Quote:
Originally Posted by 6157
They need to get over it.
This is new management and the new management is on the chip about making the old cars work.
Of course the new management is 100% about business. They won't hang on to a series that gets 16 cars a race forever.
The survival of this series lie strictly on the car owners at this point.
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WOW! I wouldn't even no where to begin to characterize that statement???
Maybe they're not going to "get over it"? Let's see, If your just an owner, before you even think about rolling the car into the trailer and heading down the road to go Silver Crown racing, you must first write a $500 check to USAC to register your car. If you don't do that, you don't get to race your Silver Crown car! Oh, and if you only own a Dirt Silver Crown Car, that comes to $100 a race just for... Well, I actually don't know what that gets you? Your not running for points, because you only have a Dirt Car, but it's $500 for the sticker that says you can run your car here! Even if you are a West Coast Car Owner, and can only make this one race (in Phoenix), you gotta pay the $500
So. Just to register your car, you must make the race in Phoenix, and finish between 16th-24th, and you can make your $500 back!
At this point I must mention that the payoff I am using is from the 2007 race (not sure why I still have this laying around??). Also of significance, the total purse for the 2007 race was $44,975. The total posted purse for the 2009 race, $38,300. So I would guess that the 2007 #'s are more than fair.
Now you have already given USAC $500 to register your car. Now you must pay an entry fee of $100. So now were at $600, and we are not even in the gate yet to warm the engine. If you want to do that, there will be, let's say 3 pit passes you gotta pay for. 2-day pit passes at Manzy in 2007, were $60 ea.. So tack on another $180. So between the three things (Car Registration, Entry fee, pit passes) we are now up to $780 in checks to USAC. You must now finish 12th in order to pay your Silver Crown Owner bill, to USAC!
O.K., so our Car Owner lives in Indy. He now either has to take almost a week from work (or his business) to drive to Phoenix and back, or hire someone to do it. Let's just say he can miss work, and goes himself. He certainly would have to leave by Tuesday in order to be there by Thursday practice. 1,707 miles, each way!!! So a grand total of 3,414 miles on his dually, that gets a stellar 12 miles to the gallon, loaded!!! Take in the average cost of diesel (today) @ $2.04, and we have $580 in fuel for the truck! Our Car Owner must now finish 7th to cover his USAC bill, and cost of diesel to and from Phoenix! We'll even give our frugal car owner the benefit of the doubt, and say him and his driving helper didn't bother getting a room on the way down to save $! BUT! While in Phoneix, needed at least 2 nights. Him, his wife, and crew all in the same room together to save few bucks (which the wife was just thrilled about), but it was still another $200 for a Hotel while in Phoenix. They must now finish 6th to cover these expenses! Oh, and being human, everyone must eat too! We'll just say to feed himself, wife, and crew guy Tuesday-through almost Monday, a light $300. Now he's got to finish 5th to cover this!
Now since our Car Owner is Old School, he's hired a guy to drive that he thinks will get the job done! But, our driver is from out east, and really doesn't have any "established" relationships in the midwest or west, and that means, NO DEALS!! Our Car Owner must pay "regular guy" price for tires, fuel, etc.! Our Owner used up pretty much the last of his 1/2 mile tires at the last race during the 4-Crown, and only has a fairly worn set to practice on Thursday. Without going into lots of detail, when taking into account trying to get a couple of stagger choices, racing Friday night too our frugal Car Owner will spend at the absolute minimum, a $1,000 on tires. Add to that a safe figure of about $275 for fuel for the race car and our Car Owner is hoping to finish 3rd to cover this trip!! Which in 2007, 3rd paid $3,500!
"Geesh, 3rd", Our Car Owner says to himself. That's a tall order. Especially when you consider the un-proven, first time in a Crown Car driver. Then, he's gotta go up against all these new "Super Teams" and their unlimited budgets, and access to the best technology & parts!! Our owner had his engine builder check the bottom end, and put some new Valve Springs in her, hoping to bring his 6 year old 12 headed motor to life. No sense running out and buying the latest and greatest stuff when one, you can barely afford this has it is, and YOU ONLY RUN 5 RACES A YEAR!!!
Yeah, 3rd would be nice, but lest we forget our east coast driver needs to be paid too!! "Oh man!" "So if we have a GREAT DAY, and finish 3rd, I have to hand 40% of our $3500 over to the driver!" "That will just leave me $2,100!?"
Our Car Owner, whose job is un-stable at best in this economy, or his business is not as strong as it once was in these un-stable times is being asked to drive 3,400 miles for ONE RACE! No, he doesn't get to try again a week later at Vegas, he's just going to go down for this one lone show with the HUGE HOPE that he finishes in the 3rd or better!!! Then IF, by some miracle, they pull off the upset, and finish 3rd?!!... For their Podium finish, our Car Owner will have only lost $1,035!
More realisticly, the miracle did not happen, and are Car Owner, and his first time Silver Crown driver wound up a respectable 10th! 10th paid $1,000. Which after paying our driver, who did a nice job for the Owner, and took care of the equipment & brought it home in one piece! Our Owner raked in a whopping $600!!! So his loss on this trip, in very real #'s, was $2,535!
Now I have to ask: Do you still want to tell him to "get over it", and that the "survival of the series" is strictly on his shoulders?
$2,535 can certainly buy a REAL NICE vacation somewhere for him and his wife! Instead of driving well over 40 hours to work your butt off, and risk even more money being wiped out while your huge investment (Read that: Pride & Joy that you have spent countless more hours and dollars preparing) is in the hands of someone else!!
I want to make note that none of this is a slam directed at anyone (USAC are you listening)
! It is just a very real world scenario as to what is involved here! I have made no secret that I disagree with the very high fees involved to enter and register for this division, but I also support what they (USAC) are trying to do in moving the Sanctioning body forward and will support those races when we can! BUT FOR GOD SAKES JASON, PLEASE BRING BACK T.P.'s FOR THE S.C. DIVISION!!!
Also: Great article K.O.! I sure wish USAC could find a place to bring Greg, and his passion back!!
Greg: You made a lot of us feel old reading those stories, and realizing how many of those deals we were at!! :thumb I need to find that pic of my Old Man driving underneath you at Terre Haute.. And by underneath, I mean there was 5 feet of clearance between the roll cages!!! Before he was "the Dog", he was also Greg "Sky" Staab