Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: hosehead

Paintboss...yes of course I remember those people. Mel Morris used to drive my grandpa's car..granted that was before my time...but are you old enough to remember a blue and white polka dotted #39? I think the fair is just as big a deal as it was when I was a kid, but the entertainment has gone considerably downhill mostly because they stopped having the sprint show and replaced it with stuff I don't consider "motorsports" and because they stopped having rock-n-roll concerts and only attract small-time country western singers who I don't care to hear.

Bump, I know exactly who you mean about the certain person not there anymore. Yes, what an improvement. Too bad the place was left in such bad financial shape because of it though. I also know what you mean about the track prep person and I agree with that too. But the problems for Bud came with a certain fair-board member who thought he knew best how to prep the track after it was already prepped. I also agree with you that 16 and 12 laps are not much of a feature, but nobody asked me. It just makes me sad that I will have to miss a sprint show at my home track because I can't begin to describe what a blast it has been to introduce my fellow Liberty residents to the greatest form of racing. But, I have to go where my real "home" is now. And without many of the drivers who I assume will have to choose Knoxville on July 5, I can only assume that my fellow residents will think sprint car racing isn't much to see and wonder what the hell I've been talking about all these years.

You are definately needed at Knoxville. If things don't turn out the way I hope them to I will most likely be sitting in front of the computer listening to BillW and reading your race notes on Saturday July 5th.

I know what you mean about introducing LM fans to sprints (and vice versa in the last couple years) Everytime the sprints race with the LM's I spend the next week saying "See what I mean?"

But back to topic.....No point in placing blame on this scheduling quirk on anyone. It's just the way the calender lined up. I still think that there will be plenty of good cars in West Liberty on the 5th, 3 heats, a B and an A just like in the past. (Most in the crowd for that race won't know Khaley Gharst from Captain Kangaroo)

BTW, if either of you two were around WL in the early 80's when Tom Hearst was stomping them in the Morgan Trucking # 38, the owner/engine builder was Keith Simmons. They won the first NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Nat'l Championship a few years before Keith went down south.

Yea, Tom Hearst was very hot for a while there, The Morgan trucking car was a good car to be in. Dave Birkoffer drove for them for quite a while. I try to (not necessarily convert) but get the locals here to go to a sprintcar race but most are pretty set in their ways. One friend of had seaon tickets to WL, had the families names on the seats and the works as her dad owns a Pro Stock there (Norm Beans old ride) I got them to go to Knoxville maybe 6-8 years ago and I dont think they have went back to WL but a couple of times since then and those were for the Sprint shows. I would love to see 2,3, 5 Sprint shows at Liberty every year but don't see that ever happening. The Late Model roots run too deep in this neck of the woods.