All these Stand Fans on here love to beat people down, and it's kinda Sad. On the other Hand, it's what keeps message boards alive!

Mr Murdocks Creation is nothing more than a mans love for Racing and being able to take chances with thinking outside the Box. Good for Johnny and his Crew. From Mini Sprints to now Sprint cars, i have seen many strange things on Cars and people trying (R-n-D) something different. Nothing wrong with that! A fine expample would be the Bondio car..Sorry, but the first time i seen the small Left front Bicycle wheel i was like " Huh"...

I hope Murdock ignores these boards and continues to do what he Loves, and thinking outside the Box!

A absolutely love it when people ASSume.

Over the years, I have crewed a car that has won two different track championships in the same year. We also won a series championship.

Back in the day I also helped build several cars from scratch. We didn't have the luxury of hydraulic tube benders either, it was ALL bent the old fashion way with a manual tube bender.

I have also worked as the Competition Director at a sprint Car track for several years and I was just offered a position as the Technical Director with a national touring series just a couple of weeks ago (I declined).

So I have been around a bit and not just in the stands. I'm sorry If I hurt your or Mr. Murdock's feelings. But if you want to be an innovator, that's fine. But be realistic. When I think of innovators at the Chili bowl, I look at what guys like Andy Bondio, Sammy Swindell and have done. Yes, they have gone outside "the box", but they were also able to back it up with RESULTS. Doing something "outside the box" just to draw attention is not "innovation"...

Mr.Hawker is correct. It be "innovative" the designer/builder/ whatever should, at least, have an idea or concept of something that is superior to what currently exists. From the picture, I see absolutely nothing about this car, that is superior to current design.
It was stated earlier that this guy has an iron engine and was trying to cut weight. Well, the frame is not the place to cut weight. In fact, with a heavier engine, he probably needs a stouter frame to support the extra weight. His best bet to cut weight would be to figure out how to get an aluminum engine.
It was also stated that he had practiced getting out of this thing quickly, but I'll bet he hasn't practiced in "real world" conditions such as a flaming engine eruption or with the car laying on its side with his "birdcage" collapsed down around his head after a couple of barrel roll flips. It is not only necessary for the driver to be able to get himself out of the car but, sometimes, it is necessary for the safety crew to get him out, which is the reason for the, USAC required, large opening through the top of the cage.
Sometimes it is important for the race promotors to have a competent tech inspector to reject this type of stuff, If the promotors don't do it, the insurance companies will.

I have seen a front wheel impinge into the top of a conventional cage too. Johnny could probably expand your thinking a bit if you ever talked to him and got an understanding of what he was thinking as he spent his money and developed that car. I assure you he was not just randomly welding tubing together.

Very nice reply in wording Badgerfan! All in all, I say it was one of Johnny's better runs. Only two spots out of transfer to next race on Sat! Going for C-main win on prelim night...

Jason Dull
815 494 6002
jdull99@hotmail.com
jasondull.com (For all the Racing News)

Okay, this reminded me.... There was a rumor running rampant at the CB the KO was going to show up for the 25th anniversary with a cageless "throw back" car......and race!

He was told. "Not no, but hell no!"


Also, not to drift off topic, but since I mentioned KO, I must ask... was I the only one who saw him throw the "rubber arm" out on the track in turns 3 & 4 right after being pushed off? It was freaking hilarious, when they were lining up, you could see that someone saw something on the track, the radioed the corner worker to go get is and he lost it when he got about 5 feet away and realized what it was...

Hawker, your previous posts were an attempt to poke fun at Johnny by saying that he was good for bringing out cautions..nothing was metioned about innovation.

As nice as it is that you've been around racing and giving us your resume is great, however I fail to see where you mention you've actually been behind the wheel and RACED without bringing out a caution? I'm just saying before you critique someones driving ability perhaps you should try it yourself.

Okay, just to satisfy you, no, I have not been behind the wheel (in a race) to bring out a caution. However, I have been to nearly every Chili Bowl which is the only place I have seen Johnny drive. So, based on that, I was not "attempting to poke fun at Johnny", I based my post off of his performance over the years that I have witnessed myself. I'm sorry that I used facts, maybe next time I will conjure up some BS for you instead. Also, as far as critiquing someone's driving ability, since when did it take a driver to assess a driver? Is that what you tell guys like Andy Bondio, Joe Loyet?

As far as the "innovation" portion of my post... After your response, the "gang tackle" commenced and the thread immediately turned to "innovation" to which I "encompassed" into my response, since I was so late to come back on here to read the gibberish because I was at the races instead of holding a vigil on this forum waiting for another victim.

Thank you! No further questions...

Okay guys, I agree it is just plain weird looking. However I talked with Johnny the week before he left for the CB, He told me his thinking was to stop something from coming in the cage.
I was friends with Shannon Finley who was killed in a midget when a wheel popped him in the head while he was flipping. I do not know for sure what happened with Chad McDaniel however I have heard that something got inside the cage with him.
Johnny thinks a little different but he does try to do stuff.
It is easy to get on here and bash Johnny, however if you ever met the guy and got to know hm you would have a hard time finding a nicer guy.
Jeff Palazzolo