Indiana State Fairgrounds night before bricky
 

Has anyone heard of racing the night before the Brickyard 400 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds ? Hear there was a late model show. Any information ?

I'd be surprised. The state fair officially starts the 5th, and there will be pre fair shows going on.
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I got this from one of my Facebook friends:

DIRT YARD 100...Indiana State Fairgrounds...July 30, 2011...100 cars...100 laps... 4-wide start...hot pit stops... 4classes.

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jUST READ PROMOTER IOFS 4 CLASSES 100 CARS 100 LAPS ALL AT THE SAME TIME FROM LATE MODELS WITH WING TO HORNETS

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This is going to be a race for the ages.:15:At least whatever track I go to will have a lot less door bangers that night.

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You mean theres other things that race than Sprint Cars??? :17:

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Here is the link to the Dirtyard 100 press release.

http://iofsracing.com/

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I guess it depends on what your personal definition of "race" is.:6::7:

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That seems like a disaster in the making. That many cars, with the wide disparity of speed/weight and NO large track experience. Let's just hope that they don't kill anybody. Can you imagine one of the winged Late Model/Modifieds comes up on one of the Sport Compacts at the entrance to either turns one or three? Let alone the four wide start. . . . . . .

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Yeah count me out for this one...this is a big CF in the making.

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I agree Chris. Besides, there should be a number of other tracks running that night anyway.

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This is for the oldtimers here. In 78 or 79 , they had a WoO race at the fairgrounds. After the heats it rained. They asked fans to help run the track in. They had about 100 cars and trucks on the track. One guy had a big Lincoln and must have bent every corner on that car. A lot of stuff got torn up. This will be the same thing, only faster,

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The entry fee is $150 but if filed before March 31, 2011 each entry will receive 2 free complimentary pit passes ( $50 each the day of the event) with the opportunity to purchase up to 4 more for only $25 each. After March 31, 2011 the entry fee will be $250 with no complimentary pit passes or the opportunity to purchase additional at the special $25 price.

:13: :7: :13:

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Gary Schlafer - Great American Motorsport Exposition is this the person or group that planned the biggest and greatest motorsports show a few years ago that never happened? Anyone taking bets on if this becomes reality?

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That many cars, with the wide disparity of speed/weight and NO large track experience. Let's just hope that they don't kill anybody.

Sounds like most ARCA races at Talledega or Daytona

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I believe one and the same.:(

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I agree. I would not cross the street to see this disaster. Late Models and sport compacts on the same track? I don't know about sport compacts in Indy, but there are many in my area that are really sub-par on the safety factor. Putting them on a big track is a big risk.

The really crappy thing about this is that having a true late model race before the 400 might work. Rent the fairgrounds. Run a 100 lap race. Call it the Bricky100. Bring in a top touring late model series. Pay the Dillon brothers, Schrader, and Kenny Wallace some appearance money to race, and a ton of NASCAR fans would show up. Maybe offer a bonus to the driver that won the Prelude to the dream if he can win this race. It has a lot of potential.

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Late models on the Mile. Yeah, I would pay to see that.

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I seem to remember late models running at Springfield or Duquoin and after someone wrecked at a very high rate of speed it was determined to be not such a good idea.

As for this race, I remember the post looking for photos from some guy from Italy mentioning this promoter and someone mentioned some legal problems.

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James,

The Illinois Fall Nationals used to have late models running at Springfield on the mile. The last show that I saw there was a WOO Late Model sanction. It was a Sunday afternoon show and it ended with a lot of torn up equipment.:7: I also seem to remember that UMP ran a late model show at DuQuoin.

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I can't imagine an insurance company touching this deal!

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This deal, if it actually happens, will be like a huge train wreck. You know it's gonna' be bad but you just can't look away.

Speaking of dirt lates on The Miles, I went to all but a couple of Sarge's Illinois Fall Nationals at Springfield and you could tell 95% of those guys were real uncomfortable with running there. Unfortunately George Hanley was killed in a IMCA style modified at one of the last IFN's. I have a buddy who was pretty competitive in dirt lates for 25 years and loved running on The Miles but it was terribly hard on engines and they had to rework the sheet metal to keep it from blowing off. Even Billy Moyer looked tentative on The Mile. There weren't but about 3 or 4 of the regular dirt late model guys who truly looked comfortable at those speeds. Jack Hewitt of course looked right in his element. The last time I ever watched Johnny Prior race out of Centralia, IL he wrecked so hard getting into one just after taking the green flag I thought he was a goner. The dirt lates quite simply aren't built to run on Mile tracks.

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http://www.stlracingphotos.com/DuQuo...97348938_89EAh

Here are pics of the modified wreck from 2010 at DuQuoin. Everyone walked away, but it could of been worse.

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Asking a serious question. Why does it work for Silver Crown cars and not Late Models? What is the delta in the speeds. I would think that they would be close to the same speed. If the race is at night, does that matter?

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Wasn't there a fatality on the Springfield mile in a modified a few years ago?
Evansville driver Cliff Johns was fatally injured at Springfield in a sprint car on Oct. 7, 1973 and Doc Dawson was also lost there in a sprint car, in 1978 I believe. Jeff Thickstun perished in a sprint car at the Indy mile, 1983, I believe.
Some cars are not suited to be run on a mile track because of the inherent danger.

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Late models would be faster at the end of the straits. A Silver crown car has a 355c.i.d. steel block motor that would put out 700-800hp. A Late model has a 410-440cid aluminum motor probably putting out 800-900hp.

Plus it works for a Silver crown car because you have a 17"-18" wide RR tire to lean on compared to a 14" tire on a late model.

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The one lap track record at Springfield for Silver Crown cars is a little over 29 seconds, the track record for dirt lates is just a tick over 27 seconds. The SC track record at the Indy Mile is over 31 seconds and I would bet the dirt late model TR is prolly around 2 seconds under that but I don't know for sure. A Silver Crown car weighs in at 1700 lbs. and late models are around 2300-2350. And, as SC64 said they can lean on that big ol' right rear. I also think most of the Silver Crown guys are more accustomed to the speeds on the Mile tracks. Sammy Swindell has the distinction of turning the fastest lap ever turned on a dirt track by an automobile at the Springfield Mile at 145 MPH.

As I mentioned before, the mod driver that was killed was George Hanley. It happened right in front of the grandstand. It was 2001 or 2002 I think.

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USAC is a little better with safety rules in my opinion. Crown cars use chromemoly that is at least .095 I and are TIG welded. Most UMP modifieds are 1 1/2 pipe that is no where near that quality and only the main cage is .095. Alot of the support bars are .083 and .065. Same with the UMP late models. Most of the material is not even cold rolled let alone seamless so it is inherently weaker. That is where USAC is head and shoulders above some sanctioning bodies.

Midgets used to run at Springfield on the mile till someone went out of the park in I think the early 90s.

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You bring a name up that I haven't heard or thought of in quite some time. Johnny Prior from Centralia, IL. He used to drive a car that a friend of my brother used to help work on and sponsor. I always liked his smooth driving style and he always seemed easy on equipment. I used to watch him run the local bullrings in Southern Illinois back in the day. Thanks for reviving the memories.:6:

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Back in the day, when USAC had a late model division, there were 2 late model shows each year on the mile. One in June and one during the State Fair.

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[QUOTE=ISF;216217]The one lap track record at Springfield for Silver Crown cars is a little over 29 seconds, the track record for dirt lates is just a tick over 27 seconds. The SC track record at the Indy Mile is over 31 seconds and I would bet the dirt late model TR is prolly around 2 seconds under that but I don't know for sure. A Silver Crown car weighs in at 1700 lbs. and late models are around 2300-2350. And, as SC64 said they can lean on that big ol' right rear. I also think most of the Silver Crown guys are more accustomed to the speeds on the Mile tracks. Sammy Swindell has the distinction of turning the fastest lap ever turned on a dirt track by an automobile at the Springfield Mile at 145 MPH.

Didn't Billy Pauch beat that lap in New York?

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Thanks for that info 48mod. It's been a long time since I worked on my buddy's dirt late model and I had forgotten a lot of the technical structural numbers and I have never been around a Crown car. I remember Rich Tobias took a terrible tumble in his SC car getting into turn 1 at Springfield. It destroyed the car and Rich walked back to the pits unnassisted so they must be built pretty stout.

I can't remember the guys name that went out of the park at Springfield in a midget, but I do remember he ended up with a broken wrist. Pretty lucky I reckon. I think the reason they quit the national USAC Midget show at Springfield was because Danny Drinan nearly died in a horrible crash down the backstretch into turn 3. I believe Drinan's crash and the guy going out of the park occured the same day.

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I believe it was Danny Drinan that had an horrific accident at Springfield. I believe Open Wheel Magazine had a multi-frame spread on it.

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The big advantage speed wise for Late Models is the aerodynamics. Spoilers, the roof , and fenders. There just isn't as much stuff hanging in the breeze.

The mods are scary fast at DuQuoin.I must say though, Schrader, and Shelby Miles look right at home there.

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Silver crown and Sprint Cars are built with the assumption there is a good possability they will get upside down, both in construction and the cockpit equipment When drivers get in the car they do it with the same attitude.
Late Models and Mods are built with the attitude that race cars don't get upside down and saftey equipment are an uneeded hinderance. They revolt against containment seats, window nets, arm restraints, fireproof footwear and gloves. Head/cage clearance is non exsistant. The cars are basically built like tooothpics as each chassis builder tries to build the lightest car.

A tacky half is pushing the saftey limits for them, A mile track in one of them is plain and simply playing russian roulette.

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This event does not show on the Indiana State Fairgrounds schedule.

I had a conversation with one of the main guys over this event and he said they sent out entries about a week ago and are waiting to see what kind of response they get. He said its definitely going to happen if they have around 100 entries by the end of March. He said if the response is good for this race,they may look at having something of the open wheel variety on Friday night. I wish them alot of luck and think it will definitely be a show to go see!
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While I agree this race is not a good idea and without going Duke Cook on you the only thing dumber than this race is your comments. Maybe in the 60's this was the case but not anymore. Late Models and Modifieds have a weight rule almost everywhere. Modifieds get upside down frequently. When a late or Mod has a big crash you can almost always go on 4m and find a post where they disect how the car held up. They are still commenting on the thread from Duquoin last year where a Father is on there thanking a car builder for saving hi sons life. Randy Lajoie the inventer of the containment seat is at many Late Models show taking care of all of his customers. Fireproof items are mandatory at most place and our cars are inspected often. Drop the eliteest attitude as it does this sport no good at all. I can tell you that a driver would never be allowed to get in a car and turn laps at speed in one of our biggest events with a open face helmet and T-shirt. Can you say the same? I thought not.

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I am glad it is different in other parts of the country. I wish it were that way around here too. The attitude on safety in this part of the country is scarey. Around here the difference in attitude on saftey you see in the staging lane and pits between open wheel and fendered racers is huge.
There has been thread after thread about how poorly the cages on lates and mods are constructed, using small materials, little bracing, and how they fail.
I have worked staging lanes in this part of the country and have seen all i mentioned regularly in the lates and mods. One track tried to require gloves and the drivers would pull them off and stick them under them after getting on the track, we picked them up off the track alot. i had to repeately tell drivers to tighten belts. I have sent driver back to their trailer because they had jeans on. i have had to tell them to fasten or tighten their chin straps We couldn't enforce the saftey net or arm restraint rules because only a few teams even owned them. They also had to give up on neck collars as well. It is not unusual to see helmit that have no cleance, or even negative. And I still see open face helmits.
You don't see those things when open wheel drivers stage though. just a difference in attitude.

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I'd go watch, it could be interesting. I just hope they have lots of wreckers all around the track.