[kinser]

The other thing… do a google search of United States Auto Club form 990. Make up your own mind if they can pay more purse $ based on financials.[/QUOTE]

I’ve been saying this same thing for a long time. Some people will get all upset about it, I guess the truth hurts. LOL

[yeleyfan76]

Originally Posted by kinser The other thing… do a google search of United States Auto Club form 990. Make up your own mind if they can pay more purse $ based on financials.

I’ve been saying this same thing for a long time. Some people will get all upset about it, I guess the truth hurts. LOL[/QUOTE]

I’m not upset with you I’m in full agreement.

[yeleyfan76]

Originally Posted by flagboy55 By the way. I don’t know if any of you folks listen to the Dirt Nerds podcast. I’m lucky enough to have met and talked to one of the hosts. He was saying on a recent episode that most sprint car fans freak out when ticket prices go above 30 bucks. They were talking about the difference between Late Model fans and open wheel fans in regards to getting in their wallet when they reach the ticket window. I have seen many times references to ticket prices on our IOW. He might have a point. So now the new series is going to piggyback on to some WOO sprint and late Model races where the ticket is already $30 or more, what happens then?

55 your point is well understood but maybe not the way you present it. It’s not a secret that the median age in non wing(specifically Indiana) racing is of an older crowd. They want to pay the same money they paid almost 20 years ago. It’s why this discipline can’t raise the purse because of a fear no one will show up. It’s time to wake up and realize everything is more expensive these days. Racing for a competitor or a fan is no different. Usac does not promote their product ever. They rest on their laurels of the long lost past. The pay scale is far behind others(except for mngmnt- see form 990). As I stated earlier the product on the track is fantastic. It’s not promoted well and the target audience (Indiana) want tix prices like 20 years ago. If fewer events were run there the people would fill the house every chance, not just ISW. Every area of the country is different I know, but if you want to keep this type racing alive, it’s going to have to pay more money. It sucks that it’s always about the money but unfortunately that’s how it is. I say to the fan who says I’m not paying 5$ more to get in, maybe you weren’t that big of a fan anyhow.

[yeleyfan76]

Originally Posted by BrentTFunk I am not a wing hater. I prefer to watch non wing. I have watched wings at a lot of places that no longer exist. Saw the Outlaws at West Plains, Kentucky Lake, Santa fe, the old I 70. I was at Dixie when the All Stars cancelled because the track froze. The best wing race I ever saw was the Hoosier Fall Classic, when it was still at Avilla. Haud in the Hampshire 63, edge out Hewitt in the Briscoe 5. Hewitt will tell you to this day that he actually won. I was standing at the flag stand, and I couldn't tell. I also think both the Outlaws and the All Stars are as good as I have ever seen them. I just have never seen an instance in any racing, where starting a new group has made anything better. Did any good come to Indy cars when CART was formed? When the IRL went against CART, it also set the sport back. When USA was formed and took top drivers away from the Outlaws, it took years for the sport to recover. When the NST split with the Outlaws, I don't remember a growth spurt for the sport. Sprint car racing is a niche sport. The more it is separated, and cars and fans divided, the smaller each piece will be.

I would ask that as time moved on and these challenges to the WoO had expired did the WoO get stronger?? Did they grow?? Did they increase their existence nationally? I realize they have issues(what organization doesn’t) but to say nothing good came of those challenges seems short sighted. Maybe initially there was division but in the end it appears once the WoO conquered they moved forward and these guys race for quite a bit of money.
Who knows, maybe two years from now Usac is the only game in town again. Maybe they realize what they might have lost and step up. Maybe they laugh in your face and continue the way they operate now. Maybe they are over ridden and lose it to WRG. Anything is possible. I’d like to see the guys running today run a bunch longer in non wing for more money than read about their accomplishments in wing racing. Time will tell. Change is a strange thing. It can be really good or really bad. Being stagnant is never good. We also may find out that the only support nw racing has is in Indiana and that’s it. If so, this experiment won’t last long.