Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I agree 100% with Rob. The problem is there is no respect in Sprint car racing anymore. No respect for fellow drivers or equipment. I always took pride in racing clean. If you couldnt pass a fellow racer clean you didnt pass them. That is one of the reasons I have hung my helmet up is that you cant even race side by side with half of the drivers out there. The days with Kevin Thomas, Dave Darland, and Tony Elliott where you could race 30 laps side by side inches apart are few and far between anymore. There are some really good racers still out there today that I wouldnt hesitate to run side by side with and one drives for the Hoffmans. But there are far more that you cant run beside. Like I said the main thing is lack of respect and the other is lack of car control. They stab the gas and where the car goes they go they cant put it where they want it and if your beside them tough luck because they are not lifting. This is not slamming Swindell because I was not there and I did not see it. The last time I saw Kevin run I thought he ran a clean race. I am just talking about the sport in general anymore.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by :
I stand by my words

And I mine.

Originally Posted by :
and therefore always sign my name so you can come discuss my opinion with me.

Sorry, my mistake. I didn't use my full name - Rich Chesavage

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I couldn't agree with RacerRobs or Riskybrisky statements more:thumb

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

NO RESPECT....

IMO....there are too many racers nowadays that dont have to pay for or repair their mistakes. and too many owners that tolerate it.
win one night, wadd up the car the next....no big deal....the owner will just get out another one cause daddy paid the bill.
rent a rides and rich daddies that think their kid is gonna get to nascar by beating his way to the front has lead to the disrespect of the other racers and equipment.

maybe when you sign in to the pits, the waver should read..."what happens here, stays here....leave your lawyer out of it....you act like an *******, you pay the price"
do another racer wrong and settle it the way things use to be settled.
do an owner and team wrong....lose your seat.

and when did a "take the spot at any cost" slide job become acceptable?
or is it just OK when it is your favorite driver?

WWHD??

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by :
Maybe go back to racing 1/4 midgets if your afraid of a little car contact.

1/4 midgets are for kids to learn how to race. There is LOTS of car contact especially with the novice/lacks talent drivers!! But as the kids get older they learn car control and the contact diminishes tremendously. So that leaves either two options in the case at hand: Either Kevin Swindell has no car control because he is a novice/lacks talent or he intentionally drives in a rough manner without regard to the consequences. I have not seen many serious injuries at 1/4 midget events but I have seen way too many people die in a sprint car. So yes I do dislike a little intentional car contact.

Originally Posted by :
John quit yer This stuff has been going on for as long as I have been going to races. You people act like it is something new. Get over it.

Another brilliant statement! Slavery went on for hundreds of years but I am glad we didn't "get over it". Drivers were killed on a regular basis in the early years of racing but I am glad we didn't "get over it". Just because someone does not agree with your opinion does not entitle you to try to silence. Either overcome their opposition with logic or agree to disagree.

I will point out that I had not mentioned Kevin Swindell's name until this post. He slid us cleanly at Perris and we drove back around him for the position. That was not the case at Manzy.

So Joe you can continue to congratulate Kevin on the "nice job" he did at Manzy but I just can't drink your Kool Aid.

Rob Hoffman

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I would like to point out that some :loser: in this disagreement have no more invested in racing that an ugly green tee-shirt and a Kokomo ticket, and never strap their a$$ into a race car.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Again I congratulate Kevin on a nice run and win. From the guy who has the ugly green shirt from the greatest sprint car driver that ever lived with the Kokomo ticket. To the other guy who has never strapped his a$$ in a sprint car or invested in it otherwise. :rolleyes:

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Joe Kidd:
John quit yer :crying: This stuff has been going on for as long as I have been going to races. You people act like it is something new. Get over it.

Again nice job Kevin. :thumb

So Joe I suppose you thought it was just racin when he gassed it while sitting on top of Windom's car at Gas City 2 years ago. Geez things must be going bad at the plant and you decided to vent a little frustration here, huh?

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Rob can you tell me that you never had a driver get into someone else?

As for drivers getting killed in the early years. Do you think that maybe it was because safety issues may have had a lot do do with it?
It's racing and it is going to continue to happen. I've seen some of the best do it, and I'm not talking about Kevin.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by racefan20:
So Joe I suppose you thought it was just racin when he gassed it while sitting on top of Windom's car at Gas City 2 years ago. Geez things must be going bad at the plant and you decided to vent a little frustration here, huh?

John I'm not going to stay pissed at something that happened back then. I think you got the wrong track anyway. But you can. It's evident you are. It's time to get over it.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Joe normally I dont, but that was one of the most purposefully dangerous things I've EVER seen a driver do on a race track. He left tire tracks on Windoms helmet just so he wouldnt have to restart at the back of the line. Tell me, is that worth endangering someones life? If that was the only stupid thing I ever saw him do I might have forgotten by now but he seems to refresh my memory every time I see him run. Ever figure out why the NASCAR truck ride that he was supposed to be locked into didnt happen? I think its obvious, they picked someone with a little more sense and less of a reputation.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I'm not saying what he did was right in that situation back then. But I'm over it. Who was the guy that did the same thing to Whitt at Kokomo but you don't hear of it. Oh I forgot no blood no foul. Got over it to.

All I'm saying is that some people think that this kid is the only one who has done things like this. I'm sure this is the first time you have seen this. I would bet you never seen two guys take each other out going for the win before either. I'm done you guys can eat away.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I bet that if all of this was about someone else this argument would not even be happening. You guys have never liked Kevin including Rob and you continue to want to bring the kid down so be it. He won the race and did a great job in doing so. Get over it or do you guys want to keep crying about the mistake he made in the past? It's just that in the past.

From a longtime Swindell fan.....Go Kevin!

Woody Hampton

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Joe Kidd:
To the other guy who has never strapped his a$$ in a sprint car or invested in it otherwise. :rolleyes:

Joe, you are correct that I've never strapped into a sprint car. But I'll bet I paid more for my grandson's new Bullrider kit than you have spent on racing tee-shirts and tickets in your entire life. I have probably bought more new right rear tires for struggling sprint car and midgets owner/drivers than you have bought green tee-shirts. I took a friend's tow rig and his USAC midget as the only crew to Wisconsin where the driver finished 4th in a USAC feature. Back a few years, I've gone clear to Kansas as the only crew for a USAC sprint car, and on and on. Have you given a car owner $200 for fuel for his tow rig so he could make it to to next race? Have you ridden to Canada with an Indy 500 driver for a race? My investment in time and money is very small compared to many, but it beats the hell out of some guys whose only investment amounts to their tickets.
But anyone condoning "Saturday night hornet class" driving styles for sprint cars is so bogus.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Wasn't Swindell on top of Windom at Kokomo???

:dologob:

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Yes, Sprintweek '07.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by RichC:
Sorry, my mistake. I didn't use my full name - Rich Chesavage

Rich, you might want to share your background with Rob. Seems he doesn't really have any respect for the "peons" around here unless they've wrenched on championship winning race cars.

Originally Posted by Joe Kidd:
Rob can you tell me that you never had a driver get into someone else?

No, he can't. Tracy Hines is one of the dirtiest drivers out there.

Hell, Rob built that cow-catcher nerf bar specifically FOR Tracy to run into people at Anderson.

Oh yeah, and Rob, if it was JUST FOR Anderson, why is it still on the car today?

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

racefan20 that's not completely accurate. They felt Kevin needed more seat time on asphalt, so that is why they were trying to get him into some of the East series races when they could afford to. He was suppose to run some more ARCA races but funding was the issues there as well.

If you haven't read lately Evernham is struggling financially right now trying to compete with the Hendrick's and Roush's. Ganassi is rumored to be merging with DEI also.

As always Go Kevin!

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Racerrob:






So Joe you can continue to congratulate Kevin on the "nice job" he did at Manzy but I just can't drink your Kool Aid.

Rob Hoffman

that need's to go over to the best quote thread!:applaud:

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Rob: You're right on about crews fighting, stature of drivers, and the "kool aid", but please don't try and tell me or the good people on this board that you "never" act irrational. I've seen it in person.
From now on, please heed only the words from Derek Fisher..........his "Kool Aid" is the best!!!
Derek: I'm not ball busting. You're unbiased opinion is valued by many.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by RR>LR=LTO:
Rob: You're right on about crews fighting, stature of drivers, and the "kool aid", but please don't try and tell me or the good people on this board that you "never" act irrational. I've seen it in person.
From now on, please heed only the words from Derek Fisher..........his "Kool Aid" is the best!!!
Derek: I'm not ball busting. You're unbiased opinion is valued by many.

Ha! Thanks! Although I'm not sure the "unbiased" tag fits....

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Fisher79:
Ha! Thanks! Although I'm not sure the "unbiased" tag fits....

Thats for sure, I dont think there is a single unbiased person on this board.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by 6157:
No, he can't. Tracy Hines is one of the dirtiest drivers out there.

Hell, Rob built that cow-catcher nerf bar specifically FOR Tracy to run into people at Anderson.

Oh yeah, and Rob, if it was JUST FOR Anderson, why is it still on the car today?

Where did that statement come from? 6157, I can only assume that you've just recently become a fan because I can't imagine that an educated, seasoned fan would make statements about two of the sports icons in a single post.

HAR has always fielded some of the best cars with the cleanest, hardest drivers in the sport. As a matter of fact, I tip my hat to Rob and everyone else at HAR for avoiding the "flavor-of-the-week" syndrome with driver selection. Always a great, experienced veteran in their rides.

And how did you manage to drag Hines into this discussion? One of the few remaining drivers out there that has achieved success based on merit and accomplishment, not with dad's checkbook. How did he do that? Tracy doesn't tear up a lot of owners' equipment doing stupid stuff. That's how he's always in top equipment. Again, you're either new to this or very misinformed.

Which brings us to Mr. Swindell. For two years now Kevin has grown the reputation of beating and banging his way to the front. If it were only a few incidents, a lot of folks might not have noticed. But it's epidemic at this point. Lot's people comment about it because it's a fact. And the sad part is he's a helluva racer. He doesn't need to do that. He is a pleasure to watch when he uses his head.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I think winning means more when EVERY OTHER COMPETITOR at the event can respect you at the end of the night. Shame the checkbook doesn't differentiate.

Chuck, not a Kevin hater but hes confirming some bad views I had from last year.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Redbone:
Where did that statement come from? 6157, I can only assume that you've just recently become a fan because I can't imagine that an educated, seasoned fan would make statements about two of the sports icons in a single post.

HAR has always fielded some of the best cars with the cleanest, hardest drivers in the sport. As a matter of fact, I tip my hat to Rob and everyone else at HAR for avoiding the "flavor-of-the-week" syndrome with driver selection. Always a great, experienced veteran in their rides.

And how did you manage to drag Hines into this discussion? One of the few remaining drivers out there that has achieved success based on merit and accomplishment, not with dad's checkbook. How did he do that? Tracy doesn't tear up a lot of owners' equipment doing stupid stuff. That's how he's always in top equipment. Again, you're either new to this or very misinformed.

That's a very nice HAR press release you've written up there. From what I've seen of Rob and Tracy, they both lack respect for their fellow competitors in more ways than one.

You choose the believe what you want, I'll choose to believe what I see.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

I don't ever recall Rusty Wallace paying his close friend Dale Earnhardt back for what Dale did to him at Talladega.......Oh wait we are talking about sprint car racing aren't we.:headbang

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by 6157:
That's a very nice HAR press release you've written up there. From what I've seen of Rob and Tracy, they both lack respect for their fellow competitors in more ways than one.

You choose the believe what you want, I'll choose to believe what I see.

OK, I'm up for a debate. A little intellectual exercise never hurt anyone.

Please give specific examples of an ON TRACK, ROUGH DRIVING INCIDENT (that is the issue at hand, no "He's an ass" comments), involving any HAR driver or Tracy in the last 5 years.

You're up. I'm all ears.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

6157 you have no clue about this sport! tracy and rob are one of the best at what they do,and will help anyone if they can.i just wish i knew half what they do about racing.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Redbone:
OK, I'm up for a debate. A little intellectual exercise never hurt anyone.

Please give specific examples of an ON TRACK, ROUGH DRIVING INCIDENT (that is the issue at hand, no "He's an ass" comments), involving any HAR driver or Tracy in the last 5 years.

You're up. I'm all ears.

I don't know about you but "he's an ass" pretty much sums up the whole lack of respect for his fellow competitors for me.

I'm sure you've seen the races, you've never seen Tracy do anything wrong. Rehashing the past isn't going to change your mind.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Redbone:
Where did that statement come from? 6157, I can only assume that you've just recently become a fan because I can't imagine that an educated, seasoned fan would make statements about two of the sports icons in a single post.

HAR has always fielded some of the best cars with the cleanest, hardest drivers in the sport. As a matter of fact, I tip my hat to Rob and everyone else at HAR for avoiding the "flavor-of-the-week" syndrome with driver selection. Always a great, experienced veteran in their rides.

And how did you manage to drag Hines into this discussion? One of the few remaining drivers out there that has achieved success based on merit and accomplishment, not with dad's checkbook. How did he do that? Tracy doesn't tear up a lot of owners' equipment doing stupid stuff. That's how he's always in top equipment. Again, you're either new to this or very misinformed.

Which brings us to Mr. Swindell. For two years now Kevin has grown the reputation of beating and banging his way to the front. If it were only a few incidents, a lot of folks might not have noticed. But it's epidemic at this point. Lot's people comment about it because it's a fact. And the sad part is he's a helluva racer. He doesn't need to do that. He is a pleasure to watch when he uses his head.

Not nitpicking here, but former Hoffman pilot Rich Vogler was not one of the cleanest racers in the sport. One of the hardest racers? Without a doubt. But despite all his success, he wouldn't make my top 50 of "cleanest racers." Not even close.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

"I don't ever recall Rusty Wallace paying his close friend Dale Earnhardt back for what Dale did to him at Talladega.......Oh wait we are talking about sprint car racing aren't we?".

Most recently we saw a young driver Gilliland parked for rough driving, crashing Montoya into the wall. That was beautiful and I personally loved it...lol!

Now, show me a sprint car driver who will pay back and I will show you a real sprint car driver.:applaud:

Sincerely,

Larry Otani:Steer

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by 6157:
I don't know about you but "he's an ass" pretty much sums up the whole lack of respect for his fellow competitors for me.

I'm sure you've seen the races, you've never seen Tracy do anything wrong. Rehashing the past isn't going to change your mind.

OK. Another chance here. Please give specific examples of an ON TRACK, ROUGH DRIVING INCIDENT, involving any HAR driver or Tracy in the last 5 years.

Coming to a public forum and trashing these guys without examples to substantiate your claims is meritless. Show me where HAR have promoted rough driving with their hired drivers. Tell me where Hines has consistently punted his way to the front week after week. I'm open minded. I haven't caught every USAC show. I'm not saying they can't be asses off the track. (Remember the crux of this discussion was your statement that Hines was "The dirtiest driver out there). My mind can be changed with evidence. I'm open to civil debate.

Once again, you're up. I'm all ears.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Joe Kidd:
John I'm not going to stay pissed at something that happened back then. I think you got the wrong track anyway. But you can. It's evident you are. It's time to get over it.

Joe.....I think you're rite on with the wrong track deal!!...unless it was an identacle situation,2 yrs. ago during ISW at Kokomo coming outa turn 2...it was him running clear across Cole Whitts front end,then back across and stuck up on his hood!!...still bury'n his foot in da throttle as if too keep er' roll'n!!.......Brucer'

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by AustinSprinter:
Joe.....I think you're rite on with the wrong track deal!!...unless it was an identacle situation,2 yrs. ago during ISW at Kokomo coming outa turn 2...it was him running clear across Cole Whitts front end,then back across and stuck up on his hood!!...still bury'n his foot in da throttle as if too keep er' roll'n!!.......Brucer'

Ok so it was Kokomo, it makes no difference WHERE it was, the fact is that it happened. And I still say it was the single most irresponsible purposefullly dangerous thing I've ever seen done on a race track. He risked someones life to try to keep from restarting at the rear. He should have been suspended from USAC that very second. You can bash me all you want but I am not budging from that opinion.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

John....was'nt meant as a bash!!....just at the time I could'nt believe what I was actually see'n happen'n!!.....Brucer'

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Redbone:
(Remember the crux of this discussion was your statement that Hines was "The dirtiest driver out there). My mind can be changed with evidence. I'm open to civil debate.

I think you need to re-read what I said. I never said Tracy was THE dirtiest driver out there but he is ONE of them.

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by 6157:
I think you need to re-read what I said. I never said Tracy was THE dirtiest driver out there but he is ONE of them.

Dirtiest, one of the dirtiest. Semantics. You've made your indictment, now please show me where HAR have promoted rough driving with their hired drivers. Tell me where Hines has consistently punted his way to the front week after week.

Comments or retort? Do I need to clarify the request?

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Larryoracing:
I know if I ever got back into a car and you just never know when that day might
happen I would litterally try to kill one competitor. I have not forgotten him or that day. I will try to get revenge for as long as I live.

So you can plan for a lifetime for a kill and when the time comes I'm goin'
to give it to him.


Amen...and God Bless. That's how wars are started and it make good racin'/fun!

Sincerely,

Larry Otani

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME! Dude that crap right there isn't even close to being funny. I hope to God that you never step foot in or near another race car with a thought process like that. I had more dirty crap done to me over the years racing and never once even imagined trying to kill someone over it.

You are one messed up individual. Hope they re-ban your a$$ again. :censor:

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

LarryO that was WAY out of line!!! It is one thing to go down and cause someone some pain for their actions but quite another to wish to take someone’s life. That is just not right!

To all those that think I condone rough/dirty driving I would like to relate the following:

I confronted Tracy Hines after a USAC sprint race heat race for hitting my car as we passed him on the outside (Brian Tyler was driving at the time). I warned him that if he ever touched my car again like that I would whip his a$$.

Fast forward a few years and Tracy drove for us at the Salem season closer in 2001. During the race he ran into the back of, I believe, Derek Davidson and spun him off of turn two. I wanted to call him in over the radio and fire him on the spot for what I perceived to be rough driving but my father calmed me down. (Derek later told me that he had a mechanical problem that caused him not to accelerate.)

When my father wanted to hire him full time for the 2002 season, I told my father that I would not work on the car if Tracy drove dirty. Before we struck the deal with Tracy, my father refereed a meeting between Tracy and me in which Tracy pledged not to drive dirty while behind the wheel of our car.

I cannot recall an incident, but maybe there was one along the way in which he drove our car inappropriately. I know that I had to keep Eric Gordon from whipping his a$$ at the 2004 Anderson opener but it turned out that Tracy did nothing to cause the accident that took Eric out. I would have stepped aside and let Eric collect his pound of flesh if Tracy had done something wrong.

And yes I did build a "cow catcher" front bumper for Anderson, as do most people that run the Little 500. You use it to tap the guy in front of you and let him know you are behind him and are faster. If he refuses to move, you move him. That is how that race is run. We did run a bumper that resembles the cow catcher this year but if you examine it closely, you will note that we created an "H" for Hoffman, just as they did in the old days.

Hope the above information clears everything up for some of my critics. I repeat, I do not condone or tolerate rough driving from my drivers and I would hope all other car owners/mechanics would feel the same.

Let the rebuttals begin.

Rob Hoffman

Re: Kevin swidell wins western
 

Originally Posted by Knoke77:
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME! Dude that crap right there isn't even close to being funny. I hope to God that you never step foot in or near another race car with a thought process like that. I had more dirty crap done to me over the years racing and never once even imagined trying to kill someone over it.

You are one messed up individual. Hope they re-ban your a$$ again. :censor:

I was going to say by putting it in print LarryO, If it ever happened that he killed somebody accidently or on purpose as he intends brings with it pre meditated charges.

Was pretty dumb just to make that kind of statment