Talk about tires during the race all you want, that is only a small part of the problem. Testing is just as big, if not bigger issue with USAC Pavement Sprints. If you hope to be up front you better have logged a bunch of laps testing at each track. Anyone can buy a Beast and get a baseline setup from Bob. There are a bunch of guys who have done that. If you want to beat them, you better test and fine tune. Otherwise you are playing catch-up as soon as you unload.

How many tires will you burn through testing? How much wear and tear on the car, motor and everything else.
Cost to rent the track, travel, etc. It all takes $.

Need For --

OK, look -- I'm not trying to be ambiguous here. Please accept my apologies.
Please allow me to re-phrase:

People have been complaining about many of the SAME THINGS for years.
These people are promoters, car owners, & sponsors who often have great suggestions.

If changing things was such a high priority, it would have happened a long time ago.
But, that ship has sailed and you're beating a dead horse. So, at best, you get the status quo.

IMO...A great many changes have been blatantly self-serving and fraught with collusion.
You list some examples (i.e. Silver Crown, dual sanctioning fees, overly-priced POS Hoosier tires...)
Other people on this board have called out Beast. Others have called out team-specific tire deals.

So, with the quote, it was
"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less."

Pavement sprint teams are simply tired year after year with the same things keep happening over & over.
These teams are simply racing more elsewhere; racing less; or not racing at all.
And, in effect, USAC Pavement Sprints are becoming irrelevant and hanging by a thread.

Why do you think they added 1/4 midgets and the TORC divisions? Because they're cool & easier to manage.
I doubt it. It's business, people. Clearly, it's been decided that there is a brighter future & more profitability there.
Think about it...Sometimes it just is what it is...

Have a good night,
Jimmy Baumgartner

(P.S. - Appreciate the opportunity to express my views here. I'm hopeful they are taken constructively. Thanks.)

You are correct in that I haven't been around USAC much. They rarely run down this way. But I am aware they seem to have a problem connecting with their pavement racers and tracks. And even though they are a club, they still have customers and if they aren't providing what their customers want they will lose that part of their business eventually. I plan on starting another thread to discuss the SC situation.

As I mentioned, I've taken part in a racer's boycott of a track. In our case it worked out. It got the promoters attention and I didn't see much fall out from the fans. But it's still a risky undertaking in my opinion. Assuming there are enough cars and interest, which may or may not be the case, someone will be able to fill this niche. Hoosier can build a tire that lasts and if they won't then American Racer or someone else will.

---------- Post added at 03:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

Yes, perhaps it has. On the other hand if you remove all of my posts, those of observer whining about my thread and posts and Needs, this thread still has run over 8 pages, more than most threads currently running. So someone is still interested.

You don't seem misinformed to me. You seem to have wrapped it up pretty succinctly in 3 lines. And you've at least enlightened me on this subject.

To me, either USAC steps up and makes a concerted effort to bring up their car counts or someone else, HOSS or the other series that has been mentioned, or perhaps a new group gets people together.

if you keep doing what your doing you will get what you have been getting! You have to change!!!!!!!!!! Most car owners can't afford one car let alone two!!!!!!!!!! Think about it?

Clean sheet of paper. Or sort of.

New series. Gather up everyone that has a car running or not running. See who is interested. Make the rules that suit everyone. Just kidding on that part. Actually make the rules that enough people can live with. If high dollar racing team wants to allow things that most can't or won't pay for, thank them for their time and wish them luck in what ever they do. Contact a tire company as ask them to provide a tire that can last a reasonable amount of time/laps. If they can't or won't do that contact someone else. If none will do so, then do the Rockford Rules thing and put them all on G60s or something. Schedule daytime races to not compete with dirt races.

Speaking as a fan and only for myself, I don't think it's that important that the cars be the most powerful or the fastest and certainly not the most expensive to run. What I care about is are their enough cars that are reasonably competitive. Give me 30 cars, 3 or 4 heat races, a B main or two and a 20-24 car feature and I'll spend my money to go see them. I'll even travel to do so, although probably not to Indiana. And if they get those in Indiana and they get them on TV, I'll watch on TV. I remember setting my alarm to wake up at 3 am to watch sprints back in the early ESPN days.

There are times Superduke makes sense.

Jim Fisher
www.fscpictorial.com

if you think about it bout 99% of the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK NOW what? Less stop B S and work together to change something any thing

Are you a car owner? Driver? If so get intouch with kevin miller at usac 317-247-5151

I talked to USAC when they tried to start the sprints with the Wed. regional series. I was told these are the rules. No changes or adjustments. Permit, USAC tires, neck restraint, all for the regional purse. No HOSS or AVSS tires.

Yes I have run with and without the wing. A dirt car with a wing somewhat comperitive. A dirt car with out the wing is a handful. I am afraid that we are too late. When HOSS started as Capitol and when SOD ran some pavement everybody had dirt made into combo cars, gradually the dirt cars went away. I think 1 or 2 dirt cars this year. It would be hard to get guys to sell and go back.

Yes, I have run American Racer, both on sprint and midgets. They do last longer, but with a bigger car count you might not make the feature. Their tire takes longer "to come in" thus slower qualifing, and slower first laps of the heat.

Let's have the pavement cars try to run dirt, about the same problems, but it probably will not happen.

There are no simple answers. Everybody needs to drop the ego and work together.

Duke, you have promoted. Start a group. I'll support if possible.

An argument helps nobody.