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5/28/12, 10:54 PM   #1
USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
GeorgeDillingham32
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I attended the Hoosier Hundred last friday and not a bit to my surprise, it was a joke. Less than 10 of the 22 cars that were in attendance even finished the race. Walking through the pits, cars sounded horrible and were running even worse. After qualifying i heard of numerous cars being over 260 degrees, including some of the best racecars in this series. There has to be a point when everyone who is upset gets together and makes a stand. USAC has been around for ages, and yes they have put on some great events in the past, and had many a great drivers and teams come up through their ranks, but there has to be a change. The attendance was absolutely pathetic. The grandstands were no where near full and i have to believe Bob Sargent lost upward of $10,000. The car count was unbelievable. 22 cars. I could start naming off cars and go for an hour that are parked in garages due to USAC's changes in rules and loss of interest in the series. I heard the other day and i can't be quoted on this, but supposedly Bobby Santos said there was no way anyone could compete against the Toyotas. He wasn't even bearing down on his car at ORP.

So what you might ask will be the outcome unless something is done? An American racing tradition of the past. ...but there is something that can be done.

I'm asking all of you upset about the changes in the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown series to Ignite ethanol, the low car and attendance counts, or just feel that you should speak your mind. This is a free country and i'll be d**ned if there isn't an amendment about freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm smart enough to say if there isn't changes made maybe teams will start sitting out shows and boycotting USAC and starting a new Silver Crown series. It's time to put our feet down.

I would like to either set up an open forum for your opinions and statements or bring our voices together to try and get some resolution to what has become. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts. Please e-mail me on here or at GDillingham32@yahoo.com
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Last edited by GeorgeDillingham32; 5/29/12 at 12:18 AM. Reason: changed
 
5/28/12, 11:15 PM   #2
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
K-Dawg30
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I couldnt agree more! Its time the car owners stand up and say NO to USAC!!!!! I too walked through the pits and seen the water temps after the races. All of them that I could see were at least 220 and most were 260. I would be willing to bet most teams will need to rebuild their engines completly. Also, I heard the drivers having to switch the stumble valve in the corners and back again down the straights to get the motors to pull of the corners without bogging. All the engines sounded sick. It was awful ironic that many of the top cars that finished were Toyota's. Im not a consipiracy theorist but it was just an observation.

My first open wheel race was the Ted Horn 100 at Du Quoin several years ago and I have not missed one since. Last year I went to Springfield and Indy as well. After seeing the Hoosier 100 this last weekend I felt sick. The stands were empty, car count was low, cars werent running right, and the racing stunk.

I agree with George. Someone needs to get together with the owners and break off of USAC to save these cars. Even if it had to start as a 10 race dirt only thing next year. I think the other part of the problem is that there are not enough races (dirt specifically) to have new people justify buying cars. There are tracks like Knoxville, Belleville Highbanks, and maybe even Lawrenceburg that could be good additions! Maybe eventually the Syracuse Mile, Vegas, Lernerville, Williams Grove, Sacramento Mile ect. ect. if a new series could grow. I think, if in fact Bob Sargent lost money, a series could possibly persuade him to run with them at the miles and Terre Haute next year rather than with USAC. No doubt the fuel absolutely STINKS. Its terrible and it is single handidly ruining this series. Why did we have to leave methanol and make the series loose even more cars when it is already on life support.

I race micros now and I told my mom back at Du Quoin a few years ago that I will race a crown car at Du Quoin before I am 30. I hope this dream of mine can come true! However, at the rate USAC and IGNITE are going I feel like this may not happen. I'm pleading with owners to stand up and make a stand and tell USAC ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Let's save these great cars!

Kurt Hermann
Open wheel racer, fan, and hopefully future Silver Crown Racer
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Last edited by K-Dawg30; 5/28/12 at 11:20 PM. Reason: added
 
3 members like this post: donwilshe, GeorgeDillingham32, SC90
5/28/12, 11:32 PM   #3
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
racephoto1
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I brought this up a couple of days ago on a different thread. I'll just say this. I asked Sargeant if he has ever thought of doing the deal himself. He replied," That isn't the first time I've been asked that today.''

This shouldn't be a dump on USAC thread, but it is their actions that will turn it that way, and this time they will deserve it.

They say a blind squirrel will find a nut, the whole flock of squirrels in Speedway couldn't find one, if they were sitting in a bushel basket full.
 
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5/28/12, 11:47 PM   #4
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
dustbowl
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It doesn't really matter what fuel the series uses, it has been on a steady decline for years, and would continue to decline if they used Methanol. The average joe that lives in an area that a race is in and decides to go and bring his or her family probably doesn't know what fuel the cars are running so blaming the crowd on the fuel isn't entirely accurate. The races are long and generally boring. They aren't particularly entertaining races for an average fan or someone with a child to enjoy. They are usually long, often drug out days. Its a novelty series. There is only one series that uses the cars and only a handful of tracks to run at. They run novelty motors (open headed fuel injected steel block 358s) that no other series or car really uses. Maybe without the money that ethanol brought to the table they pull the plug on the series completely? It's not like the races are standing room only. I think someone willing to bring these cars to the track and pay the purse that they require would be a fool of a promotor, when you can bring in a sprint car race, pay a lower purse, have many more cars, and a bigger crowd. You can pay the same purse and bring in the World of Outlaws and really fill the stands. Its simple economics. And why would you want to build a brand new car and motor that you can only race 5 times a year? It doesn't make sense. Maybe you silver crown fanatics should be happy for ethanol, because it is an attempt to keep the series alive. Either way it is a lose-lose. And I don't believe that there are even any conspiracy theories to talk about in reference to the Toyotas in silver crown competition because "Toyota" in itself has little to do with those engines besides the cylinder head and block design, which have been around in the series for several years.
 
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5/28/12, 11:54 PM   #5
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
K-Dawg30
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I think the point is that it is costing teams a lot of money to get the motors to run on the ethanol. Plus, the ethanol is causing the motors to need rebuilt after one race. This extra money the teams are having to pump out will cut the car count even more than it already is.

I agree with the amount of races not being enough. It would be a shame to see these cars die. They are for sure a car that isnt seen or raced everyday. I dont have all the answers but I'm do know if the series continues to be ran like it is, it wont exist too much longer. Maybe thats what the powers at be want?
 
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5/28/12, 11:59 PM   #6
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
dustbowl
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Well I know for a fact it is expensive to change one over, but as I was saying, without the Ignite money sponsoring the series and paying out the money, you probably wouldn't see a series at all, which is what it is probably coming to anyway. As Bobby Knight once said "If r@pe is inevitable, sit back and enjoy it."
 
5/29/12, 8:41 AM   #7
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
dirtcarfan
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Yeah, the race was boring... but, bringing in the Outlaws? I guess it would make it easier on the track prep guys; Water on Thursday and DONE! Dry-slick all night long. Then you'd have to deal with that stupid wing. The reason why it's so fun watching a non-wing, whether it be Silver crown, sprint or midget, event because you can watch the drivers work at figuring out the quickest way around. I love the "BIG CARS" and will continue to support them, no matter what!
 
4 members like this post: dirtball, duel, Pat O'Connor Fan, SC90
5/29/12, 9:40 AM   #8
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
Indy
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Maybe it's time to bring back the PRA racing series that raced the old pavement cars. You know when USAC was suckered in by NASCAR and tried those strange looking pavement cars.
 
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5/29/12, 10:00 AM   #9
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
miledirt
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I am huge championship dirt car, silver crown fan... I have not missed a DuQuoin race in 30 plus years. But it appears that USAC's commitment to the series or their ability to guide this series into the future can certainly be called into question.

For me, here's the 64k dollar question and I think somewhat else has already said the same thing: what does Bob Sargent want to do?

It seems that without he and track enterprises, there is no series anyway. So what does Bob and TE think? What do they want to do? Is he ready to return to a simpler rules package, get some of those parked cars in garages right now back to the dirt, and lead the series into the future?
 
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5/29/12, 10:11 AM   #10
Re: USAC Silver Crown Series...thoughts?
Seadog
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Yet another gripe fest. Haters, get over it and move on with your life.

I wish I had the last two minutes of my life back.
 
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