[Pat O'Connor Fan]

Originally Posted by openwheelKT No offense to anybody on here, but the IRL could car less about dirt track fans.

Gee, we would have never guessed. :doh:

[openwheelKT]

Originally Posted by Pat O'Connor Fan Gee, we would have never guessed. :doh:

OK. So what's the point of those who don't like it ********, pissing, and moaning about it anytime it's brough up? If you don't like it, move on. I don't like every form of racing talked about on here. If I don't like it, I don't comment.

[mikew]

I bet Milka's return is partially sponsored by TG & KK so that the new CCWS teams feel like they are making progress because they will at least finish ahead of Milka. It is unfortunate that talented female racers are scraping to get by while Milka gets invited back to the series to continue her "moving chicane" status.

IMO - I am glad to see the unification. I am excited to see a 50/50 split schedule. I just hope that the road/street portion isn't dominated by poorly done street races. At least with well designed road courses there are places where passing is possible and safe. As is, most street courses are follow the leader or crash into the concrete while attempting to pass. Remember the champ car race a few years ago where the street course went over a set of RR tracks. The cars were ramping over the tracks.

I hope they get Laguna Seca and Elkhart Lake back on the schedule, then maybe Barber, Miller....

Gonna be at Eldora & Lawrenceburg in a just a few weeks. Looking forward to another exciting sprint car season. But also, I am looking forward to Indy, Kentucky and maybe Belle Isle. I heard there was a conflict between Mid Ohio and a hopeful canadian race. Maybe this causes mid ohio to move off its current weekend. As is, it conflicts with Haubstadt's sprint week date. I would love to go to Mid Ohio, I only live an hour away from it, but I will be at Bloomington & Haubstadt that weekend....

Originally Posted by openwheelKT No offense to anybody on here, but the IRL could car less about dirt track fans. That's not the target audience any longer. The sprint car to Indy Car progression isn't the same anymore. The champ car/sprint car back in the day WAS bascially the Indy Car for the 500 so it made sense. Same car being a front engine car. Most times it was the exact same car. The machine is totally different today and that's how owners see it. I see it as TOTALLY wrong because a GOOD race car driver can drive anything on any surface or layout. They don't seem to see it that way so they aren't going to hire them. If you don't like the IRL at all because there are no dirt track drivers, the IRL doesn't care. Not their audience anymore. I like the racing so it's cool with me. Not exactly what I wish it was...wish it was more like when I was a kid and first started watching it. It is what it is so you either like it or you don't I guess. If you think about it, Nascar has changed with their driver choice too. The dirt track driver has a place so you don't notice it as much. Hell, I remember when Billy Joe Nascar fan hated Geoff Bodine because he was a yankee. Now the drivers come from all states. That wasn't so cool back in the day. Changed, just not as much foreign invation....that's changing too though. The days of anything on the major level of racing in the U.S. being american drivers only is coming to an end. So if that's your major problem, I guess it's "local" racing only. Everybody has their choice. :checkered:

Post of the Year!!!!! :applaud::applaud:


And your follow-up is pretty close, too...... I've been biting my tongue for a few days now, as it seems that many of the more vocal posters here don't realize that it's been 40 years since the rear enigine cars appeared. Besides, they wouldn't be happy even if they ran the Indy 500 with Silver Crown cars......... They have roll cages now, doncha know. :headbang:headbang

[98arpy]

While they will probably never run at Indy. Let's hope and help the folks at USAC that we can make the Silver Crown Cars what they should and could be again. Take the miles on down and go for it.
Larry Kemp

[Seadog]

Originally Posted by Dano959 Post of the Year!!!!! :applaud::applaud: And your follow-up is pretty close, too...... I've been biting my tongue for a few days now, as it seems that many of the more vocal posters here don't realize that it's been 40 years since the rear enigine cars appeared. Besides, they wouldn't be happy even if they ran the Indy 500 with Silver Crown cars......... They have roll cages now, doncha know. :headbang:headbang

Actually I think it has been 46 years since Mickey Thompson's Harvey Aluminum Special ran at Indy in 1962.

I am still an IndyCar fan and follow it avidly. But my real intrest still lies with USAC and it has always been that way since USAC ran it's first race in 1956. As a matter of fact, I will attend the USAC midget race at Larryburg this year, not the IRL Kentucky race. I was at the IRL Kentucky race last year (same night if you recall in '07).

I try not to be so narrow-minded about various forms of racing, but the two things I still can't stomach are winged sprints and the fendered stuff. I've attended just about all kinds of racing offered in the USA over my 53 seasons of being a racing fan from F1 to street stocks and I keep coming back to open wheel short track stuff. Oh well, you like what you like I guess.

I sick of winter's cold. Let's warm it up and let's go racin'!

P.S. If gas is $4.00 a gallon as predicted this summer, I'll be staying close to home, mainly the 'burg.

Don't misunderstand me, I love Indy Car racing. I gripe because I care. I enjoyed the product on the track with the IRL, and thought the racing was great. I'm just leery of the direction the series might take after the unification.

Had this split fixed all of Championship racing's problems, I'd be excited. However as I see it, there are still issues out there.

The problem with Championship racing is that it has given us so many reasons to gnash our teeth over the years.

I still love watching Indy Cars run on ovals, and there is nothing bigger to me than the 500.

[duel]

I just hope they keep their ovals and add Michigan and California speedways back for next year. I can't understand why Kanaan and some of the others whined about racing at Michigan last year when their speed is only about 3 to 4 mph's difference than the 1.5 miles. What a show that Michigan race was. Barnhart was concerned they may have too many cars? He had better hope that problem continues. I'm happy now we should see good fields of cars. It would also be nice to see some of these big ovals get back to large crowds again. The close racing is sure there.

[ShaneMugavin57]

This may have been covered already but am I reading correctly. The season championship could come down to two teams that are racing at different tracks at the last race?

[mikew]

Originally Posted by ShaneMugavin57 This may have been covered already but am I reading correctly. The season championship could come down to two teams that are racing at different tracks at the last race?

Nah, Motegi & Long Beach will be ran on the same weekend (april 20 ish). Motegi will feature the normal IRL crew while Long Beach will host the last champ car DP01 race. Both events will pay IRL points.

This happened because nobody was willing to let their event date be moved since tickets have already been sold and such.

KK even hinted in the press conference yesterday that there might be a couple IRL drivers who make the flight from Motegi to race at long beach the following day. I don't know how likely that is. However, I wonder how likely it will be for CCWS teams who are not making the switch to the IRL to be interested in running at Long Beach this year. Further, I wonder how much CCWS will have to pay to get a full field of cars (18 I think is what their contract calls for). Maybe that is why KK is thinking about getting current IRL drivers to fly back.

Part of the terms for CCWS teams getting free engines and tubs from the IRL is that they run at Long Beach. This is unfortunate for them, since they are already at a severe disadvantage when it comes to running ovals.

There has been some discussion about Surfers Paradise and how it fits in to the schedule. The race takes place some 2 months after the normal IRL season is over. Supposedly Chicagoland has it in their contract that they are to be the final race of the season. Some have suggested that Surfers might become the first race of the 2009 season. We will have to wait a couple of weeks to see how things shake out with the 2008 schedule.