Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
Moderators: StuDeedooo

Well, my first race in quite a while and I really enjoyed it.

I brought a friend of mine and it was his first sprint car race. I think he's hooked.

Boy, Dan, Gary, George, Dan & Laurel , and their crew were bustin' their collective asses to make this happen. Kudos to all. I opted to try the VIP ticket and the free access from the pits to the stands worked perfectly. In my experience, the Antioch Nazis were absoultlely friendly! Ashley didn't have to worry about spending the night in the big house... I didn't sample the beer line so I don't know how that went, but the food lines on the spectator sides were only 5 to 10 deep when I walked by and never more than three deep in the pits. The show ran well but they had to scrap the drivers spending time in the stands when time started to get a little tight.

Looking back from the pits, the spectator stands were mostly full, a really good turn out.

The track stayed tacky all night and yes, the heats were mostly follow the leader, but there was some passing and some in the B as well. The Main had it all with a little following, a little bonzai and some awsome moves by some of the hard chargers. For reference, the new fan with me couldn't quit talking about the show all the way home.

Overall an excellent first show from my perspective.

Thoughts and observations...

Chuck's got a sweet ride with the new pace truck. And having a usable back seat is awsome. Gary, you guys should get some fan interaction going with prizes being a ride in the pace truck for a heat race or two. My friend and I took a ride for the Trophy Dash and the B and he (and I) had a blast.

Was awsome to see Carwash Mike, Yzman, Larry & Sally, Rob & Denise, Cindy, Gary, Davy, George, Dan & Laurel, Chuck, Amanda (damn those boys sprouted!), Troy Hennig, Willie Williams, Al & Janett Peterson, Steve Osborne and TK. Had a good talk with Tim, he's a class act. The newbee with me I think was impressed how we could freely talk with the drivers, officials, track announcer, hosers etc during the event. Then when it was over, all the fans and especially kids in the pits getting autographs and mingling. Nothing like a stick and ball sport!

Tough opening night for Steve and the I-Fly team. Steve, I didn't get a chance to see you when the night was over, but since I am just around the corner from you, if you need some help, let me know.

My mother and a family friend were in attendance and sitting just a few rows up behind the flag stand. Mom is pushing 80 yrs old and was having fun. She reports the bathrooms were clean and had plenty of paper (for those keeping score). That three car melee in the main that pushed the front straight fence towards her was the point she decided it might be best to keep spending her entertainment budget on bingo.

The "KWS feeling" was very good. A few I talked to don't feel it will make a real difference in 410 racing in NorCal, mostly due to the costs I think. But I really have to applaud the effort of the KWS team and for not complaining but stepping up and doing something about it. It reminds me of what HoserVilleCa wanted to do about eight or ten years ago. Hosers, remember the meeting we had with BK, Tom and others at Chowchilla? Well, I think Dan, Gary and George are taking that very concept to the next level and I wish them nothing but good. Although we tried, we didn't have the resources to do it like it needed to be done. With the leadership of Yzman, Carwash Mike, Studeedoo and others, I like to think we made a difference. I also think that some detractors to our cause pretty much caused the effort to fall short of what we thought we could do. I still don't know why that had to happen the way it did, but that's history now.

We were sitting in the turn 4 stands with the hosers for the main and had a perfect perspective of Larson's tumble. He went in to 3 on kill and I thought it was obvious he wasn't going to make it, but I thought that for almost every move I watched the kid make all night. I guess it's part of the learning process of where "the line" is and how not to go over it. I thought he was going into the wall nose first, it was very lucky that he didn't. I remember watching TK make those same mistakes ten years ago.

Someone in another thread was dissin' Suggs for causing the big one on the front straight, but I didn't see it. What I did see was him having an excellent race with Allard and Statler. It's been a few years since I last watched him race and the improvement is impressive.

That last lap drive into the t-2 wall by BK was nasty, glad he is ok, I'll bet a little sore today. The Hoggs were working pretty hard after just to get it to roll into the hauler. And, so were Larson's guys next door.

I don't have the resources anymore to make all the races like I used to, but if I did... I would. I encourage all of you to support the KWS in anyway you can. The future of our sport in NorCal just may depend on it.

Gary, a special thank you to you and your effort. Hoserville is proud of what you have become.

From a crew member's perspective, I think things ran pretty well. Some stuff was a little off kilter, starting with the water truck sinking in the infield, and the insane amount of mud scraping, but stuff happens.

The amount of push trucks is nice when you get to the staging area, because you don't have to sit around forever to push your guy right up to the front before a truck gets behind you, but it also creates a lot of traffic in the pits, so I guess it's kind of a wash.

I like the air horns that the officials are using, for sure. Takes a lot of the timing guesswork out of getting the car ready.

Another few notes I would make are, I REALLY noticed Dan Simpson walking around, talking to drivers and crew. I thought that was cool. He's really involved, and you can tell that this whole thing is his baby, and he's not only financially, but emotionally invested in it. Very cool.

Cameras all over the place, and not in the way. Good stuff.

Crowd in the grandstands looked to be pretty good. Way better than the video I just watched of a non-wing show at Ventura, where you could fire a shotgun into the stands and not hit anyone. I've never really paid attention to the crowd size at Antioch, so maybe they get a good crowd on the regular, but either way, it was nice to see people show up.

I noticed a bit more youngsters asking for autographs after the race. I'd like to think it's because there was more of a "Let's take the family out for the night" kind of atmosphere. Could be because we got a podium finish, but I'm just sayin'...

Never want to see a guy lose a motor, but I thought that it was cool that people that appeared to be spectators, maybe people with the VIP passes got to stand there and watch the Roth Motorsports guys change a motor in TK's car in a hurry. Maybe that's the first time some of those people got to see that kind of thing in action, and they have a better understanding of the sport.

There were a couple wrinkles that need to be ironed out, but I think we've got a good thing rolling, here. I hope the fans keep showing up, and that this all works the way it's supposed to.

so thats what is different. a push truck with an American flag! same show on the track except Art Mcarthy was worth the extra entry charged i think. hes old school. the money came to the front or crashed out like every 410 race. i felt bad when i saw the picture of Allard propped up out there in the push truck waving to the crickets who could care less. the look on his face in that picture is worth a million dollars. what was supose to happen there except Allard leting out a sigh of relief he didn't get mugged afterward. i cant wait to see the on air talent spin this one wed on the web. kotw motto we are different from last year because we have push trucks damn it! glad i stayed home and saved it for the real 410 show this Friday.

"The real 410 show this Friday"? Now ive heard it all, you're killing me.

The real show this Friday will be at Ocean's Speedway.

Whats up with Random Guy.... the KWS is trying to bring back 410's in NorCal and you continue to bash it. I wasn't there but the field was much stronger than the past several years. The racin look good from the videos. I can only see this series growing each with bigger car counts, fan base and purses. Long live 410's.

Hey Random Guy, I can damn well gar-un-tee-ya that you are not the only one who was glad you stayed home.

And... My guess is that you are Workin' Woody everytime someone responds to your dumbass trollass. When this planet implodes, I am sure you will be at the epicenter suckin' the life out of all that is good.

Please use a napkin and don't make a mess.

As long as you know your role, please enjoy it.

Hey Randumb guy, I would personally like to thank you for staying home. You saved me from possibly having to sit next to a whining disrespectful idiot all night who obviously would not have appreciated the efforts of many people who in fact are trying to do their best to save 410 racing in this state. Thanks again and looking forward to many other nights you will be staying away.

Good job to the KWS crew for putting on a very good night of racing.

If you weren't there, shut up. I was there, it was great for the first time out. Having the fleet of push trucks gives it more of a professional feel. The people at Antioch were friendly, I even walked in with a soda from in-n-out. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic. They went a few minutes over curfew, nobody paniced and cut the race short. Souvineer trailer is beautiful and show cars add to the experience. It was everything I expected, how many times did GSC show up and put on a better show? And if you are truely that miserable, maybe you should find a new hobby....

Nice field... some good racing... good track... a bit too tacky at first ... some unfortunate accidents... am I going senile??... heard a lot of complaints about suggs... but if you watch the video... appears to me that bk... started that (blank).. by choppin down on suggs on the start???

On agree 100% on the Suggs and BK deal. That was definitely not Suggs fault. Thats just racing, shit happens... oh well.

Randomguy your just an idiot. Simple as that.

Cheers!

Right you are, but what else would you expect from bk. Anyone racing anywhere around him should automatically know that's going to happen.

So did BK hold Sugg's throttle down and drive the car out of the infield into everyone as well?

Maybe if Suggs kept up to pace with the start, he wouldnt have given BK a lane to come down on him. Everyone except Larson was running the same low line. Suggs gave him an opening and BK took it. Still, Sugss turning right into Tatlton, and everyone elses, line wasnt to bright. 2 races already this year he has taken out good competitive cars.

what have i said that was not correct so far? 20 cars and they would have to buy 360s to fill the field. higher ticket prices for the same show on the track. buying 360s takes away from Civil War. Civil War has tracks also on the kotw schedule. promoters wont like this. Handy drops kotw. kotw offers to buy 360s even though there is a 360 race on the same night and close by due to the lack of cars. tracks do not have 410 racing besides Silver Dollar. most tracks need 360s to stay alive. kotw still offers to buy 360s and tries to spin it by saying we want to improve 410 racing by adding 360s. you dont have a chance in hell but race the C Main. the difference so far is the push trucks and a huge advertising campaign and a souvineer trailer. checking the results, 33 Civil War cars didnt walk off the cliff with the other 360s who did by showing up at this new kotw. why are there former champions of a new company? why does the past matter when they are so new and improved? are the two companys even related? poor Gary Thomas should be elected into the sprint car writing hall of fame for having to write 20 press releases a day. you are reaching when we give a shit about who Dan Simpsons new crew chief is. Gary is a keeper. like I said i will be watching the real 410 racing on Friday not the dog and pony show. Henry, i know you are but what am i?

REAL 410 racing at Silver Dollar is like watching the real 360 racing at Marysville and Petaluma their weekly track series. Random Guy, tell me what drivers will make it out of their home track if they don't go explore other tracks and series. Name me one driver from Silver Dollar that runs their weekly 410 show? Nothing against the drivers that run their home track but in order to get better they need move to the next level and compete at different tracks and with the top drivers. Staying at their home track does nothing in my eyes to a driver who wants to make a career out of racing or even get recognized beyond their local track. But Random Guy knows to be the best you need to run Silver Dollar, And to be the best 360 you need to run Marysville and Petaluma. Placerville and Ocean Speedway gets the best 360 drivers running their weekly series.

Local Silver Dollar driver, Brett Miller should be running KWS because I think he has proven he can run Silver Dollar and needs take that next step and run different tracks with the top 410 drivers. I feel Brett can get good finishes each week and win a few. But they chose to stay at their local track too.

Alissa Givings was doing good last year with the GSC and needs to stick with running the 410s. She was improving each week running the big boys. But I see they are returning back to their weekly home track and that not good in my eyes, we enjoyed watching her travel to different tracks and running with the 410s.

The 360s running with the 410s is a good thing… Its great to see a 360 run with them especially on these small tracks. You don't need all that horse power to keep up with the 410s and what a great feeling a 360 driver gets when they finish good with the 410s.

For Dan Simpson, us race fans are thankful you stepped up to the plate and took over the 410 traveling series. We see improvement already whether it push trucks, pr, fan friendly, tshirt trailer, etc. Give the man credit. I hope Dan can get promoter of the year as he deserve it for all he has done to keep 410 racing alive in California.

well he wouldn't have been in the infield had bk not put him there... in the end it turned out ok for him... i know tommy t was blamin evan... but he just got the tail end of the bs that started on the restart... golobic and others victims of bk's chop job... i guess you would have liked him just to park it at that point???...

Sounds like it was a very good show, wish I could have been there. I've seen race tracks stay tacky all night long. I've seen others turn into a dust bowl. An ideal track might fall somewhere in between those but if I were forced to choose tacky or dusty I think I'd have to go with tacky, especially at a winged race where the dust gets whipped into a blinding storm. Hardcore fans will be there regardless but, if attracting casual fans is an objective, I think two of the top priorities should be keeping dust to a minimum and preventing the show from running any longer than necessary. The previous week at another NorCal track was a good example. The evening started off with a near capacity crowd in the stands. Too much wind on the track (obviously beyond anyone's control) combined with a decision to not rework it or apply any additional water and too many divisions of racing resulted in a very dusty track and a program that ran far too long. It's difficult for many adults, much less families with kids, to stick it out for 5+ hours. By the time the main events were contested most of the crowd had departed. Those that stuck it out endured miserable conditions for watching a race. I can handle mud in my beer and dirt in every pore of my body but when the amount of dust makes it difficult to keep your eyes open then I think the line between acceptable and unacceptable has probably been crossed. Sorry, I've strayed away from the subject of this thread but I just wanted to say that it sounds like the racing surface at Antioch made for a much better show than the one I experienced a week earlier at the other track. That's my take from a spectator's standpoint but I'd be very interested to hear what others, including some of the drivers, have to say about this subject.

Wanted to thank all of you that had positive stuff to say because we really appreciate it. It's been a lot of work and a lot of long hours so to know that "most" everyone enjoyed our first show means a lot.

Hope to see everyone in Tulare this weekend.

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com

the one person who has nothing positive to say wasn't even there.... You guys did great!