wideopen24: I know pennsylvania has some great talent. Honestly thats why i think I will have a terrible time getting a ride even here. Like you said, unless you got 50-100 grand and your own equipment....you wont even be looked at. I know cody darrah (KKR WoO prospect) very well. NOW, dont get me wrong, the kid can drive (no opinions needed). But he had everything in the world. And he gets a ride with KKR. Kid like me (or anyone else like me) has little, but CAN prove themselves on the track, and not even a passing glance. Why?? As previously mentioned....i plan on building my own cars at some point. Honestly, if my parents (again only 16) would allow, i would build myself a midget now. For probably half the price for a spike... and once we sold everything, we might be able to put a half decent motor together. But, at 16 parents get what parents want. and right now (possibly for the next 2 years till i turn 18) i'll be in a 270 micro sprint. Im hoping a good friend of ours will give me the oppt to drive his 358 sprint in the near future, but he has a great driver. and until for whatever reason they seperate....im waiting.
TQ stands for three-quarter. As in 3/4s the size of a full midget. They use basically a mini sprint chassis (upright) and a motorcycle engine as a power plant. They still have direct drive gearboxes and need push started. They're pretty fun to watch on a small fairgrounds track. Google UMRA tq midgets. Posted via Mobile Device
Originally Posted by wideopen24:
Im 21 years old and live in Ohio.... I drive sprintcars 2-3 nights a week in Ohio and Indiana and have for 3 years I own all my own stuff and rent a shop.... I drive about 2 hours most fridays to Gascity come back home and run Waynesfield on saturday and then make the 3 hour sunday haul to Kokomo(greatest drit track in the world)... I have worked for race teams in Indiana and Ohio and planned on moving there to continue my racing and be closer to the tracks I run....
The problem is..... unless you have about 50-100 grand you wont find a ride in Indiana period. Guys like Dave Darland and Jon Stanbough still sit at home sometimes because there arent very many teams the hire on talent alone... if your hoping to move to Indiana to find any ride you better have a big wallet coming with you... if your coming just to re-locate and still own your own stuff DO IT!!!!! Indiana is the best LOCATION in the world for a racer....but its not the place to get a ride... My point is I still live in Ohio and drive to Indy... there would be no benefit for me to leave my friends and family other than location....
Also...PA seems like the place to be for Midget racing and there Winged Sprintcar purses are 10 times better then out local purse here.... Some of the best drivers in the country move to P.A. because of the compition and money!!!
The last time I checked two of the best drivers in the country Darland and Stanbrough have full time rides and they never have go far to find other rides if they need one.Heck I even seen them on the same team at the end of the year at one of the best tracks in the country!!!!!!
I would invite and actually suggest any young aspiring driver who is looking to move to indiana without a pot to piss in look up Brad sweet or Justin Grant.
Both of these guys and there are others, showed up in indiana with out a lot and have done one hell of a job making there way in this sport. The guys who want to use the excuse that "well you need 50-100K to even get a look" are guys who just didn't have the talent or the mental fortitude that it takes to make it in this sport...
Every time I see that I think of Brad in his broken down truck and open trailer and his wore out race car and justin sleeping in shops and scraping mud and working his ass off to get his shot and think what a slap in the face it is to those guys and the many who have made it before them.
Originally Posted by Tim Clauson:
I would invite and actually suggest any young aspiring driver who is looking to move to indiana without a pot to piss in look up Brad sweet or Justin Grant.
Both of these guys and there are others, showed up in indiana with out a lot and have done one hell of a job making there way in this sport. The guys who want to use the excuse that "well you need 50-100K to even get a look" are guys who just didn't have the talent or the mental fortitude that it takes to make it in this sport...
Every time I see that I think of Brad in his broken down truck and open trailer and his wore out race car and justin sleeping in shops and scraping mud and working his ass off to get his shot and think what a slap in the face it is to those guys and the many who have made it before them.
Tim Clauson
Tim hit it on the head. Unless you have been at this for 20-30 years, you will probably need to bring some funds. That's just the way it is now. Be that owning your own stuff or taking some money (sponsor or your own) to someone. Should it be that way? No, your skills alone should be enough, but these are different times...have been for a while. Back in the day, your driving was enough. If you want to make it, raising funds is part of the "job" of driving.
Sweet is the perfect example of hard work. I remember him showing up around here and just making it with what he had. You could see he was a gasser and would do well in better equipment. Year by year he was in better equipment because of his driving and now look at where he is. He's got a pretty good deal going. Raising funds is just part of it now. Becoming a driver these days is more than just steering the car. If you want in, you have to do some leg work on the business side too. It's not easy, but it's a fact.
Originally Posted by cmiracingvids:
TQ stands for three-quarter. As in 3/4s the size of a full midget. They use basically a mini sprint chassis (upright) and a motorcycle engine as a power plant. They still have direct drive gearboxes and need push started. They're pretty fun to watch on a small fairgrounds track. Google UMRA tq midgets. Posted via Mobile Device
Google MTQRL, it is the new, and up and coming league of TQ racing. Lots of pictures and videos on their web site. I know you would like to build your own car, but that requires more skills, than bending tube, and a lot more equipment than you can easily haul around, plus the dollar factor X 6, put some coin together, and buy something, so you can display your skills, that's a good way to the top, or at least a ride. Bob
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
I really appreciate all the feedback from everyone.
As far as the business side of things....as I said before, I can help somewhat financially. Sponsors is a little different because all of my sponsors are local to me. However, i've got a killer way to get sponsors, in my area anyway. It would be worth a shot in Indiana.
I think of at least one main thing about why I may be able to get this to work....I plan on doing it young. If I can scrap something together and make the move and have something to race...ill stick it out for a couple years. If I'm doing well, and nobody seems interested i can make the move back and live with mom and dad again. On the contrary, if Im loving it without a ride....i can stick it out for longer. But as im sure some of you know. When your so into racing as I am...its hard to give it up. even for a year or 2. I started doing this when I was 4.
TQ29m- I understand that. I'm only 16 but ive been around long enough that I know the ins and outs. Ive used a bender. I can weld. Ive used just about every fab tool you can thing of (basic: benders, welders, sheet metal brakes, etc.)
Edt**: I wasn't really saying that you had to have money, just stating that around here, more money seems like more oppurtunities
Powri is a very good midget series, but it is run mostly in Illinois. Between little Belleville, Granite City, Macon and Jacksonville a guy could run about 75% of the schedule. The car counts are good and the shows are well run. I enjoy them alot.
