MSCS Series disbands
 

From Tri State Facebook posting

Officials of the Midwest Sprint Car Series announced today that the series will be ceasing operations effective immediately. This past 2023 race season is the final year as an operating sanctioning body.

The series began in 2001 and along the way featured many legendary drivers. However, it was the weekend drivers and those just starting out who made the series great as MSCS provided them the opportunity to learn and win meaningful races and championships.

Series owner Tom Helfrich said, “MSCS was a very good series with more than its share of memorable moments and competitive racing teams. When we purchased the series, we felt there was a need to continue and build upon what the foundation of the series was as it moved forward. In recent years, there have been fewer drivers who were able to follow the entire series because of other commitments and more choices to race elsewhere. The sport itself has changed since 2001 and we feel we are at a point going forward that we cannot continue to deliver the value we feel is up to our standards and that is the main reason for our decision.
Hopefully, in our past 20 years we have brought success to promoters, racers, and enjoyment to the fans. We want to thank all involved for their time, dedication, and support throughout the years.”

Helfrich, who also promotes Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN added, “Our sport is alive and well. Everyone should understand and be assured that Tri-State Speedway will continue to provide sprint car racing along with other race events as in the past. Our goal is still the same - we are ready and willing to work with all involved for the continued growth of non-wing sprint car racing at our track.”

Unfortunately series just a shadow of what it was once was even though it continued to put on fantastic shows. Several items combined to series demise. Helfrich’s not in business of losing money.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

A big Thank You to MSCS and all those involved putting on the races

I went to a bunch of them.

Unfortunately that removes some big money paying races, that are likely to revert to weekly shows with most of the same cars showing up….

Honestly it’s not surprising. Hoosier is getting ready to have another price increase and a second one after the first of the year. Until someone can figure out how to rein the costs in there are going to be fewer cars.

Be careful Kinser. I once brought up tire costs and was slandered on this forum and others.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

All a guy can do is support what's out there.

MSCS had some really great races over the past ten years. At one time I personally enjoyed them more than a USAC show. Of course I was a huge Jon Stanbrough fan!

There was also the KISS series which was pretty great. I saw a couple of these at Terre Haute. One time was very worried for our hero Dave Darland as he flipped damn near into the flagstand.

Then the Danners Sprint Car Series which I believe morphed into "Indiana Sprint Week" believe it or not!

Indiana is a special place for non wing sprint car racing. Heck when I was a kid there were three or four sprint car in my neighborhood! Not to mention the midgets (Leigh Rousch)

I worry more about the loss of Lawrenceburg Speedway. That is a really nice facility, arguably the Best in the State. Great restrooms, good safety fence, well laid out with plenty of parking not to mention the grandstands. It boggles my mind as it is really really a nice track.

Indiana Sprint week predated USAC. Danners was a USAC event. USAC came on board for Sprint week which was spurred by Kent Evans when he ran Kokomo. Started with Bloomington, Paragon and Kokomo

Originally Posted by DJlives:
Indiana Sprint week predated USAC. Danners was a USAC event. USAC came on board for Sprint week which was spurred by Kent Evans when he ran Kokomo. Started with Bloomington, Paragon and Kokomo

Kent Evans,Keith Ford & Mike Miles.

Originally Posted by flagboy55:
Be careful Kinser. I once brought up tire costs and was slandered on this forum and others.

Let them go ahead and slander me. When they have worked the thousands of hours that I have on sprint cars and traveled the thousands of miles that I have to racetracks then I might take their opinion into consideration.

81 million people evidently voted for the economy we have now. Guess they weren't race fans

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Hey, Everything's peachy!.

Bill Marvel, Dick Jordan and Judy Ford also there.but Kent Evans hot the ball rolling. He called the meeting

I thought ******** were a no-no on this site.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by TQ97:
Unfortunately that removes some big money paying races, that are likely to revert to weekly shows with most of the same cars showing up….

Other than one of the days of the Bill Gardner Sprintacular, I don't think that is necessarily true. With the Haubstadt races, being that for the last bunch of years, MSCS and the Helfrichs are one in the same and they have track personnel, officials, equipment and an established fan base at TSS, I don't see anything stopping them from still putting on events like the Hoosier Sprint Nationals, Memorial Day Weekend, Summer Shootout, Havest Cup, etc.

Most of the drivers that attended a lot of MSCS races are local budget teams and I would expect most of them will still show up for these events. And the bigger paying events will still draw a lot of the big cats, since they expect to go there and take home one of the bigger checks. And that's all dependent upon the fans still showing up. And they drew nice crowds this year, so that should be something they can count on in the near future, as they move away from the MSCS days. And, to be honest, for the last several years, there haven't been that many drivers who ran all the series races, anyway.

So, even though the MSCS being no more is a major news story in our racing scene, I just don't see the absence of it being a major hit on the racing at Tri-State Speedway. But that's entirely speculation on my part.

Jerry

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Im seeing a lot of local and budget racers race even less lately

I know there are some parts issues out there but also think most of it is COST.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by Jerry Shaw:
Other than one of the days of the Bill Gardner Sprintacular, I don't think that is necessarily true. With the Haubstadt races, being that for the last bunch of years, MSCS and the Helfrichs are one in the same and they have track personnel, officials, equipment and an established fan base at TSS, I don't see anything stopping them from still putting on events like the Hoosier Sprint Nationals, Memorial Day Weekend, Summer Shootout, Havest Cup, etc.

Most of the drivers that attended a lot of MSCS races are local budget teams and I would expect most of them will still show up for these events. And the bigger paying events will still draw a lot of the big cats, since they expect to go there and take home one of the bigger checks. And that's all dependent upon the fans still showing up. And they drew nice crowds this year, so that should be something they can count on in the near future, as they move away from the MSCS days. And, to be honest, for the last several years, there haven't been that many drivers who ran all the series races, anyway.

So, even though the MSCS being no more is a major news story in our racing scene, I just don't see the absence of it being a major hit on the racing at Tri-State Speedway. But that's entirely speculation on my part.

Jerry

drum roll for the 2024 schedule.........................

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by Jerry Shaw:
Other than one of the days of the Bill Gardner Sprintacular, I don't think that is necessarily true. With the Haubstadt races, being that for the last bunch of years, MSCS and the Helfrichs are one in the same and they have track personnel, officials, equipment and an established fan base at TSS, I don't see anything stopping them from still putting on events like the Hoosier Sprint Nationals, Memorial Day Weekend, Summer Shootout, Havest Cup, etc.

Most of the drivers that attended a lot of MSCS races are local budget teams and I would expect most of them will still show up for these events. And the bigger paying events will still draw a lot of the big cats, since they expect to go there and take home one of the bigger checks. And that's all dependent upon the fans still showing up. And they drew nice crowds this year, so that should be something they can count on in the near future, as they move away from the MSCS days. And, to be honest, for the last several years, there haven't been that many drivers who ran all the series races, anyway.

So, even though the MSCS being no more is a major news story in our racing scene, I just don't see the absence of it being a major hit on the racing at Tri-State Speedway. But that's entirely speculation on my part.

Jerry

To a degree, I agree, but I wonder if we will see a decrease in some of the purses offered at some of the races with the demise of the MSCS organization. ASSUMING that some of the USAC/MSCS co-sanctioned events shift to just a USAC sanction, will we see some of those $8,000 and up to win events drop to the USAC norm of $5,000 to win? I know…TBD, but I do think losing MSCS will leave a void for the sprint car racing community.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by openwheelfan1:
To a degree, I agree, but I wonder if we will see a decrease in some of the purses offered at some of the races with the demise of the MSCS organization. ASSUMING that some of the USAC/MSCS co-sanctioned events shift to just a USAC sanction, will we see some of those $8,000 and up to win events drop to the USAC norm of $5,000 to win? I know…TBD, but I do think losing MSCS will leave a void for the sprint car racing community.

Honestly what's needed is for the tracks to race half as much alternating and pay 3-4K every week

And USAC to go to a 8-10K normal show. And the rest of the positions to pay more as well.

The 800 for second place and it cost them a thousand in travel, fuel and tires is only keeping them home.

Don't know nothing, Just a keyboard jockey but it's a suggestion. not a order.

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester:
The 800 for second place and it cost them a thousand in travel, fuel and tires is only keeping them home.

What are you referencing that pays $800 for second?

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by JMA1181:
What are you referencing that pays $800 for second?

Weekly shows

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester:
Honestly what's needed is for the tracks to race half as much alternating and pay 3-4K every week

And USAC to go to a 8-10K normal show. And the rest of the positions to pay more as well.

The 800 for second place and it cost them a thousand in travel, fuel and tires is only keeping them home.

Don't know nothing, Just a keyboard jockey but it's a suggestion. not a order.

On a typical night this is what we have in the trailer : 2 right rears @ 330.00 each. 3 left rears @ 375.00 each. So we have 1845.00 worth of tires at the current prices. We try to run each tire as many times as possible depending on the wear. So if the price increase is 30.00 like I’m hearing that just cost us another 150.00 for the same amount of tires.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Originally Posted by openwheelfan1:
Will we see some of those $8,000 and up to win events drop to the USAC norm of $5,000 to win?

What is the "norm" anyways?

2023 USAC National Sprint Car events:

$30,000-to-win (1 event)

$20,000-to-win (2 events)

$12,000-to-win (1 event)

$10,000-to-win (10 events)

$8,000-to-win (7 events)

$6,000-to-win (10 events)

$5,000-to-win (7 events)

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Thanks for this, it is why I hit "liked." Not crazy about the payout or the points. I would like to see more emphasis on winning.


2023 USAC National Sprint Car events:

$30,000-to-win (1 event)

$20,000-to-win (2 events)

$12,000-to-win (1 event)

$10,000-to-win (10 events)

$8,000-to-win (7 events)

$6,000-to-win (10 events)

$5,000-to-win (7 events)

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Not mentioned anywhere is that the Midwest Sprint Car Series was actually started by Chase Stockon’s grandfather, Sam Stockon, before the Helfrich’s acquired the series.

When the MSCS first got off the ground in 2001, Sam’s original plan was for it to be a low-buck series. I was at that first MSCS race. It took place at Fayette County Speedway, Brownstown IL on May 4, 2001. There were 17 cars. I believe it paid $500 to win, maybe $800. Drivers that I remember there were Donnie and Leon Gentry, Kenny Carmichael and Kenny Jr, Patrick and Craig Budde, Al Caton, and eventual feature winner, Travis Thompson. And in a bit of trivia, the UMP modified race that night was won by Shane Cottle.

With Sam Stockon at the helm the first 3-4 years, the MSCS went to many different tracks: Flora IL, Kentucky Lake, Macon IL, Farmington MO, Danville IL, Jacksonville IL, Bluegrass KY, Windy Hallow KY, Soggy Bottom KY, Madisonville KY. I remember there were some really off-the-wall places the series visited. Within a couple of years, a separate MSCS steel block-only series was created. I believe Chase’s first laps were run in that steel block division.

A huge thank to both Sam Stockon for his original vision and Tom Helfrich for carrying on the series and transforming it. The MSCS played a big role in non-wing sprint car racing in the Midwest. And some of the most memorable races at Haubstadt will forever be MSCS shows. There were some absolutely GREAT races. It’ll forever be a huge part of Haubstadt’s history.

I’m sad to see the MSCS go away. I know things change. I’m just happy to have seen it.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

I was flagging in Lincoln, IL when Sam brought the MSCS Steel Block series in for one of the first times...I believe that was one of the first times Chase sat in a non-wing car at 12 or 13 years old...

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

I wonder if Kevin Newton's new winged series won't come in and fill in some of the void.

What void is that? I'm sure Haubstadt will run about the same number of races, as for the few other dates maybe BOSS can run a few more Indiana dates.

Re: MSCS Series disbands
 

Does anyone really know how MSCS got started. Paragon Speedway was running a class of non wing sprints called Paragon sprints Sam Stockon liked the idea & format and took his series MSCS on the road. While we are fine tuning facts Indiana Sprint week & USAC needs looked into on how they married up. Call me anytime Keith Ford