[jdull99]

Originally Posted by Bob Parker Frank, Thanks for your reply. As I always get a little miffed when the subject of midget engines comes up. I want to make sure I follow what you are saying. Based on your comment using my arbitrary % figure here —-- So are 80% of the non-D2 and BMARA midget engines just non-competitive at the Xtream and USAC national level?

I'm not Frank, and I just mentally can't 100% connect everything about the last sentence of your question (the "the non-D2 and BMARA midget engines" part just throws me off...it's like 3 different kinds of midgets...and yes, I certainly realize the top bmara ones can go just as fast as national ones and cost less than a national engine...) but bottom line, I think it is few and far between when anything other than a TRD or SR-11 has won a recent National midget race...Corey Day/and the Kahne team (somehow) at Turkey night with their 20+ year old Mopar, but otherwise, I'm not sure...

This is an article about the TRD's & SR-11/etc from like two years ago; and I'm not sure how much has changed since -

https://www.performanceracing.com/ma...-midget-racing

But then, the definition of "competitive" has to be established. Do racers run top 5 sometimes with something else? Top 10? Lead lap? What classifies them as competitive?

Ideally there ARE examples of different combos at least being relevant in the field. The Engler cars? What else is out there?

You can go thru last year's USAC results and start seeing a lot of the same car #s up front, but you have to look around to figure out who might be running smthn other than a TRD or a SR11...

https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/20...onship_Central

I can't find Xtreme results from 2025, but here is 2024...(for the same research)

https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/20...Toyota_Central

What engines were Tmez and Daum running when they won?

[jdull99]

What you can notice in those result links tho, the car counts are actually pretty healthy all-and-all (yes, I noticed some 17/18 car Xtreme nights in 2024, but, as noted, that was an exception). Solid feature fields and B-mains on many occasions.

Is it like it was 40 years ago? No, but what is? NASCAR and Indycar certainly are not the same as they were...(really, is winged sprint car racing about the only form of racing that is as strong or stronger than it was???)

I look at it as; it's professional midget racing. The teams are well prepared, and many have full-time mechanics...it's like a traveling series of top-notch efforts. I really don't know if that can be considered a bad thing...it's like when the WoO / HL come to town, you are gona have the best of the best running; but in this case; it is the USAC midgets. Which, I think those involved should be proud of...just sadly, it's not 1986 anymore...

&, if you look at those results, no one ran the full season!!! (Back when USAC scheduled on top of itself...which I haven't figured out when the 1st year they didn't do that was...)

https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/19...Series_Central