After opening weekend of ISW I was wondering if ISW could happen without USAC. Back in the day, when USAC came to town, they brought cars and stars that I didnt usually get to see throughout the rest of the year. But today, I'm gonna say with very few exceptions, I can go see almost any of these guys running a regular weekly show somewhere in Indiana. Yes its kool that the southern Indiana guys come up to Kokomo, who may not make the trip weekly, and the Northern guys hit Lawrenceburg and Haubstadt, for one week a year, but what I mean is that the family we all know as sprint car racing really isnt USAC....It is the hard working track owners, the fans who come out whether its sprint week or not, the teams working all week to make it back to their regular track on a week by week basis from May thru August in Indiana...Im not trying to ruffle too many feathers here, but what is it that USAC really brings to the show? If the track owners could pull it off, could ISW be run as a true outlaw (meaning no sanctioning body) event? I only think of this because Ive been USAC'd many times, and although I respect the tradition they represent, I also think they are way slow and too stubborn to change with the times, and Ive seen local shows that are sometimes way better than a USAC show. So I guess my real question is; what is it USAC brings to the show that local owners/promoters/teams/fans need? PS to further my point, it is great to see the Texas kid, the Pensylvania team, the 305 steel block kid and others come to ISW, but I think they came because it's THE place to be in non wing racing, not because its a USAC race.

Posted via Mobile Device

Have an axe to grind, maybe ??

It started with out USAC and they made it bigger and better..

Posted via Mobile Device

Doesn't sound like it to me, I've been wondering the same thing for a good while, seems like what it has turned into is a bigger gathering of the locals, with a few coming from out of State, and I don't see anything wrong with that, isn't that what makes people want to attend, why add someone else in the money tree? JMHO Bob

What I would like to see is more CRA guys make the trip consistently. Guys like Damion Gardner, Mike Spencer, and Matt Mitchell would only add to a good thing. I don't know if it takes USAC to incentivize these guys with points or tow money, or if the promotors could put together some sort of "bounty". But what we have is pretty darn good as it sits!

To answer the question... Yes, ISW could be done without USAC but I don't think that is a good idea. I wish ISW included every non-wing sanction.

No axe to grind, but I will tell you that my friends and I learned long ago that if it was a USAC show, pack 6 more beers in the cooler because there was always a 30+ minute snag in the show due to inefficiency, we used to joke that the officials with the flat top haircuts needed to have a bologna sandwich as rest a little before finishing the show, hence the term USAC'd...I am just seriously posing the question of what does USAC really bring to the party? BTW I like Mr. Gardners response about all non wing groups coming together for this week....

An good topic this is.

It would be interesting to see the $$$ breakdown as for what a track has to pay out for a USAC show, how much sponsor $$$ USAC brings with them, how much sponsor $$$ the track has to come up with, etc. On one hand the tracks would not have to pay USAC anything to appear. On the other hand, putting it all together would be a bear of a job.

Looking at Ohio Sprint Speed Week, the All Stars run the show there. Races are mid-week. USAC Sprint Week takes the Monday & Tuesday off (at least this year). Seems to me the track with the mid-week spots are at a disadvantage, but then again, it would be interesting to see what they have to pay out for that race vice a Friday or Saturday Night race. Maybe they get a break?

Other tracks have gone without USAC for events and have been successful. Kokomo, for example, packed them in and had a great three day show last year for the Smackdown, and are doing it again. So, yes.... you can draw big w/o USAC, but this example is one track and one place over three days. It isn't scattered across multiple tracks over a week, or so. East Bay's 360 winter races are another example of one track with multiple races over three days with no sanctioning body calling the shots.

To run w/o USAC, someone will have to step up and put it all together - the $$$, the logistics, the sponsors, etc. Perhaps one track owner calling the shots? Then they will have to get the buy-ins from other tracks. Sooner or later one track is going to claim they are getting hosed somehow and then everything seems like it could go sideways from there, IMO. Unless you want to split the pot evenly...? Somehow....?

Pennsylvania Sprint Week runs their sprint week every year w/o a sanctioning body, if I am correct. It would be interesting to see how their system of $$$ works. It seems like a successful platform for them.

USAC is part of the Smackdown.

I could be wrong but USAC pitched the idea to the O'Connors.

Posted via Mobile Device

The last show before USAC came on board had 13 cars. Only 2 guys ran all the races. The stands were empty. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.