Originally Posted by jdull99:
Not to mention those tiny little tires they used to run too...Maybe there should be a mandatory History lesson (as I have heard an important reason to study is to avoid making mistakes in the present) for all the movers and shakers in SC&Ms?
Jason Dull
815 494 6002
jdull99@hotmail.com
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The sad part is that they are racing for about as much now, as they were then. With a few exceptions of course...
Also, look at the car counts for events such as Belleville from 30 years ago. I'm not advocating going back to them, but those VW engines sure got around Belleville pretty good, sang a pretty tune and were pretty cheap to build.
In my 40+ years around open wheel racing, I have never been much of a fan of spec engines, or even very many rules. But as I've aged, I've also grown wiser and now realize that it was that mentality that is slowly killing the sport. Sprint Car and Midget racing is as "grassroots" as you can get, it was a sport where every full service gas station had a race car in one of their two bays, you built it and you raced it. But in the search for that elusive "next level", sometimes by people who don't know too much about the history of this sport, well "the sport" has lost it's way. The "movers and shakers" have lost sight in the effort to be the only ones to actually make money in this sport.
I went to the presentation at the Knoxville Nationals with Donny Schatz, Ron Shaver where they introduced to the world the LS spec V8 they had been "toying" with. All of the major engine builders and parts manufacturers were present. You would have thought that it was the end of the world the way the builders and parts suppliers reacted. I couldn't believe it. An engine that can be purchased from Shaver for $20k, makes 750hp, 50ft lbs less torque than the best 410, will run for 30 nights and then only costs $3k to refresh and you would have thought that Mr Shaver was the Anti-Christ... That same engine passed 12 $40+k engines that Friday night...
I have spoke with numerous drivers who said they would buy two engines today if someone would allow the engine to run with existing sanctions or start a new series with it. One of those drivers just purchased a new $42k ASCS 360 engine.........
I'll now suit up in my nomex suit, step off my soapbox and await what it sure to be blast of flame throwers...
BTW, if anyone is interested in seeing the info and video of the presentation on this LS engine, I still have it up on my site here
http://www.openwheel.org/ls.html