[Jerry Shaw]

I've made a point to see as many midget races as I could, this year and I've noticed several things. First off, while pavement midget racing might be skating on thin ice, dirt midget racing and the sport as a whole, are alive and well. But, the sands are shifting in the midget world. The sport is trending away from the traditional USAC-centric sport, to one who's epicenter lies slightly to the West. One who's fans live to eat clay dust and could care less about about hearing squealing tires on pavement. And, consequently, the emphasis has shifted away from "Who's gonna win the USAC National Midget Title" to "I wonder who's gonna win National Midget Driver of the Year." IMO, the lion's share of midget teams just aren't interested in (or aren't able to) purchasing and maintaining two different sets of equipment, just to be eligible to be in the running for a title. And by eliminating many teams from title competition, they also eliminate the number of teams that absolutely have to be at every event. And that makes it real tough to compete with a free wheeling points system, that counts your top 30 races, is weighted towards big paying events and is beneficial to drivers with a little outlaw spirit in them. Combine that with a packed house of rabid Illinois or Badger State dirt midget fans and you've got a pretty good recipe for success. And every time I've crossed into the Central Time Zone and ventured into midget country, I've seen great racing that was well supported by race teams and fans, alike. And 40 to 50 600cc micro midgets in the house, is a sign that the future is bright there, as well. But still, the biggest and best midget event I've attended this year was Indiana Midget Week. So, IMO, USAC isn't dying. Nor do they "suk". They're just stuck in the past a bit and a little out of touch with the rest of the sport and with what race fans want. With some modifications, they could easily shift the sands back the other way.

Jerry