Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Nungester
Glad I read through it before commenting.
Quinn is exactly right. We love midgets. The problem is, There hasn't been steady midget racing in indiana since 16th closed and Nammars folded. There hasn't been several shows at each track since the mid 70s. Honestly, If you don't follow them regularly, Your only going to know the sprint drivers who are driving midgets. Even if you do keep up. You haven't seen the stars much, How often in Indiana/OH do you see the Felkers and other Powri Guys running? Only if they hold a show and only if that show gets run (Weather)
What Im saying is, Scheduling a midget show and expecting both good car count and fan count is at minimal A RISKY move in areas that don't have it regularly.
Each track has a core group of fans probably 40% each for their top two classes and maybe 20% mostly family and friends for the third class.
Myself I don't usually go without the Sprints, Midgets have become a crap shoot anymore. One show will have 40 plus, the next 14. Midget weeks have been great, Sprints are on the card and I can't blame a track for bringing its second class in on it as well. Thats a quarter of the fans!, Sprints are a quarter of the fans and Midget week followers half.
Same goes for LM's unless your a normal LM track, You show up and your lucky to know who a quarter of the cars are. I used to know em all because they raced weekly at my local track and a couple bigger shows a year brought in the stars from elsewhere. In reality Mods have taken the place of LM's in Indiana except maybe brownstown and they are getting cost prohibitive as well.
I don't know what to do with the cost of Midget racing, Some say the small tracks are the answer, I say a compression limit. You need to be able to have motors last 20-30 races between overhauls and not go bang a couple times a year. They could race the bigger tracks with that model as well.
I think Montpelier has a good start, If someone would pick up and set a series schedule with maybe two Montpelier and one or two other IN/Western Ohio tracks per month such as what Nammars did, I think it could grow.
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Charles
The resurgence of Midget Racing is all in your head. Head design that is. Guys keep getting more and more horsepower out of these little old antique boat anchors by putting bigger and bigger valves in their heads to the point that they had to make a bigger bore (increase bore spacing) to get even larger valve in them. The only problem is as these valves grow their mass grows also even when made out of un-obtanium they require very stiff valve springs to keep them in time with the camshaft and away from the piston.
There are some 2.5 liter through 3.5 liter motors out their right now that could fill the requirements of midget racing. The only problem is manufactures have moved on from the ancient 2 valve heads to 4 valve heads. The paranoid racers and ruling bodies have placed unfair limitations on them I guess out of fear of the future. That little Echotec is one example. The head on that thing won't win any awards for design but it is light years ahead of a stock Pinto head. The little v6 Ford Duratec has a head that could produce exceptional air flow with just a little massaging on a stock head casting.
It still won't be cheap but at least a few more "sane and prudent" owners might stay in the game of Midget Racing.
Honest Dad himself
