Among the clatter of the WoO / HL discussions, several people keep squawking about how both series will feature "watered down" fields of competitors, and that will ruin somebody's whole life. Really? Think this through.

* A lot of racers would compete at the WoO/HL events if they felt they had a better chance of doing well. If you're not a high-dollar team, what are your chances racing against about 16 of the best racers in the best financed cars? How does that look if it's against only 8 of the top shelf teams?

* I live near Husets Speedway. When the WoO/HL come through town, a lot of the regulars stay home. Why put the wear on the equpment to finish in the top 10 in the B-main

*It seems like every WoO race, and probably every HL race, features a big crash by a local guy who was racing over his head because the big guys were in town

*Wouldn't the way the WoO/HL situation is headed allow more talented, up and comers to shine? I rememeber watching a Youtube video some years back of some young guy crashing and taking somebody else out with him. The comments section went on and on about how the guy was so inexperiened that he should be banned from local tracks. The guy has since done alright for himself. His name is David Gravel.

*I think 2024 is going to allow some young drivers to do well and show off their potential. I don't think that's a bad thing.

*Disclaimer: If you live in an area where 410's are rare, both series may have trouble getting full fields of cars. That's no differen tthan it's been since ....1978. Ironically, you can trace that back to the WoO's effect on local, grassroots 410 racing.

What do you think?
 

If I'm a local guy with half decent equipment able to run top 5 on a weekly basis. No way I'm missing racing against the best in the business. I wanna see where I stack up, and if my night goes well and I beat Donny Schatz who's had a bad night. I've got bragging rights forever than I've beaten Donny Schatz. 

You do make some good points Murphy.   While I don't like it myself I do tend to be open minded and I've actually been wrong before, big surprise there....

I like you're disclaimer about 1978.   I live in North Texas and 410s died here a long time ago.   Now even 360s are getting fairly rare too.   Yep, the WoO started in 1978 at Devils Bowl and yet this might have been one of the first areas where the 410s died out...

Cannot believe I agree... was thinking the same thing 10 to 15 regulars making the show, unfortunately at Husets  im guessing a lot of HL will be there also.

Watered down fields is not a good way to put it.  I think some are concerned that the WoO had put together a pretty strong line-up of cars in the top-10.  7 of 10 cars won 3 races or more, and 5 of the top 10 won 6 races of more in 2023.  With Sweet leaving, Macedo undecided, and 8th place car Bayston moving on, I think their main concern is more wins will go to the heaviest of the hitters, like Gravel and Logan, and cars joining the tour having less ability to spread those wins out.  I really don't think watered down is the correct phrase, just less parity in the top 10 in the wins category.  Ironically, this is something that has gotten better and better, while folks complain that Sweet "dominated" the past few years.  But people forget how lopsided this was in the past, and how competitive this top 10, especially top 5, has been the past few years.  

WoO Watered down?  No.  Guys with more wins than we have seen in the past few years?  Certainly.  

HL watered down?  No.  Sweet and Rico win 50%+ of the races and Larson wins 50% of the weekday races?  Bet your house on it.  

You brought out some excellent points. Getting more of the locals or whatever you want to call them participating should eventually improve the world of Sprint Car Racing.

Remember when NASCAR limited the number of cars starting the races because they had to many wanting to race? I liked it when the cars were not the same. And yes I was OK with many cars not on the lead lap. Innovation was strong back then. It not longer is.

How many wins does Gravel end up with if Macedo goes HL and with Sweet gone...

Flip side, how many wins does Sweet get if Macedo goes WoO and no longer against Gravel? 

Sure there will be opportunities for more locals getting a top 5 but the big three in racing the last few years (outside of Larson) have been Sweet, Gravel, and Macedo. I think they all get more wins being split from each other. Gravel had to go WoO due to his team owner runs a Dirtvision track but this may prove to be beneficial for him If Macedo goes HL and he posts a 30 win season and the points Championship. Maybe the HL boys will snipe quite a few WoO shows being open to run? Maybe Rico dominates HL?! So many wildcards. Be fun to watch it shake out.

Lots of truth in the OP.  More locals could place better so might be good for local teams but if the race is always the same 5 in he top 3 watching from the stands to see who gets fourth isn't too exciting to me.  These series are not watered down. The WoO will be if top teams leave, which they have. When you are the top tier any removal is a water down. The Ascoc was pretty thin already. Few teams following the entire show and less expected to be in the top 5 regularity. For teams who ran 5-10 in the WoO, the HL is a saving grace. They still get to run the nation and have a lot better chance of finishing in the top 10.  From a fan point of view I'd like to see all the best in the same place not two locations each weekend. So I guess I better buy tickets to Knoxville. 

I agree with most of your point, except: "the WoO will be if top teams leave, which they have"----------Sweet?  Who else of the top teams have left?  Bayston was in 8th with 1 win, and was rarely in contention.  Allen was rarely in contention for a win and ended up with zero wins in 2023's shortened campaign.  Kahne almost never contended for the top spot.  The Outlaws, so far, have lost one top team.  (So far) 

"If" is a big word.  That's easy to say if youve never been there. I was for20 years starting in the mid 80's.  I was eventually able to win at all of the tracks around here and a couple track championship and a couple of those wins were against some big names... But when the outlaws came around most of the time my car was parked, it was just a money losing proposition and back then the disparity between the cars was much less than what it is today.   The top teams today likely spend more in sales taxes than what many local teams spend on their whole operation. 

Sprint Cars?  So did your car need more motor?  Better driver?  Better set ups?

I'm not sure if you're replying to me? But if you are yes, 410 wing sprint. And what did I need?  I had a good car, decent motor and I had a fair idea how to work on it & set it up... what I couldn't do was take chances, and if you're gonna beat the best you have to take chances...every lap.  I could not afford to tear it up. If I told you my salary when I was racing and was able to win some you'd call me a liar and say it's not possible. 

For Great sprint car coverage watch The Chaz on YouTube.

This is exactly what I was thinking about. A lot of the locals stay home when the big dogs come to town because the rewards verses risks doesn't look good. The local guys that end up in a big crash at those shows? Those are the onesdoing what you're talking about- taking chances. 

I see what you're saying but you may be reinforcing my point. When the big dogs come to town, the 5 best local guys are proabably going to be there. The catch is that the big dog show needs the top 20 best local guys to show up in order to put on a good show. Going forward, I feel like both WoO and HL have the potential to do that. 

You must not have seen Cory Day race, mark my words he will be challenging for wins and Kyle will only run the mid week shows Zeb Wise might suprise you as well he scored his first outlaw win last season in Port Royal's Nittany Showdown. Tyler Courtney is still undecided but if he runs HL he will be a threat to win on any given night as well.

The older I get the faster I was

You will likely see most of the High Limit drivers at Husets because HL left the dates open for Husets and the Nationals.  They have scheduled against both Cedar Lake and Ogilvie where I am most likely to attend.  Much of what you say is true from your perspective.  My only concerns are where are the cars to fill the field going to come from.  Nothing against the Brandon Mullens and Riley Goodnos of the world but I can see them at $25 shows.  Is the scenario of fewer than 24 cars at a WoO race worth attending?  By the way, I like both of the drivers I mentioned but am just trying to make the point that there will be watered down shows in some areas for both series.  I can't see many 410's lleaving their local points races to run either series in this part of the country.  
 

That 17 car field in central Minnesota where they were pulling spare cars out of haulers was an hour and a half from me.  We won't know how this all affects these local dates until they start racing.  My complaint really boils down to some personal deciscions whether the entertainment value of these races will work for me.  The wild card is my neighbors moving up to 410 and where they race, Husets where they ran 305's or the IRA which they mentioned as a possibility.  Speaking of IRA, their schedule on the nights of our local WoO races will be one thing to take into consideration.  Balog apparently announced he is running with the Outlaws so if that is the case things are looking better for our local shows.  
 

Call it watered down, fewer teams or whatever but some areas could potentially be affected more.

Stan Meissner

You're right about the drivers have a better opportunity to make more money. That is a good thing.

Maybe I am the minority but I liked the World of Outlaws product. When I went to their race, I was going to see the best drivers so I was willing to pay a higher ticket price. That doesn't mean they always have the best race.

When I go to a NHL game, I am expecting to see the best players. Doesn't mean I will see the best game in hockey but I will see the big names. I am not there to see the call ups from the AHL. Not to say I have a problem with them or they can't put on a show, but I didn't pay $90 per ticket to watch someone from the little leagues. 

I raced 360s for five years. I was a nobody but I lived from dream and had a blast. No one went out of their way to see me race (except my family and friends). I was a field filler having fun. We need people like that to show up to races which you are right about for areas where there is a 410 base.

My home track of Cedar Lake Speedway will not have Sweet, Bayston, and Allen at their race in 2024. Abreu was also there last year but he isn't always there. That is a loss of 3-4 cars. Will others replace them? Maybe, but these guys are top tier guys. Will I be excited for the race? Yes. But the fact of the matter is we will see a decrease in the overall quality of cars. 

We need drivers and teams to make the money they need to for survival. The same for tracks and series. Sponsors need to be happy. Fans need to make sure they feel they are getting value for the tickets. 

I am taking my son to a Vikings game. It cost $230 to sit in the upper deck for two people. This is just tickets. Wild tickets vary a lot but it will be about $90 per ticket for a weekend game. I love the value of the Outlaws as for me it is about $40 for tickets. The day 410 sprint cars series charge $75+ for tickets to regular shows, I am out. I feel the value is there now. But what happens when that Flo money runs dry and fans get stuck paying the bill of the Dolly Parton purses? 

Lastly, I agree that 2024 will be a year for young guns to show what they can do. It just sucks that we had a good thing going, we still do, but it will be different. Now a driver says he is racing X tour and half the crowd says he sucks and will drop off by spring. We all love sprint car racing. Seems like it is us vs. them thing now. 

It will be interesting to see what "locals" the WoO and HL allow to race. As I understand it just because you have a car does not mean they will let you race. I think the IRA 410 is picky too.

I am pretty sure that as long as you have a 'legal' 410, you can run it for the Outlwas and HL.  I have not heard of any groups refusing a driver.  Same with IRA.  Sometimes they need the field fillers but I have never heard of anyone getting told no.