Good for those of you who can't make it, but it is the 2nd worst thing to ever happen to the Chili Bowl...

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/head...owl/index.html

The Chili Bowl semifinals will be streamed on NASCAR.COM at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 11. Saturday night's headline action will be televised for the first time live on pay-per-view.

I thought that the semifinals (H - A) main were run on Saturday; Friday is the last preliminary night, right?

I'm sure that the HBO PPV will only include maybe the C through the A main, with taped highlights of the other main events....

This is not the 1st time the Chili bowl has been available apart from seeing it live. I remember seeing it on Closed circuit at the Brickyard pavillion 7 or 8 years ago.

It was televised or something in 2003 because I was there and they had to skip some of the prerace things that had become tradition and had to hurry up and wait all night long. I thought Lonnie said never again would there be live coverage of the event as he was not having anyone tell him how to run the format of the show as the live TV crew did. Anyone else remember any more on this?

Hawker, you are 100% correct. Also $$$$$$, lack there of, Rent-a-rides, and now NASCRAP.COM.

I bet half of the people there don't even know that they race Midgets more than once a year.

Thanks, JACKHOLE

I'm not really against it being televised. There are a lot of openwheel fans out there that can't make it to Tulsa.

I said back around 2000 that the worst thing that could ever happen to the Chili Bowl would be for TS to hit it big in NAPCAR and then come back to the Chili Bowl. And my prediction has come true. The NAPCAR fans are now there in force in their matching Home Depot get ups, looking like idiots. They have no interest in grass roots racing, they're only there to try to catch a glimps of TS (and now KK & JJ). Them being there will only eventually drive up the ticket costs that will in the long run, force many of the openwheel fans away and make room for the clowns who are already used to paying as much for one race as we do for a week of racing.

The live streaming of Friday's race will only compound the "problem".

All this being said, I really can not blame Emmett and Lanny for exploiting the NAPCAR drivers that run the event. It's free enterprise and they have figured out a way to make a nice profit off of an event that can only hold 10k people. But it still pisses me off...

Agree with that 100%. You can tell who is just there because of stock drivers and who is not. I personally think there should be an openwheel test you have to take and if you don't pass, you're out.

Ft. Wayne was a great example. Stewart is out of the race Friday night. 3/4 of the fans got up and left because he was out. Those are the people I wish would just stick to Napcar. Leave us alone. I know it's good for profits and exposure, but as a fan I could do without it.

I love when guys give back. I just wish all the garbage fans that come alone with it would go away. Tony pretty much stated what he thinks of those fans in comparison to openwheel fans.

At the Fort Wayne race last month Tony Stewart was advertised both days. Friday's show was about 80 percent full and Saturday the promoter had to stop selling tickets.

Yes, there were a noticeable number of fans there apparently just for him. And when he went out of the Friday feature there were people standing and cheering and gesturing and some reproving their ignorance.

They paid their money to be there. Some to show their kids what a NASCAR star looks like and others to look like idiots in a crowd.

Saturday night Stewart had a good run and won the show. Again, people expressed their opinions.

After both nights, Tony sat in a chair on pit lane and signed everything that came his way.

My thing is this: Indoor racing is alot of fumes and delays and things that make 'come-lately' NASCAR fans not stick around. They show up about autograph session time and leave before the checkered flag to beat the rush (which ironically is other like minded 'fans').

The2006 Prelude to the Dream got 'powerwashed' out, and the funniest part was watching these people compalin about 1.water 2.dirt 3.food 4.rain! They were at Eldora-it happens there. But they all moped around because they wanted something signed or another picture. The fans who knew what to expect were 1. Not wearing new white shoes 2. Out in the campground until engines start (which they didn't that night) 3. Looking forward to seeing drivers IN the cars rather than OUT of them. (and to hear the Elvis imposter hatchet a couple of songs)

NSACAR-only fans are alot like tourists. See them coming, count their money, wave goodbye, but don't bend to their wishes. They'll move on soon enough.

Of course more will take their place...