A "national" motorsports event should not be cancelled due to extreme heat. Of course that's just my opinion.

I think the problem is economics, not the heat. Casual fans are needed to make money. Casual fans do not come out in extreme weather conditions. I don't know if all the blame belongs with USAC. If they were the ones who pulled the plug, the promoter could have saved the sanction fee and still held the race. That was done several years ago at Union County, when several teams had track concerns and left. USAC dropped the sanction so that teams chasing points would not be penalized for not competing. Wonder why this option wasn't considered?

---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------

Didn't POWRI just cancel 2 races because of heat? How many cars did Must See take to Oswego? No problem, it is what it is, but it amazes me how selective some people are with their complaints. 14 cars is great for some a travesty for others.

Doesn't USAC have a rule about racing within a certain number of hours of a USAC race with another sanction or non-sanctioned event? If they are racing at Angel Park tonight, that rule would have prohibited them from racing at Plymouth if they went on with the race without USAC sanctioning. Maybe I'm mistaken, or that rule wouldn't apply here, but I thought that when I wondered why they wouldn't go on with the show unsanctioned.

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Funk how is it not USAC fault.Plymouth ran last night the promoter was willing to take the risk.If USAC didn't race cuz of heat( 90 degrees)cancel the rest of the summer.If they didn't race cuz of "safety" issues there fault again they booked the show.

Yes they did. However, as I said earlier this is the least of the worst that USAC has done recently. How many midgets does the POWRi series see at a race. I can tell you because I am at some of them. Usually they attract a minimum of 30 cars and at Jacksonville earlier this year that had somewhere around 55. Whens the last time a USAC show (other than the hut 100) drew 55 dirt midgets???? The funny thing is is that the race at JVille only paid $2,000 lol....Kenny Brown and the POWRi have done a great job building up midget racing in the midwest while what should be the most prestigous midget organization in the country is struggling to get 30 on a regular points race (excluding Midget Week and Hut 100). This is my point!

The problem has nothing to do with economics. Reserved seats were sold out at Oswego at $40 each, and I had a hard time finding a seat in general admission at $30 each. The stands were packed at Oswego, and the promoter had to be happy considering the cost of admission and the fact that it was packed. I am sure that Port Royal was packed too. The last time I was at the Port a few weeks ago, it was a full house.

Must See only brought about 14 cars, true -- but they are going to grow if they keep up the good work of fast cars and good clean racing, coupled with a strategy of hooking up at some good venues. Let's not forget for the $30 at Oswego, we were also treated to ISMA Supermodifieds and SBS. ISMA had a consi where 6 or 7 cars didn't make the race and had to go home. I believe there were 33 supers at Oswego. The SBS race also had a consi where about 5 - 8 teams didn't make the race.

Race fans will go to races and spend money if they are getting value for their entertainment dollar. This has nothing to do with economics, just value. Some tracks and some series know how to get fans to the track. Oswego made about $100 from the two of us last night with admission prices, food and drinks. The Port also knows how to get fans to the track. Watch the video of Tyler Walker at Williams Grove a few days ago, and tell me you think the place was suffering from lack of fans. Pennsylvania is going through the same heat wave, with the Port at 100 degrees on Saturday. Pennsylvania and NY have the same economic issues as Plymouth.

I'm headed to Utica Rome within the hour to catch the modified show, and then I'll be headed back home to Pittsburgh. I am sure Utica Rome will be happy to collect my admission.

---------- Post added at 5:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 4:56 PM ----------

Yes, I made my first trip to Oswego on Saturday night. I haven't been there in a few years, so it was nice to go back. The place was absolutely packed.

The racing was great! There wasn't a lot of passing in the Must See race, but it was still exciting because of the high speeds and no cautions. If Must See can start to get fuller fields, I predict better things will come out of them.

The ISMA Supermodifieds almost always put on a good show in my opinion. They had ~33 supers, so it was necessary to have a 12 car consi where only 6 transferred. Remember not so long ago when Silver Crown had even larger turnouts at the pavement races? The #2 Super moved up through the field, and the #37 was sure to make a move on the leader before he spun and hit the wall. There wasn't as much passing as I would like to see, but the speeds at Oswego and the tightness of the turns always make for exciting shows.

Sharon, hope you enjoy Utica-Rome as much as you did Oswego.

The Torrese family could have certainly cancelled Oswego yesterday morning with as heavy as it was raining. They had today scheduled for a rain date but they also realized how far the competitors and race fans traveled to be at Oswego yeterday. An how important it was to get the race in on Saturday, todays weather systems leave little guessing to how the weather will change over the course of 24 hours. They watched those weather models and got the show in, on what turned out to be a perfect day. An one thing I can say since they have taken over the track you see no cancelling days in advance due to possible weather issues.

As an Arizona resident now, I won't say I was rolling over reading this thread, my first concern has always been for the safety of the racers. In the past we have certainly raced in extreme heat both in Az. and back east. I remember being in Richmond for a Sliver Crown Race when it must have been 100 degrees. That is what has left me scratching my head about USAC"s decision to run the pavement track in even hoter conditins and then cancel the dirt race at Plymouth. If there reason for cancelling was a saftey issue, seems to me that should have been decided earlier than the day of the race.

Patti

Bentley Warren would have race in this weather. That's when racers were men!!