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

No chance of rain out in Smithton, PA. at the K&N race, so no Rico tonight.   Nobody more dissappinted than Rico he won't be at Knoxville tonight.  Anybody else who would make the show if they were to give his spot away wouldn't make one difference in the quality of the A main tonight.  Rico being there would have provided some more excitement.  Bummer for all of us, but hope Rico wins at the other race.  I am a seasoned(old), current 410 and 360 car owner that and also sponsoring a car at the Nationals tonight not yet in the A, and I support the Abreu team decision completely.  The only team in the pits tonight that won't agree with Abreu's decision is the 5th place car in the B.

exactly. The rule is the issue, not the team taking advantage of it. Not one of the keyboard commandoes on this board would pass up 9500 when they did actually earn the spot. 

The other thing is that the whining over teams getting "screwed" wouldn't stop by removing Abreu from the starting line-up. Where do you fill the spot from? Should the track fill Abreu's spot from 17th in points after the qualifying nights? An extra spot from the Friday night program? An extra spot from the KELE World Challenge? An extra spot from the B-main?

Wherever the track would give out an extra spot to replace a car that qualified, there would assuredly be bitching on this board about teams that got "screwed" by not being allowed to welfare their way into a spot they did not earn.

Guess those teams that had the "food taken out their mouths" should have been a little more "hungry" on qualifying night.

 If one of the races wouldve gotten rained out out & pushed till tomorrow, would some of you whinney ass people still be on here complaining about it? probably so....  any other driver in this situation wouldve done the same thing. So stop pissin & whining about & shut the $%^& up!!!!!!

Craig: "There is dirt in my beer"
Tony: "That means your at a real racetrack"

I hope we don't need another rule for something that has now happened once in 55 years.  Too much of a "Nanny State" country now.  Awesome driver and car earned the right to give up a shot at winning the $150,000.00.   They earned the $9,500.00 on Wednesday.  This decision by Rico could cost the team $140,500.00(less tires/fuel).   Rico is one of maybe 5 guys that can beat Donny tonight.  Stop asking for more rules.  You really think we need to make a rule to force a guy to run in the richest sprint car race in the country after he already qualified for it?  I don't see this as a likely scenario again.  

+1

Too bad they can't squeeze in another driver....

or start & park NASCAR race! .... & fly fast....

Agreed! I don't really mind that he raced in the prelim but if he can't start the A main, he should be scratched and a 5th car should be taken from the B. A start and park with another driver/crewmember is BS.

A

I am a Rico fan but this is BS. He is only giving the money away to save face.

I guess you can call me alittle old fashioned. I grew up in a small farming town in PA. Long story short I was raised and taught that your word/integrity is everything in this world and you never sacrifice it, EVER.  Once it's gone nobody can ever take you at your word ever again. Jeremy Elliot actually asked Rico about this conflict back in a July 7 interview. I will let everybody else make their own judgement, but I'm of the opinion he knew exactly what he was going to do and basically lied to everybody to side step giving his real answer because he knew people would be just absolutely pissed.  He's the like to the Pennlive interview on july 7th. Fast forward to the 30 minute mark. 

https://m.soundcloud.com/pennlivedotcom/sprint-car-unlimited-rico-abreu-kerry-madsen-and-doug-esh

I find it interesting that so many "know" Rico is only donating to "save face".  We have a bunch of mind  readers.  With that ability you could make a lot of money, buy a sprint car and then beat him out of the A next year .

Even if it is to save face, I'm sure the Swindells aren't complaining, every little bit counts. Good grief let the guy do something good. 

Some of you guys are just brutal. Abreu is giving away thousands of dollars in cash, and posters on here still find a way to **** all over donating money to an injured driver.

And as someone stated before. You have no idea what the weather is going to do at either location that far ahead.  Rain at either place and Rico could be racing in the A. 

Just a curious question....

If you are OK with Rico's start and park decision for tonight, would you be OK with all 24 cars starting and parking under the same exact circumstances Rico is in?  If the answer is no, then this shouldn't be allowed.

Stewart, rico, larson, gordon, bell, Newman, whitt, Clauson all qualified for the main through their qualifying nights. Then hoped on a plane for richer pastures and let their nonracing buddies start and park.  Would that be fair to other drivers and the paying fans...

Brandon McLain
United Sprint Car Series Driver
2014 Season
National Rookie of the Year!
National Points - 8th
Southern Points - 3rd
Asphalt Points - 3rd
18 Races, 3 Top 5's, 14 Top 10's

It wouldn't be right to put another driver into the A main when they didn't earn it either. I know during a normal sprint show, if a car switches drivers, they go to the back(behind every other car entered) which tonight would be the back of the E main and then add an extra car out of the B to fill out the field. IMO, that is what should be done. I know Knoxville won't do that because Rico is a popular, big name and the team is donating to Kevin which is a good, generous thing. He had every right to race the prelim since it is separate purse and night in which he could be there; but if he chooses not to start the A, the spot should be scratched and the 5th car from the B should be taken. JMO

A

Should have just scratched

Yes he is giving away the money because people figured out what was going down and thats the only way he can come out looking like a hero. He don't need the money, and when trying to make a name in nascar the last thing he wants to do is piss bloggers off.

I Understand where you are going, but you are using an unrealistic if "hell feezes over" scenario.   Rules and laws are never made for completely out of the realm of reality situations.  He earned the right to start the main, his team deserves the riches of that performance.  His car can't be converted to allow anybody else to drive it.  I see David Abreu at the grocery store, or hauling a tractor to a vineyard quite often.  He has his blue jeans on and dirt on his shoes because he has been working.  He earned that start money by building that team and helping Rico get experience.  The chassis can't be converted without cutting it up to allow another driver to race it, or he would probbaly have Kyle or another great driver in it.  His team earned the start and park money.  A dollar is as hard for him to earn as for you and I.  He's just better at it than most, like his son is at driving.

Sounds like we were raised and taught in a smiliar manner even though I'm betting I'm a bit younger than you.  I don't necessarily like Rico's decision, but I concede that based on the rules, as they are written, it's his right.  I heard the podcast when it first came out and I feel that Rico knew what would probably happen, but as a young, ethusiastic guy, he was going to try and do both regardless. My only guess is that he was hoping circumstances (rain, etc.) would work out for him, however small the odds.  I also think that some people, subconsciously, are chafed becasue he running off to comepte in a race that will ultimately lead to him running on Sundays and running fewer dirt dates.