New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I know it's been tried before. USAC many years ago tried to call it the Offy 110 division. Or just midget cars. The trouble is explaining it to a casual fan or newbie about midgets. Most do not understand that they are serious, fast, exotic and sometimes dangerous race cars. I get alot of - "What are you doing this weekend?" My reply "Goin' to a midget race." Then you hear giggles and they say "Little people runnin' around a track?" and then more chuckles. You get the idea.

So then what kind of name change is needed - officially or unofficially? Even if it helps the sport in a small way. I'm all for it. What do you think?

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

When crossing the border I've had a few looks when I tell them I am going to see Midgets race. Whatever term someones comes up with many people will still call them midgets. A perfect example is the people who can't let go of "champ cars" when describing what I have only known as Silver Crown cars.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

"Size-challenged Sprint Cars"

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I can remember coming back from IRP, and stopping to get something to eat. We got out of the truck, and some drunk guy asked us what we were racing. My Dad tells him that we race midgets. The drunk guy gets a funny look on his face and says, "Isn't that hard on them little guys"?

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Everytime I tell a non-racing fan I am going to a midget race, they all seem to tell the same exact joke. Everybody's a comedian, I guess.

"Fun sized" sprint cars
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Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Mid-Sprints

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I always liked the Austrailian name "Speedcars" which only applies to dirt midgets for some reason...Call em all SPEEDCARS worldwide.

Follow our midgets on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rum...s/177852124299

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by Seadog:
I know it's been tried before. USAC many years ago tried to call it the Offy 110 division. Or just midget cars. The trouble is explaining it to a casual fan or newbie about midgets. Most do not understand that they are serious, fast, exotic and sometimes dangerous race cars. I get alot of - "What are you doing this weekend?" My reply "Goin' to a midget race." Then you hear giggles and they say "Little people runnin' around a track?" and then more chuckles. You get the idea.

So then what kind of name change is needed - officially or unofficially? Even if it helps the sport in a small way. I'm all for it. What do you think?

I've thought of this a lot, in the past, but decided it wasn't worth the time or effort, tell em go-carts, as they spell it, and they think you're riding around in your yard, tell em Sprint cars, and you get the usual dying calf in a hailstorm look, and when you say Midgets, it really goes off the screen, so anymore, I ask before I answer. Bob:5:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by Seadog:
I know it's been tried before. USAC many years ago tried to call it the Offy 110 division. Or just midget cars. The trouble is explaining it to a casual fan or newbie about midgets. Most do not understand that they are serious, fast, exotic and sometimes dangerous race cars. I get alot of - "What are you doing this weekend?" My reply "Goin' to a midget race." Then you hear giggles and they say "Little people runnin' around a track?" and then more chuckles. You get the idea.

So then what kind of name change is needed - officially or unofficially? Even if it helps the sport in a small way. I'm all for it. What do you think?

I get very upset when I tell people about midgets and get the "little people" jokes or the "what kind of car is that...like a go-kart or something" comments.

My suggestion would be call them Speedcar Midgets for a transitional period til people get used to it. Then drop the word Midgets from that after 3-5 years and that would be that. That way you're not confusing people by trying to change all at once.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by apexonephoto:
When crossing the border I've had a few looks when I tell them I am going to see Midgets race. Whatever term someones comes up with many people will still call them midgets. A perfect example is the people who can't let go of "champ cars" when describing what I have only known as Silver Crown cars.

They are still dirt champ cars to me and always will be :2:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

wheel base challenged race cars.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by apexonephoto:
When crossing the border I've had a few looks when I tell them I am going to see Midgets race. Whatever term someones comes up with many people will still call them midgets. A perfect example is the people who can't let go of "champ cars" when describing what I have only known as Silver Crown cars.

Well the Champ Cars used to be called Big cars or Dirt cars, didn't they? So you could call the midgets, small dirt car.;)

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I always liked the Mike Fedorcak story about racing down south, they stopped to eat and the waitress asked "are ya' all racin' those Munchkin cars tonite?"

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

point .50 Sprints

Ducking!

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

For a short while in the mid-1960 they tried to call them compact sprints.

I don't mind calling them midgets myself with the exception of the time I Google midget with the wrong word and got a website with a gazillion pop ups and pictures unclad women.:18: From then on I Googled USAC midgets.:16

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Talked w/ a friend about somebody filing a lawsuit from a "National Little Peoples Group" about the word Midget. :14:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

MRC, Midget Race Cars

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by jim goerge:
They are still dirt champ cars to me and always will be :2:

Glad to see I got the diehards excited! Just so you guys know I'd still call midgets, midgets. Just like IRP being called ORP and LORI.

I'd agree Speedcar and small car sound good.

I grew up (and still live) around the great lakes with pavement outlaw super late models (Junior Hanley, Joy Fair) kind of cars. A few years back Michael Simko tried to drop kick Don St.Denis' car under caution during the Glass City 200 at Toledo. A video of it made the sports highlights on many news channels. Anyhow a few weeks later I was somewhere in the south talking to some random race fan at a racetrack about where I was from and he asks me if I like them "rasslin cars"...

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I don't know.....Speedcar sounds too much like a cartoon (ala Speed Racer??)

How about calling them primordial dwarf cars? ;) LOL
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Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Anyone old enough to remember when NEMA tried calling them "Formula M"? Of course, that's when some of their cars looked like little supermods. :-) I was the PR Director charged with getting the word out. I did articles, brochures, etc., but I obviously did a terrible job, because it sure didn't stick. :-)

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

you could call them compact sprints

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by jim goerge:
They are still dirt champ cars to me and always will be :2:

Dirt Champ Cars, thats not a bad one.
I dont like anything with the word small or mini in it. Most people assume it's a toy. They assume my minisprint is a toy intill I tell them it'll lap as fast as the bigblock mods. By the way when did people start calling 600 micro's minisprints ? I got all exciting thinking I found a nonwinged race for my minisprint and I found out they were micro's.
Midgets they will be always to me, although I dont really like the name that much.
Midgets are the badass of the bad.
Ever been to a Midget race and a dwarf throwing contest broke out ? Thats what I wanna see :8:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Why try to change history, let it live as long as it will, as I recall, there were a lot of names for as many types of cars that raced, Midgets, I believe, were named that, because the only other cars like them at the time, were called/named Big Cars, and we all know where that went. People who don't know what you are talking about, won't know anymore after you try to explain it to them, because they haven't been to a race, or may have seen just a glimse on TV, and it was so brief they didn't identify with it, I too find it frustrating, that our favorite form of racing, is unknown to so many people, but ya gotta remember, most of the folks you run into, are not as old, and educated in racng, as you are, how often do you get to hear a good sounding engine, in a street car anymore, it's all high dollar stereo crap under the deck lid, not a real sound under the hood. My vote, leave it as it is, if you change it now, look at all the old folks you'll have to re-educate! Bob :9:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester:
point .50 Sprints

Ducking!

Charles..this doesn't add up...a three quarter midget would be a .75 midget...lolol.....

Just call em Speedcars when talking to the lame people who make the "what are they, little people?" quips..whenever I hear that..it's like UGHHHHH...what a moron

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I agree that the worst thing you could do would be put any of the following words in the name...MINI, COMPACT, HALF SIZE, or any word that translates to little. It is damn near impossible to get people to pay to watch anything with the word "mini" in the title. When they changed the name 'Mini sprint" to "Lightning Sprint" in Missouri they saw a significant increase in ticket sales and participation just from dropping the word that makes people think "go kart".

Speedcars would be good but if you seriously want people to know what you're referring to you need to incorporate "Chili Bowl" in the name somehow. Most casual race fans (especially stock car fans) know what the Chili Bowl is but still don't know what a midget is.

But if you want to give them a name that is deserving enough to replace midget it should be "THE SHOW" or maybe "SHOW SPRINTS" or "SHOW CARS" because 99% of the time if you go to a midget race with multiple classes on the card the midgets are THE SHOW hands down!!

Or just call em MUD SLINGING ASS KICKIN WHEEL STANDING FIRE BREATHING SLIDE JOBBING 3WIDE MEGA BUCK SUPERCARS. That may be hard to fit on a poster but it's the best descriptive name you could get.....hahahaha

[QUOTE=HRI99;221884]"Fun sized" sprint cars

Good stuff. Has my vote!
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Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

SPEEDCARS!

" Pound For Pound The Most Powerful, Responsive Cars On The PLANET!

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

actually, we might as well pick a new name for sprint cars, as well. when I tell the average joe that we are involved in automobile racing, they will inevitably ask "what kind?" when I tell them sprint cars I always get a blank stare or, the question "those ones that look like a dune-buggy?????" :15:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

I hope none of this leaks out, you're all just kidding, right? Stop and think, how would you explain any of these "new names" to anyone, get real, let it be what it's been for the past 20yrs anyway, beyond that, people thunk! Bob:8:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

What a wonderful display of intelligent, fertile, active minds on this thread. I love it!!! You would almost think it was raining this weekend and we didn't have any races to attend. For what it is worth, I think speedcars is sort of cool.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by cecil98:
actually, we might as well pick a new name for sprint cars, as well. when I tell the average joe that we are involved in automobile racing, they will inevitably ask "what kind?" when I tell them sprint cars I always get a blank stare or, the question "those ones that look like a dune-buggy?????" :15:

It beats the heck out of telling some casual fan the Jeff Gordon used to drive a sprint car and their reply "Used to????" :14:

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

A. m. scutellata

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

“Bullet!” A what? A nine hundred pound Bullet!!!!!!!!

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Since the name kenyon already refers to another kind of Midget I would pick to call them Voglers. That way whenever someone wondered about the name they would in turn get a valuable history lesson.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

How about...short sprint or small sprint?:16

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

In the beginning, all race cars were called just that -- racing cars.
Then along came this term -- midgets, and then sprint cars, and then stock cars, and then champ cars, and then dirt champ cars, and then winged sprint cars, and, and, and.
It is amazing how many people think that when you like sprint cars, you might be a fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Jimmie Johnson and go to races at places like Talladega or Daytona.
I just tell people I'm going to an auto race. If they ask what kind, then I assume they're intelligent enough to understand the term midgets, sprint cars or sport compacts. If they say NASCAR, I just smile and go on.
I think it is goofy to try to add yet another term to a vocabulary already diluted with terms the common person does not understand. I didn't know what a midget was when I saw my first race at Salem Speedway, but I was quickly impressed.

---------- Post added at 09:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------

I had a cousin that was going to races at Paragon several years ago, where he thought he was seeing buggy races rather than sprint cars. I got a laugh out of that.

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

they have been known as midgets as far back as the 30s why change that if the average joe dont now what they are do you think they will know any better if we called them somthing else, some of the biggest racers of the past 5o or so years have run a midget at some point if you change the name you lose the history besides jack hewitt never wone the speedway car or bullet car or what ever half cocked name you come up with portion of the four crown nationals.a midget is a midget. if you dont understand what folks are talking about when they talk about midgets your never going to understand and as far as the little pepole go i think they called the race cars midgets long before little folks got a proper tittle

Re: New Name for Midgets Needed?
 

Originally Posted by jack hewitt fan:
they have been known as midgets as far back as the 30s why change that if the average joe dont now what they are do you think they will know any better if we called them somthing else, some of the biggest racers of the past 5o or so years have run a midget at some point if you change the name you lose the history besides jack hewitt never wone the speedway car or bullet car or what ever half cocked name you come up with portion of the four crown nationals.a midget is a midget. if you dont understand what folks are talking about when they talk about midgets your never going to understand and as far as the little pepole go i think they called the race cars midgets long before little folks got a proper tittle

Thats it man, call em anything you want few people understand or care. Thats the problem with alot of todays stuff, first it's all built on a throw away mentality. And second theres just so much different things going on that it all gets dilluted some. Thats why I dont care what anybody says, decades ago all the best raced together, five nights a week. Were they better cause of it ? Hell ya they were. Theres a reason midgets and nonwinged sprints havent hardley ever changed, cause they are the best, purist race vehicle there is. I was watching nascrap stuff on tv this morning and my stomach was turning. First off if your looking in a mirror and are talking to people when your racing, what the :21:. If you have time to play with a radio you aint racing. Then dont even get me started bout winning a race in the pits or by keeping your foot out of it to conserve fuel. If you aint going as fast as you can at all times you aint racing.