I personally don't see how a fan watching the Badger cars and the IRS series on the same night wouldn't view the IRS series as the opening act and the Badger series the headliner. What I mean is that the IRS series may put on a good show and have a great race, but the Badger cars are what I would remember. You wouldn't think you could notice a second to two seconds difference with your eyes, but you can.

That is just me though. I am not trying to pick on IRS as I feel that they have a place and a good product, but to me it's not the same. If I want to see cars from the 80's race, I'll close my eyes and remember or look at photos.

As a team owner(If I still owned one), the only way you could get me to switch from my current program to a different one would be a raise in the purses for at least 3-5 years. In order for me to go with a deal like ASCS would be to know that I would be able to collect more purse money to offset the cost of the new motor. I want to earn more money as well as save money. If my only benefit is saving money, but racing for less, then I'm not interested because it still costs me the same to roll up and down the road. The comeback for that is that the motor is cheaper to operate, but that is only in theory because each persons experience is different. If it's for the same purse or less I am then limited to only one group to race with.

If you want to take tire width from the cars, go to two left rears on 8" wheels. I am not a fan of the Mini-Mod tire deal. It doesn't matter though as the teams will figure how to hook 'em up. No matter what anyone on here thinks, the best teams(Not the best funded) the best teams will still win. If USAC brought a truck load of spec cars to the track and you drew for which car you got each night, the same people would still win. Narrow cars,wide cars,sideways cars; it doesn't matter.

There may be an exception here and there, but that is how it is. That is why it's hard to get Don out of the barn when Jerry or Tracy or Kaiser aren't available. I don't blame him. As he and I talked in the past, why hire anyone when you can hire the best. I would be the same.

In many ways I am just a fan today. Maybe not your average fan, but a fan none the less. I like todays product. I think today's cars are fun to watch. I enjoy the fact that any car from pretty much any group can compete with any club. AS A FAN, I would have started Don's car at the rear as well because that was the show.

If anything, I feel that todays racing is as good if not better than the 70's-90's. Why the drivers aren't more of household names or the races aren't more popular is anyones guess. You say Bobby Olivero, I say Jerry Coons. You say Rich Vogler and I say Tracy Hines. You say Tom Bigelow and I say Dave Darland. On and On. (I am not comparing styles, just off setting names.)

Presentation, age of drivers, lack of promotion, sport watered down, too much other entertainment, etc. are all cited as reasons from time to time. Probably a combination of all of those things. Sometimes things ebb and flow and often an overnight sensation is 10 years in the making.