My 2 cents on this is, it is there right not to race, but the draw is to even out the playing field. The bigger teams can't out money everyone in quals. I do know what the cost is for low budget racers and have had the benifit from the draw and lost from it. But since your there and have paid for getting there why not see what you got? (thats half the battle for the low budget racer.) If they are in the best rides in the country and are the best drivers I don't see where the problem with where you start is (Damion man'ed up and raced) . I don't know the Clausen's but for Levi I don't think money is the real issue there. I also know this from some of the teams I've worked for the bigger the team and the exposer the costs is a little easier on them to race. Example- Tire Co, chassis makers, shock, Bars, Oil, Fuel and so on give so much a year free and then at a lower cost after that, they then make it up on the other racers. Racing is risk and reward you can junk it on the first lap or win it on the last but you have to try, just like someone posted about Nifflis if he loaded up because where he started he wouldn't have won.

Car owners in all forms of motorsports make business decisions every single day.... large or small budgets.

If you think it is as simple as heading to a track and racing then you obviously have no clue what it takes to field a car.

If you don't agree with there decision and you feel the need to complain.... guess what... It wasn't your decision to make, so GET OVER IT!

I can see both sides, I've always been a fan, but I've never had themoney to put on the line to race or own a team. While the economy is certainly difficult now, it is the end of the season and a lot of teams are running low on money, I would imagine, even the national teams. YOu see a lot of drivers running for other owners this time of year for the sheer fact that the allotted money/winnings for the year has nearly run dry. The fact that we're all able to watch some great drivers on the track in October in Indiana of all places, should be considered a bit of a luxury. I know that 31 sprinters showed up at LPS on Saturday and talking to most of them, they were happy to be racing this late in the season and, as a fan, I appreciate the fact that some of these guys drive as far as they do to put a show on. I think we should enjoy the run of racing as long as we can, because it's always a long, cold winter without it

Carey Fox
Track photographer
Lincoln Park Speedway

Drawing for a 55 car show is completely ridiculous. So is drawing for a 67 car show.

I applaud BC and Levi for loading up. If more drivers stood up like they did, maybve we would get rid of these bs, crybaby, little league formats.

If thats the case maybe when you qualify bad you can just load up and go home to and we will have no more racing period, thats basically what your saying right start off the night bad just load up, or get a bad draw for qualifying so you get a dry slick track just go home then too. The only thing ridiculous about this is the people saying it was a good move not to run. If your gonna load up and go home because of a bad pill draw fine, but I dont think its right to get patted on the back for doing so. And by the way they all knew it was pill draw before they showed up.

I want to say that I have never had a problem with the toilet paper at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Now that I have taken the time to compliment you on your excellent TP decision I reserve the right to complain and ***** about your poor decisions in the future.

Thanks for the back to back $10k races. Oh . . . I vote for the passing points format used at the non-points USAC race in August. Thought it was the best heat racing of the year easily.

If your not going to qualify, then at least give points for passing in the heat races.

Some real puffed out chests on this thread, from folks who have nothing invested other than the price of a ticket.

I totally understand Tim's decision. We were in the same heat and if I am not mistaken Jon was on the pole and Brady Bacon was outside the 2nd row. That would be the top two qualifiers from the USAC race the night before and clearly very fast car/driver combinations at the Burg.

We started 4th row inside and BC was scheduled to start by himself in the 5th row. I knew that even if I gave Jerry a perfect car (I didn't) we would most likely be running 3rd because due to an 8 lap heat with the track conditions (very fast but narrow in the third heat) and the best that we could start, because of the format, would be 3rd in the B and 13th in the feature.

As it turned out we started 6th in the B and 19th in the feature. The car was much better in the feature and we were racing hard to get by Damion when we got caught up in someone else’s mess. We too made a business decision (took a risk) and it turned out badly. The crew and I will be making major frame repairs (most of the left side and some of the right side from the motor forward is junk) this week to try to get the car back together and test it prior to the end of the season. Probably $2k to $3K in crash damage and we made, I believe, $225 but Jerry gets $90 of that!!

Yes we knew the risk when we went on the track but we also knew the odds were VERY long against us when we saw the heat race lineups. I would liken it to drawing to an inside straight in poker - yes you might win a nice pot but it is unlikely. We actually considered putting the car back in the trailer as well. As it turned out that would have been the smart thing to do since the costs we had to get there and sign in would have been 1/10 what we will spend to get everything back together. But we are racers and nobody ever accused us of being smart!!!

I don't think we will be attending many more MSCS races under the current format. I don't like draw formats in general but at least with a passing points system you can be rewarded if you are forced to start in the back of a heat and can move forward.

Rob Hoffman

Thank you for an informative and intellegiant post. Like I said earlier, most of you that have replied have no clue what it costs to operate a competitive sprint car operation. It is so easy to sit in the stands with a $20-$30 investment and make all the correct decisions. $250 or even $500 to start wouldn't cover the nightly expenses, especially if you are paying your driver!

So its fair when the track develops a rut in the grove to where cars get junked when they hit that rut, or the driver has to run out of the groove not to get junked Thus slowing them down by half a secon?. Your lottery opinion is the same with qualifying when you have large fields of cars.

I really wish drivers would quit supporting series that allow you start on the pole of the feature after you transfer thru the b-main. O wait local racers are.