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

I see yalls point on this...it sucked.  But if they do make it right, I see no reason to boycott.  I also stand by my statement if this was at Williams Grove and they dqd Reutzel, Blaney, Eliason and Gee they would have been cheering.  Just as if it was a Outlaw show and if they Dqd Schatz.  People feel indignation when it benefits them(not saying you are doing that) but alot of people do.

I fully disagree there. We get to watch Danny, Lance, Ryan, Freddie and the rest of the Posse every week for $15. We paid extra all weekend without complaining because we want to watch them race against the All Stars (and the same is true when the Outlaws are in town). An Outlaw win with Schatz or Sweet getting a DQ, or an All Star win without Reutzel, Eliason or Blaney because of some stupid rule does not mean nearly as much. There is no way I would ever cheer for a DQ because honestly I go to watch the Posse outdrive those guys, not turn laps while they are loading up. I'd like to think the All Star fans feel the same way about the Posse. 

This guy is perfect obviously.

He'll beat this dead horse until Tony Stewart himself lands his helicopter in his front yard, personally gets down on his hands and knees, begs for W2Motorsports forgiveness for the most-egregious sin of DQing his favorite driver, and presents him his precious twenty two dollars back.

Nah, even after that, he'll still be on social media crying and throwing the All Stars under the bus, even though he now acknowledges that Tony and the All Stars are trying to make right. He "might" be back if the All Stars alter their rules to his satisfaction.

Then, after all his hissy fits, there he'll on Saturday, standing in line at the Port Royal ticket booth for the Tusky 50.....

I'm going to be so excited to post here on September 7th to let you know what I'm doing that day. Who knows what I'll do, maybe I'll go to another state, or country on a trip, or maybe to a new track I've never been to. Maybe I will sneak onto Tony's property in Indiana and go fishing. One thing I can absolutely assure you of though, is that I won't be at Port Royal - I've already written that one off, and donated my ticket money to Wounded Warrior Project as you've probably seen since you are bitching about me posting on social media. If some changes are made and the BS rule is axed we will see for future races - I'd love to support Hagerstown's event. One thing is for sure I love Sprint Car racing, I go to 70+ races per year, but it isn't my only interest in life. 

150 plus replies in a couple days. Some sort of record. I just read an interview on Facebook with smoke on the matter. Dude sounds very understanding with why folks are pissed as well he sounds upset as a competitor as well. At same time, no matter how stupid I’d one thinks the rule iis or the ensuing punishment was,at the time it was a rule and it was consistently enforced and, as Tony stated if a rule is to be enforced it should be done consistently. He sounded very serious about fixing the issue right away, making amends with the teams affected, and making sure it doesn’t happen again. Be it a smart business move or just what he feels is right doesn’t matter, he’s doing what he can to fix it. No matter what or how bad he , we or anyone wants to what’s done is done and time to move forward. Now if he makes good on his promise and you as a team , fan or whatever still wants to hold a grudge, well toughski shitski. Your just a pigheaded sob that no matter what he did to try to please you it wouldn’t be enough. For the rest of us let’s move on.ive certainly got hosed outta way more in my life than $22 and we get it your upset. The true measure of an adult is how well we handle disappointments   Now, if said issue happens again, all bets are off. Until then let’s act like adults. We’ve all fucked up before and will again. If I’ve offended you by trying to act reasonable I could care less. 

DakotaDude

Jeff, I have followed your posts for years on both 4M (when you were a DLM fan) and on here as a fairly new sprint car fan. You were always level headed, gave good insights from an average fan's perspective and were fairly balanced with your opinions. As a former promotor yourself, it is like someone highjacked your user name with this whole BAPS/All Star incident and now suddenly you are off the deep end and won't let this go......Tony will correct the situation. What happened to you? In some strange way, I do think you believe all this ranting and raving will somehow help right the wrong......the only thing that will make things right is time and short memories  by all involved.

BigTex exactly what I was trying to say, nail hit on proverbial head sir.  Game set match  

Fortunately I was not at Baps on Sunday due to other commitments but cant believe something like this was allowed to go down.My question is where were the three people most in charge of the night of racing the Promoter Scott Gobrect,Race Promoter Colten Gouse and All Star Promoter Tony Stewart  (sorry about any spelling) most likely Tony was in his car but it is his series and I hear it was a long Red so could he not help in the decision?

Baps has had problems before recently Deitrich so they will most likely be alright my concern is for races coming up at Bedford,The Grove and Hagerstown maybe Friday at Port remember last year Deitrich left Friday and surely Florida.

The 50 and Dirt Classiic will be ok either way weather permitting.

YORK HAVEN, Pa.: Tony Stewart probably rolled into BAPS Motor Speedway Sunday night thinking he would only have to worry about wearing one hat, or in this case, helmet.

The former NASCAR champion is now a regular competitor in the Sprint Car ranks, but he also owns the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions, one of the top series in dirt-track racing. And on most nights, Stewart can compete in an event and let his people handle the inner workings of the series without any interference or direction from his end.

Not this time.

The All Stars were featured during the Justin Snyder “Salute to the Troops” program at the speedway. An incident occurred at the start of the main event that not only forced Stewart into his series ownership role, it could mean some rule changes in the near future.

Two months ago, the series implemented the rule that if any crew member for a team leaves the designated work area other than during an open red flag or to work on the car, the team would be disqualified. On Sunday, Danny Dietrich, Ryan Smith, Anthony Macri, Lance Dewease, and All Star regular Skylar Gee were penalized for the infraction during a closed red flag on the opening lap of the 30-lap feature.

Controversy followed. Some drivers involved showed their displeasure over the rule itself and not being told about the possible penalty involved if such an infraction occurred. That same sentiment spilled into the grandstand, as a sizable group of fans showed their disgust by leaving before a lap was complete.

Stewart, who finished 11th in the final feature rundown, changed out of his driver’s suit after the race was complete and headed to the All Star Circuit of Champions trailer to discuss what transpired.

“So, the driver’s meeting, we were told we had to stay in a four-coned area,” Stewart said. “It was mentioned multiple times and the penalty is disqualification, the same as Joliet.

“Now, as a competitor, I’m fuming that five guys are getting thrown out of the race and that those five drivers had no control over what those crew members were doing. From a series owner, my series director did what he said in the driver’s meeting.

“He was consistent and followed through with the rule. The end result is a failure at the end of the night. We need to re-evaluate it and make sure this doesn’t happen again, and we will do that. We have already discussed it.”

Continued Stewart, “We aren’t going to let it happen again. It’s not fair to the drivers, it’s not fair to the teams, and it’s damn sure not fair to the fans.”

According to Stewart, the track was concerned about a particular spot in the infield and didn’t want fans or crew members in the area. To help with the situation, the All Stars had a designated work area to keep crew members in a confined space.

For the All Stars, policing the area can be a problem. The series only has so many officials at its disposal, which could make fairly monitoring the situation difficult.

“We don’t have the staff to police everyone in the quote on quote, ‘Designated Area’ and know who is with what teams,” Stewart said. “I feel for the drivers, because I’m a driver in that race. Those drivers can’t control where these people are.

“It’s not good. Chicagoland [Joliet], that rule was dictated by insurance. Those guys couldn’t be outside the area. This wasn’t one of those deals. This is a deal where the racetrack didn’t want people in a certain spot in the infield, but we can’t control everyone in the infield.”

Said Stewart, “We don’t have the staff to police that, and we need to be worried about what is happening on the racetrack, not what is happing in the designated pit area.

“So, we are going to re-evaluate how we do it and make sure this doesn’t happen again, because I don’t want to race without Danny Dietrich or Lance Dewease or Anthony Macri or Ryan Smith or Skylar Gee. Those are five guys who are the show, and I don’t want to come to Pennsylvania and not race against those guys. So, we are going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Stewart is an old-school racer who has seen it all in this sport, and he understands that making something too complicated only leads to problems.

But, Stewart’s understanding doesn’t stop there. He knows that he needs cars and stars to have a quality race, and the fans coming out to support the event is what makes any series, or event, successful.

“I like the old concept of keep it simple-stupid, and that’s not simple,” said Stewart in regard to the implementation of the rule. “There wasn’t anything about that or how to control it that was simple.

“I understand if tracks don’t want people in certain areas. That’s fine. But, put their security people in to make sure of that. We don’t have the staff to facilitate that.

“I feel terrible for all five of those guys and their teams and all of the fans who came to watch those guys. I feel bad for the people who even liked Danny Dietrich getting thrown out. It’s not good for anybody, not good for the sport.”

It should be noted that Stewart has been penalized by his own series as recent as Friday when the All Stars visited the famed Williams Grove Speedway.

Stewart didn’t go to the right scales and had his time taken away, which put him at the rear of every event. The same happened to Dave Blaney.

Both drivers accepted their penalties and moved on. Still, Stewart understood the frustration over the incident at BAPS Motor Speedway and plans to reach out to each driver to explain the situation.

“I plan to call them,” Stewart said. “I’ve already talked to Skylar. He doesn’t like it, but he understands. I just watched multiple drivers come in and pat [Eric] on the back saying, ‘thanks for being consistent.’

“The worst thing you can do is not be consistent, even if it’s a bad situation. If that’s the rule, you ride it out the whole night. You don’t back away from it, because that makes things worse.

“At the end of the night, I came down as a competitor, first, and a series owner, second. I don’t like how this went, and we’ve got to make sure this doesn’t happen again. And we will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

LOL Yeah it looks like the all-stars lost all of 2 fans(W2 and Strawser). I'm gonna take a wild guess and predict that Port Royal will still be packed for the 50 and the fans in attendance will enjoy a great show. 

A

Well it seems kind of silly to have crew members in house arrest to begin with, and the driver who has no control over the where abouts of his crew members gets DQ'd over it? It's in the very least overkill on the punishment and in most peoples opinions a silly rule to begin with. Life goes on however, lessons are learned(hopefully) and rational people will get over it. In fact I'm over it already! 

A

They already said yesterday that it had been addressed and changes will be made. Yet today you are still complaining. Almost everyone in the Sprint car world has moved on. Tony is calling the the drivers and explained the reason for why there is a coned area & it was because of the track being concerned about an area. Everything makes perfect logical sense.

World doesn't revolve around you. Go get some cookies & ice cream, watch a good sad movie tonight, have a good cry over your break up, and move on like the rest of the population

In another post near the top of the forum people are talking about an all start race that occured in Iowa about a month ago, I hardly think something that occured less than 48 hours ago is somehow irrlevant and not able to be discussed any longer. In addition the topic keeps being posted in by people who agree, disagree and are indifferent toward the decision. 

Also, I never said the world revolved around me, anytime someone is upset about something and posts a negative review of a product, etc. does that mean the world revolves around them? Nope it does not. It means they paid for something, didn't get what they were expecting and wanted to voice their displeasure about that. Since the ASCOC isn't on Yelp here I am. 

BGT -

I'm pissed off, it's as simple as that. I've spent years promoting and spending/volunteering my time in both paid and unpaid positions within racing. I've had to deal with drivers being illegal, arguing, threatening me, and even fighting with each other on the front stretch at races I've been responsible for. Out of all that I've never been more pissed off at a race event than I was the other day. As others have said - it was unfair, and it was a mistake, and until something is actually done to correct it then nothing has changed. 

For the most part I've tried to be respectful on here, when people have been snarky, I've been snarky back but otherwise I think I've done my best to make my point in a somewhat well stated manner and explain my issue, and what I personally am going to do about it. Everyone has their own free will, if another driver or fan boycotts the race because of what happened that is their right and their decision. I've said I won't be at Port Royal, and I won't be - I've already made other plans. If the rule is done away with, or put in the hands of the track then I'll drop it and move on. In the grand scheme of things I don't make any difference, $35+Whatever a senior ticket costs for my grandfather (who was just as pissed off as me, and even more stubborn) isn't going to make or break the ASCOC or Port. If its just me and BStrawser that skip the 50 then they will be absolutely fine. From there on if the rule is changed and we are assured it will never happen again I'll go to some of their shows this year. If not, then I won't go and if the track was teetering on the brink to the point where my $20 makes a remote difference they can invoice me and I'll square up next time I'm at a regular show. 

From my perspective I'm here on this discussion forum discussing this issue with all of you who disagree with me which is the entire idea behind a discussion forum. So I don't see the problem. 

But you're not discussing, you've repeatedly made clear that your opinion is the correct one and that's the end of the conversation. Even in this post, you comment that it was unfair, mistake, etc. 

The rule was clearly in place and it was followed by the series. Smoke is dead on in his quotes in the article that was posted a few posts prior to yours - when you start picking and choosing when to enforce stuff, you have a bigger issue. You can disagree with the intent of the rule all you want, but it existed when you purchased your ticket. Do you have a right to get mad when it's enforced? I suppose so, thought it seems a bit immature. The stuff on getting screwed and just refusing to accept any explanation outside of what you've constructed in your head is I think the issue most have. 

“We aren’t going to let it happen again. It’s not fair to the drivers, it’s not fair to the teams, and it’s damn sure not fair to the fans.” - Tony Stewart

"So Im sure when Tony talks to the teams and, he will, it will be mended.  And youll see these teams at All Star races.  Wonder if some of these fans will do the same?  Or are these fans perfect and have never made mistakes?" - MandGRacing96

"You have every right to feel the way you do......and deep down inside I admire you for your convictions. I on the other hand have been going to races in Central Pa for over 35 years. I have seen a lot (including the time Steve Kinser was sent to the rear at Williams Grove when apparently someone, not associated with his team, was mistaken as a crew member by the officials under a red)......mistakes happen.....Despite two of my favorites ( DD & Dewease) getting the boot, I still feel like I got my monies worth for a few hours of entertainment on a beautiful night, plus that and the fact I live 85 miles from the track. I would hate to see BAPS suffer after Scott has put so much time, effort and money into reviving the old joint. I want all of our Central Pa tracks to be successful and just hope the affected drivers and the fans put this incident behind and continue to support the sport we all love...... As far as I could tell, the sun did rise this morning and there will be more sprint car races for us to enjoy this weekend" - bgtexpress

So again, another post refusing to acknowledge the rule that is written in the rule book was followed. Got it.

You're arguing against black and white. I don't understand it.

Okay, I'll compromise and start putting "IMO" at the start of my posts. I had assumed that it was understood that my posts represent my opinion.

IMO

If being upset over the way the situation was handled Sunday is immature then you should be lecturing the hundereds of people who were and are still complaining about it on Facebook, and Twitter as well. Considering what caused the DQs had nothing to do with what was going on on the track in front of us, was not clearly explained according to a hall of fame driver and on top of that does not make any logical sense from a safety standpoint or otherwise, at least in reference to how it was applied at BAPS. I'm sure that all the fans that left early felt robbed which prompted the walkout and I'm sure there is nothing that will change that. However a change to ensure this never occurs again will make me, and I'm sure many others feel better. When that happens I'll be over it. At this point nothing has changes, I do believe Smoke is a good guy, and I do believe he will make things right. Once that happens I'll be good to go. But either way my unhappiness means very little in the grand scheme of things to Tony Stewart or anyone else who can have an effect on the situation. 

IMO

It does take time to respond to your posts, there was only a few minutes between both of my posts. The rule was not clearly explained, according to DD and LD and Ryan Smith, and obviously Macri and Gee's teams didn't clearly understand it either. I'm sorry but these guys are some of the best in the country and in the case of LD the history of sprint car racing. They are smart enough to understand something if it is clearly explained. It was also not applied consistently according to multiple people and drivers who have pointed out that other team members were not inside the box but were not DQed and on top of that its also fair to assume that the rule hadn't been enforced since the race in Illinois where Larson got DQed considering several drivers have mentioned people being all over the infield at Grandview and that wasn't a problem, not to mention nothing has occured since Joliet. If I had thought there was a reasonable change the ASCOC would disqualify four of the best PA cars from the top 10 for something that is irrelevant to the race I wouldn't have gone to the race on Sunday, or Friday or Saturday before that, and its also why I don't want to go again until this rule is gone. If there is a good chance of that occuring that isn't a risk I want to invest my money, or time into taking. 

"blatant cheating"??? I don't think the crews gained any advantage, nor were they trying to. They screwed up on a technicality

Lots of people are bashing W2, but if I had driven 5 hrs. for this show (which is what it takes me) & they DQed all these guys, I would have been VERY pissed. Don't know if i would have left or decided to boycott, but i would have felt like my time had been wasted. I'm sure the drivers & teams were pissed, & track owners too

Sure they broke a rule, but the punishment hurt EVERYBODY... maybe they should have been moved to the back, or even given a monetary fine, but DQed???? Allstars cut off their nose to spite their face

No harm, no foul

Any penalties for my last 2 cliches?

As a sprint car fan that enjoys rooting for the locals, I would not be cheering.  The whole point of the rivalry is to be able to race and hopefully beat the best of the traveling teams.  If you DQ the above you have just a local show.