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If close competition and runs from the back were all that race fans wanted to see, you wouldn't see the World of Outlaws being the pinnacle of sprint car & midget racing. They just don't have that. Face it, speed and on-the-edge driving is what brings in the majority of fans. You can survey the sample on this message board, but that doesn't give you a good cross-section....you're only getting the die-hards!
Just as much as close competition is needed, you also have to have hair-raising speed. If track records don't get broken, then what's the point? New fans and part-time fans want to see guys on the edge, pushing the limit of their cars....I always say that the reason I like traditional sprint cars is because you can SEE and HEAR that they are pushing the car to the limit and getting absolutely every ounce of speed that car and track will allow.
Taking steps backwards in this department will not help. I am a huge supporter of trying to corral both tire and engine costs, but taking performance away from the cars only brings things down a level....
Also, and this is just for everyone to think about, and not a judgment from me - if you have more than one company producing a spec tire, the limits will be tested. Does anybody remember guys getting killed in stock cars because of tire problems?
No matter if a company is associated with tires, rear ends, shocks, engines, etc. etc., they always want to be associated with the winner. Just as Don posted the story above....people want to be linked to a winner and they always have! No matter how much you piss and moan, the winners will always get some special treatment, and they have earned that by winning! It's good to be the king, and that's because you have to earn the spot up on top of the mountain! All those companies constantly look for an edge so their equipment can win - and if they have to give it to a good team to make sure it wins, that's what they'll do!
And the tire companies, if forced to compete, will do everything they can to visit victory lane, even if that means bending the rules...
Those are just a few of my thoughts. Of course, I've posted them before and they were only dismissed as being off-topic or something. Hopefully they are deemed topical this time!
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