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

My first time ever to Williams Grove and really enjoyed it. The racing was great and the Bricker's fries were awesome.

I must say though, not having Sammy racing really takes a little away from the Outlaws. Yes I know he has over the years not alwys followed the whole tour, but not having him at a big show was not the same.

My 2nd sprint car race ever & first big one was when Sammy won National Open a few years ago. Now I'm hooked....

I bet if you ask 90% of people, they will say they didn't miss him or really even notice he wasn't there

Sammy Always, Always, was the focus of attention at the big shows.....

For those of us who lived through his era, it will be a big adjustment, not only to lose him, but also Steve. They, along with Wolfgang, were always the ones to watch, and I always looked forward to seeing them race...to see what legendary thing they would do next.....and hope I was there to witness it....

Let's see who stands out now, who emerges from the shadow of Steve and Sammy...which personalities will shape the sport going forward.....Schatz is the man now....who will join him?

Sammy wasn't there? I didn't even realize. 

A

All is not lost.  You can catch him at the Chili Bowl.  It should ease the pain.

  Go Sammy!!  Gone but never forgotten by this Hoosier fan who has watched him since he first came up and raced at Tri-State in Haubstadt in the mid '70's when he was a teenager. He made an impact everytime he hit the track and all eyeballs were on him. To those of us that followed sprint cars before the Outlaws were ever born it was a privilege to see the series grow and develop and you can thank Steve, Sammy and Wolfie that the series survived. They didn't call it the "Steve and Sammy Show" for nothing. You don't have to like Sammy or miss him but you can respect what he did for sprint car racing. But for people under 30 I doubt the word respect is in too many vocabularies anymore. 

While Schatz has had an incredible past 10 years but he'll never draw fans the way Steve, Sammy & Wolfie did.

To be great, you have to have someone to have a rivalry with, and there is nobody on the WOO circuit to challenge Donnie.

It would be cool if Larson did WoO tour, I think he would make it interesting....

But then again it would be cool if I won the Lottery too...

We can all dream, right?

I agree Budz. Schatz is the only guy right now who I feel has the desire to win all of the time and it burns him when he doesn't win....It seems to me that the other drivers, on the WOO tour, are all cookie cutter....and that they are happy to get a top ten finish...... 

With Steve, Sammy and Doug, you could feel the desire and competitive spirit and drive they had to win. They hated to finish 2nd. That was losing to them. Maybe it's the economy and tight finances, but it seems everyone races half hearted....to get the best finish they can, without taking chances.....

So yeah, that is a good question....Who can and who will challenge Donny? 

Donny is the BEST sprint car driver out there !

I am not a Donny hater at all, but I think the series would be better without a single dominating driver.  He currently has an impressive 24 wins, nearly double Pittman's 13. After that the wins are 7,6,5,5,5 then 2. 

Donny has a huge lead and probably doesnt need to pass a single car the rest of the season to win another championship. I dont want to see a "chase" but with a season all but decided at this point doesnt mean a lot to the fans.  One of my favorite drivers Brad Doty would have won a lot of races and probably a WoO championship if Kinser didnt win didnt win so many of the races in the late 80's. I know comparing then and now is apples and oranges.

Changing the format would make the races more exciting. Qualify, two heats each with passing points, then the top 12 redraw for starting positions. Get rid of the dash it doenst usually make that big of a change. Usually looks like a hot lap session. 

Changes need to be made nationally to the rear tires. Get rid of the rubber down conditions and so many front row wins.

Donny's good. Ricky's great. 

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?