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

Yep, and that is why Mario is the GOAT. An extremely accomplished dirt track racer with multiple USAC dirt track wins, four-time IndyCar Champion, F1 World Champion, Indianapolis 500 winner, Daytona 500 winner, Pikes Peak Hill Climb winner, three-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner, IROC Champion, and a class win at Le Mans are just a few of his accomplishments. It's a shame he never competed at the Knoxville Nationals.

Actually, do any historians know if Mario ever turned laps at Knoxville at all? I know he and his brother, Aldo, raced at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, but I've never heard any stories about Mario at Knoxville.

Ask Frank

There was a time in F 1 that you had to belong to rich royal families to race.  That was the rules.  No common people allowed.  This was in 1930-50 s.

Most NASCAR Cup rides that open up today require the new driver to bring $money$.  Just last month Daniel Suarez, driver of  one of the Stewart-Haas Cup rides was replaced because he could not come up with the necessary funding to remain on the team another year. He's been replaced by Cole Custer, son of Sewart-Haas Racing president Joe Custer, who is also the chief operating officer of the Haas F1 team.  Money and who you are both help.  Sad but that's the way it is.  Can't blame the owners of race teams.  

Lawlessness + liberalism = HELL -  NYC, Detroit, Chicago, 
Seattle, LA  Who the H runs those cities. 

Bingo.  Nascar, Indy, and the even the highest levels of dirt racing are what we refer to in America as "rich man sports."  F1 takes this to a whole new level.  Talent?  The talent is masked by teams with billion dollar budgets.  Rooms full of engineers have more to do with success than the wheel man-----by far!  It would be the last type of car I would ever want to drive if I were a true racer.  I know it would be "fun" to drive, as many have eluded to in the past, but wouldn't you miss passing cars and having your talents on display?   

If World Cup Soccer and an F1 race were on the only 2 channels I had, I would have a difficult time watching the "race."

I always thought he had run before at Knoxville.  I would be interested to know as well.  

This is why I always get a kick out of those who believe Richard Petty was the GOAT.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!   I don't even put him as a top-3 driver in Nascar history, let alone of all-time racers.  

Yes, Mario was the GOAT and I believe he sits alone.  

Kyle Larsons ties to Chip Gannasi Racing will give him a chance at Indy when he or Chip decides the timing is right As talented and versatile as any driver right now.In the U.S. F-1 doesnt have the following many other forms of racing have.Nascar as boring as it can be at times has the T.V. market and even with heavier 550H.P. cars that are nearly aero identicle seem to still attract large crowds.Of course this is a dirt type forum and we all like the WOO,All-Stars,Late Models but the few drivers that make it in Nascar are paid well.We are lucky Kyle and a few others love racing enough to give back to their roots as we all know they are doing it for their love of racing not monetary gain.

"If World Cup Soccer and an F1 race were on the only 2 channels I had, I would have a difficult time watching the "race."

I would turn off the damn TV & get some exercise!

Talk about counting your chickens before they hatch! ....

Actually, if I could only afford 2 channels, I would probably go find a part-time job !!! 

As boring as NASCAR can be, NASCAR seems like USAC or POWRI Midgets when compared to F-1.  I just don't get it at all.  F-1 is the most overblown, over-hyped form of "racing" on earth.  I've tried, trust me, I have.  There are more passes on one restart in NASCAR than I have witnessed in all of the F-1 races I've tried to watch combined.  And I think NASCAR blows when compared to dirt.  

The statistic I saw read 490 million viewers for F-1 in 2018.  However, these are the same countries that watch soccer religiously and celebrate 1-1 ties by having riots!!!!  I guess my entertainment standards are too high.  ?????

You are talking as American race fans and i get that. But you guys are in the minority in terms of your chosen sports and motorsport. The majority of the world play soccer, drivers aspire to be F1 drivers and F1 has a greater following than Nascar, midgets or sprintcars.

F1 and dirt racing are like comparing apples to oranges. Completely different in terms of driver skill sets and driver development pathways. 

The question in relation to Kyle Larson possibly reaching the highs of F1 is a good one in terms of wishful thinking, but unfortunately he does not have the required skills sets and techniques required to race on F1 tracks, that being able to turn left and right, along with understanding aerodynamics, breaking and tire management. 

He has these skills and techniques when driving a Nascar car, midget (no aerodynamics) or a sprintcar. 

In New Zealand we have a history in F1 and circuit racing along with having a rich history in dirt racing either via drivers or chassis builders. 

Scott Dixon a 4 time indycar champion has a history in dirt track racing and him and his parents are regulars at Western Springs Speedway and the Chill Bowl.

John Godfrey created Stealth Chassis and then Spike. A New Zealander Mark Cooper now owns Spike Chassis

Kyle Larsons new midget is a King Chassis built by Justin Insley in a shed in Auckland. 

Michael Pickens has been rated by Kyle Larson as one of the top 5 midget drivers in the world. 

Unlike European countries Australia and New Zealand do have a history in midget and sprintcar racing along with having had F1 world champions. 

You will find most European countries don't have many motorsport categories that race on dirt apart from bikes and thats why European drivers generate to circuit categories as go karts and open wheel formula cars as a development path to F1. 

Its the same for many American drivers. Start on dirt and than aspire to be a Kyle Larson, Jimmy Johnson or Kyle Busch and become a Nascar driver. 

Looking forward to sitting in the terraces watching Larson, Bell, Wise, Seavey, Daum, Windom and Courtney take on Pickens at Western Springs Speedway in a few weeks time. 

I apologize for bashing something you love.  I just don't get it.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't if you love it.  I love Hockey----and most of my friends think it is dumb and boring-----I think they're nuts.  I have friends that love soccer-----I absolutely in no way will ever get the excitement.  I am so glad my daughter quit in grade school.  I was about ready to bribe her with a pony or something to get her to quit.  

I cannot watch F-1 either.  I have not yet found one bit of excitement in it.  When comparing sprint car racing to F-1, there is no comparison----to me---in the excitement level.  Because of the lack of actual racing, I think Kyle would be bored out of his mind driving an F-1 car making lap after lap all by himself.  I'm sure driving the cars is unbelievable, but driving for 2-3 hours by myself would get old.  I will say though, the money is there for sure---more than anywhere else in the world.  I haven't figured out how a bunch of hillbillies abandoned Nascar and F-1 still gets that support with an even less exciting form of racing.  My opinion only of course. 

That's ok mate. Our national sport is Rugby and that's a small sport on a world stage compared to soccer. It's just understanding that  fact most european countries don't race on dirt via a Midget or Sprintcar like we know and understand. Thats why F1 is based around European drivers not America drivers or infact these days any drivers outside of European development pathways. 

As american fans, i get the frustration with F1, but the same goes for non dirt track racing fans. 

I took a friend to watch Shane Stewart race a sprintcar at Western Springs Speedway on Saturday night (Nz time). They could not understand the look of a sprintcar with its wing or the concept of racing around in circles on a dirt track 30 times. 

Interesting how HH guys have managed to piss off 2 different localities today: the South & New Zealand

Everybody's different & has their own traditions

At the tender age of 10, 1960, we moved from NYC to small town rural Virginia... what a culture shock! We hated segregation, but loved Southern cooking & music... thats where I got hooked on dirt track racing. Not far from Hagerstown, maybe 100 miles South. Thats where my hero Smokey Stover (Modified coupe or "jalopy" driver) got badly mangled up driving an early version of a sprint car (maybe it was a super modified, hard to tell the difference back then)

I'm not very nationalistic, except for sports.... soccer, hockey & F1??? nah....

Different strokes for different folks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUUhDoCx8zc

I really don't care what is popular around the world. Watching soccer (futbal, LOL!) and/or F-1 is a waste of time and electricity. At least it is for me and I know of no one who goes out of their way to give either the slightest interest. Doesn't make either one bad and it doesn't make those of us who don't like it zenophobes or "nationalists", whatever that means.

There is more passing and basic entertainment in one prelim night at The Chili Bowl than a whole season of F-1 or futbal put together!

More passing in Prelim nite of CB than 3 typical WoO events!

I know I'm in the minority, but I love pretty much all forms of motorsport. Sprint cars and midgets will always be my number one, but I never miss an IndyCar or F1 race on TV and I watch most NASCAR races on TV as well, plus I keep up with the major sports car endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. If the Aussie Supercars races weren't on in the middle of the night for me then I'd watch those too (I always make sure to catch the Bathurst 1000). I've also attended many IndyCar races (including the Indy 500 five times), NASCAR races, and one F1 Grand Prix, along with 18 Knoxville Nationals, two Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Indiana Midget Week, and countless other sprint and midget races around the midwest.

I get that other forms of motorsports are not everyone's cup of tea, which is fine. I don't watch drag racing, have an extreme dislike for modifieds, and don't get too crazy about watching bikes go at it on dirt or pavement, but that's just different strokes for different folks. No one gets to the top of their individual form of motorsport without peak performance and skill. Money can help get you there in all forms of motorsport, but to actually win and to become a champion requires much more than that.

Ask Frank

Is this what all the fuss is about????? I thought maybe Larson was teaming up with French Grimes... Oh well.

410 INSIGHTS

"I really like his mechanic Jimmy Russel. He was the guy 
that made Todd's car run good"
                    B.STRAWSER26

No one can accuse you of being one-dimensional!!! 

Cool that you like all of those forms.  However, you also have your dislikes with modifieds, drag racing and bikes, so you are really no different than most---although, you do have a wide variety of likes.

Racing for me from favorite to least favorite:

1.  Dirt sprints and midgets----winged and non-wing with my favorite event being the Knoxville Nationals and the 10 days surrounding it

2.  Dirt late models

3.  Any other oval dirt race----yes, even modifieds beat the remainder of this list

4. Pavement late-models

5. Nascar

6. Indycar

7. NHRA

8. Trailer races

9.  School bus figure 8 races

10. Lawnmower racing

(this explains how unwatchable I find F-1) 

11. Any other form of racing be it F-1, off-road, etc) 

Seriously though, each to their own.  I don't think anyone is an idiot for watching.  It's just not for me.  

"realize the costs"...not sure I believe ayone who says this who hasn't already been involved in that level of costs.

One 3 Day ticket for the main grandstand in TX 2020 is posted $885 on the web right now. 

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May