Posters like DM10 and dwb are perfect examples of a message board malignancy which haunts this and other boards. To attempt to blame all that is wrong with the world on USAC is merely a manifestation of the ugly sore that provides the outward signs of that malignancy.

I don't think Kenny Brown and the Siners put this show together just so they could get a few seconds of air time on Speed Report. Besides, anyone who was there saw enough officials in neon yellow POWRi shirts to know who ran this deal.

And face it, no matter how some might feel about USAC, after 53 years, they are a brand name. When the casual fan hears "USAC", they think A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. When the causual fan hears "POWRi", they think of a short yardage, goal line offensive formation in football. If having USAC on board helps get even more companies sign on to sponsor this race in the future, then I'm all for having them "piggy-back" on this race.

Plus we got the distinct treat of listening to two of the best announcers in racing, Jim Childers and Rob Klepper, team up on the announcing. That alone was worth having USAC co-sanction this race.

Although I would say he maintains an obsession with the Chilli Bowl purse, Don Moore is actually one of my favorite IOW posters, if only because his mere appearance on any thread guarantees that his detractors will proceed to pop a vein. They make for some entertaining reading.:O:

Plus, I tend to agree whole-heartedly with 90-95% of what he says.

Great show! Saturday night it was officially pronounced the first annual race, so it
is on for next year and years to come. I live 1/2 hour away and only attended
Saturday night. :headbang*STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! I missed some of the best and fiercest
racing. No time trials. Drivers are awarded passing points. Fast guys fighting up
through two nights of qualifying races to get enough points for a decent start in
Saturday's C main, two B mains Dash and A main. Next year we're joining the motor
home bunch and not missing a minute of action.

Photos: http://www.stlracingphotos.com/Tri-City%20Speedway

Don was right. Powri put this show on. I'm not saying USAC wasn't involved, but their presence seemed more of a diplomatic one than an official one. I believe with the money on the line, the cars and stars of USAC would have been there anyway.

To me it's the small things that matter and one example of how well the show was run was when they where pushing the cars off for the feature. The cars where lined up on the front straight facing the crowd. When the drivers crossed the stage they were escorted to their cars by some lovely young ladies.

When the cars pushed , Jim Siner walked down the line and made sure each car could be pushed off without causing a problem. To the casual observer that seems like no big deal, but for the cars at the wrong angle, it would have been hard for them to push off without getting run over by the truck or tearing the driveline up.

In my opinion,Powri runs a better program than USAC. I have seen some good USAC shows this year, but of the 5 Powri shows I went to, there was not a bad one on the bunch and the show ran like clock work each night.

Granted Powri has one series and not the mess of different series' and levels that USAC seems to have going, but that means they are focused on the task at hand and they are damn good at it.

I know USAC is a series and group in a state of change right now and I respect that, but there is nothing wrong with giving credit when credit is due. Powri is a great series to be a part of right now and I would hate to think where midget racing would be without them. Many people get upset when USAC is critisized and not everything going on is directly their fault(Although I am investigating the world wide economy crisis just to make sure they don't have their hand in it somehow) but Powri is a better run series right now and I only hope that makes USAC strive to be better than them and that will make racing even better.

I think for the majority, most teams that show up and run with Powri feel respected by the club and they leave the night after a show feeling that their presence was appreciated. For many people, that's all they want from a club is to be treated with respect.

To me;that was an A++++ experience across the board.

After blotching the Hut Hundred who would want USUC to run the show? Oh maybe one of PatOconnerfans drivers couldn't start because he didn't get a "USUC provisional" or didn't win and he's sore about a perfect run show?

I would recommend that those that have posted on here about USAC not being mentioned in my original post take a course in how to understand the English language and make correct deductions after reading a paragraph. Secondly, please do your research before posting your slams and negative comments. My post was 100% correct. Thirdly, research the dates of the press releases made by the Gundakers and POWRi and USAC.

FACT: Tammy and Kevin Gundaker AND Kenny Brown founded this event and executed it's development, not the United States Auto Club.

FACT: The stars and cars (as someone called them) had already made plans to participate in this event last spring. I know for a fact that TSR, the Kahne team and Wilke-PAK declared that they would be there.

FACT: The August USAC press release only states that the Gold Crown Nationals had joined the USAC calendar.

Here is the original press release:

Pontoon Beach, IL (January 25, 2008) Tri-City Speedway will Host one of the biggest paying events in the history of the facility When they host the "Gold Crown Midget Nationals" on Oct 9th, 10th & 11th. A hugh field of Midget cars are expected to converge on the 3/8 mile facility with Saturdays A-Main paying an impressive $15,000 to win and $1,000 just to start.

The O'Reilly POWRi Racing Series presented by Lucas Oil will Sanction the event. The format will feature an open practice on Wednesday, Oct 8th for any Midget team wanting to get a headstart on their setup. Then, the action kicks off on Thursday, October 9th with full lineup of heat races, lower mains and $1500 to win feature. Friday, October 10th will see the same format. The top two finishers from Thursday and Fridays night's A-Main will be locked into Saturday night's A-Main. Also, the next top four in points earned from Thursday and Friday night's action will also be locked in to Saturday's A-Main . The remaining cars will be lined up according to points earned Thursday & Friday in lower main events on Saturday and race their way in to Saturday A-Main. The 8 drivers locked in will run in the DuPont Dash to determine their starting spot in the $15,000 to win A-Main.

Tri-City Speedway is located in Pontoon Beach, IL by Granite City. The Track is located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO. Take exit 4 off of I-270 and then go a 1/2 mile south on SR 203. For Tickets or more information, you can call the track office 800-617-9077 or 618-931-7836 or visit their website at www.tricityspeedway.net

Promoted by: Kevin & Tammy Gundaker 636-448-9111



POWRi to Sanction the Richest Midget Show in 2008. "As one of the biggest dirt Midget races of the season and one of the last, we expect to see the best drivers come out not only from the Midwest, but from around the country." Continuing Brown stated, "Tri-City is the perfect venue for an event like this, "Brown continued. " The track has been a supporter of POWRi since our first season and we believe all of our competitors will enjoy the chance to compete at this historic track. (www.powri.com).

USAC joined this event somewhere around August 22. Here is the press release:

Press Releases: RICHEST MIDGET RACE OF 2008 JOINS USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CALENDAR
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008 @ 16:07:26 EDT



From Dick Jordan: The richest Midget race of 2008 - the October 9-11 DuPont "Gold Crown Midget Nationals" at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach (Granite City), Ill., has joined the USAC Mopar National Midget calendar. Saturday night's (Oct. 11) feature event offers $15,000 to win and $1,000 to start, completing three nights of racing at the 3/8-mile dirt oval located just east of the Mississippi River, northeast of St. Louis, Mo.

Co-sanctioned by USAC and POWRi, the event will showcase the finest Midget racing on the planet at a track with USAC history dating back to 1961.

Preliminary events are scheduled Oct. 9-10, with features each night, building to Saturday's climactic "shootout" for $15,000.

Josh Wise won USAC's last Midget race at Tri-City, in 2005, on his way to the USAC National Midget title. Defending two-time USAC National Midget Champion Jerry Coons Jr. finished ninth in that 30-lap race.

Tracy Hines is the current USAC Mopar National Midget Series point leader and he and Coons are trying to join USAC's elusive list of "Triple Crown" champions this season. Hines needs to win the Midget title, while Coons needs both the K & N Silver Crown and Sprint Car titles. Coons leads the Silver Crown standings and is second in the Sprints.

The race has associate sponsorship from Wente's O & W Restaurant and the Bob Wente Classic. The Wente family is represented among the track's USAC feature winners as Bob won in the Midgets there in 1969.

A total of 47 USAC races have been conducted at Tri-City. Danny Frye won the first Midget race in August, 1961 and winners since then have included Indianapolis 500 veterans Tony Stewart, J.J. Yeley, Tom Bigelow, Pancho Carter, Jack Hewitt, Greg Weld, Jimmy Caruthers, Larry Rice, Mel Kenyon and Wente.

Don, you are wrong. Those USAC cars (at least KKR, TSR, Kunz, etc.) were not guaranteed to be there until the USAC sanction was added.

And, if you want the truth, the only thing USAC asked ALL YEAR for co-sanctions was to have a USAC purse and to have their race director right alongside POWRi's. That is what you saw this weekend.

Also, the opportunity to have a USAC race against this race was there, but USAC kept knocking on the door to be included at Granite City, even after being turned away multiple times. Luckily, everybody decided to do what was best for the event, and for midget racing as a whole. The USAC tag on this race got it on Speed Report. The USAC tag on this race picked up a few cars, including quite a few of the contenders.

I am usually hard on tracks and sanctioning bodies when they don't get things right. I am the biggest critic of USAC you can find - but I also live in reality and only get on their case when something is their fault. The thing is, I'm not afraid to talk to the players one-on-one. I made sure to know what was going on with this event from the beginning, and I was extremely happy to see it work out so well. I got another opportunity to see the POWRi folks, and the competitors and officials with that group are a lot of fun. The Gundakers have a great track now, and the little things they do are what make them so successful.

I look forward to this getting bigger and better, and I know it will. I also look forward to certain people coming back to reality and looking at things with an objective eye, but I'm not so sure that will ever happen...

"Understanding the English Language 101" is offered at most community and junior colleges.

That "fact" is wrong. Or is this the new tricky kind of English that only Don Moore knows...?