The comment was made here that the changes BCRA is making would be of maximum benifit to my company. That sounds really good to me, but I am having a hard time understanding why that would be. I just make an engine product - you could put that engine into a dirt car, or a pavement car, or a dune buggy for that matter. The only thing that is of benifit to my company, is when MORE competitors get involved in the sport, so maybe that is what was meant in which case I agree - I believe that next season will see more competitors taking part in BCRA pavement racing, and yes, that will be good for anybody who makes thier living supporting this type of racing. Meanwhile, does ANYBODY reading this think that west coast USAC pavement racing will see growth for next year? For that matter does ANYBODY reading this think that the West Coast USAC pavement program will not shrink further still?

A lot of people commenting on this topic have felt the need to first weigh in with thier "credentials". So, here are mine: In 2001, with cooperation from Tommy Hunt, we brought the Ford Focus series on line as an economical way to race midgets on the west coast featuring the combo car concept as a key component. For those first few, golden years, the program was awesome. Then the era of Eric Bunn, pavement-only Focus cars, High dollar "driver development" teams (barf....) and the rest of it took a perfectly good idea and completely screwed it up in the finest 16th street tradition. My point is this - I too, have been on both sides of this fence and I want to share an observation with you all. This year I have been to several BCRA shows and what I have witnessed is a group of people out having a great time racing. Good car counts at the dirt shows, great racing on the track, good crowds in the stands, awesome little race tracks.... not much to complain about at all. Saturday night at Placerville they had a nice, full field of cars, a good crowd in the stands and they were the headliners for the night. To take what they have there on the dirt, and transfer it over to the pavement also, makes perfectly good sense to me. Especially... ESPECIALLY when you consider what the current pavement situation looks like.

I hope that the other club gets it together, and figures out a way to save themselves. But I do not see how it is any of BCRA's responsibility to do anything other than what is right for their own constituents, and it looks to me like that is what they are doing, and it is working. Hats off to 'em.