[Kydehart]

Originally Posted by wingless1 As I read this thread, I am discussing sprint car racing with my 21 year old daughter, as I type this. She has seen non-wing sprints literally from coast to coast, Ventura and Perris to Tampa and North Carolina and many points in between. Neither she or her 17 year old brother have any interest in auto racing. Me and my wife are the same age, late 50's, and are life long midget and sprint car folks. My wife's brother still races midgets in Colorado and has for over 30 years. All that being said, I just asked her what she thinks about sprint car racing, this was her answer..."Well I think about sitting in the stands for a long time, loud noise, always looking the wrong direction when a crash or spin out happens and everybody yells, and the hot dogs in the silver wrappers, thats what I think about when I hear Sprint car racing"......My house is full of auto racing stuff, and my kids simply are not interested, my wife's brother has a college age daughter who has less interest in racing than my kids, she has maybe seen her own father race 2 or 3 times in her life. So I guess young ones just don't get into the sport the way we did, I can't explain it.

It's not all young people. Look at Sam McGhee. I, myself am 28 and my wife is 27 and we love going to sprint car races of any kind. I think it just depends on whether or not you're exposed, and then if you are exposed, do you enjoy it. Some people don't like the dirt and the noise, no matter their age. One of my racing buddies tried to bring his girlfriend to eldora for let's race 2. They're in their mid thirties and she didn't like it so much that she went out and sat in the campground. Now when she comes she pretty much comes just to camp. No interest in the racing at all.

[Kydehart]

Originally Posted by Backitin By the way personal attacks on a subject just show your ignorance. That much I get. I don't have to taste poo to know it stinks. I have plenty more going in my life then to have to love all the crap racing they try to shove down my throat. If you love all racing your mind set is much more simple then mine, I envy you being so simple and easy to entertain.

Also, I may be simple minded and easy to entertain but this years WOO show at the burg was one of the best races I've ever had the privilege to witness. Larson and Shane Stewart put on a heck of a show!

[Rhody]

Bakitin, if you don't like the racing in your backyard, move to Indiana. Seems pretty simple to me.

[Stevensville Mike]

What seems like years ago (mainly because it was - 1991, 1992, 1993-ish) I got hooked on dirt sprints from the Winter Heat Series on The Nashville Network (TNN). LIVE! The first winter they were at Manzanita and it was GREAT! Then they went the next year to Canyon Raceway and it was GREAT! Then NASCAR started the truck series, Supertrucks they called it, and sprints were gone.

A few years later in the early 00s, The Outdoor Channel then began showing the WoO Sprints weekly, tape delayed. It was GREAT! A one hour show with Brad Doty and Art Eckman doing the commentary. The Outdoor Channel then became Versus..... then I think it morphed into what is now NBC Sports Network. But nonetheless, after a couple of years, the sprints were gone.

Prior to ALL of this ALL of us old timers remember Thursday Night Thunder! Then it became Saturday Night Thunder. They were both GREAT! Then the sprints disappeared.

I know it is a stretch, but getting a few races on TV now and then wouldn't hurt anything. I can remember watching an old race on a black and white TV as a kid from who knows where (Eldora maybe?) with a guy named Jan Opperman showing everyone the way around and a guy named Bruce Walkup right on his tail. Man.... turning right to go left! What a concept! No wings. In fact, a couple of cars actually had ROLL cages!

I'd like to see us on TV a bit more. Not on youtube, or burningwhee1s, or anything of the sort.... but on TV. Get that 10 year old kid, or old guy on a budget, who don't have the internet to watch. THAT is what hurts us more than anything.

Great thread. Thanks for starting it. Great ideas from all.

[Rhody]

Originally Posted by Stevensville Mike What seems like years ago (mainly because it was - 1991, 1992, 1993-ish) I got hooked on dirt sprints from the Winter Heat Series on The Nashville Network (TNN). LIVE! The first winter they were at Manzanita and it was GREAT! Then they went the next year to Canyon Raceway and it was GREAT! Then NASCAR started the truck series, Supertrucks they called it, and sprints were gone. A few years later in the early 00s, The Outdoor Channel then began showing the WoO Sprints weekly, tape delayed. It was GREAT! A one hour show with Brad Doty and Art Eckman doing the commentary. The Outdoor Channel then became Versus..... then I think it morphed into what is now NBC Sports Network. But nonetheless, after a couple of years, the sprints were gone. Prior to ALL of this ALL of us old timers remember Thursday Night Thunder! Then it became Saturday Night Thunder. They were both GREAT! Then the sprints disappeared. I know it is a stretch, but getting a few races on TV now and then wouldn't hurt anything. I can remember watching an old race on a black and white TV as a kid from who knows where (Eldora maybe?) with a guy named Jan Opperman showing everyone the way around and a guy named Bruce Walkup right on his tail. Man.... turning right to go left! What a concept! No wings. In fact, a couple of cars actually had ROLL cages! I'd like to see us on TV a bit more. Not on youtube, or burningwhee1s, or anything of the sort.... but on TV. Get that 10 year old kid, or old guy on a budget, who don't have the internet to watch. THAT is what hurts us more than anything. Great thread. Thanks for starting it. Great ideas from all.

I am afraid that this is what Backitin is complaining about. There is lots of taped delayed boring ASCS racing on TV. I love winged sprints and I can't even watch what is televised on MAVTV. The Aussie WSS shows are actually pretty entertaining, but the random meaningless 6 month old ASCS races do nothing for me. Compressed live telecast of a big WoO race does interest me, and I loved the old live TNN races, I would miss my ride to the party in college to watch those deals.

[Stevensville Mike]

Originally Posted by Rhody I am afraid that this is what Backitin is complaining about. There is lots of taped delayed boring ASCS racing on TV. I love winged sprints and I can't even watch what is televised on MAVTV. The Aussie WSS shows are actually pretty entertaining, but the random meaningless 6 month old ASCS races do nothing for me. Compressed live telecast of a big WoO race does interest me, and I loved the old live TNN races, I would miss my ride to the party in college to watch those deals.

Let me elaborate a tad more with respect to TV coverage.

MAVTV I was not referring to. I was thinking more about a network that the majority of America can get on their tube, not some knock off channel like it, FS2, or FOX Business.

You do make a good point, though, when you mention the six month old rehash of a race. We need a little more "up to date" stuff, eh?

You really gave up rides to parties to watch the old Winter Heat series? Man..... a TRUE fan!

[flagboy55]

I hear you guys about TV, and I know MAVTV isn't a mainstream channel, and Direct TV doesn't even play it in HD, but I wanted to give them a shout out for at least giving us something, instead of another channel of reality shows or someone trying to sell us a better mouse trap. Especially thanks to Sean Buckley for putting together the Dirty 30 shows, I wish he could put that together with USAC sanctioned races. But I sure do miss those Thursday/Saturday night thunder deals

[Kydehart]

Just what I was going to say. The dirty 30 shows are great. I wish they aired more often. Thank goodness for Buckley. I know a lot of people don't get mav tv but it at least gets traditional sprints out there to some people.