Kirk Spridgeon (Offline)
#55
7/14/09 12:44 PM
USAC Sprint Car races on dirt pay $5,000 to win, Billy.
I respect Billy for doing what he needs to do, and what I love about sprint cars is that a guy on a budget can be so tough, even against guys who are spending a lot.
With that said, what has always made Sprintweek so great is watching every sprint car guy, with their best stuff ready, all doing battle. Yes, Billy has out-raced some great guys every Friday, and especially every Sunday, but it's a different mentality going into a Sprintweek race. It's like a playoff game. In my mind, it's a different test than a local race - there's no starting on the front of a heat and making the re-draw or coming out in the last qualifying group at Kokomo to start up front. You've got to lay down a good lap, all by yourself, and then claw through a stacked heat race just to get a chance to square off at the end of the night.
The thing that immediately comes to my mind - at the end of the year, I have to put together a list of the top Sprint Car drivers in the country for the NSCHoF poll. Sprintweek is a huge barometer for that, simply because it puts everybody on the same table in their normal rides. When can Billy P. or another local guy race against Levi in the TSR car, or Jerry in the Hoffman car. You know Dave Darland and Benic are coming out with their best, even if it took testing a tuning a little in some local shows. That may not have shown all that well, but that's how it is...
I missed seeing Billy race, but I'll be back at Kokomo on Sunday, so I'm sure I'll run into him again...
3 Likes:
billwill7, FishBurger, Seadog
MRmcgillicutty
#59
7/14/09 2:58 PM
The real shame is that there are no owners out there willing to put billy mumphrey in their car. The 11d comes to mind.