Belleville

racefan20 · 8/6/12, 12:43 PM

Not trying to create a fight on No B$tching Day but it seems like the Belleville Nationals are on its last legs. Why? My opinion is not that they quit the USAC sanction but that they had USAC sanction it in the first place. Before the USAC sanction they had 40-50 cars a year. Cars from all over the country. When USAC sanctioned it the car counts began the long slide toward the mid 20's. So then they threw USAC out, none of the guys from all over the country that had previously entered returned(which I can only guess was their hope) and without the USAC guys they ended up with 16 this year. That is really sad. I understand that in that time the $$ for a top of the line midget had skyrocketed and that is also part of the reason. Anyone else care to share their opinions on how Bellevile got in the shape its in now?

cshuman · 8/6/12, 1:02 PM

All I know is the town, fans, and atmosphere is awesome, and it's hands down the best paying non wing sprint car or midget race all year.. I'm sure with the way the engine situation has changed over the years, it's harder for a guy that has a decent motor and runs 1/4 miles all year, to think he can go not only compete, but go and not blow up an engine. Not sure what the solution is but it's a good event, and hope I get a chance to go back.

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racefan20 · 8/6/12, 1:26 PM

Thats the sad thing Casey it so well supported by the surrounding area and pays great. Can you think of any other race outside of maybe knoxville that supports a race like they do?

DonMoore10 · 8/6/12, 1:48 PM

This is just another event that you can add to the cancer on midget racing. The slide didn't happen yesterday. It's been going on now for about 12 years. You have the haves and you have the have nots. The haves are the ones that have the bucks/engine manufacturers/mommy and daddy money backing them so they can cruise all over the US at will trying to win $2-3000. That number is down to the remaining teams that follow what's left of the USAC National midget schedule, a skeleton of what it used to be. Many of those are rent a rides supported by big buck family who can afford to put their kid in a midget ride 365 days of the year all over the US.

The have nots are the teams that show up and fill the field and are forced to spend money out of their own pocket if they want to keep up with the haves. Many of them are avoiding outdoor midget racing and opting to race one time a year in Oklahoma, spending their entire midget budget on a race they have no chance of winning what with all the perks the promoters give the haves when they show up there.

So what is the solution. I currently own 5 of the exotic engines that the midget organizations have allowed to be used in competition. These aren't over the counter engines, they are expensive engines that are expensive to rebuild and they all need rebuilding once they have several races on them. Two of my engines need major rebuilds at this time. One is being rebuilt as I write this and I can tell you that it costs thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars for a rebuild out of my own pocket, midget fans. They are rebuilt with exotic parts that cost thousands and thousands of dollars plus $$$$$$$$$$ in labor. Many of the haves don't have this expense because they get free engines from the manufacturers. The have nots have to use money from their own pocket to rebuild. BTW, you can pretty much figure out who the haves are at a USAC race by just looking at the advertising on the side of their NASCAR type hauler.

If you want midget racing to survive, the current engines need to be scraped immediately and replaced with OEM engines that use over the counter parts and ban all titanium parts also. This is real simple, people. Now the haves are going to be very upset with me regarding this. They are very happy with the ways things things are currently done. BTW, there is a market for the exotic engines. I sold two of them to a guy last year that is not involved with midget racing. So I ask the president of USAC... where is the $10,000-12,000 engine that you proposed a few years ago? There are engines right now available that fit that criteria.

ThrowbackRacingTeam · 8/6/12, 1:50 PM

This is what happens when the sanctioning bodies, mainly USAC since they set the standard, refuse to do anything to curb costs. The weight rule they put in a few years ago is a joke. It allowed their teams to build even lighter, more exotic cars. There are no engine constraints, other than cubic inch, as far as I know. Out at Williams Grove in their 358 sprint division, they are not allowed to run titanium rods or crank and must have an access hole in the pan to check. They also have a compression max of 10.8 :1, which are things that could've been done in midgets years ago along with a heavier weight minimum and $55 steel rear shocks. All of this I suggested to USAC and Badger 9 years ago when I was racing them, but it fell on deaf ears. Well look who turned out to be right...yeah, me that's who, not those rich snobby A holes. Rest assured they will do it their way until it ceases to exist.

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zeromotorsports · 8/6/12, 3:15 PM

Don, im a have not, the little guy
Johnny murdock

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DonMoore10 · 8/6/12, 3:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeromotorsports

Don, im a have not, the little guy
Johnny murdock

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Almost all of us are... unfortunately as ThrowBackRacingTeam said, nobody listens to us.

Thyfault925 · 8/6/12, 3:43 PM

There is no question Belleville is done if major changes are not made. It is on the fair board to get that done! However, as all of you small team owners have stated the whole midget racing industry is flawed right now. Other than the well off teams, you can't justify running Belleville any more. There's no question there is plenty of blame to go around. I just hope they can find something! A $12,500 to win and $1,000 to start...no excuses for a 16 car count!!

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Andrew S. Quinn · 8/6/12, 4:39 PM

Perhaps another part of the equation of the low car counts is also the price of fuel. Belleville is not in any hot bed of midget racing at all,and its just outside the middle of nowhere,and it costs a bunch of money just to get there for most teams.

DonMoore10 · 8/6/12, 4:47 PM

I just looked at the 2012 Chili Bowl entry list and there are over 50 entries within easy driving distance of Belleville, KS.

8/6/12, 12:43 PM	#1 Belleville
racefan20 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 5,084	Not trying to create a fight on No B$tching Day but it seems like the Belleville Nationals are on its last legs. Why? My opinion is not that they quit the USAC sanction but that they had USAC sanction it in the first place. Before the USAC sanction they had 40-50 cars a year. Cars from all over the country. When USAC sanctioned it the car counts began the long slide toward the mid 20's. So then they threw USAC out, none of the guys from all over the country that had previously entered returned(which I can only guess was their hope) and without the USAC guys they ended up with 16 this year. That is really sad. I understand that in that time the $$ for a top of the line midget had skyrocketed and that is also part of the reason. Anyone else care to share their opinions on how Bellevile got in the shape its in now? __________________ John Hoover “To whom little is not enough, nothing is enough.” Epicurus

8/6/12, 1:26 PM	#3 Re: Belleville
racefan20 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 5,084	Thats the sad thing Casey it so well supported by the surrounding area and pays great. Can you think of any other race outside of maybe knoxville that supports a race like they do? __________________ John Hoover “To whom little is not enough, nothing is enough.” Epicurus

8/6/12, 3:43 PM	#8
Thyfault925 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 44	There is no question Belleville is done if major changes are not made. It is on the fair board to get that done! However, as all of you small team owners have stated the whole midget racing industry is flawed right now. Other than the well off teams, you can't justify running Belleville any more. There's no question there is plenty of blame to go around. I just hope they can find something! A $12,500 to win and $1,000 to start...no excuses for a 16 car count!! Posted via Mobile Device

8/6/12, 4:39 PM	#9 Re: Belleville
Andrew S. Quinn Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,175	Perhaps another part of the equation of the low car counts is also the price of fuel. Belleville is not in any hot bed of midget racing at all,and its just outside the middle of nowhere,and it costs a bunch of money just to get there for most teams.

8/6/12, 4:47 PM	#10 Re: Belleville
DonMoore10 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,474	I just looked at the 2012 Chili Bowl entry list and there are over 50 entries within easy driving distance of Belleville, KS.