Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Just wondering what everyone thought about the race Friday? Is it good or bad for the sport?

I rewatched it on Flo last night. Was much better in person than on TV. TV missed several passes. I know several people from the Indy car Paddock came up to watch parts of the race.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

I thought it was good. Looks like the track may have been a little tough on engines.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

19 cars started, 9 finished, only 7 on the lead lap. Perhaps I missed the enormous crowd, but I didn't see many people. Had it not been on Flo, would anyone have noticed the race was run?

Maybe I'm being unkind, but I think it would be better for the series to stick to dirt miles and asphalt short tracks.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

It's past time this series ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 33 cars 3 abreast start. There are plenty of cars out there now to make this happen.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

I was there. I enjoyed it. The place was not crowded, but it seats a bunch of people. I would go back. We sat near turn 1, and it was neat watching the different entries and exits.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

very good. attrition was to be expected, as the track puts a strain on the cars, so preparation is huge. because the Silver Crown Series is in the legacy of the "big cars" that ran the Indy 500 and the IndyCar championship trail, the series belongs on big tracks like Gateway

not a great crowd, but decent, and obviously a lot of space to spread out so the place looked quite empty. title sponsor and an enthusiastic track owner who admits to "having a soft spot" for Silver Crown because that was the first type of race held at the track after he bought it, so hopefully it will continue. now just need to get to places like Iowa, Richmond, and Milwaukee, while also extending ALL pavement races to at least 100 miles

my kid (Nathan Byrd) LOVED racing there, ran as high as 3rd, and had his best Silver Crown finish of 5th. He can't wait to go back

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

I like the way you're thinking. I also thought Nathan ran good.

A nice eastern swing for the pavement Silver Crown cars; Oswego, Thompson Speedway and Stafford Springs.

For me it served as a good reason to go do something else other than watch racing.

We watched the race on Flo. I thought was a pretty good race, and I thought it came across well on TV. I did notice that Chet and Pat talked about action we never saw on TV, but that happens. Crowd appeared poor at best.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

C'mon man. You really don't know what you're are saying do you? All because of some nostalgic notion. The whole motorsports world has moved on except for a few and we all know who they are. The ones that :deadhorse::deadhorse::deadhorse:

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

For people talking about the crowd. Put that same Gateway crowd in the stands at Terre Haute and it would have looked massive

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Back in the day USAC ran only 1/2-mile tracks with sprint cars. I remember going to Terre Haute in the fifties and early sixties, maybe 15 or 20 sprint cars showed up to race. People thought they were seeing great racing till USAC started running the 1/4-mile bullrings. Watching sprint cars race on big, paved tracks sort of went away as there was not much side by side racing. Now even the mile dirt tracks do not get big crowds. Even in the last few years I've never seen full houses at the Terre Haute track, it is not the promoter's fault, it's just that people want to see some action like side-by-side racing and slide jobs. It is mostly the sign of the times.

If it isn’t sprint cars on 1/4 miles most people on here hate it. Terre Haute is practically in Illinois so most fans on this site only know one thing, quarter mile racing. Fortunately, I grew up going to everything on all different sized tracks and appreciate the variety and what makes each style unique. Your poll question would be better answered on the silver crown FB page.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

same for Madison, Winchester, or Toledo

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Oh, that was just a suggestion.....
I immediately went to USAC website to check the schedule for these tracks close to me.... oh well :41::

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

My wife and I attended the Gateway race and enjoyed the race. As is a normal 100 mile or 100 lap Silver Crown race the first third was very good, the middle was riding and the last third had some good charges and performances by Davey Hamilton Jr., Nathan Byrd and Mario Clouser even though the field was pared down at the end. It was good for USAC and the drivers to get the exposure in front of the Indy set and maybe open some eyes to drivers like Kody Swanson, Bobby Santos III and others. Don't know if a 1.25 mile oval is too big for Silver Crown or not but the speeds (175 mph on straights) is scary. Enjoyed the race but don't know if we would return. Would like to see both segments of the Silver Crown series run on tracks between a half mile up to a mile. The SC race at Port Royal this year on the half mile was fabulous!!

As far as the crowd the grandstands are huge and people spread out pretty good but we would say several thousands were in attendance and any short track would like to have the crowd that they had Friday night at Gateway.

Bruce and Pat Eckel :6::D

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

I'm beginning to think I'm bringing BS III bad luck. I purchased FloRacing this year. In every race that I've watched, he's either had issues or DNF. When I don't watch he wins or finishes top 5. I'll have to include a check in his Christmas card this year. :17:

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

It wasn't THAT bad, man! :3:

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Like them or not, they were bumbling boobs this round. My favorite part was right off the bat when they were noting that the SC cars have to start on their own, with their clutches and trannies, for the initial leaving of pit road.

As they were stumbling, fumbling, and bumbling, two or the cars were being pushed off by pit crew members.

WHAT were they WATCHING?

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Having to start "on their own" means not having to be started by a push truck. Having to do that results in that car going to the tail of the field for the start.

Once the car is fired via the starter shaft, a crew member puts his hand in the air. Once the signal is given by the USAC official to begin rolling the cars, the crew members begin to push their car.

Just watched the video again now and there was no stumbling, fumbling or bumbling by anybody, and it was explained correctly by the announcers.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Not to argue the point too much, but maybe you should go up to the press box and "coach" these guys on the rules, Richie. We must have two different audio tracks because I heard them tell me the cars had to "at least pull away" and "they must move under their own power within a certain distance." Silly me to think these were the rules.

Don't even get me going on when our good bud Tom Paterson was dead in the water up on the rail coming out of Turn 2 after a couple of laps. They gave Tom great kudos for bringing the car in from Argos on an open trailer and planning on using it in Springfield next. Unfortunately, the latter was washed out.

Oh.... the whole time Gregg Cory was dead stick sideways in Turn 2 after coming together with something/someone that neither noticed.

I say you go up to the press box, WATCH THE RACING MONITOR, and provide the insight, Richie. That would raise this coverage tenfold.

No hard feelings. Actually, thank you for the explaining of the push off rule. I will always remember that.

We have what we have for Silver Crown coverage. Fortunately what they were not commenting or looking at on half the time was a pretty good race.

And Tom Paterson got some well deserved praise. :6:

Appreciate your response, sir. Really do.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

From our vantage point in the booth, turn 4 & turn 1 at the track are completely blind corners. None of us could see the Cory situation from our point of view unless we stood up and put our faces against the glass. Even then, you couldn't see all the way up to the wall. We all saw Paterson slowing in turn two and assumed that was the caution and nothing more. Sometimes it isn't as easy as it looks.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Not that Richie needs to justify himself to you
Now I've only been involved in the sport 40 years or so, but I don't recall USAC ever stating pushing by a crew was contrary to the rules, I'm pretty sure that USAC considers "pushing" as stated in the rule book by an authorized push vehicle. A car fired up for the start of 100 miles has a fairly tall gear and a lot of weight in the back end, thus the crew may help the car pull away from the grid.

1206 Pushing
A. Push starts at any time are subject to the availability of authorized push vehicles and at the discretion of the Chief Steward.
B. Qualifications: A car in its proper position for qualifying may be push started with the loss of one lap (when qualification
distance is more than one lap) from the qualifying attempt and will have to race in the consolation event to make the feature
event. In the event of no consolation event, the car cannot start in the top 50% of the feature field. Car still gets qualifying
time with no penalty other than starting position for A-feature.
C. Races: Cars are required to leave the grid under their own power at the start of an event. A car requiring a push start at the
start of an event will be placed at the rear of the starting field. Push starts under green flag or yellow flag conditions will be
at the discretion of the Chief Steward.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Point well made. I am ready to drop this banter and move on and apologize to any offended. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my criticism towards the crew. It does sound like the press box might be the worst seat in the house.

Re: Silver Crown @ Gateway Good or bad
 

Most gentlemanly and appreciated Mike. The press box isn't always the best seat, people in your ear running in and out, and maybe having to call off a monitor instead of what they can see.