a bridge with SLS/Scott Boyd.  Tough spot to be in.

Also, pretty sure that Scott Boyd and Kasey Kahne have had a long partnership, especially with Scott's business Karavan Trailers sponsoring the KKR 9 for many years.  Guess that relationship has gone sour as Karavan seems to have jumped ship from KKR to JJR for 2024.  Wonder why?  

Only two drivers endured the Ascoc season. Evidence that the woo is smart in signing in teams and paying them to be part of their entire travelling entertainment package.  If there was an incentive to endure the Ascoc more would have.   Same will happen to the HL. They will not be able to guarantee cars and that's probably why they aren't going into these markets people are mentioning.
 

what is the incentive to race as a HL in the 3rd season. Can they give away more of their business each season? I know that answer is NO! 

Looks like we have an imposter here... spelled differently from the real "Rod in Canada"

Can't type or spell either....

Rico posted this on twitter:

We’re in a fantastic time in sprint car racing and I still see negativity and closed mindedness. Our sport is on a legit path for growth and all we have to do is embrace the challenge in front of us. We all can have a role to play in this. If we really look close an opportunity has taken shape for so many people. We have race tracks that have two legit series to market major crown jewel events. They can utilize these two sanctioning body’s to create competitiveness and uniqueness in how they promote races. Through this balance they can ELEVATE their schedules they’ve created. We have a 5 X World of Outlaw Champion that has found a way to ELEVATE his position as a racer and become a series owner. We have a pit reporter that’s found his way to becoming an announcer and ELEVATE his career to the next level. We have racers staying with the brand they love and pursuing life long dreams driven by the core goals they set to be a World of Outlaw Champion so they can ELEVATE their brands and achieve greatness with their car owners, crews members and sponsors. We have teams signing up for a startup series that offers unique transparency, an innovative ideas for charter ownership and a fair format to gain those opportunities. The hope is a stronger ability to acquire capital to help pay for the overhead of a race team. This chance is a clear opportunity to ELEVATE one’s team compared to any previous model. We have two sanctioning body’s in a direct competition for fans, drivers, employees and events. In the end the fans are guaranteed a better and more ELEVATED product. Competition exists in every part of our society. Through the increased activity in our sport. There is going to be a need for more marketing, more employees, more services required to support all of this. That’s more jobs that will require ELEVATING individuals to the next position. I could go on and on about the opportunities I see opening up for people. The event growth at tracks. The increased local action at new tracks. The increased purses. The strong involvement that streaming is and will have on our sport. The motivated individuals behind closed doors to work towards creating an incredible experience for the fan and viewer. We are in an exciting time and to pick a side and truly wish for the others failure is sad to see. I can only speak for myself and my team. We will be running the schedule we run because we believe it’s best for us and our partners. But as I say that I see the growth and competition all over. I see multiple paths teams can take that have value and opportunity. No matter the event I’m at I refuse to be apart of the negativity. I will be apart of the growth in this industry. When we show up to the track it will be with respect and integrity to the officials and sanctioning body. It will be with excitement to engage with our fans, interact with new ones and enjoy the people who chose to be with us at the track. When our car rolls on the track we will do our best to race hard, race clean and try to win. I’m excited to get 2024 rolling and together ELEVATE our sport to the next level!!!

Merry Christmas Fird96. And everyone else also.

I wrote and took photos for a racing paper and my home track was Cedar Lake, the home of the USA Nationals.  I have spent the whole four days staying in the campground and howling at the moon with the Late Model photographers.  Likewise the Gopher 50 when it was still being held at Owatonna.  Met a lot of drivers and interviewed some of them as well.  I try not to mention that on this board or they might run me out of here.  

Rico is obviously just a Flo puppet!

LOL..You guys may need to go re-read Rico's post.   Elevate everyone does not mean taking pot shots at the other group.   It does not mean bitching about schedules.   It does not mean to complain about the end of the All-Stars.

It means to Elevate.   When the Outlaws are nearby, go watch an Outlaw show and enjoy it.   When a High Limit show is nearby, go watch a High Limit show and enjoy it.   When talking to fans, try to find the good things of both series not the short comings.   

I don't think anybody put a gun to Tony's head. Maybe he just keeps it and runs it if nobody else made an offer, I wasn't aware there was an urgency to sell. And I'm not "bashing" anyone as I don't deal in things that aren't facts. My mother in law told me she "didn't believe" the top 1% of wage earners in this country pay 40% of the federal taxes. Cool.....except it's a fact and facts don't care about your feelings. The facts are that Byle bought the series, kept the best parts of it, fucked over a bunch of promoters that don't get ASCOC shows any longer and tossed the history of the series in the garbage. And then Rico comes along and says "let's just forget it and all try and get along". What would anyone expect one of the three amigos to say?