USAC/ARDC is history
 

I went on there Facebook page & asked them about their 2019 schedule. Their reply was there is no schedule because they couldn't get any support from midget car owners back east. Very sad news for us fans of midget auto racing.

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

Is the Eastern Midget Week off?

Jul 30: Midgets - Grandview Speedway (Bechtelsville, PA)
Jul 31: Midgets - Action Track USA (Kutztown, PA)
Aug 1: Midgets - Path Valley Speedway Park (Spring Run, PA)
Aug 2: Midgets - Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
Aug 3: Midgets - Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)

Maybe ARDC could do a reset like Badger did. They were going down the tubes and went to a more affordable engine package and has rebuilt their car counts!

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

Those races are USAC National events, not USAC/ARDC, so nothing has changed there.

Unless something changes the USAC National races will be the only midget races run back east all year, as east coast midget car owners seem to have given up on the direction USAC/ARDC was going.

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

Badger.....ardc....next

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

Very Sad. Things started going downhill a few years ago. Seems like one person did this and now has cut and run.

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

Yea, but will there be any East Coast cars to compete with USAC guys? I'd hate to see a car count of 12 or less....
Bummer....

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

I know they're a little bit north racing in VT/NH/NY at 3 tracks, but this looks like their trying to do it right.
Maybe other series could try it.

http://www.usacdma.com/usac-dma-advantage-.html

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

I'd rather not see usac involved. I think car counts really dropped when usac stepped in to begin with. Car counts were pretty good until you had to buy a $40,000.00 plus engine to be competitive. Our local midget racing was doing fine and we had some teams that could afford to run in the midwest, they had engines just for that. The blue collar guys are chased out because they can't afford to compete against the national type engines. Now the guy that was running the club is a partner in a company that specializes in micros. I guess there is no more conflict.

Re: USAC/ARDC is history
 

It's really sad for those of us who followed ARDC in the 60s, when they were almost as strong as the USAC midgets with whom they occasionally sanctioned some shows. When a few ARDC cars ventured to a NEMA race, they tended to kick our tails. During the 70s, Ed Darrell promoted a weekly ARDC show at Grandview, and I believe that eventually killed them. The owners who wanted to travel switched to some kind of sprint car, rather than go to Grandview every Sunday night. Then, when the weekly shows died, a number of local (to Grandview) cars dropped out because they didn't want to travel. The car counts never recovered.

They lost more support when they went to wings and then dropped them.

Even if their own actions didn't hurt them, trying to run in an area that had 420 sprints, 360 sprints, 358 sprints, super sportsmen and various sizes of minisprints would have made it very difficult, anyway. There just wasn't room in the schedules to fit in a class that was confusing to many racing fans, but was trying to maintain a relatively high payoff.

In contrast, NEMA is surviving in New England. They started a "Lite" class that runs a lesser engine and, as a result, can deliver a 2-class show that regularly brings close to 30 cars. Last year, NEMA averaged 13 cars, while the Lites averaged 15. The costs still hurt, though. During the 2018 season, 31 NEMA cars and 48(!) Lite cars ran at least one show. NEMA ran 13 shows and the Lites ran 15 shows. For those who aren't familiar with them, both classes run wings and only pavement tracks.

Finally, there is a USAC-sanctioned group, the DMA Midgets that run without wings, with dozen or so shows at Bear Ridge Speedway in Northern Vermont, with a few shows at a couple of other nearby dirt tracks. I don't get to many, but I've been told the average 12-15 cars. Like the Lites, they run lesser engines. As with similar situation throughout the years I've been following them, I don't believe any of the engine rules are compatible between USAC, Nema, Lites, and DMA, which is sad.