Yeah, what the Seadog said! :thumb

Just a few thoughts cause I'm bored and have a few minutes to kill. Remember this is just my humble opinion concerning the cost of midgets:

1.) Presenting an exciting product to the race fan. One which will make the fans want to come back for more. Is that the case today? For the most part, yes. Was that the case 10, 20, 30 years ago? For the most part, yes.
So why today do you need a 350HP, $35,000 motor to provide the same wheel to wheel exciting action that Fox, Vogler, Rice, Kenyon and the other legends did with 225HP, $10,000 VW's? I just don't get it. Was the racing boring and slow? Hell no!

2.) Whenever midget cost reduction is discussed I always hear the argument "well, if you can't afford it, you should run something cheaper". You're missing the point. There will always be people who can't afford it. I know people who can't afford to grocery shop every week. The point is....we continue to lose car owners every year who could afford it, but now can't. These are midgets. LITTLE cars. You can run a sprinter for less. ***????

3.) If you use the Chili Bowl as an example of how strong midget racing is, you just don't have your head screwed on straight. I would guess that a very strong percentage of Chili Bowl entries do not run anywhere near a full schedule each year, in their respective states. I'm sure several ONLY run the Chili Bowl each year, then put the car back in the barn 'til next year. The Chili Bowl is like the Super Bowl, non football fans watch it because it's an event. Then they go do something else when the game is over.

4.)If you don't believe the cost of midget racing is killing midget racing, please explain to me why the Focus series was started. And the Kenyon cars. Cheaper alternatives to full midgets? Why would we need cheaper alternatives? Maybe because the cost of a full midget is now OUTRAGEOUS? To provide a place for younger drivers? What's wrong with a TQ until you're 16? Have you asked yourself why 10 years ago there were no mini sprints? Now there are two 1200cc clubs, a 600cc club and two TQ clubs. Those are ALL potential midget owners who got priced out.

5.)If you think midget racing is healthy and growing, you must be under 25 years old. Obviously you have never seen the Milwaukee mile grandstands sold out for a midget race. (I will post a photo if you don't believe it.) Or 33 cars qualify for the Hut 100 and 20 more go home who failed to qualify. (Will they get 20 cars this year?) The fields are dismal at weekly venues today compared to even 10 years ago. Up here in my neck of the woods the badgers are dwindling fast. I saw 7 cars show up at Manzanita last year. SEVEN!!! Yeah, midgets are stronger than ever! :kookoo

6.) The sanctioning bodies are in total control of the future of midget racing. If they envision 6-7 big buck NASCAR teams, fielding 4-5 cars each to comprise the field, then they are on the right track. If they envision 50-60 cars a week again, which is VERY realistic, then they need to do this:
A.) SLASH engine costs at least in half. (it's a freakin' MIDGET for cripes sake!)
B.) End ALL product deals. Tires, etc... If I build a product, I should be able
to sell it freely to any competitor. This is America correct?
C.) Take a freakin' pen, notepad and camera to any AMA indoor supercross
event or any indoor Monster jam truck event and TAKE NOTES ON HOW TO
PROMOTE. Not long ago the truck deal was here at the Metrodome and 7
of the 9 guys I work with went. Solely due to the promotion prior to it.

That's all I got. For now. Midgets are my first love, don't piss me off. :O:
David.