As for EVERYONE being able to race, no, no and NO! I’m getting sick of all the entitlement mentality in America. If you want to race, then work hard and find something you can afford to race. And yes, you will have to make sacrifices if racing means that much to you. I, for one, am NOT from a wealthy family, but racing has been in my blood since my dad raced when he was younger. I went to school, got a degree, a good job, purchased my first kart, and have been racing ever since. Currently, I’m the owner and driver of a midget and sprint-car, much like Don, with no outside help. Do I drive the nicest street-car? Do I the latest big-screen HG TV? Do I have the biggest, nicest house? A big fat NO to all of those questions, but I’m still able to eat everyday and live within my budget.

Back to the original topic, to me orgs./clubs are a very crude union. True, the membership fees/dues do go towards the insurance provided by the org. But, I think some portion of that goes toward the end of year 'point fund' as well. However, this is hardly ever clearly spelled out, as Don stated. Clubs also provide an opportunity to try your hand at other tracks as well. Yes, the idea of the club is to gain credibility and exposure for everyone to bring in sponsors and what-not, but you need to have a consistent group of cars to get that established. And as someone previously stated, midgets are the ‘stepping stone’ to bigger cars so that group is hard to keep. I rather enjoy Mr. Barhorst approach to things, being a promoter before an ‘organizer.’ Much like the local tracks, there is no membership fee, just your entry fee, pit passes, and go racing. He publishes the purse and rules well in advance, so everyone knows what they’re racing for. Speaking of rules, I think that is one thing that needs addressed in all of racing. There are sooooo many rules now to ‘control’ the cost of racing that in the end, make things more expensive. I think we need safety rules/standards, some overall measurements for the class, and that’s it! Run whatever tire you want, whatever motor, and may the best driver/most innovative person win. Haha….I guess Don already touched on that while I was typing this though!

Chad Atkinson