Its time for us to put a stop to the entry fees and no payout if you do not make the heats. I for one have vowed not to participate in any USAC event until it is changed. All who are with me on this voice your opinion and let people know. The more that do maybe they will wake up and change it. It is not our responsibility to pay their overhead. It is their reponisibility to raise those funds in other ways not through the people putting on the show. Here are my and Craig Doris post from another subject.
Originally Posted by riskybrisky5:
I told myself I was going to keep this to my self and not post this on the message board. But I cant I think it is to important to stay quiet. I have personally made a vow not to run with USAC again until one thing is changed. I participated in the Brownstown USAC race. It cost me $40.00 to enter one car, which is new this year to non members. On top of that it was $35.00 for each pit pass. I had 6 people that we paid to get in to help us. It cost us not counting methanal around $290.00 to enter the pits that is for 2 cars and pit passes. I didnt realize this until after the event we recieved 0 dollars for the event. If you do not make it through the non qualifers you recieve nothing. I dont know about other racers we cannot spend 200.00 per night to get in the races and get nothing back. We just can't afford it. My question is what is the $40.00 bucks per car for? Why are the racers expected to pay an entry fee over and above the pit pass. It should not be the racers responsibility to pay for USACS overhead. We are there to put on the show for the fans, and what a show it was the heats were outstanding. USAC should be paying there overhead through sponsorships, sanctioning fees, promotions and many other ways but not form there competitors. While all wing series find ways to pay show up money with no entry fees we are having to pay entry fees. MSCS pays all competitors $100.00 to show up. I have never been to a series where you recieve no money for racing. I could understand if you never hit the track, but if you race you should recieve money back. So until USAC takes the entry fee away or pays everyone I will not compete in another USAC event.
I urge all other racers who agree with me to voice your opinion and stay home also until this changes.
All promoters should stand up to USAC on this issue also. Take the Bloomington show for example that was rained out. By me not going and participating would have cost the promoter around $500.00 when you figure my crews pit pass money they lost as well as all my family and friends that follow me to the races. For that $40.00 dollar entry fee and no money at the end of the night for non qualifers cost you the promoter $500.00. Multiply that times every car that may not come because of the costs to participate with USAC.
I know some of you are going to bash me that if you cant afford $200.00 a night you dont need to be racing. Well fact is we cant. Also some will say drive harder and you will make the show. Fact is USAC is tough right now as tough as it has ever been. Some big teams will even find there way into the non qualifiers before years end. The diffence is some will have provisionals.
Point is this is not right and USAC needs to realize they made a mistake with the entry fees and step up and change it.
I have nothing against the new regimin and wish them the best. I do think they made a mistake with Greg Stabb. But that is just my opinion.
Originally Posted by Crankin:
Taking what Kevin B. had to say earlier in this thread, it reminded me of a letter that I wrote to USAC just before DuQuoin last Summer:
Rollie,
First off, I would have sent this to Mr. Snyder also, but I do not have his address.
I know you have much bigger concerns than what I am about to say here, but I'm sure that I am not alone on this.
We were trying like mad to get the car together to run DuQuoin. I know our presence there would not mean much to the big picture, as I just try to make shows. BUT! Another quality car in final car count never hurt anyone. I stopped by the USAC office to grab the registration paperwork on Friday morning in order to not have to fill it out in the pit line at DuQuoin. I had barely walked out your office doors when the math hit me... $815 TO JOIN!!! WHAT???!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? I walk back in where Greg tells me that that is correct. Then to top it off, NO T.P.'s??? WHAT THE...????? So your telling me that if I pay the "registraion fees, the entry fee of an additional $125, and two pit passes.. I would have to finish 10th just to break even on what I paid USAC to be there??? Again, I say, ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!!
A whole 5 dirt races on the schedule, and you raised the already ridiculous "registration fees" approx. $200 from what they used to be AND took away the T.P.'s? I am sorry Rollie, but this is a joke!
What am I getting more of, for the raise in fees, from what I was getting before?? What exactly was I getting before, when I registered the car? I have never understood why it costs $450 just to register the car for 5 dirt races? Where is all that $ going? I have asked many folks (why the high cost), and the only response that I have been given was, "because they race on the bigger tracks".... Yea??... And?... What does that mean? You can register for the Midget or Sprint Car divisions for $250 less, yet run 15 and 20 more races respectively (that is supposing you have both pavement & dirt cars of course)(when compared to the full SC schedule). How does that make any sense?
The T.P. thing is a total farce! You took that away from the Silver Crown division, yet I could have run all of Sprint Week on a T.P.. Where you historically have not hurt for cars at all!!!... Is there a coralation here???? Small entry fees, T.P.'s allowed, and if your running for points, a smaller "registration fee", and a heck of a lot more races to "break even" with USAC!
This is wrong. Very wrong! Our true feeling is that the 60-70 or so pavement cars that you used to have register with you (that is before any dirt only guys registered) are now gone. So you just raised the prices on the whole division to make up for the lost revenue. By doing that, you just priced a guy like me (a dirt only guy) right out of the game! I cannot have only 5 chances to run, and spend 1-2 of them just trying to pay my USAC bill!!! These cars, as you know, are costly enough just to put on a race track, without having to (overly) pay just to be allowed in the gate!
O.K., so there is my rant. You or Owen or both, need to somehow seperate the dirt division from the pavement deal. These are now, more than ever, two totally different types of owners. I am not talking about the Tony Stewarts of the world, but us average guys that still try to to this for fun, sport, and competition.
Respectfully, Craig Dori
When Kevin Miller solicited IOW's to e-mail him any concerns shortly after he started, I sent this letter.. To both Mr. Miller and Jason Smith. Neither of them has ever responded.
