100% agree with the O'Conners, seems like the same few cars cooperate with wheel packing and others sit in the pits with the attitude "what you going to do about it"! Seems like if the track rolls in the surface the competitors complain that the sprint cars do a better job, then if you want the sprint cars to roll in the track you are at their mercy! There is one simple solution, if you own it (car or track) you can do what you want with it! You can load it up or race it, you can water, roll it, you can push it off and drive it into a wall, you can charge for babys or not allow them into the pits. People have choices to make! I go to L'Burg and Kokomo everyweek because (IMO) they provide the best programs overall, I go to Bloomington when they do not qualify (feel they always kill the track when they qual).You could not pay me to go to Gas City! The next guy will have totally dif. opinion ! Support the one you like, take your car or your lawn chair to your favorite venue! If you do not like the PA guy then go some place else, if you do not want to wheel pack go to Bloomington, just seems the same few spend a considerable amount of time b!tching about something!

[Derek Fisher]

So many asinine opinions, so little time.

I had a KISS official stand in my kitchen last night after the races and tell me that it was 27 minutes between the first call for wheel pack and the decision to eliminate hot laps. I've known this person for 29 years, and they know more about sprint car racing than I probably ever will. I'm not inclined to believe 27 minutes was a figure pulled out of thin air.

What did KISS or the O'Connors stand to gain by eliminating hot laps? Nothing, in fact they risked just the type of backlash seen in this thread. So -- following the flow of logic down the proverbial river -- why then, would they cancel them? They must have had a reason, right? Seems to me that 27 minutes is reason enough when you run on Sunday nights and your program is as seamless as the O'Connors' programs routinely are.

A few other points: 1) The three sprint heats last night were competitive, run caution-free and with no apparent or significant mechanical issues on any of the race cars. There was bullsh!t posted earlier about parts falling off cars, not knowing what the car is going to do in the first turn, etc. Please. When I go to the racetrack to run, I haven't forgotten how to drive the car in one week's time and my car owner hasn't forgotten how to set it up, either. Hot laps serve a purpose but missing them is not the end of the world, and those three heats last night were proof of that.

2) Most of you superfans are still out in the parking lot drinking during hot laps anyway, so were you really cheated out of anything?

3) As far as the racetrack being not so great, it was a day show. You have EDT and a speedy program to thank for that.

4) Leaving early because you've got your panties in a wad over losing hot laps is a slap in the face to everyone who's ever wanted to race but never had the chance. Either you come to race, or you don't. It's one or the other. What a joke.

Lastly, if my four-year-old d!cks around, doesn't listen and throws a fit when I tell him to do something, he doesn't still get a treat. That's common sense. Why is it so hard for some of you to apply that logic to this situation? Rules are rules. Follow them or face the consequences.

[Eatin Dirt]

In response to a point made by RR>LR=LTO. You are right, that Kokomo has the Sunday sprint car market in Indiana. I would love to see North Vernon give them some competition and run some sprints on Sunday night. Sure I will catch alot of negitives for the comment, but for those of us who live here in SE IN it would make for a good Sunday evening.

[MEAT]

Originally Posted by Derek Fisher So many asinine opinions, so little time. I had a KISS official stand in my kitchen last night after the races and tell me that it was 27 minutes between the first call for wheel pack and the dec ision to eliminate hot laps. I've known this person for 29 years, and they know more about sprint car racing than I probably ever will. I'm not inclined to believe 27 minutes was a figure pulled out of thin air. What did KISS or the O'Connors stand to gain by eliminating hot laps? Nothing, in fact they risked just the type of backlash seen in this thread. So -- following the flow of logic down the proverbial river -- why then, would they cancel them? They must have had a reason, right? Seems to me that 27 minutes is reason enough when you run on Sunday nights and your program is as seamless as the O'Connors' programs routinely are. A few other points: 1) The three sprint heats last night were competitive, run caution-free and with no apparent or significant mechanical issues on any of the race cars. There was bullsh!t posted earlier about parts falling off cars, not knowing what the car is going to do in the first turn, etc. Please. When I go to the racetrack to run, I haven't forgotten how to drive the car in one week's time and my car owner hasn't forgotten how to set it up, either. Hot laps serve a purpose but missing them is not the end of the world, and those three heats last night were proof of that. 2) Most of you superfans are still out in the parking lot drinking during hot laps anyway, so were you really cheated out of anything? 3) As far as the racetrack being not so great, it was a day show. You have EDT and a speedy program to thank for that. 4) Leaving early because you've got your panties in a wad over losing hot laps is a slap in the face to everyone who's ever wanted to race but never had the chance. Either you come to race, or you don't. It's one or the other. What a joke. Lastly, if my four-year-old d!cks around, doesn't listen and throws a fit when I tell him to do something, he doesn't still get a treat. That's common sense. Why is it so hard for some of you to apply that logic to this situation? Rules are rules. Follow them or face the consequences.

No offense, but our car was the second one to the line up chute, and it had been less than 5 minutes from the call to wheelpack. The first car was told to "get his f&$%ing a$$ back to his pit" how professional...
Posted via Mobile Device

[mikeham73]

Originally Posted by Eatin Dirt In response to a point made by RR>LR=LTO. You are right, that Kokomo has the Sunday sprint car market in Indiana. I would love to see North Vernon give them some competition and run some sprints on Sunday night. Sure I will catch alot of negitives for the comment, but for those of us who live here in SE IN it would make for a good Sunday evening.

I agree we need some Sunday night racing around here. Haubstadt and Kokomo are on the extreme ends of the state. However, I would like to see either Paragon or LPS run Sundays. Both have great crowds. Both are already drawing over 30 cars on Saturday nights and they're less than and hour apart. I think they would both benefit if one went to Sundays.
Posted using Mobile Device

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Derek Fisher So many asinine opinions, so little time. I had a KISS official stand in my kitchen last night after the races and tell me that it was 27 minutes between the first call for wheel pack and the decision to eliminate hot laps. I've known this person for 29 years, and they know more about sprint car racing than I probably ever will. I'm not inclined to believe 27 minutes was a figure pulled out of thin air. What did KISS or the O'Connors stand to gain by eliminating hot laps? Nothing, in fact they risked just the type of backlash seen in this thread. So -- following the flow of logic down the proverbial river -- why then, would they cancel them? They must have had a reason, right? Seems to me that 27 minutes is reason enough when you run on Sunday nights and your program is as seamless as the O'Connors' programs routinely are. A few other points: 1) The three sprint heats last night were competitive, run caution-free and with no apparent or significant mechanical issues on any of the race cars. There was bullsh!t posted earlier about parts falling off cars, not knowing what the car is going to do in the first turn, etc. Please. When I go to the racetrack to run, I haven't forgotten how to drive the car in one week's time and my car owner hasn't forgotten how to set it up, either. Hot laps serve a purpose but missing them is not the end of the world, and those three heats last night were proof of that. 2) Most of you superfans are still out in the parking lot drinking during hot laps anyway, so were you really cheated out of anything? 3) As far as the racetrack being not so great, it was a day show. You have EDT and a speedy program to thank for that. 4) Leaving early because you've got your panties in a wad over losing hot laps is a slap in the face to everyone who's ever wanted to race but never had the chance. Either you come to race, or you don't. It's one or the other. What a joke. Lastly, if my four-year-old d!cks around, doesn't listen and throws a fit when I tell him to do something, he doesn't still get a treat. That's common sense. Why is it so hard for some of you to apply that logic to this situation? Rules are rules. Follow them or face the consequences.

Apparently your KISS official and Racerrob & others disagree on the time constraints. What is the truth ?

[RGraves]

Hopefully both parties learned something here and the problem will be fixed. I have never been to Kokomo but after watching "Follow the Corn", there is no way I could listen to that old man. I have lots of respect for my elders but I wouldn't have much patience for him.

[DICNJAN]

Why did 20+sprint cars come out to run the track in ,,,,then they ran in all but the 1st heat of cars , as they always do ...
Then they sent them into the pits ,,,then they hot laped the stock cars.....???????
Did something happen that we did not see....
Get over it ...lets go racing

[Mud Packer]

This is post #109 on this thread with over 12,000 views and it is still going. Amazing that something so minute as hot laps for sprint cars, or lack thereof, could produce these types of numbers. I suppose that I have much more in my life that is important than this. I would suggest a reality check might be in order.

[Racerrob]

We pushed back from the trailer at exactly 5:51. I know this because there is a clock in the trailer that I just happened to look at as the pit PA announcer was going nuts. They made the decision to cancel hot laps as we were rolling back to the 4 wheeler to push up to the push off lane.

I know for a fact that Keith Bloom was in the push off lane well before that and a second car (I can't recall who) was joining him right when they canceled.

I will have to call out the KISS official - since the driver's meeting occurred at 5:30 and if they made the first call 27 minutes before they canceled hot laps per the KISS official, they would have had to made the first call at 5:24, 6 minutes before the driver's meeting started.

Perhaps Derek Fisher should ask the KISS official that stood in his kitchen how or why the PA announcer would call for the sprint cars to wheel pack before they had their driver's meeting. Or perhaps he should take the time to ascertain the facts and following the logic flow down the proverbial river before lambasting others for "asinine opinions".

As for his statement that I should know what my car will do in the first turn, I would like him to know that I have made MAJOR changes to the car over the last 3 weeks and the set-up data that I have collected for the last 8 years with this type of chassis no longer applies. I truly did not know if the car would turn over or slide right into Dave Darland (who started outside of us) when Daron set it into the first corner. In view of this information, he may want to reconsider what qualifies as an "asinine opinion".

To the best of my knowledge the O'Conners have done a tremendous job overall with Kokomo and I wish them well. I just won't be back for any show (other than Indiana Sprint Week) until I hear things have changed in the way competitors are treated.

Rob Hoffman