[Crankin]

Originally Posted by cbhhms17439 I know the mini or lightning sprints have been invited to run with the HPD midgets on the dirt but are we allowed to run the pavement races also I may be wrong not sure but are we being invited to run with them cause they dont have a big enough of a car count on there own and how competive will we be against them and what will happen when they do start getting plenty of HPD midgets will we be tossed to the side after helping them get there car count up ?????

WARNING! WARNING! Bitter Old Man About To Speak His Mind! WARNING!
A.K.A.: Therapy for the soul to get this off my chest to the 8 or so people that might care!

Four score and 700 years ago, I was asked to be the Midwest Competition Director for the Focus series when it first started, under Eric Bunn. (In case you're wondering, I had previous Race Director experience in another series). I turned it down at the time because I finally had the opportunity to go be a a "big time" race car driver.... And some of you know how that went! No regrets though, and I always figured someday I would end up working at USAC (Strange career goal I know, but I knew I had something to offer).

Fast forward 698 years, and I get a call in April from James Spink, asking if I would like to run the Midwest Series, and I jumped at the chance.
After being brought up to speed by James about what was going on with the series, and the looming deal with Honda, I went to work. I was going to do everything I could think of to make this series strong again.
I won't bother going into the Honda thing (well maybe a little , and how it was implemented by upper management, last year's car counts in the series speak volumes on that alone.

Looking big picture at the future of the series, and not just at the $ in USAC's pocket from Honda, I presented allowing similar horsepowered cars to run with us. Like any new thing, some liked the idea, others didn't, but pretty much other than the folks who had self interest or an already cashed check, knew it was the way to go to strengthen the series for the future. This thought process was for a series that was averaging 7-8 cars a night using an engine that was no longer being made, to as high as 18 cars (on dirt)... All within a few months! I only mention this to not toot my own horn, but to show how well it worked, and what would have been possible after a year or two of doing this. Put another way, the D2 (forget the name thing for a minute, they're still Midgets to me) ground swell is happening now (2 years later), and will do nothing but continue to get bigger! The writing has been on the wall for sometime that this more affordable type of Midget racing was going to be the way to go for people that just want to race, but still be able to feed their families.

So during this time we we're running a series based on engine that was no longer being made, with an engine coming that had by late in the season, was just seeing initial testing in a car. No plans we're being given the current competitors as to what their options were going to be for the next season. The folks at Honda are getting upset that other engines are being allowed to run, even though there was no plan in place to implement their engine. Also basic things like cost of the engine (that had not even been seriously tested in a Midget by late August of the current season), or what would happen to the Focus engine and the people who ran them? Heck, to take that a step further, it was my understanding that first Honda wasn't even available for purchase until well after PRI for the upcoming season?!

During the season, I met for the first time, the guy who is currently running the series. To say that he treated me, and my wife, rudely, is an understatement. Didn't know him, never met him, he wasn't running a car in the series, and I couldn't understand why? When I eventually asked him what the problem was, he flat out told me that he hated the idea of letting other cars run in the series, and believed it was wrong.

Now sorry to get personal, but that is the way it went down, and takes us to another point that will come up later.
My response to him, was the same as anyone else that would listen. I was just trying to strengthen the series as a whole. In it's current state (at the time), there was no real plan, other than the Honda is coming. People were leaving the series because of the unrest, and racing elsewhere. Exposing the series to other competitors might help get more racers to buy the Honda when it finally arrives. AND. If you think that the current crop of people are just going run out and pay $10-$12k (remember, nobody even knew what it was going to cost) for a new motor, in a series that on a good night, runs for $75 to start and $300 to win (AND NO POINT FUND!), ummm, well your crazy! Other thoughts were things like, why wouldn't Honda want the competition from Ford, Chevy, etc., to prove they have the best product? Otherwise, if you go all Honda, you basically are not going to have a series at all? That was, and proved to be (see last year's car counts) very true.

I could go on here, but I'll try to shorten this up...
So now, heading into last year's race season, that very same Series Director, that guy above him, and Honda who were sooo against letting other engines in the series, suddenly allow other engines to run. Wow, imagine that? Did they just suddenly realize they had a problem? They not only were going to let them run, but they would be allowed to run for points too (on dirt).... Or so they were told. Feel free to ask Patrick Brun how that worked out. Feel free to ask the Schucks how they were treated.... Sorry, this s%&t pi&*sses me off... Breathe.... Breathe.

Now, I read what Jimmie Gardner has posted... That they're going to let Mini Sprints run too??! PLEASE, Mini Sprint guys, I have NOTHING against you. I own and drove my own 1200 Mini Sprint for 2 years, and loved it! I repeat, this rant has NOTHING against you!

IF this is true, the guys that were not only against letting other engines in the series, are now letting chain drives in as well? If this doesn't CLEARLY point out how poor the current management is at USAC to whomever is signing their checks, nothing will? Let alone the problems with other divisions that are gone over and over again on the message board. The way this Series has been handled is nothing less than a joke!

It was sitting on the cusp of turning this series into a strong deal, and possibly being a leader (remember when USAC used to be a leader) in a growth/feeder series to it's other divisions (you know, like the old Focus series was supposed to do). A possible leader in the upcoming wave of more affordable Midget racing. But now, (again, if this is true) they're going to use (and don't get me wrong chain guys, you will be "used" if you participate in this) chain drive cars to try and bolster something that they killed with their complete lack of vision.

Hope the folks at Honda are enjoying all these benefits from that big check they wrote.... While I sit here kissing goodbye my future career at 16th & Main, I have to ask, do people ever wonder what ever happened to all the sponsors (not just series sponsors, but all those contingency sponsors as well) USAC used to have?

Rant over. My therapist thanks you.