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Closed Thread  Indiana Open Wheel > Indiana Open Wheel Forum > USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
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6/9/12, 7:51 AM   #141
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
backitin
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I'm just amazed at what the casual fan say around here in ne PA likes. Modifieds, thats it. For the life of me I dont get it. We went last night, I could barely and then didnt sit thru it. Heavy, lumbering, fairly slow cars pretty much stacked up and leaning on each other. Theres hardly any repercussions for any move out on the track, (although I never saw a real move) I dont think you could flip one of those cars if you tried, not at 60mph. Yet the stands were pretty much full, tuesday night they're running a 10g to win show, probley 70 modifieds will be there, standing room only. Personally I wont ever go to anouther, like I said a hundred times if you live near nonwing openwheel racing your a lucky fan. I guess what I'm trying to say is that promotion trumps product, look at the woo, the best show on dirt?, no way but thats not what most people beleive.
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Last edited by backitin; 6/9/12 at 8:25 AM.
 
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8/19/12, 8:52 AM   #142
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
mr nobody
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rj1 View Post
Okay.

Does anyone have a solution that has a higher than zero percent chance of occurring?
I think I might have a couple of ideas:

1. Double the race schedule to 18 events with the dirt miles (ISF, Springfield, Du Quoin and Syracuse) getting 2 dates (1 early 1 late on the schedule), THAT getting 2, IRP getting 2, Milwaukee getting 1 on the IICS weekend, Iowa getting 1 on the IICS weekend, Knoxville getting 1 with an open 410 nonwing and open midget show on a Friday night, Phoenix starting off the year for the pavement side with a renewed Copper World Classic, Tulsa Fairgrounds (yes I know the track needs work doen to it) and Two at Perris Auto: one to start the series off for the year and one to end the series on Turkey Night. The more races you have the more interest you get from fans and owners.

2. Get rid of the Ethanol. I am as big a supporter of biofuels as you can find but they have their limits. This adventure into it that USAC is doing is not being done right. The Silver Crowns are not the place for Ethanol when your series is struggling for car counts as it is. When a fuel is burning pistons in hot laps you have a problem.

3. Limit the manufacturers involvement. Engine competition is nothing but destructive to a race series. Proof? IICS. Once upon a time the teams had to buy their engines (Olds/Nissan days) and once Toyota and Honda came in engine competition went so far as to push out Chevy and eventually Toyota. All it does is seperate a few select teams (6r and TSR) from the rest of the pack who do not have access to the limitless R&D that Toyota and Chevy have. Engines should be solely the teams responsibility and no one should be a research team for a manufacturer. Limit the engines to stock blocks, stock heads, stock cranks, stock rods. This will limit engine costs to all teams not limit teams because of engine costs.

4. Fair and effecient officiating. Two times yesterday there were calls in the 100 lapper that just dumbfounded me both involving one particular driver. One call was not to throw a caution when this driver had nearly rolled to a stop in turn three while two of this drivers team mates were challenging the leader for the lead. Reverse the rolls and the caution would have been instantly displayed.The second call was allowing this same driver to be let out of the pits (for a second time on a caution he caused) while the field was coming to take the green. The field was exiting turn 4 and throttling up yet this driver was let out of the pits and was going slow into one when the field caught him. A caution was displayed because of a jumped start (not one by the way) and that recently let out driver was allowed to go around and tail the field. Anyone else would have been told to wait until another caution to rejoin the field. This same team also got away with obvious oil leak at Springfield last year. When a car changes from white to black in 10 laps because of oil pouring from the car, it is leaking too much and needs to be fixed or parked regardless of who the owner, driver or engine maker is. All rules are clear and all rules are enforced without discreation. Don't like it? Take your ball and go home. Several where I was standing couldn't understand why USAC did what they did in those two incidents yesterday.

5. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Facebook is free so advertise on the pages of the local media and (in the case of the state fair tracks) those pages also. Radio and newspaper ads, news paper articles, morning TV shows in those cities. Get the word out. Shine the light on yourself if no one else will.

These are just a start. Feel free to burn me to the ground for my ideas and opinions. It's a message board and I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel strongly about this series and this form of racing.
Just a few thoughts
 
1 member likes this post: racingdanger
8/19/12, 9:08 AM   #143
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
ThrowbackRacingTeam
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When Tyler passed Fike on a restart they called it back and Fike went on to win. So it didn't appear to me that the 6R team got any favoritism. In my 33 years of attending, they have always let cars run that have minor leaks because most of them do!!!!!!LOL. In fact they were going to black flag the 19 car for fluid pouring out in turn one but then he pulled in anyway. By the way, congrats to AJ. I'm from nearby him and he's a real nice down to earth guy.
 
8/19/12, 9:19 AM   #144
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
mr nobody
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThrowbackRacingTeam View Post
When Tyler passed Fike on a restart they called it back and Fike went on to win. So it didn't appear to me that the 6R team got any favoritism. In my 33 years of attending, they have always let cars run that have minor leaks because most of them do!!!!!!LOL. In fact they were going to black flag the 19 car for fluid pouring out in turn one but then he pulled in anyway. By the way, congrats to AJ. I'm from nearby him and he's a real nice down to earth guy.
Minor leaks are one thing and I agree all of the cars have them. 2011, the hood on the car was black and covered in oil. Lap after lap you could see oil on the hood, smoke coming from it and oil getting onto the hoods and cages of the cars behind but they were allowed to stay on track. The recalled restart that Tyler jumped was due to not only him but Tanner jumping the restart as well. Drivers meeting stated the orange cone was the point they could begin taking off yet drivers were taking off in the middle of 4.

Fike and the entire familycrew are wonderful people. Down to earth and put the fans first after the car and A.J. got back to the pits. Not to mention the had Quinn with them on the crew. That alone makes that entire team and family a cut above the rest. Quinn's a great person and people should really have his outlook on life. That's what a role model should be for kids and people of all ages. It's great to call them fellow central Illinoisians.
 
8/19/12, 5:02 PM   #145
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
Vukie
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"2, Milwaukee getting 1 on the IICS weekend"

Rumor has it the Indy Car race at Milwaukee in 2013 will be a one day affair. Practice, Time trials and race all on the same day. To be honest, nobody attended the Silver Crown races at Milwaukee. It's a money loser.
 
1 member likes this post: BrentTFunk
8/19/12, 8:10 PM   #146
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
ThePurple73
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One area I haven't heard discussed much is the format of the events. This issue isn't just Silver Crown but open wheel races in general.
Sure all of us open wheel fans don't mind going early seeing warmup's, Time Trials and finally the race. But I am finding more and more people I ask to attend races with me don't want to sit for 6-7 hours in the grandstands.
No doubt you have track prep, but could an event like Silver Crown have a couple qualifying races and then the main event?

The reason I was bring this up is event packages, could you get fairs to hold events(besides Illinois and Duqouin)? State fairgrounds in Missouri, Iowa, Indiana or other tracks during fairs, festivals. Even though half mile tracks, could the cars be made suitable and possibly shorter main event distances? Then try getting major sponsorship that transcends multiple states plus great advertising. Get the race over in time to prepare for other night time entertainment. Then double the amount of events if possible at the current dirt events, like Indy, Duqouin, Springfield, Terre Haute.

The other lost art at racing events is announcing. Though it seems there are good announcers in the past at Springfield and Duqouin, some events this isn't the case. Hire someone that sounds professional, and can tell you something about the drivers, the sport, who to watch, and create enthusiasm with out screaming and everytime a drivers car is mentioned, not saying the engine;chassis builder;sponsor;race equip;nick name in 2.5 seconds.

For example: I have heard Daron Clayton called the Modern Day Cowboy dozens and dozens of times and I enjoy watching him race. But I have no idea why they call him that? No announcer I have heard has ever explained it. Is it that he is exciting to watch? Does he wear a hat? Does he own a ranch?
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Last edited by ThePurple73; 8/19/12 at 8:12 PM.
 
8/19/12, 10:26 PM   #147
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
mortboyz
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Perhaps you could run this by USAC and apply for their marketing guy...
And if you ever saw Clayton race, you would know the answer.
 
1 member likes this post: ThrowbackRacingTeam
8/19/12, 10:58 PM   #148
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
Honest-Sam
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Sean Buckley coined that moniker(Modern Day Cowboy), according to Daron. I was curious too, so I asked

p.s. - I know that doesnt address the point of announcing, but, at least is sheds some light on the origin of Daron's nickname
 
8/19/12, 11:14 PM   #149
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
ossuks
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr nobody View Post
I think I might have a couple of ideas:

1. Double the race schedule to 18 events with the dirt miles (ISF, Springfield, Du Quoin and Syracuse) getting 2 dates (1 early 1 late on the schedule), THAT getting 2, IRP getting 2, Milwaukee getting 1 on the IICS weekend, Iowa getting 1 on the IICS weekend, Knoxville getting 1 with an open 410 nonwing and open midget show on a Friday night, Phoenix starting off the year for the pavement side with a renewed Copper World Classic, Tulsa Fairgrounds (yes I know the track needs work doen to it) and Two at Perris Auto: one to start the series off for the year and one to end the series on Turkey Night. The more races you have the more interest you get from fans and owners.

2. Get rid of the Ethanol. I am as big a supporter of biofuels as you can find but they have their limits. This adventure into it that USAC is doing is not being done right. The Silver Crowns are not the place for Ethanol when your series is struggling for car counts as it is. When a fuel is burning pistons in hot laps you have a problem.

3. Limit the manufacturers involvement. Engine competition is nothing but destructive to a race series. Proof? IICS. Once upon a time the teams had to buy their engines (Olds/Nissan days) and once Toyota and Honda came in engine competition went so far as to push out Chevy and eventually Toyota. All it does is seperate a few select teams (6r and TSR) from the rest of the pack who do not have access to the limitless R&D that Toyota and Chevy have. Engines should be solely the teams responsibility and no one should be a research team for a manufacturer. Limit the engines to stock blocks, stock heads, stock cranks, stock rods. This will limit engine costs to all teams not limit teams because of engine costs.

4. Fair and effecient officiating. Two times yesterday there were calls in the 100 lapper that just dumbfounded me both involving one particular driver. One call was not to throw a caution when this driver had nearly rolled to a stop in turn three while two of this drivers team mates were challenging the leader for the lead. Reverse the rolls and the caution would have been instantly displayed.The second call was allowing this same driver to be let out of the pits (for a second time on a caution he caused) while the field was coming to take the green. The field was exiting turn 4 and throttling up yet this driver was let out of the pits and was going slow into one when the field caught him. A caution was displayed because of a jumped start (not one by the way) and that recently let out driver was allowed to go around and tail the field. Anyone else would have been told to wait until another caution to rejoin the field. This same team also got away with obvious oil leak at Springfield last year. When a car changes from white to black in 10 laps because of oil pouring from the car, it is leaking too much and needs to be fixed or parked regardless of who the owner, driver or engine maker is. All rules are clear and all rules are enforced without discreation. Don't like it? Take your ball and go home. Several where I was standing couldn't understand why USAC did what they did in those two incidents yesterday.

5. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Facebook is free so advertise on the pages of the local media and (in the case of the state fair tracks) those pages also. Radio and newspaper ads, news paper articles, morning TV shows in those cities. Get the word out. Shine the light on yourself if no one else will.

These are just a start. Feel free to burn me to the ground for my ideas and opinions. It's a message board and I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel strongly about this series and this form of racing.
Just a few thoughts
#4 The man in charge now is a full time employee thus, USAC pays the bills, probably heard the guy (me) before him was fired for black flagging one of the "super teams"!
 
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