[767]

So is this series dieing off again? Only 23 cars on tonight's list. Only 15 cars at the last event Belleville. I think it was like 18 in Toledo. Lap traffic means so much to these races. The races just are not as good without lap traffic. Just curious what's going on behind the scenes.

[oppweld]

I'd like to survey all current owners of Crown cars and find what it would take for more participation in some of these events. I
Like the pavement, but wonder if there was a separate dirt series and point championship would lead to more cars. Let's face it, realistically speaking there are only 4-5 drivers in the title hunt the last few years. A ten race dirt championship could possibly double those numbers.

[Jonr]

Silver Crown is niche in a niche sport. With all of the other choices that fans have, most fans are going to pass over the Silver Crown cars. Which means it is a dying class. One of the real indicators that it is a dying class is the fact that no one else is running any "outlaw" silver Crown shows. Good Grief, even POWRi which is rumored to soon have a sanction for school bus races doesn't even sanction them.

I firmly believe that USAC would be better suited to use the Silver Crown dates and split them up between the midgets and sprints.

[Rapid Rick]

Originally Posted by Jonr Silver Crown is niche in a niche sport. With all of the other choices that fans have, most fans are going to pass over the Silver Crown cars. Which means it is a dying class. One of the real indicators that it is a dying class is the fact that no one else is running any "outlaw" silver Crown shows. Good Grief, even POWRi which is rumored to soon have a sanction for school bus races doesn't even sanction them. I firmly believe that USAC would be better suited to use the Silver Crown dates and split them up between the midgets and sprints.

Some of our greatest race tracks rely solely on Silver Crown for an open wheel presence. Springfield, DuQuoin, Salem, Winchester to name a few. Sprints and midgets are done on these tracks. As long as they can field 15-20 cars, I will still go and support this type of racing.

[767]

Originally Posted by Jonr Silver Crown is niche in a niche sport. With all of the other choices that fans have, most fans are going to pass over the Silver Crown cars. Which means it is a dying class. One of the real indicators that it is a dying class is the fact that no one else is running any "outlaw" silver Crown shows. Good Grief, even POWRi which is rumored to soon have a sanction for school bus races doesn't even sanction them. I firmly believe that USAC would be better suited to use the Silver Crown dates and split them up between the midgets and sprints.

I will say, I used to hate SC. The races I went to were absolute snooze fest. Then the Indy Mile left, there was a few years of resurgence. Last year numbers took a dip. This year its even more. We were going to watch them in STL next month, but you really need 20+ on that track. 12 to 15 is not going to do it. Those car are flat awesome coming down that front stretch.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by 767 So is this series dieing off again? Only 23 cars on tonight's list. Only 15 cars at the last event Belleville. I think it was like 18 in Toledo. Lap traffic means so much to these races. The races just are not as good without lap traffic. Just curious what's going on behind the scenes.

Folks,

The car count issue has several causes. One of the causes centers around availability of open dates. With 40+ races each for the midgets and sprint cars not many dates are left open for Silver Crown, and the USAC officials "wear themselves out" just covering those classes. I believe this is the reason they try to schedule only 14 races per season with the aim of even splitting between pavement and dirt. On the pavement side, it is expensive to go racing even if you intend to try with a combo car. Different front ends and hardware along with 12-1500 dollars for a set of tires makes it economically unfeasible for some, including me. Track availability also is an issue as 1/2 mile and larger tracks are not as plentiful as before so the ones still operating fill their schedules with other classes.

I'm sure others can name more reasons but, for me, I'm just hoping USAC continues Silver Crown because I love it.

Just my opinion

Tim Simmons

[Charles Nungester]

Maybe if the"RACING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD" hadn't ruined a historic and coveted track like the Indy Mile for a practice horse track................... SMH

[miledirt]

heck of a crowd last night

[chathamracefan]

It’s kind of a double edged sword. The cars haven’t changed much over time so you can use a car for a number of years if it stays crash free.

However with only 14 or so races a year there are a limited number of people who are going to come in new to that series. Lot of hassle to build a new car for so few races a year. A guy can get a sprint car and find plenty of places to race each week thru the spring summer and fall.

I wish they would do races at Springfield and DuQuoin in the late spring or early summer in advance of the fair races. The miles are the best tracks for those cars but they only use em twice a year now. Both those facilities sit vacant for all but 3 days a year. The fair races plus a flat track motorcycle weekend at each place.

[flagboy55]

Some good points here. Oppweld ain’t wrong. Let’s go back to Championship Dirt Cars. Other than some pretty race cars, there was was nothing interesting about the race at IRP. I know some on here love the pavement, but the entertainment value is just not there for me with the possible exception of Winchester