Quote:
Originally Posted by speed9
:2:USAC wont pay more, they are, to busy getting their .25 off the ground. All this means to me is that they get their hand in the owners pocket faster. Big problem with USAC is that their drivers are going no where! Look at Darland, Coons and Brad Kuhn (and a lot more) why isnt USAC helping them and taking them to the next levet? USAC is only interested in getting money, not promoting a event or driver. When was the last time a Silver crown, Sprint or Midget driver from USAC went to another division, like NASCAR or IRL? How much did it cost the sponsers or parents to take their driver to the next level after USAC.
USAC plays favorites and always have, they make rules up as they go and enforce only the ones they want to when they want to. People are not dumb when they had enough they Quit. Promoting drivers that are only running a few races or have ties to some big names in racing is all USAC does, they only want the money or free stuff.
We can always watch Lawn Mower races from England if we cant get TV time from USAC  .
Sory if I offend some USAC officals ( who go to the tracks ) but that is how I see if first handed. Your not loosing the big name teams even though some are cutting back, you are loosing your base the guy who loves racing and works for a living mon-fri at a real job. No race fan is going to pay to see a 6 car race no matter who is driving. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ovalmeister
Go watch some Dick Wallen videos. Plenty of them out there. Watch Foyt and Pancho and Bettenhausen and other Indy racers battle it out at the fairgrounds, Terre Haute, etc... Then you'd go to the 500 and watch them there also. Maybe the mentality back then was better than today. I know that sounds like shear lunacy to you. But look at the state of USAC today. Everyone is pissed, it's too expensive to run, there is ZERO confidence in leadership, goodbye pavement sprints? Seriously? So how bad do things have to get for you to admit it is in serious trouble? Drop pavement midgets next? Maybe things would change if the mentality went back to what MADE USAC GREAT. That mentality is grass roots racing, not the new "corporate" mentality. How is that working out?
Midgets, sprints and dirt champ car racing is good old fashioned American grass roots racing, always has been, always will be. When you hire a guy from a plush corporate office, who doesn't have his thumb on the pulse of grass roots racing, to come in and reinvent the wheel....it won't work. I give the current gang about 2 more years before they say "screw this", and get the hell out of Dodge. Back to a corporate office job that they understand. By then maybe USAC will be un-repairable. 
I sure hope not.
David. |
speed9 -
With all due respect, it's not the sanctioning body's job to send all their racers to some other level. The goal should be to have a great series that racers can make money running. That brings in plenty of talent, and when one young guy can come in and regularly beat those amazing veteran racers, he attracts attention from all angles. That's how it's always happened before - it shouldn't change now.
And I love those three racers you mentioned, but they just didn't fit into that mold....it took them quite a few years to reach the current level.
Mr. Ayers-
I've watched every racing video in existence. You probably won't find a 20-something person with more of a grasp on midget and sprint car history. Quite honestly, I should have been around to experience the times you're describing.
But you're just not understanding that it is a new world. Wake up. It's 2009. It's not the same as it once was and it's never going to be like that again. Yeah, that's sad in a way....but along the line we also figured out a way to keep our drivers from getting killed off at an amazing pace. Do you want that back too?
You know what is grass roots racing now? The stuff that a working man can afford to race. It's just that there's about 800 options in that department now. And it doesn't pay anything. USAC racing is just a step above that, and we have to figure out a way to survive by bringing more people in and showing them why we're hooked on it - but it's not as easy as it used to be. People have so many more things to do....and companies have so many more things to sponsor....and TV has so many more things to televise. Sorry, but your precious sprint car racing is not so high on the list anymore, and it's not really anyone's fault.
David, I've always liked you on here and you've been a really nice guy, but seriously, you don't know anything about those people at USAC, or their qualifications, or if they're capable of doing good things. Kevin Miller has never raced at Winchester, but the guy is smart and I love some of the things he comes up with. He stands firm for USAC racing and wants it to succeed. The guy is willing to learn and has invited me into his office
countless times to pick my brain on certain subjects, asking for criticism, suggestions, and an occasional pat on the back.
I can't possibly see how all these current problems rest on the shoulders of a current regime that came along a year and a half ago and have done some great things already, and are poised to do even more. Instead of being a bitter old man, maybe you can try to help or at least support those that are trying to keep your sport alive....