[WingedFan2019]

Just wondering why Kokomo doesn’t have any winged races scheduled this year. The outlaw race I attended there was the best races I’ve seen at the track. Just confusing as to why they wouldn’t reschedule an event that was too successful (think they announced biggest Kokomo crowd ever) and I believe it! They have so many open dates on the schedule wish they could’ve fit it onto the schedule. Kokomo needs more winged races!

[Adolph]

It is not just Kokomo, it is the entire state of Indiana. The All Stars are not racing in Indiana even though their headquarters are in Brownsburg and many of their top drivers are from Indiana. The World of Outlaws have no remaining dates in Indiana this year. They had two races, one in Lawrenceburg and another at Haubstadt, which last time I looked at a map were barely in the state and far from central Indiana. It is like we have been blacklisted for being a non-wing state. MOWA didn't come here either. The initial WoO schedule did not have any Indiana dates for 2022.

[Charles Nungester]

Because winged racing is dead and NW not far behind

[nathans1012]

In terms of support. Non-Wing racing has always been big in Indiana. I think the All-Stars & the Outlaws (wing) racing have a niche here only racing in the state a few times a year. I like the 305 group here in Indiana. I think their races are good and most nights they bring a decent field with them.


Here is a good question to see what everyone thinks?

LET'S USE KOKOMO SPEEDWAY FOR EXAMPLE.

When the 410 Wing Sprints race at Kokomo are the grandstands just as packed and crowded as they are for the Kokomo Sprint Car Smackdown?

If Kokomo raced Wing-Sprints weekly would there be as many fans in the grandstands as there would be for Non-Wing shows?

I have been to the Saturday portion of the Smackdown twice and that show to me is well attended by the fans just like an outlaw or all-star race.


I'm curious to know what other people think as well.

[flagboy55]

You’re 100% correct about the last 2 WOO race’s at Kokomo, great race’s and huge crowds. There’s a couple things that lined up to make them huge successes however. But I’ll give you a reason why there’s not more. They had a $26,000 to win race at Kokomo as part of a 3 race weekend in Indiana for the Allstars. I went to that race. Loaded up early and headed south to get to the track hours before figuring we would have a hard time finding a good parking spot. I was wrong. I’ve seen bigger crowds there for many other races. I’m of the opinion that the Allstar race’s are as good as the Outlaws. Whether it lives up to the hype or not the Outlaw brand sells like no other sprint car series. In actuality, Kokomo bailed them out a couple times around the stupidity that is covid, but I’ve heard the ******** of booking an Outlaw race are not always forthright. But just a reply to Charles about N/W dying, I don’t see it that way unless you look from the perspective that the criminals running our country are trying to kill everything, especially the working middle class of America

[PJ Wright]

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester Because winged racing is dead and NW not far behind

Dang Charles, I sure hope you were being sarcastic. If not, may I suggest you turn off the news, ignore social media for awhile and just go enjoy a race somewhere. Then when you get home, DO NOT read anybody's comments about whatever race you attended. If you enjoyed yourself it doesn't matter if somebody else's hot dog was cold or that the street stock race had a bunch of cautions, etc. I've said this before, sometimes us racefans are our own worst enemies. To everbody: please enjoy your weekend. Sorry that this is mostly off topic.

[Charles Nungester]

Not at all sarcastic. It's dying a slow death. Picked apart by two many tracks and sanctions trying to run at the same time and too many classes that don't feed the top tier. only takes away from it.

[flagboy55]

Prodigy, that’s the best post ever on IOW! Focus 😆😆😆😆😆

[openwheelfan1]

Getting back to the original topic…

IN MY OPINION, part of what makes the WoO races so successful when they do run in Indiana is the fact that there are very limited opportunities to see them in the state. We were at the Tri-State race in April, and the crowd there was the biggest I think I’ve seen there, and if not, certainly one of the biggest. I’m not sure you would see the huge attendance for the WoO races if they regularly appeared in IN. There attendance in IN is a novelty, and I think they like to keep it that way.

As to the other question posed about tracks running winged sprints, I BELIEVE most IN tracks running weekly sprint cars at some point or another in the latter 70’s and 80’s all switched their weekly program to winged sprint cars from non-winged, but after a relatively short period of time, switched back. I am not sure whether they switched back due to decreasing attendance or decreasing car counts or both, but as I recall, the experiment was relatively short lived for most that tried it.

[dsc1600]

There should be more but I’m not sure how many more. The WoO should have a yearly date at Kokomo and probably one at Terre Haute (although you could argue once every 2 years makes as much sense). That would give them 3-4 a year which I think would be well supported. The All Stars could also probably do with 1-2 shows as well. I think 5-6 winged shows makes sense for the state given that it’s still a NW state regardless of how well the Outlaws draw in it.