Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Has anyone seen the series special on HBO called Thunder cars Indiana. Holy cow those people are nuts!:rolling

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

my buddy at work, who knows very little about racing, said it reminds him of the one time he came to see me race at paragon. he compared that show to the paragon guys........i havent seen it yet but he said it was a riot!

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Its on HBO2E right now

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I watched this documentary last night and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I know there are people running local short tracks who don't act and drive this way.
Unfortunately, most who are not educated in the different forms/classes of racing could assume this behavior occurs across all divisions.

While it may be entertaining for the fans to watch these folks try and kill each other with there cars, it does nothing to advance the sport or attract sponsors.

What a sad representation of short track racing. This is a black eye for Anderson Speedway:icon_smile_blackeye and the city of Anderson.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I only saw a little bit of it (during commercials-watching The Shield), but it seemed to be to be a typical demeaning portrait of race fans and contenders.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

i watched it last night and this is my two cents worth. this is the type of behavior that i usually see on a weekly basis out of some, not all, of the drivers in this type of division. it seems that these guys are a little more over the top "passionate" for lack of a less demeaning term. i have seen it week in and week out at some of our local tracks and i can call it a fairly spot on depiction. i thought for a while i was watching an episode of jerry springer and not a documentary on racing.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

"white trash expo"

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Ive seen some of this in Sprints as well, just not as much as what I saw on this show, wow, what a circus

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

That was worth the price of my HBO subscription alone, those hillbillys are hilarious.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Exactly........................

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Well i live in anderson,and anderson is nothing like what hbo explained...They forgot to include The casino bringing many jobs.they also forgot about nestle bringing many more jobs.They forgot about anderson being the most improved city.Not to mention they picked the worst part of anderson to put on tv.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

it seems like this was filmed maybe a couple of years ago........did it seem like that to anyone else.......

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

havent seen it yet but i do remember bout 2 -3 yrs ago during the new years day race they did say something about this being on HBO

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Hopefully people who watch this won't connect that behavior with all short track racing...If I were anderson speedway I would not be happy at all about this program.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

why not.......it was great exposure.....it will have the hill-billys crawling out of the woodwork!

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I watched "Dirty Driving: The Thunder Cars of Indiana", also. I was in shock and awe when I saw how some of those clowns act... :kookoo

I also liked how the old timer and his family said Anderson Speedway's most prestigious and exciting night was the "Night of Thrills"... I'm sure "School Bus Figure 8's" and the "Roll-Over Competition" are fun to watch but they've obviously never been to the "Little 500" (which has been running for 60 years and packs every inch of stands in the facility unlike the "Night of Thrills")...:rolleyes:

It was pretty funny to see Billy Riddle taken out by Hawkins as payback though :rolling

By the way... Who in their right mind would let their kids fill those school buses and take a ride around that track with those goof-balls???? :eek:

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I gotta admit, in a stange kind of way, I sorta admire the way "Wild Willie Coffman" just keeps smiling and keeps on keeping on in spite of the cards he's been dealt, some by his own hand.

Just remember.....There, but for the grace of God.....

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I've seen it twice and I'm having a "think tank symposium" this evening that will include a few friends, some bud light and lots of laughs while we watch it AGAIN. Remember that the next time you go somewhere and try to dignify racing to white collar folks, this is what "outsiders" think about you. If you believe different, you are in denial. It's sad to say that some in the sprint car pits DO act this way. Most of us are clean cut and nice people. And, the folks on the show, I'm sure, are nice as well. Let's not ******** ourselves into thinking we're light years ahead of wild wille, the grandma and the other dolts that race every friday at Anderson. I'll put it this way, we might be considered the stuck-up rich uncle, but your ass is still in the same family!!!!!

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

It was put together in the 06 07 and part of 08 seasons...So the new jobs could have been included....as for the nite of thrills...it does get pretty packed...but its full of red necks.ive went once and i'll never go again.i'll just stick with the little 500.:thumb

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I sold the Grand Mother driver most of her gear(helmet,gloves,shoes) at the last Kokomo Trade show.

She was a very nice person(and from what I saw,one of the better drivers).

If there is any wonder why promotors like the Thunder Cars just look at the stands in the documentary. Fairly crowded; they race in the rain and they rarely have any yellows. No muss and fuss. Just racing.

The documentary was filmed in about 2005 from what I was told.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

i think it was a bit on saturday night live.....when they said......"JUST ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN WHITE TRASH HISTORY!" i loved how when they were in the house drinking the moonshine all the wall decorations.....with the naked ladies and the "Poison" posters...i think tese guys are litterally stuk in about 1986........

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

So when does "RACING WITH THE RUBE'S"air again(I miss Sweeny):checkered:

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

That's some great TV:applaud::idea:Add some nudity and you have a weekly hit:Steer

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I live in Anderson as well about 15 blocks from Anderson Speedway.The horse track is here and nestle as well but other than that you can see whats left.No guide or delco just a whole bunch of rednecks (attempting to race)?There are a few real race fans left that get to take a deep breath once a year when the little 500 comes around or when the regional or usac midgets show up but other than that its a sad situation what the speedway has turned into.It could be a great facility if someone would buy it and show some interest in it.Until then Ill go to Gas City or Kokomo.These guys do keep the local bars and liqour stores in business though and after all they cant get a dwi on the track huh?

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

This "documentary" was on HBO, not ESPN. Be honest: Did you really expect them to show any half-way articulate, intelligent racers? It's all about entertainment. The track knew who it was getting into bed with, in a manner of speaking. Or at least it should have.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

I just watched the show this morning off the DVR. Here are my thoughts.

1. The Night of Thrills and similar type events are run at many tracks across the country. I think the tracks do these nights to stay afloat. They know they can charge extra, get a lot of new faces in the stands and not really have to spend the money on a big purse. I know Columbus speedway adds a special like this every 6-8 weeks and jacks the admission from $12-$18 and the stands are alo fuller than a normal event.

2. I am not from Anderson but I do know that ANderson has lost alot of manufacturing but it also has added other types of business too. I think this was ignored. ALso, isn't Anderson now considered an extended suburb of the NE side of Indy?

3. As for the racing and the people I found it interesting the commitment that is given to their division. I got the impression that these folks were passionate about it and it was their bright light during the summer months. I have never been a big fan of these divisions but I have to admire their commitment.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Let be honest, the filmmakers of the documentary were more interested in making a point about the state of Anderson's economy, particularly it's automotive industries, than focusing on racing.

Next, this is an OPEN WHEEL website and open wheel racing is expensive! Someone made a comment is a previous post about how "white collar" people view racing. If you think there aren't white collar people in racing, you are delusional. Even with a good white collar job, affording a nice sprint car is next to impossible! And even if we assume that all open wheel people are nice, clean, humble, blue collar folk, think about races you've been to with both midgets or sprint cars and bombers on the bill. How many times have you seen someone in the pits shake their head about a bomber driver with a 2 peice driving suit and Garfield tiewrapped to his car? How many times have you heard someone muttering or even yelling about the G** D**m bombers oiling down the track before qualifying or the feature?

We love racing and we make fun of these guys! I think most people view this description of "racing" with a grain of salt.

Re: Thunder Cars on HBO
 

Being from Anderson, this certainly isn't the type of "exposure" we need.:icon_smile_blackeye It is sad when these types of shows draw more spectators than quality racing like the Little 500, Anderson Midget 400 and USAC sprints and midgets.

As someone else mentioned, the promoter schedules these numerous times during the season which helps pay for the "loser" shows that don't draw enough people. With very little increase in purse, your increased attendance and back gate puts dollars in their pocket. It certainly doesn't paint a very nice picture of racing no matter who you are but if you are trying to stay open, this is what sells right now.

Much of this was done a couple of years ago so the City of Anderson isn't really that bad right now. We have additional businesses and hopefully the economy will turn and help draw more businesses to this community. Unfortunately, we still have these characters roaming the city.:rolleyes:

Also, if you think they drive bad there, just remember we have to "dodge" these idiots daily on the streets.:Steer:O::doh: