Forum: Minnesota Dirt Track Racing Forum (go)
Moderators: StanM

*Warning*- the following is not meant to single anyone out but rather state one sprintcar fan's opinion:

The "racing" that is taking place at the dust bowl is becoming a joke. More passing seemingly takes place on the way to and from track, even at 12:30 am when the marathon is over. I don't understand why the show takes so long when there isn't a full field of cars in any class... Perhaps they can solve this issue with a little track prep. They will not have to stop the show to rework the track, rubber will not form, us fans could actually see the cars, and maybe just maybe there would be more than 1 line to run.
Car counts have been far less than exciting at most races this season which is somewhat to be expected. But, of the 14 or so cars that do show up, only 3-5 cars are worth watching. The remainder of the field is exciting, if you go to watch cars spin by themselves, tear equipment up, create an obstacle course for those drivers worth a damn, and slow the show down. To top it off, the UMSS is going to try to having these guys who can't run with a wing try it without a wing? The entertainment value might be there to watch that cluster, I just hope nobody gets hurt or even killed. (I think we got a reminder of how dangerous non-wing racing is at Knoxville a week or so ago.)
As a fan, I can’t say I feel like I have gotten my moneys worth at a majority of the shows this year. I sit in the stands and watch a race that maybe 3-5 cars have a shot at winning, if and only if they are in the lead within the first lap or two. No matter who starts up front in any of the races, in two laps the same 3-5 cars have already moved up to the front, and the fans are forced to watch a mostly single file train the rest of the way. Cautions every other lap negates any passes that were made, and in a sick way I'm almost glad that 4 of the 5 races have been cut prematurely ending the races and putting a stoppage to the suffering. When I leave the track, I am almost sorry I even went. This is not a way to "grow" interest in sprintcar racing. In this case I am not sure what is worse, having a bad product to sell or not selling anything.

This is merely an opinion of a disappointed sprint car fan....I have paid money, watched the races, and this is what I have seen.

I want to first thank you for you support. I will tell you Rome was not built in a day . and also the cream will alway rise to the top. As you are well aware Sprint car racing is the same. The top 10% will always run up front 90% of the time or it has been in my 56 years of racing. We are doing all we can do to help them prepare a track to race on. The problem lies mostly with the kind of material that the track has covering it. It is very crumbly an hard to get watered right. We are also well aware of the lateness of the show. As this grows the number of classes could be and will be reduced. We know we can't make everyone happy. We are trying to build a program here and with patience and support it will get better. For me personally I would rather have what we have to build on than not have a place to race at all. Your opinion is very important and you can certainly express it publicly. That will help the track promoter and us work harder to improve. As for the races themselves I will remind you Richert has won all three from the 3rd and 4th row. He passed Kouba on the 7th lap and they raced tight for 4 more. In my opinion that was a great race. It took him 4 laps to get around the 34tw another great race. Outlaws---- no we are not and don't charge 50.00 a head either. They are weekend racers having fun and trying as hard as they can to win and put on a show for all the loyal fans.

Joe Kouba

VERY nice response Joe!!!!

Track prep IS a lot more difficult than what fans in the stands realise,,, It is more than just run the grader around it and spray water down... Good track prep takes someone that understands how to work with the surface and when to start watering and when to start sheeps footing the track to compact it.,,, It is a learned process that every new track operator has to go through to end up with the fantastic surface that the fans and drivers all want. (Just look at the dust storm that we had the first night that we had ASCS into Owatonna a couple of years ago, we learned from that and didn't repeat the same problem again),, If I remember right this is the first year that Chris has had to work with the surface,, they will get it figured out.

I agree with Joe,, at least there IS sprint car racing going on, even though it is in it's infancy right now...

Brian

I've only been able to attend two UMSS events thus far. The first being the Billy Anderson Memorial at Cedar Lake and the second being the Memorial Day show at Kopellah. I'm thinking your comments should be more directed at Kopellah Speedway and not the UMSS. The show at Cedar Lake was over by 10:45pm if memory serves me correctly and the show at Kopellah didn't get over until around midnight. Of those two races, I thought they were both pretty decent. Kopellah has been notorious for being dry in the past, so this really isn't a shocker. The Billy Anderson Memorial could have gone to Kennedy Jr., Rosenboom, Barickman, or Tostenson. How many times did the two 34 cars slide or pass eachother in that race? The Memorial weekend Kopellah event could have gone to Richert Jr. or Barickman. Had the caution not come out when Barickman slid Richert for the lead we may have seen one heck of a race. Barickman wasn't going to catch Richert without a restart though. I would give the actual on track racing on both nights I've attended a B-minus. I would give Kopellah's overal program a D-minus and Cedar Lake an A-minus. The UMSS is trying and you have to give them credit there. Eventually the new drivers and rookies will figure things out and you will have a pretty competitive series. I'm with you on the duration of the shows at Kopellah and the dust issue. It's no fun to eat dust all night and get home at 2:00am, especially when you have two young ones with you. Keep it up UMSS, you're doing a good thing!

Wing Slider

I am aware of Kopellah's track condition but that doesn't stop me going up this Friday. Long drive from home also doesn't stop me too! Actually, I am very excited to have this opportunity to race with UMSS this weekend! I know they are new organization that I want to give them my support and see them become success. I personally know Joe Kouba, Chuck Preifer, and other guys who run the UMSS shows and I know they all want nothing but the BEST Sprint Car shows and they will continue to work very hard for all of us; the fans, sponsors, owners, crews, and drivers.

Lastly, I want to THANK YOU to Dave and Margaret Tabor for giving me the opportunity to drive their secondary #34W sprint car while Jason Tostenson driving their primary #34TW sprint car. I look forward to have FUN times with them!

Come one, Come all! See you there!

Greg Gunderson

I really want to thank all of you fans and all driver of all classes for trying to make Kopella better. I t will get better. We are going to succeed. Ron , Chuck and I are focused on what it takes. I will quote Ron " I would rather struggle and fail 20 times than not to have tried at all". You hit it on the head about the young drivers, they will get it figured out. New cars will get built or bought, and the car count will grow . It has already produced 3 new cars

Thanks again for your support see you at the Sprint car races

Joe Kouba

Wing- I thought a majority of my comments related to the poor conditions seen at Kopellah, hence the name of the thread. The passing between the 34 cars at Cedar during the Challenge or Ultimate Sprint…whichever, (Which is another topic…why reinvent the wheel? Heat, Qualifier, Feature… Love the format, hate the names. Call me old fashioned I guess.), was fun to watch and if memory serves me correct, those were the only two cars on the track as all the others had dropped out, spun out, or got caught up in the chaos before a lap even was scored. I know, I know it happens; it just sticks out in my mind because at one point there was only 1 of the 7 or so cars that started the race running on the track during a caution.

Joe- Rome was not built in a day, but it burned in a night...

I guess what I was saying is the same message all of our parents probably told us when we were little, "chose your friends wisely". Your reputation will be the reputation of those you chose to associate with… In a logical thought process; If A is known to be unpleasant, and A+B=unpleasant, then one can make the association that A=B=unpleasant.

Brian- You are correct in the assumption that I personally have never taken the responsibility of preparing a track, nor do I ever desire to. I know preparing the track is a guessing game based a lot of variables and it is more than just dumping water onto the track. However, it is May into June and dust is already flying. What can us as fans expect when it gets hot? Like I said, I understand track prep can be missed just like a racer can miss the set-up on the car and that is why I returned to give it another chance but, when things become more of a pattern that is when I start to get concerned. Squeaky wheel right?

I may have come off as a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer. In fact there are several good things, but I held those as expectations… I want nothing more than to see the UMSS succeed. Remember without fans all you have is a bunch of guys who want to race with nowhere to go. It is the job of the track, promoters, racers, and officials to make us happy. Above all, don't make me sit around until 12:30 am to watch the feature!

TruthandObservation, You have a right to bitch. I don't like being out there all night myself. 5 pm to midnight is a long time for me too. But the newly formed UMSS can't go into a track and expect them to not have all their classes there. The UMSS didn't think we would got 5 shows the first year much less the 16 or 18 shows we have now. We are bringing sprint car racing back to the Twin Cities, it may not be the best right now, but it will improve. Some of those challenge races have been pretty good, 3 wide down the straights at Kopellah. And I don't think Jerry has ever started any closer then 5 or 6th in the feature. So that means he has to do some passing to get where he finishes. So for watching 3 to 5 cars win most of the races, watch the WoO, IRA and basicly any group in the country, that's the way it is, the world of outlaws has Schatz, Saldana, Meyers winning most of the races. The IRA has just a few unless one of the outlaw guy's show up and then we know who's going to win that night before time trials are even complete.

So all I can say is we (the UMSS) are doing the best we can for the first season. It will get better. It's not ever day a fan gets to come out to the race track and watch one of the best sprint car drivers to ever come from the Twin Cities. Maybe what I need to do is when Jerry is lined up, go pull one of his spark plug wires off.

As for track prep, Ron is the track prep guy for the Cedar Lake Speedway and he is talking to Kopellah personal about what they need to do. So time will tell if they get a good surface for us or not. I know everyone that goes there hopes it gets better and I'm sure it will.

there is a very fine line between a dust bowl and a track where alot of passing occures. cedar lake was one of them for their show where you could see alot of passing/slide jobs...it just takes time to figure out the right combinatioin....good luck to the umss. see ya on the 4th

You have to remember too that Kopellah has a new promoter who replaced all the help with his own people prior to the start of the season. If it's any consolation I helped out by taking photos on a non-sprint night and the dust was worse than it was last Friday. Out of the 150 or so pictures I took probably only 50 were any good because of the dust clouds. That night the water tank got a flat tire so they parked it and all they did during intermission was move moist dirt over dry dirt with the grader.

I'm willing to suffer through some bugs if it means it's going to help Sprint Car racing. Last year the track was always moist so it has to get better because I know what that place is capable of.

As far as the porta johns, works for me...

Stan Meissner

Concerning the Porta Potties, I've been told that the Township of St Croix Falls will not approve permits for building a sewer system. Also they do not allow them to ercet any permanent signs to direct fans to the track. It seems that the Township would just like the track to disappear.

Back when we ran the MSS there, there was a neighbor that I think was on the counsel that used to give her a hard time. I alway told her to put signs up, but the neighbor would go and take them all down. So that could be very true about the city counsel up there.

Signs would definitely help out....I stopped in town once and talked to someone who lived nearby that didn't even know a racetrack existed out there. I've raced there 4 times and still drive by the turn 50% of the time.

I like Kopellah alot and I believe Chris, his staff, and the UMSS will work out all the bugs just fine.

Cody Hahn

we will have a new car at kopellah on friday night and hope that if, god forbid, we spin or bring out a yellow, you t&o have the balls to come to the pits and tell us we are not worthy of your 10 bucks.

My brother-in-law owns a lake home a little ways south of Menards that my father-in-law had bought when it was still a cabin and converted to a year around home. I can attest to the fact that the Township has some very strict requirements when it comes to building and installing septic systems.

Stan Meissner

I think that all features that are for 20 laps should be run 20 laps and no excuses for a shortened program, the fans came to see a 20 lap race not 12-15 lap features with excuses about track conditions... we're all men here lets give the fans what they payed for a 20 lap feature, not because it's tricky out there.... Dave

Dave, I couldn't agree with you more. The sprint cars get the shaft by running last in the program. The other classes probably run 75 lap features including their cautions. By the time the sprint cars hit the track there are no fans left. In additiona, a driver starting further back than row three, does not really have a chance to win a race in 15 laps. Not saying it can't be done, but it would be rather difficult. I think the features should be a minimum of 25 laps, but not more than 30 laps.

Wing Slider

Hi,

I want to share some of my thoughts on the new UMSS series. First, I respect you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. You certainly make valid points. You obviously care about sprint car racing and want to see it work. I am assuming you are from the Minneapolis area. So you also must be aware of the sprint car racing scene up here. With that in mind it is imperative for the UMSS to succeed. If it does not the idea of regular sprint car racing in the MSP area will be all but dead except for the occasional WoO and IRA races. Those groups are great but 3-5 races a year is not enough to get a sprint car fix. The idea of local sprint car racing is very exciting but it will take time to grow.

The series is new, most of the drivers are either new or have limited experience. Obviously, there are guys who have many years of experience and that shows. Being from the MSP area I would assume that you know we have some of the best Modified and Late Model drivers in the country. Partly because of the money but more than anything is the amount of experience these drivers have. Modified drivers could in theory race four times a week all summer and not even race any specials. The Late Models can run two nights a week during regular shows and can make up many more nights through local specials. The point I am trying to make is it takes time to be good and even more time to be great.

You mentioned that only 3-5 guys have a shot at winning. You know that is probably true. But keep in mind this series has only raced 6 times or so. A lot of those drivers are trying their best and it takes more time than that to work out the kinks. Driving racecars is harder than it looks. The car that spins out this year could be a feature winning car in two years. Seat time is the most valuable thing in racing. Let these guys get better and they will put on a good show for you. By the way good racing can take place farther back in the field. Yea, everyone wants to watch the leader but maybe look back in the pack and you might find some good racing for 10^th.

The UMSS is new and that is not an excuse but a reason for the growing pains that you are addressing. Running a series is like racing a car. Ron and crew aren't going to run a show like the WoO in six races. It takes time for them to learn and grow and understand what works and what doesn't work. I am sure Ron sees what is wrong but sometimes things aren't an easy fix. It takes time and quite frankly years for something like this to gel and be the product that Ron is envisioning. Other people share his vision and passion and are working very hard to make this deal happen. I don't mean to speak on Ron's behalf but I take it a little personal because I want this to succeed for many reasons.

I want to address car counts for a moment. We all knew the car count would be light for a while. That is the way things are when a new series happens. I am sure they would love to have 20+ a week but that won't happen in the first year. This deal hinges on travelers and the occasional drop in by non regular competitors. In time though the only way it will work is by converting Stock Car and Modified drivers to sell their cars and buy a Sprint Car. This deal needs new blood. In fact the UMSS has already achieved that. In time that list will grow but it will take years. Take me for example. I race Midwest Mods at CLS. I would absolutely love to sell my car and buy a Sprint Car. But I have made sponsor commitments, invested large amounts of money into my current car, and have other restrictions holding me back. In time I hope my situation will line up to allow me to make the switch. But I can't just up leave everything I have in such a drastic manner. I am sure many other drivers feel the same. Drivers will switch but it takes many years to develop and maintain a series like this.

I am not going to say anything about Koppellah but I will say just because a series races there doesn't mean it is a lifetime commitment. I am sure as time goes on and this thing grows the UMSS will consider all of its options. But the first year they were limited and want to get their feet wet.

I guess what I am trying to say is this. Please be patient. Does that mean you must go every race and give your hard earned money to support something what you have not envisioned? No, it is your money and I think it is great that you have at least given them a chance. Maybe your words on here will make others not want to go that otherwise would have. The UMSS needs a lot of support right now. Sometimes the public forums and do more damage than what you would think. Again, I get why you would feel disappointed and not want to go back. I went to the opener at Koppelah and CLS. I will race Thursday night next week with them. I will also be at the other CLS shows. The point I am making is I am not going to all of the shows due to my personal situation. But with that said I would not write discouraging remarks to stop others from going.

I hope in ten years we are talking about how the UMSS saved Sprint Car racing in the MSP area and how healthy the car counts are. Also, how tracks only run two support classes. Until that point all of our patience is needed to get to that point. So as I fellow Sprint Car fan I ask you give them more time and you will be happy that you did. Stop by and say hi if you see me at the track.

Thanks for reading,

Chad Patterson

MWM 15x

What's not exciting about this? All of these shots were three wide at Kopellah last Friday night and anytime you see that in Sprint Cars you've got some tight racing going on. To me that's what racing is about and I'm seeing a lot of that with the UMSS cars because they're so evenly matched. Kopellah is an extremely difficult track for even the most experienced drivers. The 01 Modified, Mike Kelly Jr., used to race a Stock Car at North Starr Speedway in the 70's and has won some of the biggest Modified shows in the upper Midwest during his career. I have seen Mike spin out at Kopellah a few times this season so what does that tell you?

Stan Meissner