Originally Posted by captrat:
First, this a great thread and I am impressed by the civility and positive feel of it. 3 decades ago I was having a very similar conversation with USAC about the challenge to the sprint car series by a fledgling group known as the WoO. The USAC philosophy of the time seemed to center around the idea that all of its series were to be stepping stones to Indy, and that would suffice to attract and retain top drivers and car owners. We all know how that worked out. IMHO USAC must carve out its own unique place based upon the following. 1. Non-wing racing is a more competitive form 2. The SC cars can be made a desirable goal, but not at the expense of the sprinters or midgets 3. Remove all side boards from the cars, this will make them visually distinctive from their competitors and be a fan pleaser 4. The reality is that the sprint car pavement races will always have car count issues as long as highly specialized cars are allowed 5. There needs to be 3 special sprint car focus events within the schedule each year (Hulman in Spring, Speedweek in Summer and L'burg in Fall). 6. Media coverage, for now forget live shows etc., instead focus on short highlights( in a perfect world a half-hour "This Week In USAC" featuring highlights from all divisions; am I the only who remembers Ch. 8 in Indy showing taped highlights every Sunday eve. 7. Midgets, I love'm but their history has often had these periods of decline-no good answers except to reduce cost, but how? 8. SC should concentrate on a balanced schedule hopefully 10-12 races standing on their own when possible. Just my thoughts, and I totally agree bashing has no place, but perhaps these kinds of discussions can lead to something positive.
I was just going to mention that....I started this thread and thought afterwards it might go down hill like recent town hall meetings in the south. It did not! Great Ideas and constructive criticism is good to see.