I sold the Grand Mother driver most of her gear(helmet,gloves,shoes) at the last Kokomo Trade show.

She was a very nice person(and from what I saw,one of the better drivers).

If there is any wonder why promotors like the Thunder Cars just look at the stands in the documentary. Fairly crowded; they race in the rain and they rarely have any yellows. No muss and fuss. Just racing.

The documentary was filmed in about 2005 from what I was told.

i think it was a bit on saturday night live.....when they said......"JUST ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN WHITE TRASH HISTORY!" i loved how when they were in the house drinking the moonshine all the wall decorations.....with the naked ladies and the "Poison" posters...i think tese guys are litterally stuk in about 1986........

So when does "RACING WITH THE RUBE'S"air again(I miss Sweeny):checkered:

That's some great TV:applaud::idea:Add some nudity and you have a weekly hit:Steer

I live in Anderson as well about 15 blocks from Anderson Speedway.The horse track is here and nestle as well but other than that you can see whats left.No guide or delco just a whole bunch of rednecks (attempting to race)?There are a few real race fans left that get to take a deep breath once a year when the little 500 comes around or when the regional or usac midgets show up but other than that its a sad situation what the speedway has turned into.It could be a great facility if someone would buy it and show some interest in it.Until then Ill go to Gas City or Kokomo.These guys do keep the local bars and liqour stores in business though and after all they cant get a dwi on the track huh?

This "documentary" was on HBO, not ESPN. Be honest: Did you really expect them to show any half-way articulate, intelligent racers? It's all about entertainment. The track knew who it was getting into bed with, in a manner of speaking. Or at least it should have.

I just watched the show this morning off the DVR. Here are my thoughts.

1. The Night of Thrills and similar type events are run at many tracks across the country. I think the tracks do these nights to stay afloat. They know they can charge extra, get a lot of new faces in the stands and not really have to spend the money on a big purse. I know Columbus speedway adds a special like this every 6-8 weeks and jacks the admission from $12-$18 and the stands are alo fuller than a normal event.

2. I am not from Anderson but I do know that ANderson has lost alot of manufacturing but it also has added other types of business too. I think this was ignored. ALso, isn't Anderson now considered an extended suburb of the NE side of Indy?

3. As for the racing and the people I found it interesting the commitment that is given to their division. I got the impression that these folks were passionate about it and it was their bright light during the summer months. I have never been a big fan of these divisions but I have to admire their commitment.

Let be honest, the filmmakers of the documentary were more interested in making a point about the state of Anderson's economy, particularly it's automotive industries, than focusing on racing.

Next, this is an OPEN WHEEL website and open wheel racing is expensive! Someone made a comment is a previous post about how "white collar" people view racing. If you think there aren't white collar people in racing, you are delusional. Even with a good white collar job, affording a nice sprint car is next to impossible! And even if we assume that all open wheel people are nice, clean, humble, blue collar folk, think about races you've been to with both midgets or sprint cars and bombers on the bill. How many times have you seen someone in the pits shake their head about a bomber driver with a 2 peice driving suit and Garfield tiewrapped to his car? How many times have you heard someone muttering or even yelling about the G** D**m bombers oiling down the track before qualifying or the feature?

We love racing and we make fun of these guys! I think most people view this description of "racing" with a grain of salt.

Being from Anderson, this certainly isn't the type of "exposure" we need.:icon_smile_blackeye It is sad when these types of shows draw more spectators than quality racing like the Little 500, Anderson Midget 400 and USAC sprints and midgets.

As someone else mentioned, the promoter schedules these numerous times during the season which helps pay for the "loser" shows that don't draw enough people. With very little increase in purse, your increased attendance and back gate puts dollars in their pocket. It certainly doesn't paint a very nice picture of racing no matter who you are but if you are trying to stay open, this is what sells right now.

Much of this was done a couple of years ago so the City of Anderson isn't really that bad right now. We have additional businesses and hopefully the economy will turn and help draw more businesses to this community. Unfortunately, we still have these characters roaming the city.:rolleyes:

Also, if you think they drive bad there, just remember we have to "dodge" these idiots daily on the streets.:Steer:O::doh: