the tire deal is a definete killer. no way as a fan would i know from the stands if the leader is using a hoosier or american racer. but the insider dealings is something we will never no the truth about. the high cost of tires and the tires ability to handle more HP have made the engine builders build more expensive engines that make more hp. these 2 things dont make the racing any better, they actually make it worse.
first thing that needs to happen is for hoosier or american racer or joe blow down the street needs to make an affordable tire that will last a couple of races. something a little harder, not as wide, stiffer sidewalls. this one thing would help all racers control the cost and as fans we would see more competitive racing. just my 2 cents.

[DonMoore10]

Ovalmeister gets an A+ for that post!!!!!! A job well done.

[IndyBound]

David, post #6 well said.

Don Moore as a race fan for 50 plus years I really don't care what tire the cars run on, as Seadog pointed out I don't think the average fan can tell the difference. As a former supermodified car owner I know quite a bit about the tire wars between Goodyear and Hoosier. Goodyear was the only tire you could run when I first started following the supermodifieds. Once Goodyear became the dominate tire in the Nascar divisions it opened a door for Hoosier to bring all of the open wheel divisons under their umbrella, so to speak. The supers have probably ran Hoosier rubber for about 20 to 25 years now.

In your original post you were looking for Sun Prairie and Rumble Series fans to respond, unfortunately I have never attended either. The only things I know about them I have learned from the IOW members posting on this site. However, like David midget racing has been one of my favorite forms of auto racing for the past 50 plus years. The supermodifieds have run at Thompson, Oswego, Star and Lee Speedways with the NEMA midgets for special events; just recently I learned Joey Payne a very successful NEMA midget driver will step away from the midgets and concentrate on running supers this year. That decision wasnn't made because of the high cost of running a midget, it was made because of the number of Thursday night races NEMA has booked this year. In todays economy Joey felt he cann't take the time away from his 9-5 job, the job that puts the food on the table and a roof over his families head to go racing on a Thursday night. Feeling it was unfair to the car owner he has driven for to only run select races he stepped away from the midgets. TQ midgets were one of my other favorite forms of midget racing, the Can-Am TQ midgets held a winter series at the Niagara Falls Convention Center for years until the place was turned into an Indian Casino, I attended every race ever held there.

The recent Thursday night practice at Manzy saw 29 midgets take to the track, more than the sprints or SC, on Friday Rob announced there were 44 midgets, I think I counted 41 actually take to the track for racing action. I thought that was a strong showing for hauling half way cross country to run.

This race fan feels you need to channel your energy into building the midget series up, get over the fact that you have to run Hoosier Tires or go play with the divisions that run the cheaper tire. All divisions of auto racing are loosing car owners, drivers, sponsors and race tracks to run on this year more than ever. My experience with Hoosier Tire Co. has always been if they have a tire deal with a racing organization or track they do put money back into the point fund, etc.; if this doen't make you happy play some where else.

This race fan and IOW member is tried of you starting new thread after new thread simply to express your dislike for Hoosier Tire Co.. Midget racing is expensive, all forms of racing are expensive my theory on that Nascar single-handedly drove the cost of auto racing sky high. All forms of auto racing are paying the price for Nascar's success.

Pull your midget out of your garage an go racing at the track that makes you the happiest, support your local track and be thankful it is still there to race on.

Good Luck in 2009!

Patti

[Mud Packer]

David & Patti,

Thank you for posting quality posts that neither slam anyone or attack another poster.:applaud: You have taken the question and put together thought provoking answers that spell out the situation of midget racing in 2009.:thumb Unfortunately, we have far too few of these types of posts and way too many that are laughable at best.

[#1Brad Kuhn Fan]

IMO: Its racing.... I like the midgets better than any other kind of racing.Midgets are great on dirt or pavement. I feel that 2 many people focus on this :angry-smiley-007: other than :checkered:... Midget racing is great.no matter what the rules are.Lets just enjoy are self and be thankful that midget racing is still around for all us die-hard race fans to enjoy. :thumb

Originally Posted by Ovalmeister How 'bout the chassis? Shocks? Oil? Wheels? Bars? etc...... Think it through..... David.

You proved my point exactly...

You remember when NASCAR ran the Hoosiers? The tires decided everything in a lot of races. Chassis, shocks, oil, wheel, bars, driver, etc. ... non of that mattered. Have the right tires and you fun up front ... you don't think that would get people complaining?

As far as the Focus/Kenyons being created to be more affordable ... well, I would have to say that experiment has failed to this point. I saw several races that had less than 10 cars. Why is that? If cost was the bottom line, that division should be taking off.

I agree 100% with the lack of promotion ... but even if we had 5x the people in the stands, that still would not affect the cost of having a race team. If anything, it would bring even more money into the sport and the cost would go even higher.

The Chili Bowl was just one of the barometers I used to say the sport is still healthy ... if the count would have been down this year, I'm sure Don and some other people would be proclaiming the death of midget racing. You can't have it both ways.

I would like to see the numbers out there as far as tire contracts go ... from NASCAR down. I know we all remember the great showing in Indy by F1 a few years back ... what a great show that tire war put on.

Originally Posted by #1brad kuhn fan imo: Its racing.... I like the midgets better than any other kind of racing.midgets are great on dirt or pavement. I feel that 2 many people focus on this :angry-smiley-007: Other than :checkered:... Midget racing is great.no matter what the rules are.lets just enjoy are self and be thankful that midget racing is still around for all us die-hard race fans to enjoy. :thumb

amen!!!

[chop]

I was thinking this was a post for fans? Looks like just one more poor midget racer crying about tire -motor-frame cost. Maybe you should get a second job-make more money to race with- I'm thinking you brains should start your own club. Will I
get a free life time pass to all of you races? So now you blame guys that race other classes of cars for you being poor-do not make "big money" To drive your over price toys, in circles in front of a few hundred people on a sat night? All I forgot, you do it because Joe or Rick will see you and want you to drive their million dollar toys. If you really love racing-you would find a class you can aford to race-have fun. Do not think you would-will do that. Me thinks-just old-tired guys that need to yell to think that you still matter in racing--time has passed you by. Racing does that. Just a guy that rides the pine on sat night in the stands.

[#1Brad Kuhn Fan]

Originally Posted by chop I was thinking this was a post for fans? Looks like just one more poor midget racer crying about tire -motor-frame cost. Maybe you should get a second job-make more money to race with- I'm thinking you brains should start your own club. Will I get a free life time pass to all of you races? So now you blame guys that race other classes of cars for you being poor-do not make "big money" To drive your over price toys, in circles in front of a few hundred people on a sat night? All I forgot, you do it because Joe or Rick will see you and want you to drive their million dollar toys. If you really love racing-you would find a class you can aford to race-have fun. Do not think you would-will do that. Me thinks-just old-tired guys that need to yell to think that you still matter in racing--time has passed you by. Racing does that. Just a guy that rides the pine on sat night in the stands.

i see this as a owner wanting to hear fans feed back.

[indywally]

You know the IMCA divisions of sprint,midget,late model race cars were extremely competitive and exciting to watch because they had a claimer on the engine now they only do that in thier Modified series. Any car that has a claimer on the engine will reduce cost, shocks are another thing $1000 each the damn things should put themselves on and make coffee, and tires, yes they stamp qualifier tires and teams run different ones in the heat to avoid another heat cycle but why not make them run the stamped tire all night, there is nother cost cut, but really all of this is a mute point if the promoters don't start promoting and just living on gate money, we were racing at the Speeddrome for years and then when the crowd was less that a 100 every week USAC got booted out, Mt.Lawn the same way we race there for less fans than crew guys. All I know is I'd rather race my VW against the millionaires than set home and sulk because I race for one reason only..I LOVE IT!