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

Pretty quiet around here. I figured there'd be some talk on a few things this week...

-WoO had a weekday race at Lincoln. How did that compare to your typical Hi Limit weekday race?
-What was the final Posse vs. WoO score Tuesday?
-Kofoid is tough on small tracks, maybe his California backgound helps? Will he be any good at the big PA tracks?
-Jacob Allen parked the 1a for the time being. Would Torgerson and the 39M Macri car be a tempoerary good fit?
- I saw a clip of Brian Brown talking about worrying whether local fan attendance and car count are hurt by streaming. 

What do you think?

Well, you tried. 

Buddy seems to get around Lincoln pretty good which is more of an intermediate sized track than the half milers around here. Torgerson maybe a longer term fit in 39m than Kahne also heard rumors of Nick selling the family concrete business so maybe a full time ride in a Kahne car could Anthony's future.

The weekday are races are great for streaming fans.  I don't know how well fan attendance is at these shows. With it being WoO vs Posse, I'm sure it was a good crowd.  You can't compare a regular weekday HL show with a WoO vs Posse show.  That rivalry has been going on for 50 years and sells itself.

Kofoid is on fire right now.  He's the only car on tour that can run with Gravel every night.  People forget the Buddy is still very young.  It took Gravel about 10 years to win a title.  Same with guys like Pittman, Schatz, and Sweet.  It takes time to understand how to race for the long game.  He'll get there.

I think if Jacob comes back he might have a hard time getting a top notch driver.  He seems to quit on a whim and had a very short leash with Cale Thomas.  The 39M has already announced Kahne as the driver, who is friends with the crew chief.  I don't see why they would change now.

I'm a pro-streaming guy.  With that being said I think local racing is hurt most by streaming.  I just have Flo, but when racing season is in full swing.  I can watch HIgh Limit, USAC, All Stars, and IRA . That's just sprint car sanctions.  I love local racing and going to tracks that aren't packed to the gills because the Outlaws are there.  I'm in the minority though.  I have race friends that won't go if the big dogs aren't going to be there.  It's a growth problem in my opinion.  People want to take it to the next level, and that usually leaves the little guy behind.  Why go see low budget guys race when you can stay home and watch the "best".

Torgenson in the Moody car this weekend

High limit rained out tonight 

The crowd at Lincoln was maybe just average for a WoO show, lots of empty seats in my area, Lincoln has slowly been losing it's fan base the last few years. I'm sure you read the scorecard. Buddy is a really good driver, I remember the Californians praising his winged sprint abilities years ago when he was fourteen. About three years ago Buddy won a local race at Lincoln in Bernie's Indy Race Parts #71. I've followed him since he started driving midgets, Its been enjoyable to follow his career. Hard to say about the 1a. I'm sure Jake has a lot on his mind and in his heart, there is a big memorial tribute to his dad in a week or so. I think the 1a will be back but may just run locally, decent money and less travel.

Will have to go a bit out of order here and start with the streaming part since I basically have stopped any kind of streaming that I do. All of them just added up to way too much per year when you factor in the other services needed to stream for other sports & shows. Plus the bigger factor, just could not find the time to even watch anything due to work and youth sports which I think those 2 categories are effecting attendance more than streaming. 

Between practices and games early on the weekends, need to get to bed at a decent hour. Plus you factor in the cost of youth sports. Then you factor in a lot of people are really getting hit hard from upper management asking to do more for the same pay. Even though last weekends Ohio races rained out, I still would not have been able to have gone or watched them had they ran. I think a lot of people's free time and money is really getting spread thin and they are prioritizing.

Watched the highlights and can't really speak on the crowd but outside of Texas, both Outlaw and High Limit races seem to have a lot of action. Been able to watch a few tape delayed high limit races on youtube and by and large they look pretty competitive and so do the Outlaws

Kofoid, if he can learn to mitigate the big mistakes could be a factor by the end of the year.

Don't see any change for the 39M. I think there is more of a relationship between the Macri's and Kahne as to why Kasey is running it. Have seen the 39M hauler parked by the KKR hauler at Knoxville a couple times through the years and anyone who goes to Knoxville knows that typically the KKR teams are normally by themselves

I can see the 1A coming back but most likely it will be a local ride. I think costs became 1 of many factors with it.

Sounds like you know more about the Macri team & business than I do (which is next to nothing...) I wonder if selling the business might mean more concentration on racing??? .... And how is Anthony doing?

As far as Brian Brown thinking streaming is hurting local attendance.   Well duh!!!

I stream exclusively because this is my third year of lymphoma treatments.

 I ended up having to get CAR-T cell therapy in March and am going on month three of my recovery.  Getting scans and blood work every month and now it's been extended to two month visits through December.  I have no immunity and can't breath in dust at the tracks.  I'm not in a position to drive ten hours round trip to Husets or twelve hours to Knoxville, do all the driving and pay for a motel, meals and admission.  I was cleared to drive at two months but I drive around the neighborhood and am not up to doing long solo trips.  I'll be 75 this fall so racing trips would require a travel companion and I'm not particularly in the mood to defend my oncologists insistence that I mask up in crowds with an N95.  CAR-T is considered a blood and marrow type transplant.  The phone isn't ringing off the wall with offers to share expenses and drive time so I stream.  
 

I mostly follow Knoxville and Husets weekly, IRA and some of the WoO and HL and limited UMSS Sprints at Cedar Lake.  Streaming keeps long time fans engaged so I don't look at it as a bad thing.  The other talking points are what they are, I just watch the races that interest me regardless of track or series.  

Stan Meissner

You're doing what you need to do Stan, and I wish you the best with your treatments.   I also like the streaming since it allows me to watch the Knoxville and Grove weekly shows and I live in Oklahoma.   When I lived in Dallas I knew several people who didn't go to the WoO races at Devils Bowl (and now Kennedale) because of the streaming.   After all, why spend $40 to go sit in the stands when you've already paid for DV and can watch it for your living room.

Tonight will be a good night though.   I can watch the Grove and while they're doing the dash draw and other boring stuff I can switch over to watch Knoxville or another track.   

I heard the rumor through a friend that works concrete for one of the biggest Const Co's on the east coast but nonetheless still a rumor . I know Kasey won last night but nobody on here predicted he would get the nod so if true KKR would be a great landing spot for Anthony. I also believe car chief Joe Mooney worked with KKR in the past. But at this point still just rumors and speculation.

Your first paragraph---I went through the youth sports thing and now my kids are grown.  You're into it now.  It makes getting to races near impossible.  Over the years I took a lot of friends and their young kids to the races.  Then, when the kids got into youth sports, baseball, and football camps all summer, that was the end of it!   I could barely get them to a race.  

(Of course as you know it paid off for one of them as he will be missing this year's June Outlaw show in Knoxville to report to rookie camp for the Steelers)