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

It looks like Tony traded The Mad Man for The Macho Man. Just goes to show you how the #55 team placed a lot of emphasis on obtaining the 8th place place season finish in the High Limit standings in 2026. As soon as Kerry slipped to 9th place in the standings he was out. I like both drivers and wish Kerry luck going forward. 

I know Sprint Car racing is performace based, but man Kerry has had a lot of hard luck recently leading to bad finishes. He has been in the wrong place at the wrong time resulting in slot of town up cars and bad finishes. I like him and hopes he gets another opportunity, as  father Time is not on his side.

Not sure what options they had. You trade a guy who made the A through three nights of tough fields for a guy who ran the C all three nights and only made the B one time no A's. I guess this week will tell. Sometimes a change lights a fire under drivers. 

Tough Business. Known Kerry for a long time and He has had some bad racing luck lately and his age  is not in his favor but can still run upfront .  

It really sucks I think Kerry is great but it sucks to get old he's gotta be mid 50s and I don't think he brings anything more than talent knowledge and his helmet bag, which used to be enough but in the days of guys buying rides kinda makes him a dying breed.

Even back in the good old days, you had to win or you'd be replaced with someone who could.

I would pay lots to hear one last interview with the one and only Mr. Bob Weikart.   Would there be a Weikart memorial today if the view on owners expectations where the same in late 70,s, 80's and 90's.....

Unfortunately, they took sprint car racing "to the next level".

Gonna be a fun points battle to watch

I agree with your last statement.  I'm old and tired, and I'm a year younger than Kerry!  I don't know why everyone keeps propping up every single driver as they age beyond their prime.  Why do we question the ride quality, motor, and crew chief of every driver after they cross that 40-45 year old threshold?  Kerry's old in racecar driver years.  Has been for the better part of a decade.  Schatz is old.  Sweet entered "old" territory.  Larson is 8-10 years away from having the term "old" applied to his performance.

Not everyone is Steve Kinser or Sammy.  They won so much, that even when their careers peaked in their late-30's/early-40's, they won enough to make everyone think they were still at the top of their games.  They weren't.  They were just that much better than the rest of the field at that time.  

Kerry's old.  I feel like a lot of the conversations I've read on Facebook think he's still the young guy that deserves a top ride.  That time has passed.  Get ready to see him in some regional/local budget rides very soon.  

Egras I agree....also to your Steve and Sammy comment....my thought and i'd be interested to hear others thoughts is that......the difference in quality of equipment helped Steve and Sammy in there 45-55 years.....I think there are 10-15 cars spending equal amounts of a lot of money today.  Steve and Sammy had the best sponsors as they were the most recognizable names in the pre social media wild Wild West and they didn't have to over drive.

i believe steve attributed some of his fast decline to his declining eye sight.  Top shelf equipment can't make up for that.

I think Steve, Sammy and Doug Wolfgang always had better equipment because their talent attracted the attention of owners that wanted to win. Today, anybody with money can buy the best equipment but you still have to have a talented driver or you're finishing mid-pack.

I agree with both you and Murphy.  I also think many very talented drivers have access to the best equipment today as well further spreading out the wins. 

Agreed. Another important factor at this time was the innovation of the builders and mechanics, which also set these guys apart. 

Today; more available parts, more restrictions, less innovation, and b/c of this I think it puts even more emphasis on the crew chiefs. 

I think Kerry can still get it done. He won earlier in the year on a national tour. How many drivers, young or old would love to say that.

Selfishly I hope he finds a ride and runs at Knoxville weekly. 

The timing sucks for Kerry but good for Bacon. I understand why Tony did it. Alot of money is on the line. 

There are currently (10) Charters and the potential for (5) more. I guess we'll see if attempting to run top 8 two consecutive years or top 3 one year is achievable. 

Keep It Real

I feel worse for Kerry about going to the 17GP than I did about him getting fired.  Hopefully he stays safe and in the top ten in driver points.  There's a pretty good gap back to 11th.