Forum: SCRAFAN.COM Forum (go)
Moderators: ljennings

I continue to be amased at how a $25-$75 entry fee is making all the car owners upset. You mean to tell me that you can afford a $40,000 car and a rig and trailer and yet seem to gripe about a little 'ol fee that USAC has put in place. Think about this, if you normally race at Perris and are going to change to Vivtorville, what cost more? the gas to victorville or the $25 fee? I see it like this if you want to save money then just stay local and dont travel.

Wingless:

1-A) Why do car owners complain about an increase of $20-$30 in tire prices?

1-B) Why do car owners complain about an increase of $2-$3 for a gallon of racing fuel?

1-C) Why do car owners complain about an increase of $10-$25 for new shocks? (I could go on but you get the drift)

It all adds up! Not every car owner has $40K in their cars. There are some cars out there that have a few years on them. Ever hear of a sprint car sitting still because there is no $$$ to run it? Heard that a thousand times haven't you? Think about that!

2. There are some car owners who live closer to Victorville than they do to Perris. Not that Victorville is a threat to Perris right now but that point becomes a little moot.

If your a car owner who has DEEP POCKETS (I'm guessing you aren't), you don't understand what some cost increases really mean to others. If you don't own a car at all (and never have), then you really wouldn't understand. If your a fan, you wouldn't like ticket prices going up 5-10 dollars would you? Would you be able to complain if you weren't spending thousands to race? It's all how one looks at it.

Bottom line is this: It is the opinions of the car owners that really matter. Like it or not, many of them are one mad bunch of hornets right now.

KOP,

Your right I have never owned a car nor do I plan to due to the fact that I cannot afford to race. Its that simple. Either you can afford it or you can't. USAC is doing what they feel is best for there operation and by the history of the organization I can say that they havent faltered many times.

I will tell you that if Perris or any other track out there were to raise its ticket prices I would still go due to the fact that I love the show that they put on. Period.

Wingless a Must,

I like your way of thinking. I am going to institute a SkyHarborCowboy Tax on your future ticket purchases. I will be expecting you to buy my tickets for me from now on so I wont have to pay for my own idea of wanting to go to the races! Actually, I am not expecting you to pay for my tickets I am Mandating you to buy my tickets!

Joe

JOE,

I dont have to buy your tickets.  I can chose to not to.  If I did not want to purchase them then I wouldnt, but if I really want those tickets I will purchase them.  Its all a matter of is this really what I want to do.  If they really want to race then they will pay the extra $25

Somehow, someway, somebody has been able to turn this into a matter for concern, it sounds to me that this would be an issue if the cost was only one dollar. This reminds me of the days when the car owners were being told they would have to have a roll cage, the fire suit etc. I'll admit this is a little different but still, I'm justwondering, why is anybody surprised that this has happened when there was no promise in writing and the national series has had a pit fee for years. Now, to address the comment "if they really want to race, they will pay the 25 bucks", I'm willing to bet there are teams that just don't have the $25 bucks, things really are that tight for some guys, since we can't fight city hall and the fee is here to stay, my solution is to hit a few guys up that are sitting around you for a buck or two and after the race hand it to your favorite team, hard to believe but I'll bet 5 or 10 bucks could make a difference for more than one team if they got that hand out at every race.

Wingless:

Aren't you the one that made this staement: "Why do the people in the B-Main get paid anything? They should get nothing, they did not make the big show and should not get rewarded for almost. That is ridiculous."

Would you want 15 car fields each week? You would be close to that if there wasn't any semi main money. While you are a little off track on some issues, I admire your passion for the sport. The racing industry needs fans like yourself that truly care about auto racing. Specifically, sprint car racing. I agree it would be much better if everything was just dandy and everyone was happy. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case.

I agree that some will race regardless of the 2007 entry fee. USAC knows it, I know it, and a lot of people know it. As I have also said before, if a car owner keeps getting the short end of things, cash or no cash, you will find some cars parked or running elsewhere.

OK Wingless you can cut me a check for the all of the entry fees for the year and ill stop complaining! I litterly do not eat lunch every day, I don't go have fun with my friends when it will cost me money, I do everything I can to save myself a penny to get to the race track every weekend. I personally have talked to several car owners who say they will not be running with USAC/CRA this year because they are tired of this type of thing. Many teams barely make it to each race every week, it may see we have deep pockets but this is our lives and we give it our all. And for those teams who do have money to live well and race may just be plane sick and tired of dealing with USAC's bull and spending money when they fell it is not nessasary.

What seems to be overlooked here is.....the issue is more a matter of principle than of dollars and cents...is it not? The average car owner spends at least $25 on beer every Saturday night, so it's not really about the money. The real issue is, or should be, has USAC earned the right to arbitrarily impose fees and mandate unproven and/or untested equipment?

I remember my dad pointing out a dull black sprinter back in the fifty's when some of the Midwest boys were in town and telling me that was a old friend and fellow racer from back in Indy. He pointed out that his car had very few if any decals and I noticed that the old truck that hauled it in on the trailer was dusty and beat up looking, kind of like the sprinter he drove.

My dad said,Kenny that's the kind of car you need to root for. Now I grew up at the track (I was ten or eleven) and that didn't make any more sense to me than when he said " Kenny ,we might not be catching any fish but the fishing good". I knew what a winning sprinter looked like and it was not that car.

He explained that without guys like his old friend who put everything they had into his car knowing it was never enough are the very heart and soul of racing and without men like him we wouldn't be sitting in the stands right now.Who would the "big boys" with the money race against?.He also explained what a good driver this guy was and with that old car he would probably work as hard,probably harder than the guys up front and it took a lot of talent and courage to wheel that old car around,this was before cages.............watch him Kenny!.... I still do.

Wingless,I got it and never forgot it and when my turn came I passed it on to my son.....hey "see that old sprinter with no decals or sponsors?........get it wingless?

Wingless,

You seem ignorant to your own argument! You see, using your logic you have no choice but to buy my tickets if you want to go to the races anymore! Since you will no longer be at the races since you will not buy my tickets I guess you have nothing more to say!

Joe

PS. I agree it is a principled argument about the Fee (read, Tax!)! Sounds to me that USAC is run by a bunch of Liberals, lol! These cars have not had radios for going on 70 years so why the heck do they need them now?????????????????

I do truly respect every ones view, however I feel that a $25 entry fee is not going to kill off USAC.

USAC, from what I understand, has some of the best insurance around. I do believe it is going to go to full time officials as well. USAC/CRA has suffered from poor officiating in the past. Some of the "bad" calls on drivers last year were from non-USAC officials.

I also understand that the USAC Midgets have been paying the entry fee for sometime. I don't believe the car count issue in the Midget division is due to the entry fee - it's due to the fact that running a competitive Midget, is about the same as running a Sprint Car.

I'm not sticking up for USAC, just merely sharing my point of view.

In the rodeo world, every contestant pays an entry fee to compete and it sure heck is a lot more than $25. A few weeks ago I paid $350.00! My actual beef is the actual justification for the entry fee is to the recoup the costs of the radios and their use! This is ludicrous! These cars and teams do not need them!

Joe

I get it, I get it.

Lets say that all went well and that USAC did not get the radios, would the drivers and owners get mad if they were mistakingly put behind someone in the A main and that person went on to win the race? Or would they let it go and take it as an honest mistake? That is the question.

i heard dave dispain explain it very well on wind tunnel, he said," racing is the only place where the clowns pay to be in the show". States raise cig taxs $1.00 a pack but people keep buying them. car owners will race usac/cra for about the same reason..

One way radios are not going to have any effect on where cars are placed for restarts. They may however put them in the wrong positions quicker.....

You are all the same people that b**ched and moaned last year about a scoring mishap. Freddie does a great job but try scoring 22-24 cars every lap and not ever make a mistake. The new transponder/radio program will fix that. $25 dollars is nothing compared to the amount of money you will lose if you are scored 2 spots behind where you were supposed to.

Like I said in another post

GET OVER IT.

Oh and yes I did own cars and did pay entry fees.

I really don't think the money is the issue as much as the principle. Previously there existed a situation whereby the sanctioning body leadership answered to the membership (including fan members as well as participants). The leadership could hold off things like back gate increases or entry fees but that structure no longer exists. It's irrelevant what reason the fee is being earmarked for. Should the National guys be upset that their entry fee hasn't gone to radios all these years? Once the door has been opened to any entry fee, that door will never be closed. Yes racing people as a group only seem to be happy when they have something to complain about and racing will not come to a halt over this. It seems like people are finding it difficult to stand still and smile as the broomstick gets pushed farther.

"I really don't think the money is the issue as much as the principle."

"Bingo" Rich! You nailed it!

It was good to see you again at the Chili Bowl. Maybe we will bump into each other at Manzy. Start the writting again, will ya? Some of us miss your reports!

Freddie doesn't just do a great job, he does an awesome job. I believe if one were to look it up, the major scoring mistakes were the nights Freddie didn't score.

Lets go back to the $25 x 41 entries = $1,025 per week x 41events = $42,000 per year. Are we to understand you to say that it is to cost $42,000 a year to make sure someone is doing their job correctly?