Originally Posted by Kevin Miller USAC disappointed our fans tonight with the indefinite postponement of a scheduled Indiana Midget Week race at Union County Speedway. The decision was made after numerous safety concerns were raised by our Officials and competitors. We will not apologize for acting in the best interest of safety for our competitors. The track, which has not held a USAC event in many years, was deemed to have features which could pose harm to our competitors. We regret the decision had to be made on race day. While there will be many excuses and blame to spread around, USAC will take the responsibility. Changes have already been made which are intended to prevent this situations from occurring. Thank you for your continued support. We commit to you some of the greatest racing action and best drivers in racing today. We are continually evolving to bring you a greater experience with USAC.

Kevin -

You as the CEO and president of USAC, as well as Jason Smith senior vice-president of USAC racing operations, are the responsible individuals for the USAC Midget week night #2 debacle at Union County Speedway. Any and all related culpability pertaining to the debacle lies squarely on your shoulders as you, Jason Smith, or Jason McCord should have check the safety conditions of a, “track, which has not held a USAC event in many years“, weeks prior to the event. And or at the very least, a ‘safety status’ phone call should have been placed to the current weekly insurer of Union County Speedway. Than at that time, any and all tangible safety related concerns and conditions should have been address, and or repaired, before the first tow rig pulled though the gate. If the track would have been checked prior to the event, like it should have, any and all of this would have been resolved much earlier, not on race day.

As it’s been said time and time again, “USAC is not in the race promotion business, it is in the race sanctioning body business“. Thus to try and vaguely PR spin the situation, holding a race promoter accountable or negligible, for USAC’s own misguided or indolent sanctioning error, is less than what I’d call acceptable. While a promoter is responsible for said speedway and it safeness to the competitors as well as the paying fan, the sanctioning body is responsible for final inspection, scrutiny, and approval. Well before race day.

The above and current type of PR spin <younger generation target marketing> coming out of USAC might have worked with the general public at Mopar, and with the drifting community - but this isn’t Mopar, and it isn’t the drifting community. The sprint car community psyche works much differently, and I’ll tell you right now, they aren’t buying what your selling, nor will they.

Culpability, and nothing more!

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester I will not apologize for never going to another USAC show. The fact that not one of you USAC Guys could get on the PA, Give your reason and a sincere regret for not being able to hold it is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Not to mention calling in ever state police officer within a hundred miles. I felt like I was at a Blues Brothers Concert surrounded by a shotgun every 5ft. I took a risk getting to the track, You not only killed a class that was on life support in most of Indiana you DAMAGED THE TRACKS and PROMOTORS That will host you. As said before this should have never happened the way it did. Im all for safety but you'll run tracks too dusty for the flagman to see the wreck on the backstraight only to cause pile ups ect. Run Kamp with a 40 drop off turn 4 and no catch fence. Even Rex Norris flipped out of it and you didn't see it. You removed a qualified competition director and then turn around and do this on race day? Yet I heard a dozen people blaming him. Sorry but this is the third time I've taken vacation for sunny days this year not to see a schedualled race.. Let alone all the other screw ups of the past. We stuck around and seen that what was left was only 1/4th the show we came to see and ultimately took the last chance to get a refund. I respect them guys, Westfall, Levi, Bland and the others. Even Don Moore for realizing theres more to racing than being selfish and not taking their fans into account! If they weren't going to run at the very least USAC should have gave everyone with a Union County Ticket stub a pass to any one of the remaining events. Thats the only thing that would have apeased the situation. Instead you created a situation, Making your fans prisoners. 65 state troopers and police and I didn't see one act of violence or aggression. We're race fans. WEVE BEEN SCREWED BEFORE! By USAC, NEVER AGAIN! Chuck, who will not apologize for this post. I skipped my mothers birthday to take my father to the event to be surrounded by cops and left in the dark.

You're saying it's completely USAC's fault Chuck? :O: Sounds like a combined effort to me between USAC and the track. You've taken three vacation days and not seen a race on any of them? Which races were those (were they all USAC?) and maybe try going to more than 4 races a year. You're saying the drivers that left the track are selfish for not staying, even in fear of their safety? You're kidding right? :action-smiley-049: Driving a sprint or midget is crazy enough on its own, let alone adding the life hazard to the drivers and/or fans from the facility's side (rebar hanging out of the walls, rough concrete ledges that could surely junk a race car, etc.)... Apparently there was nearly a riot over the refund issue also... It's a shame you and your father missed your mother's birthday, but who's fault is that? USAC to blame? :rolleyes:

It's not my place to blast anyone, but half of your posts are pointless and it's like you don't think before you click that "submit reply" button. I'm sure you'll end up defending USAC later on after ripping them tonight.

Sorry for the outburst. :action-smiley-049:

[Mud Packer]

Having been at this "event", here are some questions, concerns and thoughts. Lord only knows there is enough blame to go around here.

1)To Billy Daniels, Promoter/Track Owner and your right hand man Tom Wiek. Take a look around your facility and I am sure you can see some of the obvious safety concerns that the competitors saw. I doubt if you are blind so I certainly don't need to name them. Also, whoever took over the microphone and "questioned" the drivers calling them pansies, perhaps you need to take a lession in PR and tact. From this point forward I will always think of Union County Speedway as the CLASSLESS TRACK.

2)To Tony Barnhorst, Promoter. After attending an early season regular show at Union County Speedway, I questioned some of the safety issues that I saw and Tony came on this board and assured everyone that they were addressed and fixed. Did you really discuss these issues or were you just blowing smoke and turning your head. I believe this was your call to race here in the first place. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

3)USAC. Do you have someone in the office assigned to track inspection prior to the event being held? Please don't lay the blame on Greg Staub since he isn't employed there any longer. This should have been done early in the week at the latest and then competitors, drivers and fans wouldn't have had to show up to this fiasco. To Kevin Miller. As president of USAC you oversee an organization that is responsible for the sanctioning of this event. Exactly what is your organizations responsibility to the drivers, car owners and the fans to put on a show that has been advertised for months? This type of issue should never occur on race day!

4)The Fans. I thought the fans were great in a very difficult situation. Most sat there with no explanation as to what was happening behind the scenes, yet when the announcement was made by the track "questioning" the drivers and their bravery, you didn't become totally insane and cross the line. Please don't take this out on Bloomington, Lawrenceburg or Kokomo by not attending the balance of midget week. These tracks certainly had nothing to do with this racing be non sanctioned by USAC.

5)To the drivers & car owners. First the ones that choose to leave and not race. It takes a great deal of courage to make this kind of decision. Safety must ALWAYS be first and foremost in your minds. I understand your position and I appreciate your concerns. You made a decision and you stuck to your principles which certainly was difficult to do I am sure. To the drivers & car owners who decided to stay and race. My personal opinion says you need to reevaluate your priorities. With what has happened in the last couple of weeks, we now have 3 drivers who have been hurt racing. To push the limits of safety certainly isn't in your best interests no matter how much money is on the line. Is your health and well being worth so little that you would put it on the line by racing at a facility like this when so many of your competitors said no way.

On the hour and a half trip home last night I reflected on the event and how this should never happen. It could have been a lot worse than it was as in a driver getting seriously injured or worse, fans rioting and injuring themselves and others. I am sure we will see the PR spin in trying to lay the blame on someone else. To all parties involved, take the time to do YOUR job and make sure this NEVER happens again.

[Dwight Clock]

When this race was announced months ago many of us who had attended a sprint car show at Union County in Sep. of '04 expressed our concerns. We were quickly assured that the problems had been addressed and were no longer there. One of those problems was rebar sticking out of the concrete walls. Another was the total lack of track prep. Now, months after we were told those problems, among others, had been fixed we find that nothing has changed. A simple hacksaw and a little time could have made the rebar problem go away. The track owner should not have let his track operate in such a condition. The insurance co. that covers the track should have made them correct these problems. Tony Barhorst should have insisted they be changed as part of his contract to hold a race there. And USAC should have inspected the facility before booking a race there. It should have never, I repeat NEVER have come down to race day. Other organizations check out new tracks. When I worked with URC our race director Mickey McGeough and myself did that with all new tracks and tracks we hadn't visited in a while. And to think that Kamp was chucked off the schedule makes it even worse. I am usually in total support of USAC but they blew it here. It is honorable to decide not to race on an unsafe track but it should have been known to them well before race day.

[Melmo]

Well don't know what all went down but one thing is Safety should come first. But the way it looks its over now. So I think we should move on!!! So why don't USAC get on the phones today and look for an other place to run for Monday, or Tuesday such as Haubstadt or doubling up at Kokomo Sun and Monday? Then they will have all there races. Also for next year by adding a couple of more tracks!!!

[JstAbvVMC]

Mud Packer, very well spoken and I could not agree more. Some of the posts that I have read here are pure USAC hate nothing, more nothing less and they have no place in this discussion.

There is one very imporatant issue that has not been mentioned, LIABILITY. If USAC had allowed this event to continue AFTER these saftey issues were brought to their attention And AFTER the majority of the drivers/owners voted that it was not safe to race, I think USAC would have placed its self in very bad legal liability situation.

Had there been an accident and someone was hurt, or God forbid worse (driver or fan), USAC would have opened itself up to civil libility and very possibly ******** negligence issues. Once theses safety concerns were raised, I don't think USAC had a any other option but to cancel.

BUT, USAC and everyone else involved with this event should have never let it get to that point. I will accept Mr. Miller's post at face value and trust that he will never allow this to happen again. Lord knows there are enough haters around here that will be quick to point it out to them if they screw up again!!

[E.P.]

Originally Posted by 767 plan and simple, this matter should have been resolved before today. the usac office is less than an hour and a half away. Hell the decision should have been made early in the day, not at 7pm. Terrible thing usac did to union county sppedway tonight. I found out on another message board that there were 4 issues. 3 were fixed. then usac let the drivers vote. that is rediculouse. if the place is so dangerouse, a car should have never showed up. i can't wait for the all statrs to show back up to Union County! By the way i am speeking for a group of 6, not huge, but bloomington just lost $120 for tomorrow night. And we will deffinatly not go to the burg now!

Originally Posted by 767 gradder outside of turn 2 witha tree growing out of it rebar on the top side of the wall in turn 3, rebar was bent down by hand then smashed flat with a hammer burm on front stretch straight a way was to high, they removed it with a bobcat light poles in turn 1 and 2 these things did not come about over night this is from Mike something on midget maddness board

When you are on your soapbox being all high and mighty ripping USAC for making the right decision try mixing some proper grammar. That and signing your name would add some credibility to your rant. :idea:

Obviously the problem should have been addressed before 7pm. I made a trip to Lakeville, Ohio and the DuQuoin indoor facility before our first trip there with the Focus division a few years back in an attempt to avoid what happened last night but it did happen and that is why Mr. Miller stated changes had already been made so it wouldn't happen again.

(My edit was to mention putting your name with your post, not to fix my grammar.)

[767]

JR ROUSE I have nothing to hide.

[767]

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[767]

Originally Posted by Midget82 You're saying it's completely USAC's fault Chuck? :O: Sounds like a combined effort to me between USAC and the track. You've taken three vacation days and not seen a race on any of them? Which races were those (were they all USAC?) and maybe try going to more than 4 races a year. You're saying the drivers that left the track are selfish for not staying, even in fear of their safety? You're kidding right? :action-smiley-049: Driving a sprint or midget is crazy enough on its own, let alone adding the life hazard to the drivers and/or fans from the facility's side (rebar hanging out of the walls, rough concrete ledges that could surely junk a race car, etc.)... Apparently there was nearly a riot over the refund issue also... It's a shame you and your father missed your mother's birthday, but who's fault is that? USAC to blame? :rolleyes: It's not my place to blast anyone, but half of your posts are pointless and it's like you don't think before you click that "submit reply" button. I'm sure you'll end up defending USAC later on after ripping them tonight. Sorry for the outburst. :action-smiley-049:

midget82 were u there? there was no riot! people lines up at the gate and asked for there refund. it took about 10 min. before the announcement came. Some of you fans are pathetic. You showed up to a speedway that is not nice and new like the burg and you guys start crapping all over this place. U know the ALL Stars had no problem running here last year, nor did ALMS. one guys takes a cheap jab saying mcs pulled the plug, when it was rain, now your saying the fans were rioting. THATS LOW! I was quite impressed with how orderly the fans were.

Chuck you want a ride down to florance? We will go watch a real sactioning body!