This has been a pretty good read going on for a few days now.......(but since I retired I have time for that)

The original topic of this thread (I think) was about the lack of cars at Raceway Park. It sure was disappointing to read about. I do not have the answer for how to fix it. I don't even have any good suggestions. I can tell you (for a fact) that I sat in on the USAC Competition Committee meetings for lots of years on 16th street (and wasted my breath/time). Several years ago after USAC split up the National Sprint Car Championship and only included the dirt races towards National points we all witnessed how that turned out. The following season it came up about doing the same thing with the midgets. I recall it being more of a "we are going to do this" than a "what do you guys think about this." The sales pitch given at the time was all about building car counts. If we split the series up and have a pavement champ, and a dirt champ, that will entice competitors that only have one kind of car to come compete with USAC. Mr. Miller's contention was that people would come compete for that illustrious National Championship that wouldn't otherwise because now they don't need (2) cars. It didn't work. Period. THERE IS AND SHOULD BE, ONLY ONE NATIONAL CHAMPION (IMO). Basically, we are diluting the product by having more than one Champion. Mr. Miller was reminded at that time that it didn't work with the sprint car series. I think Saturday night was decisive proof that his theory was wrong.

I am not bashing Kevin Miller on this, just providing some facts that were brought up to him many years ago when the future was being decided. They seem to be playing themselves out like most of the owners/drivers thought they would. I really feel sorry for the many dedicated car owners that have expensive museum pieces sitting in their garage right now.

There have been a lot of promises and smoke/mirrors from Mr. Miller over the years. Anyone remember the Red Bull Super Speedway midget series he was going to have. All big paying midget races on big tracks. Seems sort of the opposite these days. How about when he took the majority of the point fund money away for several years and had the "USAC National Drivers Championship?"


Here is how that debacle worked out for those of us that raced for money to pay our bills.

2009: Midget Champion, $10,000 - Second, appx. $6,500 - Third, appx $4,500 - Fourth thru Tenth paid out (10th around $1,000)
2010: Midget Champion, $5,000 - Second, $3,000 - Third, $2,000 - Fourth thru Tenth, ZERO

2009: Sprint Champion, $10,000 - Second thru Tenth paid out (not sure exact numbers, never ran enough to get a check)
2010: Sprint Champion, $5,000 - Second, $3,000 - Third, $2,000 - Fourth thru Tenth, ZERO

2009: S.C. Champion, $10,000- Second thru Tenth paid out (not sure exact numbers, never ran enough to get a check)
2010: Not sure how it was paid out.


Mr. Miller sold this huge bill of goods that he was EXPANDING THE POINTS FUNDS paid out by USAC to include the TOP 10 finishers in the USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP. What he didn't explain was that he stole/took most of the money away from the guys that supported him all year in order to create the new point fund. If you look at the numbers above: The total paid out for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (4th-10th were not paid anything) in 2010 was equal to what the Champion received in 2009. Where did all of the other money go from 2nd-10th in 2009? Essentially, USAC was on the hook in 2010 for what they paid the Champ in 2009 and the rest of the money went towards the National Driver Points Fund. That isn't creating a new points fund. That is redistributing wealth in a sense.

As Mr. OSSUKS stated earlier, the money has been vanishing for years. The Hoosier money, the contingency money, lots of stuff. It all sounds great until you learn more about it. I had breakfast with Steve Lotshaw (1979 USAC National Midget Champion) the morning after I won the title in 2009. In 1979, Steve made $500 more for winning the Championship than I did in 2009. That is just the prize money. That does not include all of the free product and other things he received during the season in 1980. As corporate sponsorship has evolved, where did all of the money go?

Anyways, I digress...............just another example of his greatness I guess. It was good for a couple of guys for a couple of years.


Fact of the matter for all of this is, it is a very sad time to own a midget. Period.


For those out there carrying the POWRi flag around and jumping from the USAC ship to the POWRi ship, look a little closer at the money trail there. POWRi is a FOR-Profit corp. Those nice race cars don't pay for themselves. Those (all 3 of them) big rigs don't produce their own diesel fuel to get them up and down the road. Any coincidence that the series sponsors are also on the personal cars? Is it just because it's all in the family? Keep in mind you can easily spend $500+ on decals alone to make a car look nice.

Not bashing Kenny Brown here either. Just saying, before everyone goes hauling POWRi up on their shoulders as the savior of midget racing, look a little deeper. POWRi points championship pays out a whopping amount of money. The owner and driver split $5,000. Second place pays $1,000. Third place pays $600 and it goes down from there. Follow a series for an entire season and run second in the championship and get $1,000. (Not as big a slap in the face as Kevin Millers $400k+ Salary or downtown apartment, but not exactly kosher either). How about KBR cutting the payout for the micro's at Angell Park in 2014. As the series grows, lets cut the pay, that is a nice way to say thank you to the competitors for supporting the group. Especially when they don't race for much anyways. Where are the rest of the guys that started with the breakaway POWRi group (originally Gateway Racing Inc.) Jim Siner? Steve Knepper? They all just virtually disappeared.

5 years ago, out of his own mouth.........Kenny Brown told me that his success stemmed from racing 25 times a year on small tracks within 2 hours or so of St. Louis. His points fund was minimal but he promised of prospects on the horizon for bigger things and a point fund comparable to USAC's or better. FAST FORWARD 5 years...........his schedule is bigger than it has ever been, traveling farther and more often than they used to and a point fund that is only better for the Champion, everything else pays the same as it did in the beginning. Viewing it from the outside looking in, maybe they are growing too big, too quick trying to emulate another group that is going down hill anyways.


One thing is for sure with both of these groups and both of these business men. They hold thankless positions in thankless endeavors.

Time will tell I guess............thanks for the read up to this point.

BK