Duke, Kind of curious if you know what became of your car? -Tom

I think I recall Steve Buckwalter & Lucas Wolfe running (well) during USAC Hagerstown races in '07 or '08.
I read somewhere that Doug Esh & one other Grove regular practiced nonwing after a recent Fri race.
I'm sure that several Posse drivers could compete safely.

However, some of the roughest nights I've seen --> when guys take off the wing & might not have the nonwing experience to run with the fastest.

One particular night at K-C Rwy in Chill, OH comes to mind. Jack Hewitt was schooling the track regulars. They used up all the local ambulances & had to call a helo for a really bad one. (subsequently learned on here that everyone recovered ok - or I wouldn't mention it).
After the race, Jack said some wise words on the p.a. about the transition.
...after that, I'll never question anyone for not taking off the wing to run vs USAC.

There's already too many reds at a regular Posse Fri or Sat night. ...show 'em what a race with no reds looks like. for a change.

Someone made the point about the Mod Drivers adapting well and I can completely understand that. Tons of HP but always on the edge. The wings suck the car down. If they jump the cushion at 120mph sometimes that downforce will stablize them. Do that NW and hook and your on your lid.

I can't say what Id do. I don't drive but I see most guys anymore set up so tight that any roughness or a loose cushion will bike em and flip em in a heartbeat, Where others will setup loose with lots of suspension travel. Faas' Run at the Burgs a couple weeks ago Windoms run at Florence and Levis run at Terre were classic examples of hanggin er out and using the cushion to total advantage over the rubber grabbers. Not sayng either ones better but are their setups that allow for both? It is classic sprinter driving watching drivers find the speed. If one and two are faster in the cushion and faster in three and four on the bottom. The ones who find that beat the top onlys or bottom onlys.

Anybody shedding light on that. Id be happy to learn.

I've driven a total of two races, Both had fenders and both had a wall around it. Nothing was more scary and exhilerating than that. It would have taken me a month of saturdays just to start to know what to expect.. I could even understand experienced drivers out of their element or in a not comfortable car feeling that way in a sort. I seen Hewitt pull it in rather than fight it several times while other times he couldn't have looked more comfortable and went to the front.

The main thing is if the fans are enjoying it and staying safe.
Chuck 20 cars or 88 cars. I've seen great racing at both.

that is the most brilliant thing you have ever written Chuck. A lot of folks on here seem to be hung up on car counts. Car counts dont mean anything unless they are so low that there isnt a full field. Its how many of those cars have the potential to win that is the important thing. take the weekly show at Kokomo as an example. they may only get 20-25 cars but around 12-14 of them are good enough cars/drivers to win the race. I'd much rather see that than 40 cars but only 5-6 good enough to win.

The guy that took the helicopter ride that night was my cousin Steve McCann, after he sailed over turn 3 and landed out by the parking lot-broken collar bone, fractured skull, and one arm-if I remember right. That was his last time in a car. In the middle of changing a stripped cam spud, Hampshire & Hewitt went out of their way to help us load the car so we could go to the hospital. Very classy!

Now, I drive a 410 @ KC and around So. Ohio with a wing, and my car owner is Steve's dad-Charlie McCann-73 years old!. We ran a few times @ the old Burg wingless, and the two Molar shows a couple years ago (top ten both times), but that's the extent of my non-wing racing, even though I like doing it! Last week, we decided to try out the new Burg for the first time. I'd watched a few races there this spring and liked the new track. Even though last Saturday was a little drier track than usual, I now love it even more after racing on it! As most on here already know, Dave & his staff were very nice and seem very appreciative of all the racers-we had a great time. I was the #65 that started last in the feature and finished 7th-if not for Ballou getting up to 4th, I think I'd have gotten the hard charger award. By the way, my car owner went through a bag and half of chew that night! We will definitely be back later this year!

Adam Strausser

John, Perfect is four heats of ten. one or two consis and a feature. There is the sence that your not getting as much for your money with two or three heats and a feature. Id love to see some of the 15-24 car nights go to a two heat reverse from first finish points system. for starts. Make em 4 12 car 12 lap heats. Sometimes it seems unfair for the fast guy to get the pole and transfer straight to a front row spot for the feature based on draw alone. No they did nothing wrong, They did everything perfect. Where the action is the next race they start at the tail and really wow the crowd.. (I remember the days of the fast qualifiers starting on the tail and disqualifications for beating your qualifying time by over a second)

Chuck, who kinda misses the victory laps and fast car dashes ect but don't think the racings any worse. In fact most nights there are ten guys legitamate potential winners. Back in the 70s there were Gaines and Wilkerson, Bob Kinser and Gilstrap. It was rare they ever got beat when two or more of them came and most of the time they started on or near the tail. Thats what made legendary names and great racing then even though there is probably more serious contenders today.

Amati and Larry Miller could run with those guys in the 70's, as well.

Jerry

yes its in the union jack pub on 25st speedway!

Thanks Evil E!!! Exactly what I was thinking when I read the lastest on this post! I grew up around Kerr and Rahmer, both of them drove my dad's midget occasionally back in the late 80s (give it I was little back). Both of them can/could handle either type of sprint or midget and do extremely well. My father went to the race at grandview this week and was disappointed in the lack of passing. He wishes they would have ran wings to increase the competition. He and I realize this isn't possible due to rules, lack of experience, etc. I enjoy both nw and wings but I realize people have their preferences. I think all the guys are talented and deserve a lot of credit to do this every week. It is a lot of time and money. I never realized how much my parents sacraficed until I see what these drivers and owners go through weekly. Racing is definitely an addiction

Yes Katie, racing is an addiction; an once you have it in your blood it is very hard to break that addiction. Most racers or race fans I know have been addicted all of their lives and spend a large sum of money each year feeding their addiction either funding a race team or traveling to the races as a fan.

As far as the USAC Eastern Swing goes unless USAC waived their membership or licensing fees which I am not aware of, I see the choice the local racers had to make as more of a dollars and cents issue than a winged vs non wing preference. The cost for them to run these four races probably far out weighed the benefit, which is a shame. I have always felt from a fans perspective you have a much more interesting race when you have your own local stars going up against the invading stars from another racing organization. Maybe this was inbedded in me in the 1960's when the mid-west supermodified stars invaded the BIG O in Oswego, the mid-west supers ran wings the Oswego regulars ran non-wing supers and threatened to boycott if the invaders didn't remove there wings, in the end the invaders removed their wings. Now fourty plus years later they run a hand full of races a year at Oswego where the regulars strap on wings to run with the MSA invaders. New York and PA have traditionally been known for wigned sprint car racing, maybe with USAC's dwindling car counts they will have to think about strapping on a wing to run with the PA regulars or waiving their fees for this swing to attract more PA regular teams to run with them.


Patti