[i love dirt track racing]

Originally Posted by DAD First thing off the bat we were lucky enough to run a Gas City one time with our 1000cc Midget a few years ago with the AMSA. The track was super and just about the right size to be real racy. If they limit the right rear tire width for the full size a good 1000cc car could sure give the Midget teams a run for their money. If promoters would realize this many more could utilize a midget size car division in their weekly programs. Lets face it. In the age of $4.00 or $5.00 dollar gasoline for racing to survive it is going to have to take a step backwards into the good old days of local shows. For us to pull up to Gas City from New Albany would cost $300.00 for fuel only. Take into account food pit passes etc it easily becomes a $600.00 investment. Even the most astute businessman when it comes to racing is a little stupid when they are spending money on racing. If he advertises on his race car he can right the expense off as an advertising expenses. In to days economy he has to ask another question and that is can he afford to spend that much money in advertising, and unfortunately today the answer is NO. The promoter has 3 ways to make a purse. The front gate (best), Advertising (second best) and Back Gate (the least best but most prevalent) in to days world. We as racers or wanabe racers need to help the promoters work on the two better ways of making revenues to support racing. Many of us could buy ads in his programs, maybe bill boards around the track. If we are short on cash why not bring an extra car to the races and park it behind the grand stand with a helper so that kids could have their pictures taken in the race car. We need to work on keeping the local track open for business. Complaining about the purse or lack of it is only going to bring about another closed race track. Think Local>>>>the day of the 4 hour drive to a race track to race is going to be a thing of the past for the near future. $300.00 to win would be a good starting point for a one or two hour trip, I can justify that to my accountant. What we need to do right now is find one more track up north to go in with Montpelier and Gas City to have a triad that could run Midgets every third week and be within a hundred mile radius of the racers. Then we need to work on finding tracks a little further south. Honest Dad himself

Dont forget the fans!! I seen that you said the front gate was # 1 for promoters and us fans would love to see you guys run but bring your cars out and the more fans and the promoters can give out more money and every body will be happy. We all thank you for all the great things you do for us race fans. Just give it a chance at gas city.

[DAD]

i

You are right. Racing at one time was considered great entertainment for everybody. It was an inexpensive way to take the kids out for a night of thrills and spills. As time went by they invented things like TV, Pizza party shops, Putt Putt golf and on and on. Fans started finding more and more ways to spend their recreation dollars. Race tracks kinda of fell back and did not compete as much as they should and the front gate kept getting smaller and smaller. Us baby boomers are getting older and older and we just didn't have as many kids as our parents did. Consequently the front gate kept getting smaller and smaller and older and older.

Gas city has a great set up for racers and fans alike. With the pits located next to the stands it is possible for the racers to go up in the stands and watch the race with the fans if they are having one of them rare good nights and nothing breaks. I got that chance the last time we raced at Gas City. I am kinda of an observer, not only the races but the people in the stands. What I observed was a lot of older people forty five years old and above. These are great fans, they know what is going on out there on the track and truly loyal fans. What I didn't see was a bunch of young kids, teenagers and younger couples with kids. They were home watching TV or going to the Pizza Parlors I guess.

For racing to continue we have to replace our fan base. Our fans are literally dying off and not being replenished. You fans out there know that racing is addictive or you still wouldn't be coming to the races year after year and reading boards like IOW. I mentioned bringing a race car that could sit behind the grand stands for the kids and even grown ups to have pictures taken in. First we need kids to sit in these race cars. Why don't some concerned fans go out and invite some younger people to the races. Like I said racing is addictive, once these kids see what they have been missing we might just cultivate some new fans to fill our seats when we are gone. Stop and think back to your first race. How did you manage to get to the race track? You didn't have as many choices as young people do today, but I bet it was a parent or friend that brought you to that first race.

It would help if us older race fans went out and recruited some young blood. Race tracks can't afford advertising any more so to grow we are left to using word of mouth, this is after all is still the best form of advertising. Maybe promoters should take lessons from the local corner drug salesmen and offer some discount tickets for first time race fans or even older fans and try to make the money back in the concession stands and suviner stands

Honest Dad himself

[drob201]

there should be two koontz racing midgets up there, lets raise that purse and car count!

[robert gatten]

Originally Posted by procket we were planning on coming to gas city fri plus a couple other guys till we seen the payout cut. cant afford to pull that far for that kind of payout.Rick Cottle

Totally understand but sad.

[DAD]

Ask your self>>>> how can a racing group come to a race track and run a race on a Monday night>>> fill the stands to capacity with very expensive tickets and pay a purse that is out of this world????

What are they doing that we as racers aren't doing? Could we do that too? Their racing isn't that much better than ours is, is it?


Honest Dad himself

[DAD]

I was just looking over the Gas City and Montpelier schedule's. The MMSA has a race scheduled up at Montpelier for the 21st of June and Gas City has a Midget race scheduled for the 20th of June, So>>>> if any of the MMSA racers wanted to run a two race weekend and help supplement the trip up north this would be a great way to do it. Then If we could just get penciled in for Kokomo Speedway for that Sunday we would have a full weekend of racing and I would be so rich that I could take the next week off.

Sometimes I do kinda of think like a racer!!!

Honest Dad himself

[Stevensville Mike]

Originally Posted by fish If midgets are going to be successful there, they have to show up at Gas City now. If it fails, will there ever be another chance?

Agree on that one, Fish.

Looking forward to tomorrow night's show I am. I'll be bringing my own midget.....

....Ford Ranger.

[DAD]

You guys up north are lucky to now have two promoters interested in bringing back local Midget racing. Give them all the support you can and keep this trend going. Remember most of those racers out there were at one time or another race fans that took the next step. Racing tends to grow and prosper as people experience it, and when they find out that it actually does not take mega bucks to race Midgets with the proper rules in place this trend I hope will take off.

Sure wish you guys were further south.

Honest Dad himself

[cwfan08]

I want to personally thank each and every midget driver, crew, and owners for taking the time to come out to Gas City last night. We had a very respectful 16 midgets in the house, and also had a late arrival #43 who I believe was Logan Arnold as he ran over at Montpelier a couple weeks ago. I hope the series can continue to grow. There are a lot of sprint car tracks but not nearly as many midget tracks. Shane Cottle won the feature over Trey Marchum, a driver I had never heard of until last night in the 39 car and he impressed me. Led most of the feature before Shane got around him in lap traffic. Opening night feat winner Chett Gherke finished 3rd in Don Moores #10. There were some new drivers/teams that were not their opening night including the 2 39 cars of Spencer Bayston/Marchum, C.Cottle in the 5c, Michael Koontz in the 17/D. Roberts in the 17x, Tate Martz, Jimmy Light, Don O'Keefe, and also Jim Jones in the mini sprint. Everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Tyler

[jjones752]

Thanks for the props Tyler, I had a fun but frustrating night. The car felt good in warmups and I was encouraged by how hard it was pulling when I kept the throttle down and I was keeping up with the guys in front of me a lot better than last time at Montpelier (at least it felt that way to me). Around the second or third lap of hotlaps I stabbed the brakes to set her for the corner and she just came around like I'd staked the left front to the ground. In the process of looping around backwards I apparently broke something in the starter so I needed a push the rest of the night. In my heat I opted to take my 4th starting spot and kept with the pack at the green, but I intentionally stayed high to give the guys (and Lynsey) racing room; not ready to mix it up just yet. Again, the car felt like it was pulling harder but the brakes still felt "grabby", even though I'd backed the bias adjuster all the way out. Adrienne my Able-Bodied Pit Doll and I set about fueling the car up for the Main but when we started to push out it just wouldn't roll. That's when I found the source of the grabbiness; the front pads had disintigrated and welded themselves to the rotor, forcing us to scratch.
Lesson learned: just because the car came with a case of front brake pads doesn't neccessarily mean they're the RIGHT brake pads...
Congrats to Shane, he made a nice "pick" move in traffic to get around Trey and that was all she wrote. And thanks to Mel and all the crew at Gas City. We'll be back.