[staggerman]

So how was the racing last weekend with the reconfigured track? Heading there next Sunday for the IRA winged 410's, should be interesting.

[Jonr]

I saw some pictures on Twitter and it was hard to tell what happened with the guard rail. It was obvious that it was taken down in the pictures, but it was not obvious what other changes they made. I would have thought that they would have removed the guard rail in the turns but put it around the chain link fence. In the pictures I saw, it did not look that way. If not, were they still pitting in the middle of the track?

[ThrowbackRacingTeam]

Slide job city. The tires and concrete blocks look crappy compared to the way it used to. The track was prepped harder and dustier than what it used to be but that's how wing guys like it so I'm sure you will. Also none of these modern day drivers drink beer or party afterwards so they no longer had the traditional party in the pavilion. They used the outside parking for the national midget pit which doesn't have the ambiance that the infield had. All in all, the racing was good especially if you're a fan of Keith kunz' 3 cars that ran away with everything and you don't mind them only inverting 4 in the feature. What a joke. If I'd never been there before I might have liked it but since I first went there 32 years ago, I left somewhat depressed. That capped off my Memorial week where I saw only 24 cars show up for the Hulman Classic, the crown cars slip slide on the sand at the fairgrounds at 37 seconds/lap, 11 midgets at the night before the 500 and yet another road coarse driver win the 500. I need a time machine to get me out of this nightmare.

[ThrowbackRacingTeam]

Yes they pitted some cars in the infield and there is only a fence to protect them. That is a recipe for disaster.

[RayPro33]

"If I'd never been there before I might have liked it but since I first went there 32 years ago, I left somewhat depressed"

This statement sums up Angell Park the best. I see everyone raving about how good some other tracks are, yet they still are covered in a cloud of dust. Or they have to sit through 3 other classes of garbage, or sit through an hour of track prep just to show a half way decent feature event. I just think fans today don't really know what an awesome track really is or could be. The best race track ever was Angell Park in the hey day.

[Jonr]

Originally Posted by RayPro33 "If I'd never been there before I might have liked it but since I first went there 32 years ago, I left somewhat depressed" This statement sums up Angell Park the best. I see everyone raving about how good some other tracks are, yet they still are covered in a cloud of dust. Or they have to sit through 3 other classes of garbage, or sit through an hour of track prep just to show a half way decent feature event. I just think fans today don't really know what an awesome track really is or could be. The best race track ever was Angell Park in the hey day.

That was probably the best post about Angell Park that I ever read.

I remember telling my wife about the races there, and she could not understand it. How many classes were there? Only one. How many cars? around 20 Were the tickets discounted? No, I had to pay a premium. Did you have fun? It was awesome. It was a great night or racing, and I can't wait to go back.

I understand that nothing stays the same, and the track has to find a way to pay the bills. However, I wish we could go back and time to a better time at Angell Park.

[Tim Watson]

Originally Posted by RayPro33 "If I'd never been there before I might have liked it but since I first went there 32 years ago, I left somewhat depressed" This statement sums up Angell Park the best. I see everyone raving about how good some other tracks are, yet they still are covered in a cloud of dust. Or they have to sit through 3 other classes of garbage, or sit through an hour of track prep just to show a half way decent feature event. I just think fans today don't really know what an awesome track really is or could be. The best race track ever was Angell Park in the hey day.

Where was Davey?

[Stealth87]

I was only able to be there Sunday night as I was pitting on a car at the Little 500 Saturday night. Yes the Kunz cars dominated. But Thorson and Bell put on an absolute show in the feature last night. That was the best race for the checkers I have seen in 3-4 years at the Prairie. Removing the guardrail has NOT decreased the action on the track. Basically the tires are in the exact same spot as the guardrail was. What has decreased the racing however, is the clay. I was not aware they brought in new clay this year but had a couple people tell me that last night. That was a shame to hear since the stuff they had the last couple years was really racy. The new stuff is gritty/sandy and absolutely FULL of little pebbles. When USAC, POWRi and Badger all run on the track I think there will still be great shows. It seems like removing the guardrail has given guys more confidence in throwing slidejobs back and fourth. Very very curious about what kind of show the USAC sprints put on next month. And also, people were worried about APS not being run on the cushion because of the guardrail being removed. This also is NOT the case. Feature was won on the cush last night, and the cush was right on the fence in turns 1 & 2. I will continue to support racing at APS as it is in my backyard. I agree it is not the same as it was back in the hay day, but that has nothing to do with the track itself. It has to do with money ruining the sport I love.

[Points]

I was at the 500 and kokomo sunday but did make Saturday. I thought the racing was good as always. I didn't see that the rail gone changed much. I don't see much added run of area or a wider track for the sprints unless they remove some of the tires or move them further in for them. I think the concrete on the front looks a bit unsafe IMO. And I agree if they would of moved the rail in by the chain link fence that would add some safety to folks in the infield. from a fans point of view the track looked well prepped and was racey. I was not aware of the new clay mentioned and there was a good dust cloud for the winged mini race which is not normally seen. I found it hard to see that the banking was changed. All in all I didn't see any negatives. So hopefully the positives will emerge and we can keep this gem of a race track around.

[hungthrottlepodcast]

I was there on Sunday night, and the A-main was fantastic because of the battle for the win. I think the lead may have changed hands about 5 times in the last 3 laps. And they just weren't slidejobbing each other, they were running into each other too. Intense is the word to describe it.

I didn't miss the guardrail and don't feel it made much of a difference in the racing. I could see a visual difference in the banking of the track though, definitely a bit more. As for the clay, it was nice not getting hit with huge clods of dirt like before, but the dust was pretty bad. The one thing that I would change is making sure there is only a 10 to 15 minute break to work on the track, I think Sunday's break dragged on for a half hour. On Sunday nights I think it's important to have the show wrapped up by 9:30 so the kiddies aren't up too late. Also, during the break the announcer needs to engage the crowd.

As for the old days, well they are long gone. Don't forget that just a couple of years ago a good night at Sun Prairie was bringing 12 midgets and there were some nights they had single digits. Having 27 is a far cry from those supposed "good old days". And while I may not care that much for the lower classes, the numbers in those have also increased through the last couple of seasons. You got to have a feeder series, so be it. I'd love to see, and I'm sure the promoters would also love to see this, that each Sunday there are over 90 cars in the pits for all divisions. Now that would ensure a good show every week.