[Vookie]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk My point is, I don't think too many people in the sport rely on message boards for information. The problem with running the small track is, it is not the famous Belleville High Banks. That is the history of the track. The promoters talked about this in an article in SprintCar and Midget.

I can still hear Midget George @itch and moan with the thought even moving one night of the Belleville Nationals to the small track.

[hoosier race fan]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk The promoters talked about this in an article in SprintCar and Midget.

Sounds like they promoted themselves right out of having a profitable event.

[Charles Nungester]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk My point is, I don't think too many people in the sport rely on message boards for information. The problem with running the small track is, it is not the famous Belleville High Banks. That is the history of the track. The promoters talked about this in an article in SprintCar and Midget.

Oh I agree, But also think that cutting it back to one night on the Belleville High Banks is still the Belleville high speed highbanks.

Now what do we have? Nothin

[BrentTFunk]

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester Oh I agree, But also think that cutting it back to one night on the Belleville High Banks is still the Belleville high speed highbanks. Now what do we have? Nothin

Would you have went? My guess is no. Thought about it a couple of times. Always super hot, and not many places to stay. I thought they ran Midgets on the small track and Silver Crown on the big track, but lost money. I understand car owners being reluctant to run there. They have been turned down by almost every sanctioning body. Would be a tough sell for fans to travel that far to watch on a track similar to 40 they passed on the way.

[Charles Nungester]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk Would you have went? My guess is no. Thought about it a couple of times. Always super hot, and not many places to stay. I thought they ran Midgets on the small track and Silver Crown on the big track, but lost money. I understand car owners being reluctant to run there. They have been turned down by almost every sanctioning body. Would be a tough sell for fans to travel that far to watch on a track similar to 40 they passed on the way.

At least for now, My days of long trips and that includes anything more than a hour and a half or one hundred miles are done. There's some trips that I had planned like Eastern Storm and others tha are on hold both from a financial and family members health standpoint.

Belleville Midgets I don't think ever had a fan problem, The car count just went down and down. It was held during the fair and correct me if Im wrong, But wasn't the fans responsible for the purse being what it was? I know there were some die hards.

Anyway, It's a trophy that most racers wanted in their trophy case

[BrentTFunk]

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester At least for now, My days of long trips and that includes anything more than a hour and a half or one hundred miles are done. There's some trips that I had planned like Eastern Storm and others tha are on hold both from a financial and family members health standpoint. Belleville Midgets I don't think ever had a fan problem, The car count just went down and down. It was held during the fair and correct me if Im wrong, But wasn't the fans responsible for the purse being what it was? I know there were some die hards. Anyway, It's a trophy that most racers wanted in their trophy case

I wasn't saying that in a bad way. People like me and you had opportunities for years, and we never made it. Can't see a smaller track enticing us

[Charles Nungester]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk I wasn't saying that in a bad way. People like me and you had opportunities for years, and we never made it. Can't see a smaller track enticing us

Oh I know, All I was trying to point out is that they could have still have had the event with half the wear on cars. So more might have participated in a fri short track,, saturday big track format.

[ISF]

I made the 9 hour trip from Illinois to The Belleville Midget Nationals a half dozen times or more in the years leading up to it's abandonment by the midgets. Glad I did, and wouldn't take a million for the experience and friends I made and at least 2 or 3 of those events were some very good racing. The battle between Christopher Bell and Rico Abeu was nearly epic and immediately comes to mind. I don't ever remember it being oppressively hot and the North Central Kansas Free Fair going on at the same time was a cool deal and further added to the charm of the whole experience. It was nice to have Beloit and Fairbury as preliminary events of sorts leading up to the Nationals

No question the midget engines took a beating on The High Banks but they seemed to hold up satisfactorily. I watched both nights of the late model shows and the guy who won the first night on the High Banks said the car was heating up pretty bad by the end of his heat race. He also said running The High Banks was like driving down the interstate. Just from my distant and unattached perspective the situation had the appearance of the late model teams weren't expecting such a demanding track. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know all that much about the late model guys besides Larson so I don't remember who is who but one of them said The High Banks is a LOT faster and more demanding than even Eldora.

[Charles Nungester]

That was Johnathan Davenport who just won a million at Eldora and the pre feature as well. Said the high banks even with the headrest put a big strain on the neck and back. He said they brought the big motor for the big track and didn't know that they changed to the small track for the 40k.

Like someone else said, Think it was more for the Streaming having closer racing than the fan experience of 140mph dirt track cars.

[Andrew S. Quinn]

I went to Belleville once. From memory they had the All Stars on Thursday,the prelim on Friday and the final on Saturday. Watched Thursday and Friday. Friday night the track took rubber.I decided i wasnt paying good money for Saturday after seeing that.

So on the way back I stopped in Knoxville for the 360 Nationals. In the afternoon I was at the campground talking with friends,got up to hit the mens room, and as I was walking out,I heard someone call my name and turned around and there was Court Grandstaff that used to own the Trop Artic 66 sprint car. He told me to hang on a second as he had something for me.

Years earlier we met when Brooke Tatnell was racing his car. I had asked him if he had any old crew shirts laying around. I had a buddy in Australia that collected them,so I'd often inquire from friends on teams etc. Court said he did,and I gave him my card,and he said he'd send me one. Well he got busy and I never did get a crew shirt from him,until this particular day. Court told me he never forgot he had told me he would send me a shirt. By then he had sold the sprint car stuff off,but he had a BRAND NEW crew shirt that he had been carrying around in hopes of running into me again. I couldnt believe it! So it was an incredible stroke of luck that I had gone to Knoxville instead of staying for the midget nationals. My buddy stopped collecting crew shirts in the meantime,so now it hangs on my living room wall instead.