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

Just     my opinion  ,  but   I believe   Knoxville  made   a   bad  choice  in  keeping   the  Nationals  at  50  laps  , this race  would be   better  at   30 - 35  laps   with    no  fuel  stops  and   don't  allow  tire  changes  at  the fuel  stop if necessary . But   the drivers   win here   in this  spot  not the fans  , but  in all  probability  it will  be won by   Donny  Schatz  again ? but then maybe not   as  other  teams  are  making progress .

Ok--I'll bite--Is this a joke?

hmmm, sounds like another racing series that has mandatory everything.

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

So a driver starts the 2013 Knoxville Nationals in 21^st position and takes the lead on lap 41 – and that’s a bad thing?

In 2012 the winner was ½ car length ahead of second place at the end of 50 laps.

In 2011 the winner came from 13^th and in 2010 the winner came from 7^th on the night where Swindell and Schatz battled it out and Swindell blew his RR tire on lap 47…then Shaffer took the lead coming down on lap 49 from Schatz for the win.

With all the complaining about ‘front row winners’ and such, the results of the past 4 years of the Knoxville Nationals speak for themselves.

NOT saying the 50 lappers haven't been exciting, but I don't think 30 lap features would have been any less exciting.  My personal preference is a race that doesn't require any kind of "pit stop".   Again, personal opinion: I don't like ANY race over 30 laps on a half mile track.  (But I have a REALLY short attention span. . .)

Does the pit stop allow for any modifications at all to the car? If so I don't agree with that.... Fuel Stop

& a drink of water only!! I like the 50 laps myself.

There is a lot to dislike about that part. Stevie Smith had the '93 Nationals won until they had to throw a red flag and made it an open red. Karl Kinser was able to work his magic allowing Steve to get another win. I want to say that all reds were "open" back then but I've already been wrong once today :-). I haven't been to the Nationals for a long time unfortunately but I always thought it was dumb that the B feature was 22 laps and the A was only 8 laps more especially for the money they were racing for. I always felt it should 40.

TK- I'm pretty sure that was the year when the restart cone was on the backstretch and Steve kept restarting earlier and earlier - and on that last restart with a couple laps to go he hit the gas in the middle or corner 1...and was long gone. 

Yes,  this true   but  it  was  due  to fuel or  pit  stop  . What  about  a  non-stop  or  a  few cautions  without   a  fuel stop . I have  nothing  against  longer  races  just  the  pit stops  to adjust  cars  , fuel or tires

should be a 35 lap a main, with no stops! 50 laps was great for the 50th anniversary but its time to go back to the 35 laps.

Agreed, very enjoyable racing.
i can see why people don't like pit stops, but you can't argue with the results

I do not think 35 or even 30 without a fuel stop is possible with the size of tanks being used now.

Is it time for the Nationals lap count discussion again already?

I agree with no adjustments to the cars, if it's gonna be a fuel stop only, i'm very ok with that.

The more racing the better; I'm not one of those who wants to get out of the racetrack by 9pm... keep me there till 1A.M. (thanks Earl) and I'm fine with that, I don't goto the races in hopes of being home in time for the 10pm news. As long as it's because of racing or working the track after a rain (thanks Earl) I'm a happy guy.

I am not bitching at you.  You have your opinion which is ok.  Think of it as a twin 25 race if you do not want a 50 lap feature with a feul stop.  The people (fans) voted on this about 3 years ago and most favored the 50 laps.  Maybe some think it will just give Donny S. a better chance of winning if it is 50 laps.  This has been said before, even if it is 30-35 laps you have no idea in the world how many yellow flags you may have which will cause cars to run out of feul  even with a 33 gal tank.

You are in the vast minority if you want to be at the racetrack at 1am.

1:00 am is a little late but not heart breaking if the racing was good. Doesn't bother me a bit to get out at 11:30 - 12:00 though! I see what your saying though, If they were to get over by 9:30 - 10:00 It sounds weird but I almost feel like I didn't get enough out of the show! for me 10:30 - 11:00 is just about perfect.

While we are talking about the Nationals, I wonder Does the Winner of the World Challenge still win a lottery ticket to the A Main if not already locked in?

Not complaining, just wondering! Seemed like the racing in the World Challenge was better last year with this option thrown in.

Lemme rephrase, not saying I goto the racetrack hoping to be there till 1A.M., but, if that's how long I'm there, I'm not at all angry or gonna be dissapointed as long as it's because there was that much racing going on, or the track owner/promoter worked that hard after a rain delay to get the show in.  Maybe it has something to do with not drinking alcohol at the races, I don't know, but it has never bothered me to be there late, nowhere I'd rather be.  Like I said, it amazes me that it is a frequent complaint that a show goes past 10pm, I don't get it.  I've gone to every show of Ohio Speedweek before having to goto work next day (5 consecutive) and never sat in the stands looking at my watch or thinking about leaving early.  I've driven 3-4 hours one way to catch a race when I was stationed in different places (Monterey; Ft. Leonard Wood; Ft. Polk; Ft. Huachuca) having to be at PT/Work at 6 A.M. and never considered not going back if I wasn't out of the facility by Midnight.  Maybe I'm in the minority, but I know racing is in my blood and that's why it's never a concern for me.