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

July 29 2018 34 raceway 

I was at that race with my dad and we both were blown away by the moves Sammy pulled that night. Track was heavy and pretty narrow and Sammy was running second took chances in traffic to beat Cory Elliason I believe. His pass was impressive. I also think he lead some of the Allstar show at Knoxville the night before before settling in around 3-5th. I was so impressed with his performances it earned a shirt purchase the following week at 360 nattys but I was sure not to wear the shirt at the Chili Bowl that year. (Not popular dress around them parts) ;)  Sammy is still faster than probably 50-60% of the guys running 410s currently. At his age I'd call that "Still winning"

This thread started out talking about how older drivers have scaled back and morphed into a Sammy thread.  While Sammy is probably the oldest most well known former Outlaw that is still active he is not the only one.  It could be argued that being considered one of the big three and having a family connection to a ride to fall back on at least part of the time gives him an advantage over other former Outlaws.

I was hoping the conversation would address some of the other former touring drivers and discuss the challenges of staying in rides that will not end up being penalty boxes.  This seems to be a challenge for them, to stay in rides that are equal to their talent and experience as they get into their 40's and 50's.  Accepting a lesser ride that is underfunded might send out the wrong message about their skills but not accepting that ride is also an unknown risk.  I think it's a valid topic if we can refrain from the Sammy discussion and look at the bigger picture but that may be easier said than done.

Stan Meissner

Back to the original topic, Shane announced today that he's done driving.  He and Kevin Rudeen bought the Port City micro track in OK and he's going to run it. 

And again, if you could read, you'd know that no one, including me, claimed that he was competing for wins every time he hits that track. The only claim anyone made was that he is still CAPABLE of competing and he's still very good for his age. 

By that standard, every driver except Larson is washed up....

He beat the Allstars 2 years ago. That means he's competitive. Just give it up....

Back to the original topic i will take watching Sammy nine nights in a row with three top fives over not seeing Stewart,Pittman ,Starks,Saldana,Dollansky and others promote or run bussiness.

Big question now who will run Bernies cars and which current car owner will realize the real money in racing is promoting. Example72,21,44,26,

Funny trend. I asked an American friend who lives in Canada but grew up in SD about husets. In the course of the conversation he said he went once but realized if he wanted to make money he could not go as a driver or car owner, he would have to own the track. That was maybe 50 years ago.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

No it's still your opinion. You can think and have an opinion on whatever you want to have an opinion on but just because you have one does not mean everyone needs to have the same, and no amount of exclamation points at the end of the sentence is going to change it. Which by the way, you only need 1 not 2 or 3 or more, just 1. It's punctuation used to indicate strong feelings or show emphasis, everyone gets the point with 1, any more than that is just redundent and only shows how delicate your feelings are.

Which by the way, I tend to agree that throughout the years he was a poor sport but I don't have an ego problem where I feel everything I say needs to be chiseled into stone and everyone needs to believe everything I believe because I'm a friggin adult. Grow the heck up, you know the difference between fact and opinion but yet you choose to deny it and then everyone else has to tip toe around your stupid B.S. You are in your 40's, act like it quit saying stupid crap to get attention and people bickering just because you want to argue like a damn teenage school girl.

If the track was heavy all night that would explain a lot.   It's when things get slick that he backpedals.   

If Sammy is as dominant in 2021 as he has been hijacking this thread he will be unstoppable.  ;)

Stan Meissner

Could be. I know it is easy to discredit wins on heavy tracks but when he actually made a tight pass for the lead and got through traffic better than the rest it deserves some credit. I can also promise you when Sammy got 2nd the night before at Knoxville during the Allstars it was not a heavy track. And yes I know this was over 2 years ago so I'm sure age has caught up some more since then.

I can only comment on how age affects me personally.  Sammy turns 65 this fall so he's still going to have one more season until he's reached full social security retirement age at the end of the 2022 season.  All I can do is relate that to my own experience and in my case the drop off has been more noticable every year since around 65 and I presume will likely continue.  I know that I don't even handle tripping on a shoe and falling on the carpet very well anymore let alone getting banged around in a racing wreck.  Having done photography for close to twenty years I have seen some nasty wrecks on tracks ranging in size from 1/4 mile up to big half miles.  I wouldn't want to have been in any of those cars, it hurt just watching.  I wouldn't put myself in the position to be in one of those wrecks but I've got a surgically enhanced neck full of unobtainium so I look at it through that filter.

I wouldn't argue his driving abilities,  He will be better than some drivers I've seen over the years until he's 80 if he keeps on doing it.  Actually I consider myself more of a Sammy fan than not but I have a different perspective of being a fan after photographing, interviewing and writing about drivers and getting to know many of them.  I'm not the same starry eyed idealist about Sprint Car drivers that I was before I had those experiences.  It's hard to unknow some of the things one finds out when they're that close to the sport.  I still love it but I have a different perspective than someone who has only ever sat in the bleachers.  I think as far as Sammy goes I want to see him retire when the time is right and not push it so far that he gets hurt or embarasses himself.  Life after we're done working can be a great time when we still have our health and can travel and do things.  That is why I personally would not push myself to do something like racing Sprints as a senior citizen.

Stan Meissner

Thanks, everyone, for playing.

This is the most successful thread highjack that I have ever done.  :) :) :) :) :)

Sammy in sprints, Bloomquist in SLM. Who would have ever thought that could happen.

I don't mind the Sammy hijackings.  What other senior citizens stir up this board as much as the mere mention of Sammy's name does?  Certainly not me.  ;)

Stan Meissner