OK
The Hot setup now is drifting??? What the heck is cool about drifting. Every time it snowed I would go out and find a parking lot and practice drifting, that was in 1959 I have always been a head of the times. You did have to remember which lots had the those darned parking bumpers in them however, and the crowds weren't too large either. Sometimes I had to go out and generate a crowd to get me off of those darned bumpers.
Brad said Manufacture name recognition, Ok. He said action nothing with more action than a car half hidden in tire smoke going sideways down the straight front stretch, unless it's a NASCAR driver showing off after winning a race and leaving the very last bit of what is left of his motor and tires out on the race track.
We are in agreement that the Modern four valve small automotive engine could save Midget racing. That's great now we have cars and drivers filling up the pits. How the heck do we fill up the grand stands with computer literate young people.
1. Everybody agrees young people like to watch action even if they aren't too awfully enthused about being active them selves. As an old man I cant think of anything less active than as race on a 1/2 mile and larger race track, sure if a couple of cars get tangled up it is scary for about 2 seconds but for the most parts that is boring racing. Big race tracks are for the astute race fan, you know the ones that take notice to every small nuance of every small event that takes place on the race track, not your casual fan, but the kind that reads and responds in IOW.
2. The PowrI big advantage over USAC has been it's tiny little race tracks for the most part located somewhere out in the sticks far far away from major city's and their massive amounts of entertainment possibility's for the general public. They are the only show in town for miles around. Folks in the sticks like something to do on weekends also. If you are it you get their niche business. A substantial business in a small market beats no business in a large market.
3. Most people don't like race track with long boring straightaway's the action is in the turns so keep the turns as close together as you can. Build a smaller track inside of the big one, make it wide with maybe the inside grove almost flat, put a berm inside of it for the races to ride on, as you move out on the track increase the banking, make it a little track but make it wide, wide to heck with three wide racing lets make it 5 wide racing.
4. I guess track owners like the bigger track because they better fit the large sedans that they are used to racing on them. The old sedans with their 2.97 rear ends just put in in second and stepped on the gas. Well times are changing them sedans are getting dates with crushers and are disappearing from the scene very rapidly. Just like the Focus and Echotec Midgets those are the popular race car of the future, and they don't perform well on big old race tracks either.
5. Car owners and drivers can probably build back their numbers with simpler rules with an eye to keeping cost down not with rules that never work but guidelines to keep the racers in line. Keep options of handicapping the hot dogs open and keep weight and tire requirements to sensible limits. It it requires unobtanium to make weight then raise the weight limit. The budget racer is handicapped with these not so very logical weight limits. In midgets do you make a 250 pound driver look for another class to race in and keep the Midget Class only for the Jockeys among us?
6. If racing is going to come back it will take the racers and track operators working together to do it.
In Kentucky our state motto is "United We Stand Divided We Fall" think about it.
Honest Dad himself
