Well, I have a wedding to go to this weekend so I'll miss the potential "Battle Regal of Eagle" if the threatened claim goes down in the Hobby Stocks.

For the record I hate the claim rule and think it has not accomplished its original intent; to control the cost of racing.

Of course claiming's in the rules but the problem with the claim is that it didn't count on human nature (see this example if the first link wasn't enough).

If not accompanied by threats of knuckle-based orthodontics, threats of hard feelings between guys they race side by side with keep others from claiming, which usually results in a loose Gentlemen's Agreement that says, "I won't claim your several-thousand dollar motor if you don't claim mine." Pretty soon that limit goes unchecked save for a few that cherry pick some mechanical gold, only to be replenished by the original owner next week.

The nasty side of the claim is that despite the claimer's new prize, they usually they come out the next week not making much more progress since they couldn't claim the driver's talent...

Proof that the claim doesn't work is summed up in one word: SportMod.

But I waxed on about that in the last editorial.

Let's say something good for once. Forgive me as I bounce from track to track here.

First of all, it's nice to see that Butler County Motorplex promoter Jacy Todd has announced that the Friday show is returning in 2009, with IMCA sanction in all the classes.

This week I watched two good shows, the Tour 'n' Topless Husker Nationals (AKA "the wingless show at I-80") and Eagle's Weekly program. Both had different but equally good tracks. Eagle's track was great, racy-dry with a cushion near the wall that harkened back to the days when Gerloff and Lipsey or Divis and Lowery banked off the turn two rail to make a bee-line down the backstretch.

The I-80 surface Tuesday was fast, tacky and a perfect complement to the wingless sprinter's signature four-wheel, rooster-tail broadslide style.

Oh yeah, I didn't know that was the way the Mods worked, too! I could swear Matt Richards was mimicking Dave Darland each lap out there. The SLMR Late Model feature was also a sight.

Kyle Berck was perfect in his Modified run, Clint Homan made one bobble. That's all it took as the two put on an epic battle in the last half of the 15-lap IMCA Modified contest.

Berck then hopped into a Late Model and snatched that feature as well. Dude can drive. But you'd have to be under a rock for the past 15 years not to know that.

I've begun to REALLY like modified racing - yes, the class has been a heavier weight on the checkbook but these modifieds aren't the modifieds that made their Nebraska debut at Eagle Raceway in 1985. The class has matured significantly and they're damn fun to watch anymore.

Chris Alcorn is the point leader at Eagle, but right now Dylan Smith is the guy to beat. Dylan's won three of the last four A features at Eagle and pulled to within five points of the two-time and defending champion after Alcorn pulled in early during Saturday night's A.

Maybe Dylan's prowess has become too common; what amazed everyone Saturday was not Dylan's driving, but his official magnetic, stick-to-anything-with-a-full-can coozies. A request made over the PA by Eagle officials to deliver a supply of the goods was met promptly when Dylan wheeled up to the pit garage.

Jack Dover picked up his fourth sprint win in a row Saturday, prompting a question of whether or not that's been done before at Eagle. Well, myself and others pointed out that it has, with John Gerloff going five and six-for during his dominance in the late 80's and 90's. Of course what we all missed that the last time anyone won four sprint features in a row was when? 2008 when Mike Boston did it - in fact his four-race streak was broken when Jack started his. Jay Russell and Bobby Becker are the only other two regular season A feature winners this year.

Melvin Densberger deserves a radio call in show. People making quick work of Roger's beer at the post race pit party know why.

It was nice to hear the I-80 announcers work the crowd up. I'm glad some tracks "get it" and go past some littany of stats and efforts to show the crowd how much they know about whatever. Information is important but some announcers just rattle...or worse...just let the people sit with "dead air."

Ok, I can't get by without being a little sour....

Unfortunately, Tuesday's show was marred by an injury when a damaged sprint car lost control and struck the Kenkel 33x late model in the pits. Three were injured, fortunately the injuries weren't nearly as bad as once feared.

My dad, who used to be locked to the racing scene but rarely makes it out anymore and I were talking about the pit injuries and he pointed out something that's and unfortunate yet obvious; all we can do is react - the pits are a dangerous place.

Sometimes people don't see that. I see too many people wandering around pits anymore who have no business being there. They don't work on a car, maybe they're buddies with someone who drives, whatever. They don't have that pit awareness that is not only key to safety, but takes time and conscious effort to develop.

Pit crews, drivers, officials, even long-time pit denizens get it. They know when a truck comes up behind a sprint car, that combination is a one-way missile ready to launch. They know that yellow flags often mean someone's coming up to the pits and often damaged and unable to steer/brake/etc. They know that A feature time usually means some hot cars with intense drivers are rolling in. And, they know at the checkered flag, a parade of vehicles, sometimes mixed in with a mess of cars staged up for the next event means things get dicey.

You can make up all the rules, all the technological changes you want. It doesn't take away from the fact that the pits are probably the MOST dangerous part of any race track.

Five yellow flags in the first 9 laps deserves a time limit on any show - especially on a weeknight. The SLMR race at I-80 should've been thinned down but I understand that it's also a series this year and probably not the easiest thing to do out of hand.

I would add that the rest of the race was pretty smooth.

How Bill Leighton walked away from that Late Model heat race crash amazed me. I haven't seen a car look so...limp...on the track. It's as if someone just knocked it out cold.

The low-20s wingless sprint car count was a bit of a disappointment but the field was thick with talent.

But any issues I had were minor, and were FAR overshadowed by two great shows. All in all this was a fantastic week for me, suffering a drought after not making it to Knoxville for the annual Iowa Speed Week.

Labels: editorial

At what point are there enough classes? Kenny Danley, who’s crossed over from Compacts to Modifieds on occasion asked on Dirtdrivers.com what people’s opinions were on adding the SportMod class - (even more) limited IMCA mods – to Eagle’s lineup. Kenny said he wants to compete at Eagle, having "grown up there."

Any track should be honored that people want to race there just because it's that track.

But I don't want to see that class and the regular modifieds on the same card, anywhere.

Let me hit this several ways. One, I agree with Ron Meyer of http://www.therestofthedirt.com/ that four classes is enough. I personally think four is too much, regardless of the mix. That aside, one of the things mentioned in the thread that makes Eagle unique is that there is a distinctive difference between each class. You have sprint cars, you have modifieds, a stock car class and the compact class. There’s no visual similarities between the two other than the four wheels. For that reason, while I have nothing against SportMods, 305's, etc. by themselves, I’m not a fan them when there's a similar class in the show.

So I’m not big on 305’s when 360 or 410 sprints run (yes, even during the Outlaws), nor do I want Sport or B-mods with a regular “A-Mod” class, etc. Most fans can’t tell the difference, the average guy really doesn’t know why there’s two classes. All they see are something that looks like the other and thought they just saw it race. Since I always feel that any track that wants to succeed has to build a fan base of "average guys," why confuse them?

Here's the extension of that – adding those classes waters down the program. Where you may have 30 “A” modifieds, now you see those on the fringe move down so you have a thin field of two classes.

And I hate thin fields.

If you can’t pay out a full A feature, you’re field is thin and your program is not “thriving.” And a thin field looks bad to the fan and in my experience is rarely competitive.

Now, I’ll be countered with the argument that some classes are getting too expensive.

Quite true. How do you fix that?

Well, instead of sanctioning bodies or tracks trying to curb costs, they take the easy way out and add a sub class for fear of losing cars and losing that licensing fee/sanction fee/back gate money. The problem is it doesn't address the original issue of the class being too expensive!

I believe an imperfect, but acceptable fix comes from an unlikely source: patience.

We’ve developed into a win-now, and entitled to win culture. The mentality of “everybody wins” from youth sports, or political correctness seems to stun those who enter the world of only the best win and only the victor gets the spoils. So the answer is to set the bar lower: if you can’t afford “A,” well now you can be a winner in “B!”

Whatever happened to earning your stripes? I remember seeing people start with little, and over time, sell this used part to buy a newer part, and get a little faster, earn some money and get a newer, faster part and eventually they had the gear AND the experience.

Perhaps seeing the youth succeed with top notch equipment bought on their parent’s dime and desire build the next Jeff Gordon instills the idea that winning is only a checkbook away. Of course money often buys speed, but talent usually guarantees it.

There are many teams who practice patience – I would argue MOST teams. What happens though is the humble nature that allows these teams to be content with the long time it takes to win also means they usually don’t make a lot of noise, or have the ear of the people in charge.

Simply put, there’s too much of a knee-jerk reaction between sanctions, promoters, and racers for a problem that given time, can take care of itself for the most part. Yes, there will be lingering and important issues, but they will be much easier to solve without worrying about new classes and starting over and usually revisiting those issues that you thought creating a new class solved the first time!

Not all tracks can be everything to everybody but some think they have to be. There will always be the haves and have-nots, it’s natural. Changing nature is difficult and success is nearly impossible.

Now, before I get the hate mail from 305 and SportMod fans, I’m not saying to abolish these classes or that I dislike them at all. They may fit in perfectly well at other venues as their own unique classes. What’s wrong with a Sport Mod, Factory Stock and Crate Late Model show?

If you don’t believe me regarding the elitism, let me bring the example of this using Knoxville – the 360 sprints are still treated as the “lower” class, where at Eagle some fans think the 360's own the place. It’s all relative. But why not let each winner be the king of the car type at that track, and not second to the “faster” class?

Is it really necessary to run endless classes for survival of the track? From what I’ve seen, many of these tracks are watching fan counts dwindle. And when you have an off economy, and recreation budgets slip and the racers get hurt first. As a back gate promoter, lose that and you lost everything. But I’ve seen the front gate promoters produce a distinct variety, a more entertained fan base and one that’s not impervious to, but better insulated against an economic slump.

I again want to say I'm not ragging any class and really not any track - I think every track in this area is fighting and doing things it may not want to do. It's a tough world but I think the solutions need to be long term, not stop-gap.

Labels: editorial

This weekend I did something I haven't done in a long time, if ever. Certainly not in the 3 seasons I've been managing this site. Definitely not in the past eight years I worked for Eagle. And, in the 14 years I worked on a car, I can't think of any time I've done it.

But this Saturday at the All-Stars show at Eagle Raceway, I did it.

I walked out of a race before any of the features. Pretty much right in the middle.

I had nowhere to go - my wife was with her sisters, I had nowhere to be the next day. The camera was working fine. I drove myself there. I certainly didn't do anything that would get me thrown out...LOL!

No, Saturday night I picked up my stuff, talked to two drivers for a minute, got in the car and drove home. Didn't look back.

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the second night I've attended a show that got started over an hour late and still languished with unnecessary delays. Maybe it was the background bleating of a guest set of ratchet-jawed announcers spewing narrow interest facts to the crowd. Maybe it was the audacity to run a full-length intermission at 10 PM.

Whatever it was, I had enough. Big time. I stood in 30-degree wind chill to watch a USMTS show in March, I've sat through the chills at the Icebreaker and I've borne the heat of the "Dog Days." But this time the die-hard in me couldn't overcome the urge.

I went home, downloaded a good set of photos (with eight hot lap sessions and time trials, I was bound to get a few) took a shower, cracked open one of the beers I had planned for after the races and watched The Soup on E!, watched Bobby Flay make ribs on Throwdown on the Food Network and went to bed. Sometime the next morning I checked to see who won.

I don't know what to think, or who to blame. I see two common denominators between this Saturday's show and last Sunday's Kornhusker Midget Klassic Klunker. One, was the track conditions. Far too dry last Sunday, far too wet last Saturday each delaying the show over an hour. Two, the sanctioning bodies who seem to think delay after delay is somehow a good thing.

Last Sunday, the midget group tells Roger to stop watering the parched track, then asks to water it a few minutes prior to the scheduled start of hot laps (I was standing there). Then - they have the chutzpah to "apologize" for Hadan's alleged transgressions an one day's time and an hour's drive away at Butler County. Did they apologize for the 35 minute intermission, the inability to do their own starting lineups and the fact that the Eagle track officials had to run THEIR show, while the series race director had no communication with those officials, and for the crowd in the low hundreds who baked for over four hours in the hottest part of the day to watch 6 red flags and more yellows?

This Saturday, I have to respectfully disagree with Greg Soukup (one of the few times I do), but the track crew did not come through with flying colors...the over watered track continued to get churned up and not become raceworthy until finally the sprints rolled the rest of it in, an hour late. What was left was fast and smooth, so I give partial credit. But to complicate things the All Stars demanded a second, full set of hot laps. Can someone tell me what the Hell was with a delay to run the dash, a meaningless post-race interview with the winner, another lengthy delay prior to the B, then a full intermission after the 7:00 show didn't see its first race till 8:30?

For as brutal as I'm being I can't lay all the blame, in fact not even the majority of blame on the track. Roger continued the tradition set by Eagle's previous management of keeping the show rolling along. Indeed - give credit in that FOUR classes are often run in the same time span as the two classes prior to 2006. When Eagle's in charge (and I'll add several other tracks as well), things tend to move along at the proper pace.

So what was it that lit me up? Let's start with the process of elimination.

I can't blame the motorcycles. Last Sunday I recall one red flag, and what, two (?) restarts? There were times they had to shut down because they had been sitting in staging for so long. They were ready when asked.

The track conditions? Partially. But I've seen delays when the track needed to be reworked/run-in and I've seen the show still get over at a respectable time for what was being run.

I think it's the lack of respect for the fan's time by these all-important sanctions. Some of them get it. ASCS, USMTS and the World of Outlaws come to mind. If there's a delay, they pick up their own pace.

The problem is I think a lot of groups bring an ego to the track. Their show is there, but you should be fortunate for having them come.

Nevermind that the track is paying THEM. Without the track, the promoter and the fans feeding the promoter, they don't have a show. Maybe NASCAR can pull this attitude off, and I'm not sure they can do it 100% of the time anymore. When a track has to put a proverbial gun to its locals to get them to fill SOMEBODY ELSE'S show, the sanctioning body's leverage is minimal. And for any series just getting off the ground, one look into the stands should say that if they want to come back and command the price they do, in these economic times, they need to bring more to the table.

Otherwise, people won't leave - they just won't go. And I think that strange as it may seem, upon review, the lack of respect for the show is what pushed me out the gate. If my time wasn't important to them, then they aren't worth my time either. Maybe I'm the only one who cared, but the old marketing belief is that the vast majority of lost customers never tell you why they leave. They just pick up their stuff and don't look back.

Maybe I'm being too harsh - maybe the sun baked my brain, but after a few days...I still feel the same because I've seen it before, and on that night I just had enough.

Labels: editorial

-We’re starting to get into “specials” season again. For just starters, this month I-80 has Carl Edwards night, Eagle with their Bootlegger’s Run NASCAR stars special as well as their big Kid’s Night. Adams County is gearing up for a USMTS event featuring Kenny Wallace, Shelby County has Fan appreciation night in about two weeks. Butler County has their fan appreciation night as well as the return of midgets. Thayer County has more Hobby Stock money on the line on Friday.

-Speaking of Butler County, promoter Jacy Todd has been giving away free pit admission and waiving registration fees for new drivers to help get more out to the track. It’s a good, SHORT TERM idea, as the back gate is likely the primary source of revenue. Cutting that lifeline even temporarily is a heck of a risk – but at least someone’s trying something. It’s the kind of things that you have to do when your track was essentially defunct for a year and being put into that situation is the kind of risk you take by ever shutting down the program, even temporarily. They’re trying and it seems to be gaining traction, along with resurgence at Thayer County.

-Midgets are coming back to the “short” tracks, Eagle and Butler County on the last weekend of July. I’ve never thought much of the small cars on big half-miles, thinking the bull-rings were the best place to watch these machines. Fans would do themselves a service by getting out on a Sunday and Monday night and watching these cars on the tracks they were meant to run. The trip from Lincoln to Rising City isn’t that long, but budget an extra 10 minutes for HWY 79 being closed from Lincoln to Raymond.

-It was a good week for Late Model fans, with over 70 making the run at I-80’s Alphabet Soup makeup and treated to a fast, racy track by most accounts after the rain. I guessed wrong this time and let the forecast keep me home. The WDRL brought a 57 car field to Eagle the following night. The track was dry and smooth, but needed watering during intermission (where my camera survived a water truck soaking – so far). The watering saved the track, but fans expecting another last-lap thriller were maybe disappointed by John Kaanta’s wire to wire win. But as late model races go, it was actually OK, and a very clean run. The wingless sprint show was also OK. Both shows were average, but if you look past that, the back-story played the lead here, a sponsorless Kaanta downing a big field of heavy-hitters, and the legacy of Eagle Raceway legends taking part in the Wingless sprint event; Don Droud, Jr, Tige Jensen, and Robby Wolfgang all ran without the sheet metal like their fathers did decades before. Sometimes not all of what makes a race special needs to take place ON the track.

-This weekend I’m probably going to be away from racing entirely. Plans for a US36 ASCS trip are likely squashed due to work, and my wife’s birthday is this weekend. Despite working at Eagle for 3 years, a racetrack is probably the LAST place she wants to be on her birthday weekend and me being at one without her…that probably won’t fly either. Family first.

Labels: editorial

So, once again Eagle dodged a bullet. It seemed a sure thing that rain would douse the speedway with radar showing a line of storms bearing down from the northwest. But, like two weeks prior, there was just enough of a break to limit the watering to only a few drops.

It was an eerie experience during hotlaps when the cold wind from thunderstorm outflow blew cottonwood spores onto the track, almost like snowflakes. Minutes later, the sun shone and the temperatures as well as the humidity shot up. Sweatshirt weather went to shorts and t-shirts in the span of a few laps of the sprint heats. Fortunately a thin crowd also increased as the temps rose.

As a photographer, it was tough shooting with the light changing so rapidly. But the wake of the thunderstorms left a beautiful sunset as the clouds parted. Though another thunderstorm developed nearby, again scattering some drops on the track, it amounted to nothing.

The racing? Oh yes...that. Two messy A features.

What I don't understand is why after they split up the fields and add more laps do the compact drivers still think that going four-wide, almost three rows deep is a good idea? The result, a pile of metal and plastic in turn three. Maybe part of the "learning" process needs to be knowing most races aren't won on the first lap and MAYBE part of the learning process means not making the main event when your driving leads to crashing out and having to suffer through a B feature.

Sprint equipment fared worse, with several torn up cars, including three winding up on their head and one if not on their head, torn up from front to back. Unfortunately, Brad Krutz left in an ambulance after the races were over for observation. A duel in the final laps saw Mark Pace duplicate his Eagle best second place finish, with Mike Boston taking home the honors - a fine recovery from his Knoxville suffering the night before.

I don't know if it's the tacky track, or ruts or....

The Hobby Stock A feature had its drama with Nick Beckman blowing a tire on the final lap and Justin Wulf creating a hail of sparks hitting the front stretch wall and nipping Jerry Keaton at the line.

Stacey Wilhelm's modified smoked just enough NOT to get black flagged and despite the oil light coming on with five laps to go, he held on for the win despite Chevy Hadan's feverish charge in those final five laps.

I fully admit to being a sprint car nut, that's what I grew up around. But I've developed an appreciation for the modifieds and their drivers - I enjoy watching the show and many of the die-hard open wheel fans have developed an appreciation for the skills. The class has a lot of maturity. Wheeling one of those around requires finesse. The Eagle mod group is usually a very friendly and down to earth bunch. Now when they have an off night and get ugly, they get really ugly. But when there's a good field of quality drivers and cars - the races can be phenomenal. Overall, I think they put on a great show and I enjoy photographing them too.

Labels: editorial

I made the trip to Knoxville Raceway for the first time in 12 years last Friday and it brought back memories of the frequent visits during the '96 season. Of course, the grandstands are much larger now, and the lighting/scoreboard are improved but the track still retains much of its character.

It has become sprint car racing's Mecca, for a reason. There is one focus - sprint cars. The looming Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum should be testimony to that. Late Models, Modifieds, even Midgets are auxiliary events. This place lives and breathes sprint cars.

I would be the first to commit blasphemy and say the track is too big now for sprint cars. Half miles are outdated - winged racing can get lock-down, round and round, as I saw in the ASCS 360 division. But in this case, to try to take that away from the track is like asking the late George Carlin to remove the sarcasm from his act - it's essential to what they are.

The half-mile is an inherent part of the track's being. The size of the track is just as iconic as the black dirt, pork tenderloin sandwiches and towering layers of guardrail still meant to mimic the wooden ties of the past. You can't shake that.

Where a bull ring is the ideal venue for a midget, the half-mile hosted an entertaining contest with the top drivers from USAC and other sanctions.

The wingless wonders saw slidejobs-a-plenty (not to mention A feature red flags) but still yielded a terrific battle at the end where a young and diminutive Brad Sweet stole victory from an equally small in stature Cole Whitt in the final laps of Friday's contest. What these two lacked in height is made up for in cojones as they repeatedly leaped from the turn one rut to the cushion and out again as if it were the only way around the track.

The performance of the top two overshadowed excellent drives from Russ Harper, Michael Pickens and Aaron Fiscus who started deep in the field for top-ten finishes.

The ASCS show had one big event, Wayne Johnson’s motor expiring, giving the victory to Jason Johnson. Brian Brown settled for second, a straight’s length behind. Josh Higday was the exception to the mostly static field, finishing sixth after starting 24th.

It wasn’t a good night for Nebraska-based teams. The Lovegrove Racing, Larry Pinegar II –driven entry was felled by motor problems again while Billy Alley and Ryan Roberts also suffered mechanical problems. Eagle Raceway three-time champ Mike Boston just didn’t have it “there,” settling for eighth in the B feature (he was the first to admit to the bad night in his victory lane interview at Eagle Saturday). Jack Dover had the right tire mounted, but not on the car when his heat race victory was negated by having on an illegal tire. A fourth place B feature finish wasn’t enough for a place in the A main.

Sadly, for its place as arguably the world's most noteworthy dirt track, it is not immune from the influences of today's situations with economy and in Iowa, the weather. Light showers fell on the track around 5:30 and delayed racing until 9. The weather contributed to a scant crowd of maybe 1,000 fans (that's my estimate).

Credit the folks for not screwing around with long delays – something I remember USAC was notorious for back in the days they were at Eagle. Not only were over 100 cars in attendance (57 360’s and 44 midgets), they clicked off each race as quick as possible and I was told intermission was only 8 minutes long. No fault there. The show wrapped up around 1 AM and Joe Orth and I headed home for a 5AM arrival in Lincoln. I'm too old for that - next time, I'm staying overnight regardless.

It was great to see a big crowd of Lincoln area drivers and fans make the trip. Thanks to (or damn you) to Chris Moses for getting me hooked on Grape-flavored NOS energy drink. That and a handful of Goldfish powered my drive from Stuart, IA to Greenwood, NE (fumes carried me home).

It was all a wonderful experience.

I’ll have photos up from the show and some Eagle perspectives this week.

Labels: editorial

This week I run down the Eagle Nationals and request a recess.

It’s another possible two-day weekend for me, with a trip to Knoxville for the USAC Knoxville “Midget Nationals” and ASCoT (ASCS National Tour) sprint cars. I’ll be returning to Knoxville after nearly 12 years, having last been there in the fall of 2006 when we ran the 1BK with Don Droud, Jr. behind the wheel on the NCRA 410 Outlaw Circuit.

One of my racing photography desires has been to shoot at Knoxville, and yeah it isn’t the nationals, but the best USAC midget drivers and the best 360 drivers are certainly no second-rate show! Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Famer Joe Orth and I will be making the trip.

Once again, the Eagle Nationals have come and gone, with some pretty good racing both nights. Not all of it was wheel-to-wheel but there was a fair share of drama both nights. Chris Roseland opted to take the “Back Row Challenge” on Friday, starting at the rear of the field with a $1000 bonus if he won the A feature.

A couple of helpful cautions and red flags combined with a fast car led to Roseland sitting in second place on the lap 20 mandatory red flag. Unfortunately Mike Boston was in 100% form and sprinted away on the restart. Still, it was a great run by Roseland and a good feature for the fans.

Generally I root for the underdog, but watching some drivers do their magic sometimes is just as satisfying. Seeing Chris Alcorn cut through a field of Modifieds is really something to watch. It’s so methodical. It takes me back to watching Ed Kosiski wind through a field of Late Models on his way to his 16-win season in 1998, or watching countless number of Kevin Larkins back to front runs at Eagle in the 90’s. When I see performances like that, it’s almost disappointing if they DON’T win.

The tracks both nights were very good, and Saturday’s was outstanding. My favorite: fast in the heats, with a cushion, dry in the middle and a little on the bottom for the A.

There were fans who missed the two-day World of Outlaws experience (I’m one of them), but I can safely say that the losses on some of those two-day shows were a major contributor to the change in management at the track.

Saturday’s crowd was very good, but not the kind of crowd to justify a two day experience. Friday’s crowd wasn’t anything special either. I don’t blame the track so much as I do the economy. Word is you can still get very good Knoxville Nationals tickets even NOW. A few years ago, you were in a low corner of the backstretch by this time, if you got tickets at all. Things are tough all over.

I’m thankful things are going OK for me but I’m busier than cat covering crap right now at work and it will only get busier – and when I’m home, I got other things to do and sometimes updating the site isn’t one of them.

To add to it, I’m admitting to being a bit burned out after 28 years of being at a racetrack on a spring and summer Friday, Saturday or Sunday night save for rainouts. Since 1997, I’ve been at Eagle every night except for three, and one of those nights I was at another track.

Long story short – I’m going to take some time off from the frequency of updates to this site for a little bit, and I’m not talking a few days.

I freely admit that now I like photographing racing more than writing about it, and this season collecting and editing results/news from tracks has been more labor intensive than in the past. I believe that the money crunch prevents getting detailed and frequent information out when track staff are busy with so many other tasks.

I’m going to focus on the photography on this site and thus, the updates will be less frequent. I may even take a weekend or two off from racing entirely (!). But I need a break. Thanks to everyone for reading.

Labels: editorial

It’s been a messy season, but fortunately it looks like a great weekend for racing – not too hot, a slight chance of rain. You can’t ask for much more.

Some random thoughts:

-Butler County is hosting the “Up Rising,” with additional purse throughout. Question is: how many cars will they get with Eagle running track points for its hobbies and compacts? They could see a good Modified count however.

-That said, Thayer County is running for $650 to win tonight in the Mods as well. Again, another potentially great modified show.

-Perhaps having Saturday night off will motivate some of the Hobbies and Compacts down to Beatrice.

-I overheard a discussion two weeks ago about a certain class of cars being upset that the purse wasn’t bigger given they had to pay the same amount of pit fee. The conclusion was that “the promoter is making money off our pit fees!”

No, really?!?

Welcome to 21st century “back gate” promoting. When I hear the talk about “if it weren’t for (less expensive class) you wouldn’t have (more expensive class),” well now you know the reason why that’s true at 95% of the tracks that run more than one class. Sorry if you had grander ideas – I’m not trying to be insulting, I’m trying to have you remember the first job of a race promoter – to make money. If the situation doesn't sit well with you, don't run or go somewhere else. It's why trailers have wheels and racetracks don't.

Word to the wise: if you start to demand equal payout for the money paid in, the rules of the game change. You better be putting in fans then, and more than just friends and family. Again, the promoter is there to make money.

That’s why there are so few Sprint/Super Late Model weekly shows and nearly every dirt track has mods, stocks and compacts. Heck, even the mods are getting pricey...but that's beside the point. It doesn't matter what classes. The bottom of the list is there to help pay for the top of it.

It’s because there aren’t enough fans to pay for the big money cars at most tracks. Once you demand big payouts, fan count needs to go up or you either 1. run for less or 2. don’t run at all. So next time you ask for more purse ask who's going to pay for it? You or the fans? I don't care HOW MUCH MONEY the promoter has personally, every, every, EVERY promoter will only pay for your fun for so long - and it's like a loan shark, not Santa Claus. Someone else will have to pay for this eventually.

Labels: editorial

So, what do you do with darn near no racing this season? Gas prices and a rough economy already made the 2008 season a challenge before the first green flag, but the weather has thrown promoters a change-up that NY Mets pitcher Johan Santana would be proud of.

With that in mind – there’s been talk of rescheduling shows along with possible and already scheduled rain dates. Most people realize that rain dates are usually bummers crowd wise and rarely do they meet the original show’s expectations on any level. In some cases they’re necessary – a large show like the World of Outlaws demands ticket holders get to see the show. Maybe it’s making up events or filling a sanction’s minimum requirements. Again, not much is expected and usually not much is received. That’s why I’ve been against rain dates for weekly shows.

But maybe there’s a way to make it work. But it involves having a plan, communicating that plan, and executing it through.

First, I don’t think any rain date should take place within a week after the rainout. In this day of planning for gas expenses, time off, fan considerations, etc. slamming a rain date the day after the show isn’t helping, especially teams that have to travel or fans that made other plans for the next day. Unless other scheduling considerations (end of season, etc.) are in play, even a pre-scheduled rain date of the day after the race is asking a lot. Move the day to some time when you can advertise it, and you need to advertise hard – it could pay off in the end. And, move it to a day when the HOBBY racers (that is 99% of your weekly show) can get some lead time with their employers if needed.

Second, get the rain date established quickly. We’ve seen the trend to making early rainout calls because of fans and team’s driving distance, track safety, etc. I’d like to see promoters start setting a rain date when they make the original schedule. Even though trying to work a track for hours was out of concern for people who already made the trip (and rightfully so), knowing there was a plan in advance, maybe the pain of a rainout would’ve been easier to deal with.

Third, if you’re going to fill with a mid-week date for weekly shows, get the word out now, and give it at least a week to soak it in. Get the word out to your fans, on the night they’re there, not running to the cars during a downpour. Do it on a nice night. Your announcers/advertising/web sites need to get that ingrained into the heads of fans, when they’re receptive – usually at the track. “Hey fans…we want to get in all the racing we can, so from now until the end of the season, any show rained out will be made up the following _____!”

Fourth, and most important: if you’re going to run mid-week GET THE SHOW STARTED ON TIME AND FINISHED QUICKLY! This isn’t the time to run your big special intermission brouhaha. This isn’t the night to get started late. By mid season, you can get away with 1-2 hot laps per session, not 5. You can trim things down; you can put on HARD TIME LIMITS on the show – my experience at Eagle showed that if racers know in advance the clock’s on them, they’re a lot more understanding. There will always be bitchers, but the majority of your die-hards will understand, and thank you.

I’m not saying that this is the key to rainout success, and a guarantee to make money, but it is the culmination of my experience dealing with rainouts, and discussion with fans and race teams over the years about the subject and if it needs to be done, it can be done without the promoter getting blasted in the wallet.

Hoping for sunny days,
Jason

Labels: editorial

No, it's not a real race...yet?

When I worked for Eagle Raceway, whenever a big show would come along the two questions most racers asked was: how much to win and more often…how much to start the A feature?

I was reading through the April 2008 issue of Motorsport magazine and came across an idea forwarded by the FIA’s Max Mosely. While not running the governing body of Formula One (and doing odd things of late – you google it…), Moseley put up the idea of increasing pay, but to the BACK of the field.

The reasoning was that since the Ferraris and McLarens got 95% of the TV exposure, the smaller teams needed the extra boost they couldn’t get in sponsor revenue. His reasoning was that those small teams can’t run on just 5% of the budget of the larger teams, so why not give them a larger share of the pie? The big teams made the money in sponsors, the small teams would be subsidized to a greater extent by Formula One (all teams get a share of the contract revenue already).

With that in mind I thought of a similar idea. With the skyrocketing costs of racing, why not bump up the pay – but at the back of a weekly field. I took a look at the Eagle Raceway Sprint purse (from their website). The A feature pays 1000 to win, and $150 to start. What if you ran for $250 to start? The old argument that the A doesn’t pay for the tire and fuel is now gone, or at least a lot more manageable.

BUT, it comes at a price…let’s look. For the example, I used the payout for the sprints at Eagle since it was readily available and it’s a very unique division in that nobody runs Sprints in Nebraska weekly.

Current A feature payoff at Eagle Raceway – Sprint Division – total payout of $5,505.

1 $1,000
2 $600
3 $400
4 $350
5 $325
6 $300
7 $275
8 $250
9 $225
10 $200
11 $185
12 $175
13 $170
14 $150
15 $150
16 $150
17 $150
18 $150
19 $150
20 $150

Now…with $250 to start, same total payout

1 $500
2 $400
3 $330
4 $275
5 $250
6 $250
7 $250
8 $250
9 $250
10 $250
11 $250
12 $250
13 $250
14 $250
15 $250
16 $250
17 $250
18 $250
19 $250
20 $250

So, everyone from 9th on down gets a raise. More than half the field. 8th is unchanged.

Granted, the top 5 take a hit…6th & 7th’s deduction is minor.

“We can’t race on $1000 to win!” is a common statement. Well, for all but 9 teams, they found a way. And consider that three of those winners, Jack Dover (1 weekly race), Jason Danley (4) and Chad Meinholdt (1) all raced just a handful of weekly shows – combined it was less than half the season, that means all but 6 teams raced most of the races if not all at Eagle for less than a $1000 payoff each night.

So the question is: do you race for the trophy or the check? The winner still takes home more than anyone else, just only twice as much as the last place guy instead of eight times as much. I’m not talking about some sort of racing “communism,” I’m talking about sustaining your show, which is proving to be tough for some tracks, especially a one-track class. And perhaps, if the guy winning every week weren’t taking all the cash, maybe the little teams could catch up.

To be honest, while on paper it's a logical response to those who say the starting pay isn’t enough to cover basic expenses, I’m thinking this won't gain any traction. Here’s why:

1. While it’s proven unattainable for many, the advertising value of “Big Money to Win!!!” is just too much to overcome. And, I would even in my proposal say this applies only to your weekly show. The draw of the big money is what gets the hot dogs to the track.

2. People who know me know I’m a free-market kind of guy. To the victor go the spoils. Hard work should be rewarded. It’s a lot to ask people who’ve played by the rules, earned their stripes, to take such a hit for others. Plus, my idea of the purse and the effects of helping the back-runners get faster through money is a very “perfect-world” type of scenario and doesn't take a lot of other things into account.

3. Would the extra money make enough of a difference anyway? We may be too far gone to think that this kind of kick to the back of the field will do much good in the long run. As in most cases, this is a band-aid to a larger problem which requires things like radical rules changes, and perhaps other ways to raise the payout.

As I said, it’s just an idea – but with the fact that sanctions don’t seem to want to reduce costs through rules changes, racers won't cut their spending, nor promoters want to pay more in purse, it’s one way I saw to sustain the field, at least in the short term while other influences outside the sport (economy, gas, etc.) are putting pressure on racing.

If you have any thoughts, send them to me (my email’s in the upper right corner)

-Jason

Labels: editorial

“What…what would you say ‘ya DO here?” – Bob Slidell, from the movie Office Space

The ‘About’ link over on the right gives you an overview and my credentials, but I’m going to be a little more descriptive, and a little more pointed, if not flat arrogant here.

I don’t make any other claim than this site is for my own personal enjoyment. I don’t make any money on this site, and even if I did sell ads and whatnot, there isn’t nearly enough in what I’ve spent in web hosting, photo gear, and time (I do value my time).

My hobbies include photography, racing, and writing. This site allows me to do all three. I’ve grown up around the racetrack – literally since I could “p*ss in a pot.” I’ve been lucky to be a fan when I was a little kid, be a part of a race team through my teens and 20’s and be a part of the management and promotion side of the racing industry for eight years (including three where it was my full-time job).

In exchange for the access and expense of tracks giving me access, I have given back. This site averages around 1000 visits per day during the season, and it’s a reference point for a lot of race fans. No, it isn’t Huskerpedia, or whatever, but our sport is a lot smaller than Husker Football too. I have sent material to the “media,” including trade papers and traditional media outlets like the Lincoln Journal-Star, reaching out to more than just the inner core of message boards and race media.

There have been quality, timely photos of the event posted of Eagle, FREE to view for two years now when no other photos have been posted on a medium (the internet) which is the dominant form of communication in the short track world. For the record, I’ve made $246 on photos since 2006. I’ve spent approximately $4250 in photo gear, software and webhosting fees – not to mention time. Just like most of you racers, I’ve lost money and will lose more because I’m not selling prints this year, but it doesn’t matter: I do it because I love it.

I’ve been complimentary of races and promoters, including the controversial bus races at Eagle, the terrific Non-Wing/360/Modified show at I-80 last season, and the revival of Shelby County Speedway by a group of hardcore lovers of the sport.

And almost on a daily basis, I try to take what’s been sent, and what hasn’t been sent but posted elsewhere and get that in a one-stop place for any short track fan in the area to visit. Sometimes, this involves editing, clarification, cleaning up and so on to make it presentable.

FAR MORE of this site is positive, informative and nothing but sugar for the sport, because as a whole, this sport is wonderful.

Sometimes things happen that aren’t sweet, and maybe those things need to be brought to light so that the sport does not suffer. And we may not always agree on what’s sweet or what’s sour, but I’ve always been willing to hear the other side.

One thing I’ve tried to do is break some of my Eagle ties. The way I’ve done this is through objectivity. For all the race results, press releases and such, I’ve said uncomplimentary things about Eagle before; the crowd for the ’06 Nebraska Cup, where I posted a panoramic picture of maybe 200 people in a 5000 seat section of grandstand, an editorial about night of pit-road mess and official decisions I didn’t agree with, my disdain with the 2007 Backrow Challenge being a support show to the WDRL. And all while Roger and Michelle Hadan have graciously let me in for no charge, indeed receiving a literal pat on the back and thanking me for what I've done from Roger.

But to only speak negative of one place I had connection to before and not be objective to all tracks I ask for access to, is unfair to everyone.

The model for the site was Kevin Eckert’s (formerly of Open Wheel) excellent http://www.openwheeltimes.com/. He posts news releases, and the occasional editorial. I don’t agree with Kevin all the time, but he shoots it straight and makes you think.

And this is where I get into the “pointed’ part of this editorial. The way things “used to be” and the environment of the days of old is gone – forever.

Writer extraordinaire Joe Scalzo described it in his book The American Dirt Track Racer as the “Eleventh Commandment” of racing: thou shalt not speak ill of the sport. I got news for you: that went the way of the ancient view of the Sun revolving ‘round the Earth.

The Pollyanna journalism of the old died long ago.

It died with the advent of technology and the mobile family of the 50’s brought choices for the entertainment dollar.

It died when lawyers sued for neglect.

It died when sponsor money was needed just to stage a show or race a car and the front gate had to support the expenses.

It died when the family budget demanded more money for food, groceries, housing and basic needs and wants of a seemingly-affluent society.

It died when even the sport’s own faithful and participants got their own platforms in the media.

And if one final whack to the dead horse couldn’t be delivered, the Internet with its message boards, track and fan sites, and fans, drivers, and all those concerneds’ demands for world-wide access and delivery of the facts pulverized the remains of the Eleventh Commandment into a stain on the backstretch of history.

Sometimes bad things happen in a good sport. Crowds don’t show, people get hurt, racers run out of money, fans can’t pay, the show was a bore. It happens and will continue to happen. People expect to be entertained, but they expect truth as well. Husker fans spoke ill of the program even in the good times (remember Lawrence Phillips)? And as sad is it maybe it did need to be said and addressed, for the good of the sport.

If the charlatans who tell you to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” then ask for your money and ask for your allegiance can’t take their lumps like we all have to in our lives in the REAL world, then I have no use for them and the organizations they run interference for.

I’m not asking for sympathy or to be a martyr. I’m not the next Geraldo Rivera or anything like that. I’m telling you where I stand, and what “I do here.”

I’m just asking for your trust and your sense of fair play. I’ll keep pouring myself into this if you keep reading. Racing is too much a part of my own life and bigger than any one of us to let good things go unnoticed and bad things go unaddressed.

Last weekend, a long-time racer (I won't mention the name, for sake of not getting him involved in my rant against his will) talked me out of hanging this up altogether. He said to just keep doing what I’m doing.

And that’s what I’m going to do.

Labels: editorial

Marketing is the process of determining customer wants, fulfilling those wants and move customers to your product.

Advertising, public relations, research, retailing, etc. are all REQUIRED parts of the equation.

Regardless of the time available to conduct all this, if you aren’t meeting all these expectations, you are not marketing.

If you are limiting your communication about future events to message boards or niche sites (like this one!) and hoping that others spread the word for you, you are not advertising. No press? Buy ads. Can't afford ads? Go to places personally. Can't get out there? Get someone who can.

If you aren’t communicating with your fans (your customers), your racers (your customers), about the things you’re doing that aren’t just promoting the next event (that’s advertising) then you are not practicing public relations. If you aren’t managing ALL your channels of communication (print, online, radio and TV), then you aren’t doing public relations. Bad press? Get the word out. Poor image? Communicate the positive. Always reacting? Be proactive. Can't write? Find someone. Can't find anything positive? You got bigger problems.

If you are not looking at your previous events and seeing what works and what didn’t, what shows did well and what do not, what makes money and what doesn’t and you aren’t looking for feedback from your customers, then you aren’t doing research. Have a show that doesn't get crowds? Ask why and be honest, think about why YOU would want to attend. Put yourself in the customer's shoes, ask the customer. Ask the POTENTIAL customer as well.

If you don’t know how to accommodate your customers with a pleasant experience, access to your goods and services (like seats, concessions, pit space, hell – the PA system), then you are not retailing. Weather killing your shows? Look at your scheduling. People leave early? How long is your program? Concessions not selling? Look at your prices and product.

If you are just doing a few of these things, you aren’t marketing.

If you do small parts of these things, and still don’t have the crowd and the cars, you aren’t marketing hard enough.

You need to grow beyond message boards, niche sites, pretty pictures, gladhanding buddies at racing events. If this is all you do, you aren’t marketing, at the best, you are performing small parts of the components of marketing and if you can't do it all, you aren't doing anything.

The old saying goes, "one finger pointing at me, three pointing back at you." The press didn't give you empty grandstands, the TV didn't give you a bad track, the message board didn't run off your cars. YOU didn't put on a show worth seeing, YOU didn't get the word out, YOU didn't give a reason for cars to attend, YOU and only you didn't overcome the obstacles presented.

The difference between the ‘Field of Dreams’ and ‘Field of Reality’ is that the ghosts were already in the field of dreams. The rest of the world has to bring them to the park.

And the way to bring them in is with marketing - REAL marketing.

Labels: editorial

“Super Hi-Intensity Action Truck” class coming in 2009
Omaha, Neb (March 31, 2008) – Track owners and promoters from Eagle Raceway, I-80 Speedway, and Junction Motor Speedway have introduced a spec, touring series of All-American pickup class that will begin racing in 2009. The class will be sanctioned by a joint body of the promoters, the name to be decided by a fan vote, to be held at the opening night of each track’s weekly season.

The Super Hi-Intensity Action Truck class will combine high-horsepower, spec motors with heavily modified, late-model pickup chassis in a tightly-controlled and highly competitive class.

In a joint statement, the promoters believe that this class will create a new example of twenty-first century racing. From the joint statement: “We need to get with the times. The pickup is the vehicle of choice amongst our fans, and it’s the only true rear-wheel-drive vehicle left on a mass-production basis. It will finally settle the question if whether or not ‘that thing’s got a hemi’ really matters.

“More importantly,” the statement continued, “we’ve looked at the state of premier classes such as Super Late Models and 360 Sprint cars. Nobody can agree to anything about the rules, the costs and so on. Why continue down this path?

“The new class will be heavily policed and monitored. It will create even more opportunities to get more racers on board with so much competition that fans will swear winning comes out of blind luck or that it's fixed. Of course, we're following the NASCAR model which has been the only way racing can really be run anymore.”

The pickups will maintain the basic designs of the Dodge Ram, Chevy Silverado and Ford F-Series, with significant competition and safety modifications. Powering the rear-wheel drive trucks will be spec, manufacturer specific motors, guaranteed to dyno ‘over 700 horesepower’ according to the promoter coalition.

Also featured on the trucks will be World of Outlaws Sprint Car style wings, with a 30-square foot rule, to accommodate the larger wheelbases of the pickup trucks. Other unique features include a cut out bed to allow for open rear wheels, driven by spec-wide bodied tires, to be designed by Hoosier – a respected name in racing tires. At this point the coalition is deciding whether or not to run without roofs, to give a better view of the driver.

In the prepared statement the promoter coalition felt that the time has come to create a new class of vehicle unlike any other and one that will finally bridge the gap between open wheel and stock car fans. As a bonus the huge body panels of the truck and wing will allow for huge amounts of “rolling billboard” space for sponsors.

To begin the series, a unique blend of cooperation has come forth with each track taking a rotating schedule of shows. Also, fans will be treated with an incentive to come see the new trucks, when each track will offer free front gate admission on nights when the class is running.

According the promoter coalition, they feel they can make up lost gate revenue from fans “in pit gate fees, concessions and alcohol sales.” The first race at each track will also feature a prominent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star behind the wheel, in full competition. At the end of the evening, the NASCAR driver will donate his winnings to a lucky fan in a random draw.

More details are available here: www.heartlandracenews.com/_misc/spectruck.html

Labels: editorial, Race related news

Yesterday I got no fewer than 5 emails from friends regarding the closing of
one of Lincoln's long-time bars, P.O. Pears. An article appeared on the
Lincoln Journal-Star's website shortly after.

People signed up to an email list from the bar, and received notice from the
owner announcing the closing. And it seems that it was also sent when it was
made public to the local paper as well.

I don't subscribe to the P.O. Pears list, in fact I'm not even a big fan of
the place. Despite that I got more emails about the closing than I ever got
from them about anything.

So I have to wonder, if this kind of grassroots buzz floated with the
CLOSING of the bar, what could have been done while the damn thing was OPEN?

Now, I'll make an exception for the "shock factor" and that bad news travels
faster than good. But how many of you get email from people saying,
"hey.such and such cover band is playing at so and so's place tonight?" How
many times do you get little emails from friends wondering what everyone's
going to do this weekend?

I get emails and text messages from people saying they're getting concert
tickets, and will sit in line and buy them for everyone interested. Or, I've
had people who knew a guy who played in the band and has a few free passes.
Maybe it's "ladies night" and there's always something going down. Do you
see where I'm going?

Why do the fans of some bar or cover band not have a problem marketing the
place where the concert takes place, even if they don't realize it, but for
some reason race fans and car owners and drivers insist up and down that
they won't do a track's marketing for free, dammit! That's their job.

If someone in a band sends emails to friends to watch them play, why can't a
driver do the same? If people who have fun at a certain bar email their
friends to go out with them, why can't they do the same for the racetrack
they like to hang out at, especially if going there is a fun experience, and
not just a racing one?

So the task I put forth is obvious but seems to need reminding.

Race tracks: get your info out there and not just to the die-hards but offer
yourselves up to the masses. Get the word out but also do things on your end
that make the offer attractive: start the show on time, make it fun, make it
a pleasant experience. Leave the fan talking up the place when they leave.
Throw out a little incentive, after all you're asking not only the fan but
other people who work hard for their money. Offer an incentive; say package
deals on ten tickets, or buy 5 get one free -whatever. Fan appreciation
nights are cool but give something out to the people who work hard to get
you those people on a regular night.

Race Fans and Participants: Perhaps some of you already do this and good for
you. But I ask you this: how much do you like racing? The fact is there's a
lot more bars than racetracks and like the guy running the place or not, if
they weren't there you wouldn't be racing. If you like racing and you like
racing where your at, then do it for your sport. Get the word out. Invite
friends. Send out emails to your friends. Buy them a ticket once. If you're
getting tickets to the big show, get everyone's tickets at once. Sit
together and have a big-old party.

Despite the constant back and forth between promoters, racers, and fans,
we're all in this together. If we lose one group, the whole thing comes to
an end. And you see how long tracks sit idle - there aren't many people who
will pick up the pieces.

Labels: editorial

I left the last wish list with a tirade about tracks not getting a good website going. Let's be a little more positive for the next.

1. Attend the Turkey Chase kart race this year. This seems to be just a fun way to get in an off-season fix for the racing blues.

2. See a competitive ASCS race at Junction Motor Speedway. I'm not knocking the track, I'm knocking the way the format is. I've seen passing at the big 3/8 mile. But what you have is essentially, the fast guy starts up front. While I understand the reward based passing point system, that's all fine and good until A feature time, which usually falls flat. Some time ago I asked if a good ASCS race could be held at a track larger than a third-mile. I-80's Wingless 410/ASCS/Mod show showed it could happen as, well every guy up front was fast! But that didn't take away from one of the better A features I watched all year with Jack Dover holding off some big guns to take the win.

3. Hit some other shows on Saturday besides Eagle! The sad thing is I have an emotional connection to the place, have a lot of good friends there and shooting there has been a desire of mine for a LONG time. I keep saying that, but this time I need to deliver.

4. That people who really care about their track's cause take the time to send some emails. I tire of seeing people saying that the TV, newspaper, etc. doesn't cover their show. Well, let me tell you this, newspaper staff is shrinking and their ability to find little tidbits is diminishing. Help them out! Before you think I'm going on another rant again, well no. Not yet. But I'll offer the words of P.T. Barnum: you can't sell it if they don't know about it.

5. Make it out to Knoxville a few times this year, maybe even for the Nationals. I haven't been there in 11 years. Really. If I go to the Nationals this year though - it will probably be from the Saturday before thru Thursday. I'll leave the Friday and Saturday parades for the TV.

I'm sure there are other things but this is good for now.

Labels: editorial

While we're waiting for the start of the 2008 season (which, I feel is the USMTS show at JMS on March 7), here's some wishes I have for the New (Racing) Year:

1. Someone (IMCA, NASCAR, tracks, etc.) with the cojones to delcare a five-year moratorium on the creation of new classes.

(Nobody said these wishes had to be realistic)

We don't need SUV races, or yet further limited version of what was supposed to be a limited class, or whatever concoction some back-gate promoter, sanctioning body or guy who isn't winning every week comes up with. We have too many classes now and none of them are filling the pits at tracks giving us boring, empty A features and diluted talent pools. It amazed me to see results with 2, 3 or 4 cars in a class. Nobody likes it. The fans don't like it and heck, I've talked to drivers that don't like it. FIX the classes you have or sh*tcan 'em. It's OK if you don't run the same classes everyone else does.

2. I hope that my favorite trend, moving the show along continues. It's nice to see series race directors, traveling shows and such demand that things keep moving. There's a reason ball games and movies are 3 hours MAX.

News Flash to promoters who drag things out - beer sales drop off after intermission and dragging the show out an extra hour doesn't make you that much more money - and considering the cost of help, you actually start to lose. What it does do is get the fans grumpier, the drunks angrier and the track drier. Any track that can't get a show finished in 4 hours is running too long.

3. It's time for some tracks to step up their Public Relations. A post on a message board is not advertising (talk about preaching to the choir), and poorly-written announcements which often lack date, time, etc. aren't going to get picked up by the press.

I can't believe in this day and age some tracks don't have a website. Can't afford one? You can get one for FREE! And if you want to add all those neato graphics, most tracks could be served by a site that costs less than $100 per year. Don't know how to build a site? Get over to google and get their site builder - it's FREE! Go buy some cheap web authoring software. Get some kid to http://www.nvu.com/ and download a full fledged site creator for FREE. Hell, write something in MS Word and save it as an HTML format file and post that.

Go to http://www.blogger.com/ use their FREE tool to post your announcements onto your website which they'll host for FREE. Log in, type your message in the box and click "publish." Done! If you use Yahoo or Hotmail for mail well, Blogger is easier to use than that.

Wanna get fancy? Pay 10 bucks to http://www.godaddy.com/ and you can even get your own custom name (like http://www.whatever-the-name-of-my-racetrack-is.com/)! For the price of a case of Old Mil you get an internet site. You want to jazz it up? Give someone who knows a free pass to the races and have them put up a graphic for your track at the top. Have a high school or community college make your homepage as a class project (and maybe get a few new fans in the process)!

Can't write? Don't! You need to answer 5 questions:

• Who (that's easy, your track),
• what (the classes and if it's a special show or weekly show),
• where (give your track's address and directions),
• when (the time),
• how - as in how much are tickets.

That's IT. If you really feel up to it, throw in a why (point chase, extra purse, etc.). Oh, and any time you want to say "I" or "we," replace that with your track's name and you're good to go.

What...you say you're too old for "them computers?" Well, your current AND FUTURE customers aren't and they expect you to be on the Web. 75% of Americans have internet access and by proportion, the percentage of internet users using a high-speed (not dial-up) connection is HIGHER among rural Americans. GET IT?

It's estimated that of the group of "serious" race fans (more than 3 shows per month), 85% get track information via the track's website. If you can't even hit your own customers, who the hell else will know?

OK, take a deep breath....

Part two later....

Labels: editorial

In addition to the people I mentioned in my opinion of the most influential (Roger Hadan, Land Developers, Inc. (NE Raceway Park), Greg Sanford, Dave and Kathy Cook, Johnny Saathoff, Del Friesen, Gary Dominguez), here’s a summary of other nominations for most influential in local racing.

One thing I REALLY, REALLY want to mention first:

The order I present people in this article is in NO WAY a reflection of any kind of “voting” results, which I didn’t keep since it wasn’t a contest, or how I feel about them, or anything. It is just how they fit into the flow of the article. I’m not making any judgment about the people here by presenting them first, last, in the middle, etc.

What it wasn’t intended to be: I didn’t really think this up looking to make a “Hall of Fame,” a “nicest guy” list, and it wasn’t meant to be a place for “shout-outs” or a popularity contest either. In fact, I admit that in my initial list of people/groups, there are things they do that I DON’T like but still have undeniable influence.

I do confess a few nominations wishing there was some more “why” included but I included them here regardless because they may be worth mentioning. As you’ll see next, there are a couple of people I didn’t know anything about but certainly deserve mention.

The best part of this survey was that I was enlightened by some of the suggestions not realizing what kind of impact they made. A few mentioned (in no particular order):

* Kevin “Littleman” Snyder – his car building knowledge was a key to the Jet Mods success, and built many of the cars that won championship across the country. This is underscored by the fact that Kevin was successful behind the wheel. I received a very long, heartfelt eulogy of Kevin which I may publish separately, as I know this brief paragraph isn’t doing justice to his memory.

* Travis Roth – a top Late Model competitor, owner of Roth Racing and part of a family spanning 53 years of racing involvement. Travis is an adviser to the Late Model community and short track promoters as well as a championship driver. He’s also branching out and getting kids involved in the sport through efforts in Kart racing.

I was reminded of a few people who, though their most active time in the sport was years ago their legacy still has impact on the way things are done.
Again in no special order:

* The Kelley Family – of course Craig and Mike are still influential in the racing community though not full time promoters/competitors. And Sunset Speedway’s legacy STILL presides over every track that runs weekly late model shows in the area as a benchmark for performance.

* Lawrence Ideus – who drove efforts in the early 1980s that many feel saved the fledgling (at the time) 360 Sprint class at Eagle.

* Lonnie Jensen, Jim Schuman, Larry Sinner, Pete Leikam, Don Droud, Sam Briscoe and others for the foundation of the 360 Sprint class, known then as “Modified” sprints


Some of the names sent in gave me a V-8, smack me in the forehead-moment asking myself, “why didn’t I think of that?” A few:

* Jeff Joldersma – Builder of Sport Compacts, and a big influence on the direction of the class. He was a guiding force behind the IMCA Sport Compact division and is a winning driver. In addition, he has stressed the importance of safety both in advice and in his own product and is a huge advocate for the fastest growing class of dirt track racing.

* Wayne Dake – whose Speed Secrets program brings local racing’s faces to the public and is one of the most prominent and recognized personalities at ANY track he visits.

* Brett Root – as the IMCA Vice President of Operations, the indirect influence is obvious, but with IMCA rules guiding all but a handful of classes what happens in Vinton, IA affects nearly every track directly.


There were many others brought to light. First I’ll list the ones where comments were provided. I’ll give the list here and a brief summary of the comments given by the nominator (in alphabetical order):

• Charlotte Bivens and Butler County Speedway for being one of the few Friday night tracks
• Brad Brown – whose IBRACN.com was the first of the fan sites in the area
• Rhonda and Bernie Bryan – their efforts with Kid’s Night at Eagle are not just a huge fan draw, but the goodwill passed with the bikes makes them ambassadors of the sport
• Mark Burch – sprint car owner, whose cars are a threat at any 360 race. He was also cited for his help making other teams faster through advice and services.
• Craig Cormack – though not actively a part of Eagle, the changes he made to Eagle are still a model for tracks to follow. As one person noted, “Craig’s influential because he still owns Eagle Raceway!”
• Tom Denton for bringing Thayer County Speedway back to regular racing
• Doug Deterding – long time competitor and known as a promoter of modified racing at Eagle
• Rodney Droud – as a longtime racer and promotes a positive message
• Jay Eckley – Eckley Racing Engines – whose power is in many of the cars you see locally
• The race fans – without them there wouldn’t be any racing
• Rik Gropp – longtime modified racer and big on getting kids involved with his team
• Emmet Hahn and Lanny Edwards for their growth of the ASCS and the numerous shows now in the area
• “Speedy” Hill – for his efforts in promoting racer safety
• Darrick Klima – modified builder and driver, bringing a low cost, competitive car to the racer
• Joe, Steve, and Ed Kosiski each received separate nominations for their on track accomplishments and their off-track influence, through parts, car building, etc. As one described them, the “First Family” of dirt late model racing. (Note: I considered all this as reason for the inclusion of the LDI group in my initial list).
• Toby Kruse, new Beatrice Speedway Promoter
• Randy Lawrence – media director for Team Dover as well as article writer for ASCS, etc.
• Jeff Lowery – for trying to bring wingless sprint car racing back to Eagle
• Bob Mays – Photographer and writer. Historian, author, and current columnist for Flat Out magazine.
• Mike Meyer – Six-time Eagle Modified Champ who got a lot of modified guys started
• Ron Meyer – writer for Dirt Late Model and other magazines
• Chris Moses – whose Oval Operations blog is becoming popular in the sprint car community
• Jason Orth – for the Heartland RaceNews.com site and writing for the Turn Three section in the Lincoln Journal Star (I didn’t want to put myself in, but one of the nominators insisted)
• Joe Orth – Nationally known sprint car photographer, as well as the producer and keeper of a huge repository of visual history, especially Eagle/Midwest Speedway
• Val Perkins of whowon.com – whowon’s message boards were THE hot place for local racing smack talk, not to mention the huge news/track info databank.
• Tyler Phelps – modified builder and driver, a positive influence on other competitors
• Dan Rhiley – supporter of much of the sport compact field at Eagle Raceway
• Bill Smith – the famous “Speedy Bill” of Speedway Motors. Nominated for the influence Speedway Motors has had on the grass-roots level racing parts industry and his support of IMCA.
• Support class teams who are “floating tracks with back gate money”
• Gary Swenson – the most dominant car owner in Eagle history is still fielding competitive cars that are at the front of most 360 shows still.


Where comments weren’t given (again, in alphabetical order):

• Chris Alcorn
• Billy Alley
• Kyle Berck
• Ed Bowes
• Marty Boyer
• Frank Brennfoerder
• Stan Cisar, Jr
• Larry Danhauer
• Tom Deery of DIRT Motorsports / World of Outlaws
• Todd Devenich
• Jack Dover
• Marc and Lori Dover
• Trish Dover
• Don Droud, Jr
• Phil Durst
• John Gerloff
• Tony Glenn
• Tom Grasso
• Tom Gutowski
• Ray Haase
• John Hart – Eagle Raceway Pit Steward
• Todd Henrichs – Lincoln Journal Star sports editor
• Wayne House
• Willie “The Welder” Ideen
• Ray Lipsey
• Charlie Martin
• Terry Klatt
• Don Maxwell
• Curt McKeever of the Lincoln Journal Star
• Randy Palmer
• Joe Proctor
• Bob Richardson
• George Roseland
• Chuck Spanel
• Bruce Steenson
• Ivan Tracy
• Dave Trauernicht
• SLS Promotions (fyi: the co-promoters of the June 2007 WoO show at Eagle)
• Greg Soukup – AKA “Eagle Pit Shack Guy”
• Nick Rubek of the Omaha World Herald
• Ray Valasek
• Wavelink Raceway Park
• Larry White – flagman at Eagle and I-80

To conclude: this is a pretty wide list, but by no means comprehensive. And, there is a lot of Eagle-centrism here, but that’s what I got from the public – it wasn’t intended. If anyone got left off the list, it wasn’t intentional.

There are a LOT of people who do a lot of things at many tracks to make local racing what it is today. Just looking at this list alone shows you how wide the scope of the sport is.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Labels: editorial

I was flipping through some financial stuff and found how to convert the value the dollar had in 19-whatever to "today's dollars." Example: if say, a bag of fertilizer or something cost $1.50 in 1965, what would that be in 2007 money? Answer: $9.87. The tool is the consumer price index.

So, I was looking at some old race results and noticed the days when the Chadd brothers (Mike and Dean) dominated the 360 sprint class at Knoxville back in the late 80's.

Mike won last season at Eagle Raceway, paying $1000. The one day I found an actual payoff amount was for Mike's win on 5/29/87. He won $450 according to the article. What's $450 in 2007 dollars?

$817.21.

While there's a LOT of other factors in the cost of racing...seeing what the pay was then converted to today's money is an interesting start in the discussion.

Labels: editorial

Preface: one thing I want to mention after receiving many suggestions, is that I'm not looking to make this a competition, but to give an idea of who the "movers and shakers" in local racing are, or even their legacy - whose opinions, actions, businesses, etc. are shaping the future of racing at this time. It's not necessarily a greatest driver, most charitable, nicest guy list - although those could be qualifiers. We'll save those categories for later...

Each year, national media often do a poll/survey/article on who is the most influential in that form of racing. Guys like Bruton Smith are near the top of a NASCAR list, Tony George atop Open Wheel, etc.

What I'm looking for is who do you think is most influential in the Eastern Nebraska / Western Iowa / Northern Kansas area.

It can be a promoter, driver, owner, pit crew member, media member, fan or race personality, sanctioning body head...ANYONE who you think influences the programs run in this area.

I'm not looking for a top __ list, but I think limiting the choices to 5-ish is a good place to start.

I'd like to know who you think they are and if you want, a brief explanation of why.

Send me an email: jason@heartlandracenews.com

Since I get so much spam in my email, use the word "survey" in the subject so I can pick 'em out. I'd love to hear from you and if you want your name used please include it and let me know.

I'll compile a list of people's selections later.

Thanks,
Jason

To give an example of what I'm talking about, here's my picks (in alphabetical order)

Dave and Kathy Cook - dirtdrivers.com. This has become the de facto place to pass racing news/gossip/information in the area. There are few places which can kick off more of a reaction without being on the track itself.

Gary Dominguez and the Midwest Racers Autograph Day committee. There are very few groups capable of bringing that kind of display each year from a variety of different tracks/sanctions, visited by that many people.

Delmar Friesen - owner/promoter Junction Motor Speedway. The USMTS spring opener along with the annual USAC Cornhusker challenge have become solid fixtures for this facility. The quality of the facility is a benchmark for new tracks - or any track for that matter.

Roger Hadan - promoter, Eagle Raceway. Roger is pushing the envelope in fan entertainment and involvement, and managed to pull in large and growing weekly crowds while much of the fan count is in decline.

LDI - owners/promoters of Nebraska Raceway Park. The Hornet/Sport Compact class didn't begin there, but the success of it set a huge trend and now these classes have become the back-gate moneymaker for most tracks and redefined the entry level class on dirt. In addition, they still are a strong force behind Late Model racing in this area and have built a successful "motorsports park" concept with Karts and Motocross.

Johnny Saathoff - modified driver, promoter, race components business owner. His success on the track makes him a feared competitor at any IMCA modified race. Jet Mods have won 5 IMCA National titles, and he's beginning to revive racing at the NE State Fair Park with his annual state championship races.

Greg Sanford - owner, Nebraska Motorplex. It only makes sense to call someone who gets the most local press BY FAR without having run a race in years influential. A whisper of the location of a proposed site for the new dragstrip creates a firestorm.

Labels: editorial

"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics." - Thomas Sowell

We're in an age of the "lowest common denominator" in racing. Instead of finding ways to help people obtain the means, or even the desire for the type of racing they want to compete in, promoters, sanctioning bodies and even racers instead continue to lower the bar for under the silly notion they're helping the sport.

Just like Chinese toys, what price is being paid for this trend? Maybe we're seeing a dumbed-down program or at its worst, an unsafe one.

I will never fault anyone trying their hardest, even if all they can manage is a go-cart ride in the backyard. However, they're in the minority. There are far more talkers than doers and they're cheapening the ranks.

People worry about the ending of tracks, about the end of certain classes. People clamor for rules changes, purse increases, class creation...all things that require no work of themselves.

While there is some responsibility of the promoters and sanctioning bodies, how much has the racer tried on their own? How many low-cost ways have the racers tried to gain sponsorship, make connections, network?

There's no meeting in the middle!

One person presented an opportunity for people to find the means to compete. Gary Dominguez put on a sponsorship seminar last season to teach and guide racers on how to obtain sponsors. It seemed to pay off for Jay Russell's bunch. This year Gary offered the sponsorship seminar again, but canceled due to lack of interest.

He was offering this for little but their time and an email. That's it. Few takers.

But there's no shortage of people sitting with beer in hand and keyboard in front of them for bitching and typing more than what it would have taken to attend the seminar. Instead, they hope someone else will take care of the problem. The promoter should pay more, or add more classes, the sanctioning body should cut costs or add another class and so on and so on.

Maybe someone could attend a FREE seminar. But no...instead we have to create yet another class that is slower, more boring, and likely more dangerous than the last one.

Instead of working to provide a path to improvement, tracks and sanctions keep lowering the bar, sure to get the back-gate revenues and license fees. It doesn't matter. They still think they can "make it up in volume." As I said before, there isn't enough back gate money to be made to pay for modern tracks and what it takes to compete in today's entertainment business.

Entry level racing is just that - entry level. Sooner or later one would think that a person would want to move up and ahead. Otherwise it gets boring and you know what, as much as pee-wee football is fun to watch if your kid or relative is playing, nobody's filling up 50,000 seat stadiums to see it.

Nobody's there to see the opening act, the Junior Varsity game, the entry-level class. What puts butts in the seats - what grows the track to allow for more purses and more fans and more races is quality, regardless of what class that may be.

It's been said that we have to grow the sport and make it more appealing to fans. So why do promoters keep rolling out hamburger and telling fans it's steak? And why does the racing public gladly eat it?

Let the entry-level be the raw ingredients - they're the salt and pepper, the flour and butter - absolutely necessary but not enough on their own. The final recipe demands effort and willingness to accept that it's not going to come fast. Would you go to a nice restaurant and accept a Swanson TV dinner?

Instead of setting goals higher, they ask promoters to put on shows paying ridiculous purses...purses higher than most premier classes see all year. We enable the entry-level to be content, if not prosper at the expense of the overall program which will die when they lose fan interest. It's like Welfare for racing.

Maybe it's time to demand some reform.

Who really benefits here by letting people languish in entry-level classes? I've grown tired of the watching the politics and game playing between promoters, the cries of "elitism" against people who aren't satisfied and have the stones to say something. I'm tired of the ridiculous notion that people who aren't content with the state of the sport are hurting it. I'm tired of the gladhanding politician/promoter telling us we should be glad to have what we do. Are we content to pay while they just try to drink as much as they can from a drying well? Why not find another source of water?

Nobody wants racing to die. Nobody is trying to kill it. But if we accept the poor product, we aren't saving the sport, we're just delaying the inevitable. It will die. All we do is prolong the suffering and disgust people so much that nobody will be sorry when it's gone, nor be in any hurry to bring it back.

-Jason

Labels: editorial

We're seeing the regular season wind down again and each year, there's always this "fall tinge" that hits about late August. I don't know how to describe the feeling that comes over. Maybe it's because the "unofficial" end of summer, Labor Day is just around the corner. Perhaps all the talk of football ramping up to its opening day crescendo creates an air of excitement that is multiplied by the usual race day activity.

There is a difference in the air - while it may be the same temperature as late spring day, the smells of soon-to-be harvested crops sweeten the breeze, there is a feeling at the end of the year similar to the ending of a work day - except this time it's the end of the racing year. It's a time that always punctuates my memories of each season.

A thread on Dirtdrivers.com had several people reminiscing about times gone by and the sound of Ford Flatheads, Offys and Novi engines in cars of the 50's and 60's.

But the "good ol' days" are relative. I'm not a youngin' compared to some of the new crop of drivers and fans, while I may be a kid to the likes of the folks who remember races at Capitol Beach, Sunset Speedway, Midwest, and so on. We all have our memories. I remember with some fondness the days of 16-foot wings on sprint cars and the World of Outlaws were truly "Run whatcha brung" - others remember no wings at all. The younger people know nothing of little wings.

Maybe in 20 years the racing technology will change so that the sound of a Chevy V-8 will sound sweet to those who remember it and be foreign to the spectators watching dual-overhead cam, or electric, or some synthetic-fuel-burning 15,000 RPM motors winding in their place. Who knows?

For all of us, it's different. But it's important that we remember these things and look fondly upon them. But we can't browbeat others into thinking that the natural evolution is inherently bad. People complaining about purses, track conditions, rough driving, accusations of cheating, and so on have been part of racing since day one. The last-lap wins, jubilant drivers and the thrill of a good show have been permanent fixtures as well. It's all part of the entire experience.

No time today is worse than the other, nor is it necessarily better. It just is, and it should always be a time to cherish. None of us would be there if we didn't like it. Racing is entertainment at its core, and even those who work in the field are still part of the entertainment industry. We are part of it because we want to be, it isn't like farming, or building, or those things people have to do. So we need to remember WHY we are there and use that to fuel our memories of days gone by as the laps run behind us.

It's in our nature to long for what we thought was the best of times but so long as we're enjoying the racing, every time we go to the track, and no matter if what we see is good or bad, we're always living in the "good ol' days."

Labels: editorial

Compliments:

I had high hopes for the Huskerland Wingless 410 Sprint Car Nationals. A crop of top-notch wingless drivers, ASCS Midwest, and a $1000 to win IMCA Modified show was on the bill.

I was NOT disappointed.

The track was in excellent shape, smooth, racy and held up despite 90+ degree temperatures. It was run well and got over before 11. The crop of wingless drivers was led by the likes of Tim Kaeding, Dave Darland, Casey Shuman and a lot of others who can compete anywhere they drop their trailer ramp.

There were no slouches in the 360s either. One-time Outlaws Brian Brown, Shane Stewart and Billy Alley battled alongside Jack Dover, Toby Chapman, Don Droud, Jr., Chuck Swenson, Larry Pinegar, and....

The Modifieds were stacked, too. Jet, Stephan, Homan, Grabouski, Hadan, Richards...again, guys who are up front wherever they run. I haven't seen a more competitive field of Modifieds top-to-bottom in one place this year, and that includes USMTS shows I've been to.

Three features, three down-to-the-wire finishes. Darland nipping Kaeding in the wingless, Grabouski snatching first in the Mods, and local young gun Dover holding off the challenges from the veterans to take his first ASCS win.

As one of the I-80 promoters said before the race, "I've got a good field of cars, I need a good field of fans!" They could've used more. The show delivered - hopefully there isn't "Knoxville lag of time and money" holding people back. Save the money and vacation time up for this one next year folks - it's worth it. I-80 showed they can deliver.

Other related and unrelated thoughts:

-Flat Out Magazine had "Where's Sammy" on the cover of a recent issue. Well, Sammy was in the pits at I-80 Tuesday, helping out Damion Gardner as a "hired gun" on the TNT Midwestern Swing.

-The action at the front of Tuesday's Modified A feature took away from folks noticing the great drive by Chevy Hadan. After falling out of his heat race, charging from the back of the B, he worked his way up from the back of the A feature to finish third.

-Congrats to Chris Alcorn for defending his Eagle IMCA Modified championship. Chris holds an 81-point lead over Doug Deterding with just two point shows remaining. Even if Deterding won both A features (40 points each), and Chris didn't show up at the track, Alcorn would still win by a point. The 11 wins on the season are an Eagle Raceway IMCA Modified record. The overall record for features in a season is 16 by Ed Kosiski in 1998.

The dilemma:

While I've been critical of some drivers behavior regarding on/off track actions, I hesitate to say anything about a driver's style, racing, etc.

I'm making an exception for drivers who don't choose to run competitively but instead they're "out there living the dream." Look, I have full respect for you running out there. I haven't got the nuts to even go around the track as slow as you do, but please - stay out of the middle of the pack!

An accomplished driver in the pits commented that the "lapped traffic is making this race (I-80's Tuesday ASCS A feature) interesting!" It wasn't a compliment. I'm not knocking people TRYING to get better - though maybe they're not a threat to win the A. Maybe their goal is just to make the A, maybe it's to finish in the top ten, heck maybe it's just not running last in the B. But, they are trying to get better and they're trying to improve.

But I have issues with guys who run just for the sake of being on a racetrack, and choose to run "in the groove" with faster traffic. Again, I don't care if you're racing the guy in front of you for second-to-last, that's fine. But if you're out there putting around by yourself, MOVE.

First and foremost, there's enough danger out there without drivers trying to play sprint car Frogger dodging rolling roadblocks. Second, show some respect to the guys who are putting in just as much if not more time, devotion and money into their machines and are choosing to compete.

Labels: editorial

What if all the cars in a class were owned by the track - kind of like the way all the Monster Trucks are owned by Clear Channel? Do you end up with a series where fans root for the car and not the driver?

Speaking of unknown drivers, who drives "Grave Digger" anyway? Hint - it's more than one person, actually it's SEVEN.

The idea of packaging a class is being kicked around by a local promoter. The identity is not a secret, but I wanted to keep the discussion to the concept, not let the discussion wander to the individual.

On one hand, I understand the premise - it makes a class easy to manage, easy to pay (you don't) and the logic is that for what you spend in purse and other expenses, you could just run the class yourselves and not deal with any of the usual promoter/owner hassle. In a time where car counts are uncertain, and where promoters are struggling, it makes sense for a promoter to be able to control as many aspects of their program's destiny.

While it "makes sense on paper," would it play out in the real world? I can't endorse the idea, but I don't know why not. I can't see a bad reason for this, but I just can't bring myself to get on board with the idea.

CART and Formula One are loosely like this; the owners have a stake in the company running them. But neither series is exactly thriving. IROC is a perfect example, but again the series is on hold with no title sponsor.

If it were a touring group consisting of nothing but the group of single-owned cars, then I'm all for it. But a weekly show...I'm not sure. I think the one issue that comes up is what do you do with other cars that want to race but aren't owned by the one person.

Do you let them run? If so do you pay them?

Are the fans going to be content with the same group of people each week (they get that for the most part in a weekly show anyway).

What about other people who want to race - do they need to buy a car, buy a spot, "apply" for a position?

Who maintains the cars and will they devote the kind of time when it's someone else's car? For safety reasons alone that's an issue.

There are a LOT of logistics to deal with, which in the end may be more troublesome than the headaches the current system brings on. It's going to take a lot of level-headedness and cooperation, neither of which seem to flow freely around the business of racing.

So how do I feel about it?

I don't know.

-Jason

Labels: editorial