Originally Posted by Chris Nunn:
Willie Sallee had the grader out on the track at about 11AM, the wind didnt help the track much
What's a grader have to do with moisture in the track? I never saw the water truck all evening long. The track was WAY too short of water before the first hot lap. It was hard as a rock and didn't appear to have been chisel plowed from the night before. You can't leave a track packed like concrete from a previous race and expect it to take on water. You have to break up the surface. That hard slick BS may be ok for taxicabs and jalopies, but a non-wing sprinter is at it's best with a heavy track and a deep cushion. That place is surrounded by the river, there's no excuse for a shortage of water on the track.
What could have been an excellent show turned out to be a single file parade, there wasn't anything to get a hold of if you tried to pass. If they can't prepare a decent racing surface on a cold spring night with rain the prior evening, can you imagine the dustbowl in August? They should sell the sheepsfoot for scrap, (the last thing that track needs is to be 'packed'), and invest in some chisel plows and aerators. Actually USING the water truck wouldn't hurt. I saw my first sprint car race as a child with my Father in 1953 and have been to 57 race tracks in 11 states from Florida to California. Brownstown and Vernon both have great layouts, but are the worst 2 I've been to when it comes to prepping a track (moisture/cushion) for sprinters. Remember the California Racing Assn. midwest sprint car tour debacle at Brownstown in the early 90's? The track prep crews of these tracks should go to Haubstadt, a.k.a. the 'class track', voted the best prepared track in Indiana year after year. Watch the master Tommy Helfrich work his magic,and take notes. He accomplishes more in a 25 minute intermission than these local tracks can do in a week. Vernon's late start far surpassed that amount of time. They spent more time than that refereeing the fights.
Better yet the next time these 2 tracks schedule a big sprint car show please hire Helfrich to prepare your track. The fans and drivers will love you for it. And if you think you've seen 'good' sprint car racing before on these surfaces?.. Then you will be in for a treat.