[Kirk Spridgeon]

Just for clarification on some things:
Support divisions are decided by the track & are usually officiated by the track, as well. Unfortunately, those operations are out of USAC’s control for the most part. There can be a limit on support divisions, or approving what runs, but an expected field of 15-20 would have been perfect. We try to help expedite the running of a support division when we can, but some tracks run more efficient shows than others.

We instituted multiple procedures to improve efficiency on the USAC portion of the program, and I keep detailed time schedules from every event run, with an eye on finish times of both the USAC feature and the total event. We have improved immensely in the last decade, and strive to continue that, even if just by mere minutes.

Occasionally, a track does not come in with one round of hot laps. We try to communicate as quickly as possible that there will be a second round. Qualifying used to sometimes start with a greasy track, which led to teams taking one lap at the end to improve chances of qualifying well. That necessitated a further penalty for qualifying out of line. With that, though, we are cognizant of track conditions and try to give that first qualifier a fair chance to qualify well. I’m sorry that wasn’t conveyed well enough - it was communicated, but sometimes those things are not passed along like they should be. I agree that Johnny Gibson is the best at this - he has been around a long time & knows the way they run their events as well as anyone.

Sprint Car & Midget doubleheaders are rarely a reasonable idea simply because of cost. Very few tracks can get a big enough crowd to support two headlining divisions’ purses, which is why support divisions are used.

We knew the midget car count would be down some from last year at Ocala (it decreased by four). There are many reasons for that. Our own successful, busy November is one of those factors. One top team even skipped the dome in December due to such a busy schedule & no real offseason. It’s something we’ll continue to evaluate going forward.

A couple rule changes this season have been discussed, and the reasons for them are pretty simple. We raised the cut to go from three heats to four from 27/28 to 30/31. This is to help ensure we don’t have 6-car heat races (when possible) and to make it easier to make the decision. Before, we did not have a decision until after qualifying and determining if there were scratches. Now, it is cut and dry, based on the amount of entries who draw. Other touring series have their line drawn at 31/32, so we are still below them. The lapped car situation had been a point of interest in competition meetings the past few years, and it was determined to move them to the tail on all restarts this season. There are multiple reasons for this, but the three biggest are: 1. safety - we had multiple lapped cars get out in tough situations that led to torn-up race cars while in the middle of the lead pack on a restart. 2. Efficiency of restart lineups - we occasionally wasted too much time getting lapped cars correctly into line. They could not fall in line wherever they felt comfortable; they needed to be in the appropriate spot or all the way at the tail. 3. Entertainment/fan consideration - probably the biggest complaint heard in the last few seasons was leaving lapped cars in line & taking away from a possible battle at the front of the field.

We are constantly trying to sign higher-paying races and raise point fund money. There have been great strides over the last decade in that regard. The minimum purse was raised at the back end, and almost every show outside Indiana has an elevated purse. The raises in point fund were the largest in the industry until Tony’s recent increases for ASCoC. His involvement has been huge for them, and it’s nice to see things advancing across the board, even for other series.

While some drivers have looked to race in different disciplines, it’s become apparent that the current crop of USAC sprint car stars are becoming some of the most accomplished in the history of USAC. Of the drivers in attendance at Ocala, 7 of them are in the top-26 in ALL-TIME feature starts with USAC. By the end of this season, there could be 8 regulars in the top-20 for all-time feature starts. That is almost hard to even believe, but it shows the overall health of the series & its competitors.

I realize there are trolls who have no interest in these things, but I also know there are plenty of people who are passionate about the sport and want to know the real dirt.