:rolling

Racinstacie, I applaud you for speaking up. Before reading your post, I had drawn the conclusion that USAC was once again messing with the Silver Crown Division. Changing a 100 lap race to two 50 lap segments for safety reasons is alot different than changing the race format just because you can.

Johnny Heydenreich was also burned while driving Sharon Banks Silver Crown car during a PRA race in Florida.

If USAC'S reason for changing the race format is safety, they have my support. If they want to change the format for any other reason, I say leave the format at 100 laps.

Patti

been running 100 laps since the early 50's (at least!!) and they're a whole lot safer now than they were when Jimmy Bryan was runnin' em! USAC tinkers with things just for the sake of tinkering.

Some of the problems with the bladders is age. They like a lot of other race parts have a lifespan. The nature of the fuel tends to make them hard and brittle over time thus losing their elasticity. Perhaps a time limit ( date of manufacture) on them to bring them into compliance. Most of the cars are ten or more years old that is most likely beyond the life expectancy of the bladder.

Yes i agree, it is the age of bladders that is causing a lot of problems. Just ask Jason Mcord the age of some of these bladders and see wat he says.

Well, it seems that the Silver Crown series isn't exactly setting the world on fire right now, so perhaps USAC needs to tinker with the format. Besides, if they run two 50-lap segments, it's still 100 miles. What has fundamentally changed in this scenario?:confused:

With the economy in the tank right now, it's hard to get fans to justify high admission prices to see one race.

There are several reasons a tank may leak after a crash.

Tanks that have a lower p/u hose run a great risk because of the rearend knocking off the fitting. Other times it can be caused by an breech of the tank causing a leak. Sometimes it's the fact that the o-ring on top is dry-rotted.

Bladders do get hard overtime, but to be honest I feel that it is the fact that the bladders have been made lighter over the last ten years by using less material that raises the risk of being torn or punctured.

In my opinion, what is the difference between 75 gallons of fuel spilling or 37 1/2 Gallons? If anything, the car is going faster by carrying 263less pounds and there is less cushion when backing into a fence. (I realize a full tank can hydraulic and blow the plates off, but a nearly full tank does absorb energy)

I absolutely hate the idea of splitting up races because that just seems like a form of gimeckry to me. If the fans attention span is that short, then 50 won't change much for them. Silver Crown racing is basically endrance racing for the open wheel USAC world. Do the races get boring at times? Sure, but if you watch and stay involved you can often see the beginning of the hunt and the driver who waited or who's car came to them. You can see someone start to be tracked down and you get the anticipation of how, when and where they will be caught; if they do get caught.

You know what though, it's just one man's opinion. Maybe it needs to changed so people can be reminded on how good the other is. Maybe today's fan just isn't interested in anything that isn't instant satisfaction.

If you're going to tweek it, maybe make it 4/25 lap segments.
-Less fuel needed so that takes care of the safety issue.
-Each segment is it's own race and points are awarded to each segments finishing order.
-Winner is determined by overall points rather than just the finish of the last segment.
-More cars will finish as you are allowed to work on them if you have a problem in a segment, but you are not penalized laps down as each segment is it's own event.

If people want a change, lets really change it.

Uh oh. If they're going to work on cars between segments, I'm staying home. :O: IMO, the worst thing a promoter or sanctioning body can do is allow teams to work on cars during red flags or stopped portions of the racing program. Once the race starts..NO WORKING ON CARS!!! :thumbsdown:

I can understand both sides and really want to see the series to get going again. However, I am not for the twin 50 format for these reasons: a) The added cost of tires on the owners due to the fact that 99% of the cars would get new rubber on all four corners for the second 50. b) The shorter races would benefit the "banzai" drivers, which typically do not prosper at the 100's. Winning a 100 mile race on dirt takes a very smart driver. c) Who would pay money to see the Indianapolis Twin 250's on Memorial day! :checkered:
thanks,
Bronco Billy

I don't believe than the size of the fuel tank makes that much difference. We saw Tracy Hines' car (midget) burn up a number of years ago with a lot smaller tank. I think that it is more about the bladder. My vote would be to keep the races at 100 laps, but driver safety is always first.