After the Belleville Midget nationals, many people were ready to proclaim the death of midget racing. I would like to now proclaim the rebirth of midget racing. One week later, there were two Sunday shows that had good car counts. 22 Cars for a Badger race at
Angell Park, and 38 cars for a POWRi race on little Belleville. While these two tracks are traditional midget strong holds, the numbers are still very strong. A total of 60 midgets running on one night.
This weekend Angell Park will have another midget show and this time it will be co-promoted by all three major sanctioning bodies. (Badger/POWRi/ and USAC) I am hopeful that a spirit of good times will emerge that will allow midget racing to continue to grow.
It's not the death of midget racing, the Chili Bowl will keep it going for awhile which has greatly benefitted Poweri, just the death of Belleville. Obviously only 16 of those 60 you mention were willing to risk there expensive equipment there. Not many would consider 22 at Angell Park a strong count either. Poweri is about the only group that gets enough for a full program (4 heats and a B). Poweri gets the most cars of anybody in the country yet how many of them went to Belleville? I believe the reason is that Poweri avoids big tracks and mostly runs small quarters and fifths where lesser engines are more competetive and it's easier on them. USAC starts off the year with enough but by August they barely get enough to hold a contest, you'd think they would've gotten the picture by now. Remember Little Springfield after the the Champ race at big Springfield? 50-65 cars and they didn't need winged minis or several classes of stocks to help out. Maybe the rebirth will lead to that but unless they make it cheaper, I doubt it.
Originally Posted by DonMoore10:
If you can't see the St. Louis Arch, you won't see 38 cars.
Little cars + Big Tracks / Expensive {short lived motors} + small purses - the new shared wealth (fewer well to do car owners) = extinction for those groups that do not adapt.
Originally Posted by DonMoore10:
I watched the video of last Sunday's rebirth of the Arnie Knepper Memorial. I didn't know they allowed jet engines......
I'm betting that there are good fields at Macon and Lincoln, IL this weekend. Bullrings? Yes. Can you see the Arch from either? Nope.
The Don Moore 10 would be very competitive at both, as Dave Darland proved during Midget week.
The races are out there.
The drivers are out there.
The purses are out there. (With exceptions)
The owners won't run em.
Originally Posted by mortboyz:
The owners won't run em.
Open up the engine rules and you will see plenty of cars. Real simple.
We will be at Montpelier supporting their effort to resurrect midget racing in Indiana. Plenty of midgets around this area... get em out of the garage. This may be the last opportunity you have to get something going.
