Short track - you make a good point about "special deal" engines. I got a fair amount of questioning about that in the focus days- guys accusing me of building a "special motor" for one team or another, and it always made me laugh out loud because in a sealed, "one engine" program like the focus there is no incentive for a builder to do a "special". After all, who would I be trying to beat? Myself????

But, as soon as you introduce more than one engine supplier, the possibility of the "special engine" becomes real. I do believe there is a way to control that and I do believe that the USSA guys have that figured out. By requiring each manufacturer to seal his engine, they are requiring that manufacturer to prove that each engine is the same - to be caught building a "special" at that point would amount to undeniable cheating on the part of the builder and should subject that builder to being shot on site by Eric Bunn.

KEN - good to hear from you on here. As always, words of wisdom.

MR. MOORE -always a pleasure. I get what you are saying about costs, particularly cost of entry for the actors putting on the show. However, we must keep in mind that the current business model employed by racetracks really requires that this fee be collected. We can't just change this without coming up with another way for the operator to be properly compensated - if we did, we'd just have more tracks closing than we already do. At the risk of being just another A-hole with an opinion, allow me to float an idea;

Car counts are low - we need more cars at the track. Costs are high - especially for those poor souls toiling at the back of the pack who don't get squat for their effort. Most of us agree that these guys are the ones who are having the hardest time just making it to the track each week, so how about this... Don't change anything about the payout or the cost of entry except for one thing - take the bottom finishing 8 cars, or 25% of the field, whichever is greater - and have a drawing among those cars. Pick maybe 3-5 cars out in this drawing, and give those guys free entry to the next race.

This idea will help keep cars coming to the track - something we really need right now - and by doing the drawing it will prevent anyone who is having a bad night from just throwing in the towel for a free pass next week.

OK I don't usually stray from my regular schtik but that one just kind of came to me....