Don't forget that greed, self agendas, and hard headedness have also greatly contributed.
Have any car owners who have cars sitting in their shops that have not been out for at least one year, received any phone calls from the series stating, "we screwed up, how can I fix this for you? What do you need to bring your car back out?"
This most definitely can be fixed if the intentions are to benefit racers and not benefit some greedy person on charge with dirty motives.
Serious question am feel free to pm or email me the answer. What is the cost to a promoter to put on a SC race? Not the purse money paid out, what is the total cost?
Getting in this same old argument is fruitless. But I guess my thinking is that we live in a free enterprise system. Not sticking up for USAC, just saying if someone could do it better and make money doing it seems like they would have by now.
By the way Fisher, I do(Sorry to burst your bubble there Fisher and Funk), I put my money where my mouth is. I just wish someone on 16th street, who cared for the racing, not just the cash ran the show there now. Maybe I'm a cranky old man, but I started working on USAC sprint cars in 1977, Champ Dirt cars in 1978. I've been around a while, and yes I'm mad at USAC, call it bashing if you will. But having seen what it was, and to watch it fall to the level it has pi$$e$ me off.
Yes, I know they can't be blamed for all the problems in racing, but when you have an exclusive product, which they do with Silver Crown, and then try to pi$$ it away is beyond me. In 2011 28 cars were at DuQuoin, in 2013 15 took the green . It isn't the economy that did that, it was the Ignite move. The way it seems is that if it ain't broken, don't fix it . Too bad USAC doesn't understand that.
Call me an old fool if you will , I'll always be a Dirt Champ Car fan first and foremost. It just doesn't mean I have to be a fan of the organization that is trying to kill them.
Originally Posted by groove grabber:
Still have never gotten a thank you or a handshake for coming, never met Kevin Miller 11 career events and counting
That's BS right there. That should tell all competitors right where you stand. If you have something that is struggling, you call, text, email or whatever to thank the people that are supporting you.
During the 90s midget racing in the Midwest was dying off. We got down to about 10 races a year and had to beg for those. What I can tell you is that my mom never quit call drivers, owners, fans, sponsors, and promoters trying to find out what everyone needed to get this to work. After a few years things picked back up because someone with no personal motives other than the love of racing, made some phone calls and made people feel like they were wanted and needed at the races. A little bit of appreciation goes a helluva long ways.
Originally Posted by racephoto1:
By the way Fisher, I do(Sorry to burst your bubble there Fisher and Funk), I put my money where my mouth is. I just wish someone on 16th street, who cared for the racing, not just the cash ran the show there now. Maybe I'm a cranky old man, but I started working on USAC sprint cars in 1977, Champ Dirt cars in 1978. I've been around a while, and yes I'm mad at USAC, call it bashing if you will. But having seen what it was, and to watch it fall to the level it has pi$$e$ me off.
Yes, I know they can't be blamed for all the problems in racing, but when you have an exclusive product, which they do with Silver Crown, and then try to pi$$ it away is beyond me. In 2011 28 cars were at DuQuoin, in 2013 15 took the green . It isn't the economy that did that, it was the Ignite move. The way it seems is that if it ain't broken, don't fix it . Too bad USAC doesn't understand that.
Call me an old fool if you will , I'll always be a Dirt Champ Car fan first and foremost. It just doesn't mean I have to be a fan of the organization that is trying to kill them.
Chris, I know you've put your heart & soul into auto racing and have done that for years. You're also a darn good photographer. That's why I have respect for views and I imagine others on here feel the same way. You have earned a right to have an opinion. I won't dispute that.
On the other hand, I've known you for years. It isn't a matter of age. I would guess when you started working on USAC champs cars in 1978 you were ranting about the series then. I personally listened to you go on regarding digital photography for years. You were the last one to change, then sang the praises of digital photography as if you invented it.
I really hate getting sucked into this mess but here I am. I think whats being missed here is a multitude of issues which have come home to roost. Yes there have been some pretty bad decisions when managing this series, yes the demographic of the SC fan is probably 60+ years old, yes the purses have not increased many years. I could go on and on. But there needs to be a concerted effort to get these owners together and get this thing figured out, and soon. Its really unfair to the promoter to take all his hard work and reward him with a 15 car show. Trust me, that wont last long. There needs to be a plan, a real plan. Bob Jenkins is great, but reality is he will not put fans in the stands. Full fields and good racing will. How about we start by raising the start money from $700 to $1000. Try to get some of these races on NBC sports or one of those new sports cable channels looking for things to broadcast, etc...Trust needs to be reestablished between the sanction and the car owner. Lets get this thing figured out fellas, because we are near the point of no return and this once great series could soon be nothing more than a memory.
Originally Posted by groove grabber: Still have never gotten a thank you or a handshake for coming, never met Kevin Miller 11 career events and counting
Right here is probably the saddest reality of it all. Is it really beneath him to do that? He doesn't care, he obviously doesn't give a damn about the Silver Crown series or those that drive in it. What's so hard with walking around to every car and thanking the driver and owner for being there?
