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

I've never to Port Royal.  I have watched a lot of races at Port Royal online in the last two years.  I have pretty much always enjoyed the racing I've seen and don't recall ever thinking to myself that the track prep seemed bad.  I come here and see endless, mindless talk about how bad the track prep is there.  So here is my question.  What makes it bad?  Give me something tangible and measurable that could be changed and improved.  Here is a sample of responses. Too much moisture on top of the track, not enough moisture on top?  Too much moisture in the track, not enough moisture in the track?  Too much sheepsfoot, not enough sheepsfoot?  Too smooth, too rough?  Too much moisture on the bottom, middle or top?  Too much cushion, not enough cushion?   Someone in the know, please tell me, in an intelligent manner, what is wrong with Port Royal's track prep.    Again, intelligent answers only please.

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Oh Boy, Here we go... :)

I choose to run Rotella T6 in my motorcycles. Change it every 1,000 miles.  OOps sorry but not, wanted to be the first to stray off topic..

Bills looked pretty good last night, Rams looked like they were still hungover from Super Bowl parties. 

     I hope you'll accept this as an intelligent answer. There is only one poster on this messageboard who has a problem with the track prep. (2, if you count both his screen names.) That's it. No one else. Someone has a beef with Port Royal and can't let it go. That's all. The rest is pure trolling.

There is nothing wrong with it 95% of the time if you like racing with mulitple grooves.   If you watch races with a stopwatch like a drag racing fan you would have a problem with it, but sprint car fans love it. 

Beezr Rotella is trash. I prefer to run vegetable oil, in my 2 strokes at 100 to 1. Runs like a freaking banshee. Lol. 

Favorite Pizza Fat Jack's in Lima, Ohio, 3 locations, but Findlay Road is best.. like most things on this board that's an opinion, I'm not confused. 

I think he was asking "people in the know".  Like, people that go there.  Since you don't go there and won't go there, I would think you know as much as he does about the place.  Glad you're back on trolling port (yes it's trolling, it's not telling it like it is or the truth when you're the only one that consistently rags on them).

I think I know whats the problem with him. Long ago, Port was great to go to. Steve Neal was the promoter (I think) and the races and the fair were great. But then, a bunch of locals convinced the Fair Board to let them have a shot at promotion of the track and Neal was out. The place turned into a shithole. I knew one guy that drove past the place to go to Lincoln every week ( no, not him). I quit going there because of them. I won't mention names, but a little research will tell all you need to know, just read the book.  I think winged strawser is one of their friends. I don't go to the races any more because of health, but do watch on Flo every week. Don't care what anybody thinks, I can make up my own mind

Man, one would think with your overwhelming expertise and no doubt decades of first hand experience at track prep, your skills would be in extremely high demand at every race track on the East Coast. Have none of them made you a satisfactory offer yet?

This!

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Because we have one idiot who has two user names who has nothing better to do than bitch and moan. Best just ignore his ignorant ass and enjoy what you enjoy. Screw that guy. 

So I'm not one for conspiracy theories but hear me out on this.  Is it possible that winged/strawser is really Razer Steve.  I think it's a brilliant advertising strategy.  Go on a message board, make an ass out of yourself, make everyone hate you and then rag on the track that you secretly want to promote?  Kind of like the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  It's funny he knows a lot about a track that he "never attends" and knows just how to fix it.  And his biggest gripe is lap times but likes to throw in how nice the facility is.   I'm from the midwest and have no desire to go to Pennsylvania but if I was there and had a night or 2 with nothing to do, I would go to a race there just to see if it was as bad as people (or he) says it is.

I have to say Strawser. That is the most intelligent and coherent post I have ever read about track prep. You could be totally full of crap but most people just complain and don't actually talk about what needs to be done. I asked one time what type of science or technique goes into track prep and nobody really had an answer. It was interesting to hear somebody talk about the different ways to dig up the track and how to smooth it out. I think a lot more people would listen to you around here if you stuck to this type of post.

Hell...the world needs more of this. It might actually generate,curiosity, learning, and intelligent discussion.

Yes you may be correct. I've mentioned it on this board before, strawser is Port Royal's best promoter, no need to spend money on billboards and radio adds when he does it on the cheap. He does understand how many people he has attracted to Port Royal, he knows what he's doing.

What he's describing is how track prep was done 25+ years ago when the cars were slower, not very equal, not as locked down, and the high point guy started 12th every week, with the slower guys up front. That might still work for bullrings but on a 1/2 mile that type of surface will mostly produce a strung out, single-file, hammer-down parade. Port produces great back and forth, multi-groove racing nearly every week. Last nights winner started 8th. They know what they are doing and most drivers and fans highly approve. Strawser can't see it because he's too busy looking at lap times. 

A

Awesome racint tonight. Whine and piss and moan all you want, nobody cares.

www.harleytrikes.com

Exactly... how can a guy who's never done any track prep get the idea that he knows it all????

The one point that Strawser brings up that is valid is the lack of a bottom groove much of the time. It doesn't have a thing to do with more water or less water. It has to do with them widening the track a few years ago. Up until that point, the top and bottom lanes were usually pretty equal. You could run either and keep up momentum lap after lap. But when they moved the inside fence in, it created a situation where to run the bottom, you have to scrub so much speed that even if you hit your marks right, it's like getting out of the draft at Daytona. The outside lane will literally freight train you. Now, a guy like Lance who's really good at it can swing down for a corner and make it work but the next corner, he has to run the middle across the center of the corner or up high to regain raw speed and momentum plus screw up the air for anyone behind him. I personally preferred it the other way when you could get lots of sustained, side by side racing as opposed to being forced to slide or die and take the air off the other guys front wing to complete a pass. Back then, watching Lance or Hodnett meticulously hit their marks perfectly and pick off cars one by one was a thing of beauty.