If not, what if Terre Haute promoters put together a simpler, cheaper rules package for midgets and ran the Hut Hundred on their own? If you had 45 midgets trying to qualify for 11 starting rows of three, I guarantee you would get the fans there, who by the way wouldn't give a rip if the cars are 3 to 5/10 tenths of a second off the times of a current top flight USAC car

Do you think that USAC would ever run a race there again if they did that?

I still don't think you would draw the fans. Look at tonight, how many tracks are running? There are plenty all over and there will still be a lot of people who go no where and sit on their computers. I am not talkng about people who are far away. I am talking about people who could easily go but do not.

I seem to remember someone (NAMARS?) tried this a few years ago. Maybe during "The Year of the Onboard Starter"?

One of the NAMARS(with Badger Support) Hut Hundred's is far more recent than that - Scott Hatton won it. Scott is a great guy and I have nothing against him, the former NAMARS staff or Badger folks - but from an historical point of view that to me is like the US500 at Michigan International - I simply do not consider it the Hut Hundred and never will. Others may well feel differently. This isn't just myopia about USAC - if the UMARA ran a race called the Fireman's Nationals I wouldn't consider it the same because that is a signature race for Badger. In a similar vein even though the Hut Hundred, Joe James/Pat O'Connor, and the Night Before the 500 have been raced at different tracks - I still consider them all of the same heritage.

Sadly, I am beginning to wonder if it matters if they did or not, except to USAC die-hards. Dirt champ races are a shadow of their former selves, if you added the sprints and midgets together at Salem today you wouldn't have a full field. What's next? To say the least, this isn't looking good.

Please let me say this! The hut hundred was a big event it was a honor to be one of the fastest 33 midgets out of 70 to 90 cars to start the 100 lap race! Now it's nothing anymore and you wonder why i'am a bitter old man!!!!!!!!! When i told usac 15 years the cost of racing was getting out of control! But i know nothing!!!!!!!!! Just a bitter old man! And yes i ran the race for howard linne bob lockhart john batts we never run out of fuel or burned up tire! And big crowds!!!!!!!!!

Make the Hut Hundred like the Dirt Track World Championship (for Late Models )and host the race at the track best suited to make it a success .

The way things are going, you could pick any track and I don't think USAC could draw more than 20 midgets.

I love tradition and, to me, USAC has always been special. But, there comes a time when you have to look at things for what they really are and when it gets so bad that you can't run the traditional race, then it's time to get out of the way and let someone else have a crack at it.

To me, the Hut Hundred is more of a Terre Haute tradition than a USAC tradition. A Hut Hundred needs to be run at Terre Haute. If not by USAC, then somebody else, or maybe nobody else. Run it non-sanctioned. Hell, ring up the promotional team from the Chili Bowl. Seems they have no problem drawing 200+ midgets and their race hasn't been around near as long as the Hut Hundred.

And nobody's answered the question: Who owns the name Hut Hundred? Anybody?

I believe that the Hut Hundred is also more of a Terre Haute tradition than USAC, I think the best solution would be for the promoter to contact PowerI and USAC and try to get both series there the same weekend, I mean I'd rather have a Hut Hundred with PowerI involved than no Hut Hundred at all. USAC has to say the least made me unhappy with this decision and I highly doubt there trying to damn hard to fix it, my guess is they say itll be back next year they'll get the projected car count for it when it come time next season and if they dont get enough cars they'll just cancel it again.