I will continue to support the IRA as I feel they put a good product on the track and a entertaining show. Instead of focusing on Balog look at your point leader Jeremy Sherman who is a rookie in the 410 ranks and has yet to finish outside the top 10 and majority have been top 5 finishes. Could he be the one to take on Balog in the future? While the 80k has been a little wild he can win any given night and given the right circumstances Neitzel and Reinke can still get the job done. Everyone should just be happy we have a solid group of racers in WI to support 410 winged sprint cars as you can see in other parts of the country they are not nearly as lucky as we are.
Every feature won't be as good as the one last Saturday but that is the way it goes. I don't care where you go watch your next race as long as it is supporting local dirt tracks.
Posted By: WIsprinter on June 17 2013 at 09:09:17 AM
I will continue to support the IRA as I feel they put a good product on the track and a entertaining show. Instead of focusing on Balog look at your point leader Jeremy Sherman who is a rookie in the 410 ranks and has yet to finish outside the top 10 and majority have been top 5 finishes. Could he be the one to take on Balog in the future? While the 80k has been a little wild he can win any given night and given the right circumstances Neitzel and Reinke can still get the job done. Everyone should just be happy we have a solid group of racers in WI to support 410 winged sprint cars as you can see in other parts of the country they are not nearly as lucky as we are.
Every feature won't be as good as the one last Saturday but that is the way it goes. I don't care where you go watch your next race as long as it is supporting local dirt tracks.
I agree with all you say, except one minor correction.. It is Jeremy Schultz, not Sherman
Posted By: WIsprinter on June 17 2013 at 09:09:17 AM
I will continue to support the IRA as I feel they put a good product on the track and a entertaining show. Instead of focusing on Balog look at your point leader Jeremy Sherman who is a rookie in the 410 ranks and has yet to finish outside the top 10 and majority have been top 5 finishes. Could he be the one to take on Balog in the future? While the 80k has been a little wild he can win any given night and given the right circumstances Neitzel and Reinke can still get the job done. Everyone should just be happy we have a solid group of racers in WI to support 410 winged sprint cars as you can see in other parts of the country they are not nearly as lucky as we are.
Every feature won't be as good as the one last Saturday but that is the way it goes. I don't care where you go watch your next race as long as it is supporting local dirt tracks.
Oh dont get me wrong. Im at every IRA show for the reason you posted. I am very thankful to have a series like the IRA in WI. I was just saying that I have heard from multiple fans that they wont be coming back for a while. Jeremy Schultz is having a spectacular year! Although this isnt his "rookie" season in a 410 as he has turned laps with the IRA at least the past 2 years to get his feet wet.
There's a lot of stuff I'd like to touch on in this thread, but for now the 1 thing I'd like to point out is that until they experienced setbacks, Reinke & Kertscher were in the mix to win that race. Tommy Sexton really made an impression too. The IRA is doing very well this year IMO. Lots of great, close races so far.
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Balog definatly running well. Plenty of IRA cars were fast saturday night not just Balog. 80K was fast but again tore it up. 02 fast but droped out. Didnt anyone notice the 2W was going forward until contact with the 02 not going on a restart seemed to end his charge. At one point he was to 3rd from 13th I beleive. And the 5J is consistant right now and he has the help of a former IRA champ I beleive a good season is in the works for the IRA. IRA needs less support classes to move show along like they did Saturday night, that alone would help their fill the grandstands
This message was edited on
June 17, 2013 at
01:12:02 PM by BIGFISH
Reply to:
Posted By: WIsprinter on June 17 2013 at 09:29:10 AM
Thanks for the clarification, must have had AZ nonwingers on my mind this morning.
If you know about Sherman, then you know many of the same things that are being said about Balog were said about Sherman when he was winning so many races and championships at Manzy....He certainly was one of the racer's who came to my mind as I was writing my post on this thread.
Balog definatly running well. Plenty of IRA cars were fast saturday night not just Balog. 80K was fast but again tore it up. 02 fast but droped out. Didnt anyone notice the 2W was going forward until contact with the 02 not going on a restart seemed to end his charge. At one point he was to 3rd from 13th I beleive. And the 5J is consistant right now and he has the help of a former IRA champ I beleive a good season is in the works for the IRA. IRA needs less support classes to move show along like they did Saturday night, that alone would help their fill the grandstands
4BFan
Less support classes is a big thing. I know that if I hear any complaints sitting in the stands, it is because there is to much 'other' stuff going on..I.E. support classes. I understand that the back gate helps pay the purse, but there has to be a point at which you say "we have to please the people that pay the bump in ticket cost, to keep them coming"
Posted By: racingfish on June 17 2013 at 08:29:44 AM
You are so correct, I used to love watchin NAPCAR. I gave up watchin it because all it is is the jimmie and kyle show. Its like the other 41 drivers aren't there. The IRA is slowly moving that way also. Yeah they will pull in a couple travelers for outside the area, but for the most part all the IRA has become is the Bill Balog appreciation tour. Thats why this weekend Im gonna drive 11 hours to River Cities to watch an outstanding race instead of the 45min drive to Oshkosh to watch Balog win. Its only time before more people start thinkin this way also.
You go and watch races elsewhere, it is thinking like this that will drive the IRA away. Be thankful we have something to go and watch. Maybe the other teams need to step it up, shit and get off the pot, and better their 'driver, equipment, crew chief' whatever it takes, to approach the level Balog is at. People bitch about the one sidedness of it all now, but if they went away, we would be bitching because there are no Sprint races without having to drive a half a day away. Not me. I like what we've got, one sided or not.
Posted By: maddog53 on June 17 2013 at 02:01:18 PM
Less support classes is a big thing. I know that if I hear any complaints sitting in the stands, it is because there is to much 'other' stuff going on..I.E. support classes. I understand that the back gate helps pay the purse, but there has to be a point at which you say "we have to please the people that pay the bump in ticket cost, to keep them coming"
The thing you have to remember is the IRA is special event for most tracks and the IRA will come to XYZ Speedway once or twice a year. Usually the main class at XYZ Speedway is given the night off or to run elsewhere when the IRA is there. If you really looked at the IRA schedule there is a reason the IRA runs certain tracks on certain dates as for example last Saturday night there was going to be a big late model show at Beaver Dam so Plymouth had no late models Saturday. So that usually leaves the other regular classes plus the IRA for the night. I know us sprint car fans are there for sprint cars but face it the local fans and family of those local racers love watching their regular weekly drivers plus many more fans come out that one night the IRA is there because they only get to see sprint cars 1 or 2 times a year.
I think over all Steve does a great job working with the tracks to get the IRA to run first or second but some times the IRA has zero input on when they run.
I've been following the IRA since the late 60's and I'll continue to support them because they put on a good show with competetive races. Are the drivers on the same level as the All Stars or WOO? Absolutely not but they don't spend the same type of money either. The IRA raced at Waukegan, Lake Geneva, Hales Corners, Cedarberg, Santa Fe but those tracks are all strip malls today. If you don't support the IRA, sprint car racing in this part of the country will be completely gone and then you'll really have someting to complain about!
I've been following the IRA since the late 60's and I'll continue to support them because they put on a good show with competetive races. Are the drivers on the same level as the All Stars or WOO? Absolutely not but they don't spend the same type of money either. The IRA raced at Waukegan, Lake Geneva, Hales Corners, Cedarberg, Santa Fe but those tracks are all strip malls today. If you don't support the IRA, sprint car racing in this part of the country will be completely gone and then you'll really have someting to complain about!
that last sentence really says it all!
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Posted By: racingfish on June 16 2013 at 09:13:38 AM
If anything it shows that he is running T.C. When tony got around him he was walkin away from Balog, then all of the sudden Balog comes on like a freight train running the same line. He can only do this at an IRA show, if he runs somewhere else where Im guessin T.C. is better policed, like the Oulaws, he looks like complete dog crap. Other than that yeah it was an awesome show, cant get any better than that can't beat an all sprint show.
Hoping Kyle Larson will be able to run Friday night! Either way it should be a good show. Only been to that track once but it was fast. I think I'm gonna try to sit up on that hill above 3 & 4 that looks kinda scary.
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Posted By: Stealth87 on June 17 2013 at 09:23:52 AM
Oh dont get me wrong. Im at every IRA show for the reason you posted. I am very thankful to have a series like the IRA in WI. I was just saying that I have heard from multiple fans that they wont be coming back for a while. Jeremy Schultz is having a spectacular year! Although this isnt his "rookie" season in a 410 as he has turned laps with the IRA at least the past 2 years to get his feet wet.
It's considered his "rookie" season because he has never raced more than 4 shows a season with the IRA. He is a contender for Rookie of the Year this season as he is doing at least 75% of the shows.
I expect nothing less from him than the job he's doing. All you're doing is taking a 360 champion and handing him a bigger motor. He better do as well as he is.
I loved Saturdays show! The only thing I would change is walking past Tony Stewart in the pits with my god damn cheeseburger hanging out of my mouth.
Posted By: larryitis on June 17 2013 at 10:45:27 PM
I love that they weren't running mufflers.
Awesome race!
Though I have never seen Balog race in person, I am very familiar with his name and numerous wins and championships, with that said that has got to be one of his career highlights running wheel to wheel with smoke trading sliders and such. It would be one of mine.
Posted By: PitChick on June 18 2013 at 12:30:13 AM
It's considered his "rookie" season because he has never raced more than 4 shows a season with the IRA. He is a contender for Rookie of the Year this season as he is doing at least 75% of the shows.
I expect nothing less from him than the job he's doing. All you're doing is taking a 360 champion and handing him a bigger motor. He better do as well as he is.
I loved Saturdays show! The only thing I would change is walking past Tony Stewart in the pits with my god damn cheeseburger hanging out of my mouth.
Well he has raced more than 4 shows in previous seasons with the IRA. But I am glad that he is leading the points while running for ROTY. He is having a great year!
