[grumpy racer]

Originally Posted by riskybrisky5 I told myself I was going to keep this to my self and not post this on the message board. But I cant I think it is to important to stay quiet. I have personally made a vow not to run with USAC again until one thing is changed. I participated in the Brownstown USAC race. It cost me $40.00 to enter one car, which is new this year to non members. On top of that it was $35.00 for each pit pass. I had 6 people that we paid to get in to help us. It cost us not counting methanal around $290.00 to enter the pits that is for 2 cars and pit passes. I didnt realize this until after the event we recieved 0 dollars for the event. If you do not make it through the non qualifers you recieve nothing. I dont know about other racers we cannot spend 200.00 per night to get in the races and get nothing back. We just can't afford it. My question is what is the $40.00 bucks per car for? Why are the racers expected to pay an entry fee over and above the pit pass. It should not be the racers responsibility to pay for USACS overhead. We are there to put on the show for the fans, and what a show it was the heats were outstanding. USAC should be paying there overhead through sponsorships, sanctioning fees, promotions and many other ways but not form there competitors. While all wing series find ways to pay show up money with no entry fees we are having to pay entry fees. MSCS pays all competitors $100.00 to show up. I have never been to a series where you recieve no money for racing. I could understand if you never hit the track, but if you race you should recieve money back. So until USAC takes the entry fee away or pays everyone I will not compete in another USAC event. I urge all other racers who agree with me to voice your opinion and stay home also until this changes. All promoters should stand up to USAC on this issue also. Take the Bloomington show for example that was rained out. By me not going and participating would have cost the promoter around $500.00 when you figure my crews pit pass money they lost as well as all my family and friends that follow me to the races. For that $40.00 dollar entry fee and no money at the end of the night for non qualifers cost you the promoter $500.00. Multiply that times every car that may not come because of the costs to participate with USAC. I know some of you are going to bash me that if you cant afford $200.00 a night you dont need to be racing. Well fact is we cant. Also some will say drive harder and you will make the show. Fact is USAC is tough right now as tough as it has ever been. Some big teams will even find there way into the non qualifiers before years end. The diffence is some will have provisionals. Point is this is not right and USAC needs to realize they made a mistake with the entry fees and step up and change it. I have nothing against the new regimin and wish them the best. I do think they made a mistake with Greg Stabb. But that is just my opinion.

I posted along the same lines last week. We had the same experience at gas city $40 entry $30 pit pass x 6 ran non qual. got $0 back its there fault the first time its my fault if I go back for more so I won't.

[Sprint63122]

Sounds like Kirk has a beef with the mscs deal here and I wonder why because Mr. Helfrich has done more to raise the purses in Indiana than anyone else has.The 40 and 50 lap races have been nothing but outstanding and the show he put on last saturday was just another example of what a sanctioning body on track performance should be like.As for the new usac deal so far have not seen anything done to impress me at all first it was the co-sanctioning deal still have not heard a real reason why,second was the point fund payout for the west coast racers,third this deal with Mr. Stabb does not make any sense at all for what he has done both has a driver, owner and race track promoter he has a great insight on everything to do with racing and the most impressive thing I have seen about Mr. Stabb is not one bad comment at all about the man.Now if all the new staff that is left at usac is just making a numbers game out of it you will not get to far smoke and mirrors is all we will get, you need someone that has actually been there done that like Mr. Stabb has to actually accomplish something.

[Charles Nungester]

Kirk wrote,
Who do you need to see competing for a win? Cottle has gotten his deal. Brady Short is the man. The good ones can compete. Why would you try to make it easier? It shouldn't be easy - it wasn't easy for those guys to get to the point of being competitive with the best guys. If someone can't compete the way it is now, they just need to work harder and get faster. It's so beautiful to see a guy sneak up on the USAC guys and then become a constant contender.

I agree that they could include more guys in the heat races, but there's no need to make it too expansive. Beyond 40 or so cars, there's just no need to keep including cars in the rest of the program. We don't need anybody to cause unneeded cautions or become heat race lapped traffic.
end.

I'll never assume to speak to as why a driver or team isn't competing, Only whats clear to me as a reason. Kevin touched on some of it.

Drivers, like Putterbaugh, Gaines, Briscoe, Petty and a host of others could contend on any given night at any given track if you ask me. What makes a Kings Royal, chili bowl or Knox Nationals events are the F,E,D,C,B mains EVERYBODIES INCLUDED, theres MORE RACING and there is a sence of "SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN!" even if it doesn't.

Part of the fact of the MSCS big shows that make them EVENTS and I'll includes sprint and midget week in this. WOW, Theres 50-60-70-88! CARS! Not some condensed version of a local show that tosses anything above 32 out to the pasture within 8 laps of qualifications.

These events have six heats of ten cars, Not four. A Dash! 40 lap features that not only award drivers that drive hard but also those who drive smart and give time for someone who started 18th to win.

I seen two regular shows at TC this spring, I seen Cottle, Stinhouse, Levi, Short, Bland, Stanbrough and several other stars all in the same night. Tell me what I need USAC for? other than qualifications, There isn't anything better about it. IMHO.

Lets be honest, USACs broke and lesser known than Dirt Motorsports yet they have TV, Webcast ect Pay a ton more and THEIR BROKE TOO! Not only that, They have one less fan who can't afford their 40+ plus gate prices except for a couple big shows each year.

In order for USAC to get where it needs to go, they need to exploit the PA swing, Get a Mo. Kansas, Iowa swing, Expand the Western fall swing and make em doable for both teams and fans. He did say it right, They are not going to grow running indiana three times a week. They are going to have to take the sucesses and build on them and venture into new markets and create about 10 BIG SHOWS a year as maybe acumilation of these SWINGS. Williams grove ends the PA swing with a 10-20grand finale. Knox finishes the midwest swing with a 15 grand finale ect or better yet, A knox non wing nationals with a format simular to the winged version.

Id love to see tracks put up multi day shows, However the drawbacks to them are seeing top teams in some instances race less.

Another thing is, How do you get tracks to take risk?????????? To do any of what his vision is, You have to convince them it will and can work. Some of these things would take several years of building it into a EVENT that actually turns a profit.

You have to go out and get the sponsorships (And Kevin touched on this) that not only sponsor but market as well.

As for Greg, Im still gonna support him, he's got contacts, ambiton and full knowledge of the sport inside and out. Thats something to hold onto, Get advice from and work with. Vision?????? The man told me in 1988 when winged racing was HUGE in Indiana and that even USAC had to dawn em to gain interest, That in under ten years it will be OVER, He told me exactly why and thats EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED! You need the need the insight and knowledge of what can and cannot be done and someone who can and will work to make it happen. As for a racers, fans and promotors. There is nobody who knows it better.


As for USAC, They are just flat going to have to run or try to run shows they schedule and promote. Not have people taking vacations ect and phantom rain it out or THREAT OF RAIN. Whats the point in planing to attend a event that won't or most likely won't be run?

In Closing, This back marker crap is just that IMHO, True some teams have tons of money or sponsorhips or both that don't wanna race against them but chances are, They STARTED THAT WAY and had some old heads saying the same thing about them at one point.

Chuck, saying the top racers will make the fields. not just the top dollar teams.

[BrentTFunk]

[QUOTE

WOW, Theres 50-60-70-88! CARS!

They are not going to grow running indiana three times a week.




As for USAC, They are just flat going to have to run or try to run shows they schedule and promote. Not have people taking vacations ect and phantom rain it out or THREAT OF RAIN. Whats the point in planing to attend a event that won't or most likely won't be[/QUOTE]

So Chuck that means Paragon is your favorite show because they get the most cars.

How many times do they run in Indiana 3 times a weekend?

TRACKS, not sanctioning bodies determine rainouts. And speaking of rainouts, when Lawrenceburg's past promoter rained out sprintweek when it didn't rain til after midnight, didn't a lot of people blame Mr. Staub and USAC? How soon they forget. I still blame the promoter.

Funk, who hopes someday Chuck will move out of his parent's basement and learn there is a whole world outside away from his computer.

[DonMoore10]

I didn't listen to the broadcast last night, but I'm wondering what plan the new regime at USAC has for bringing in line the costs of midget racing with the $2500 they are offering to win a race. Every good management team has a plan of where they want to be in 1-5 years down the road. So far I haven't heard anything from them about drastically reducing the costs of midget racing.... on the contrary... raising the costs to get in the back gate. Are the 2 million dollar teams trying to win $2500 the only ones that have political clout? So with all the new changes at USAC, am I to assume that we'll be racing for $10,000 to win in a few months?

[Shawn]

I vote for doing away with the Non-Qualifiers Race, period. At a normal USAC race, they have the right amount for another Heat. Spread them all out, at least they get a shot. Why would anyone want to tow any sort of distance, to run six laps, or whatever it is? Especially with the fuel prices these days. I know there are some that don't mind it, but I simply can't stand it. It's just my opinion, so flame away!

It's going to be an interesting time for USAC. They have a good product, but it needs some tweaking. I'm just afraid that they could go "overboard" with it. I just don't see some things working for USAC, like they hope, but at least they're trying.

It's kind of like Lawrenceburg Speedway's new layout. There are a lot that are concerned and a lot that are excited as can be, but I'll say this, at least they're trying to make the racing that we love, better. USAC, well, I hope they are, too...

[Crankin]

Taking what Kevin B. had to say earlier in this thread, it reminded me of a letter that I wrote to USAC just before DuQuoin last Summer:


Rollie,
First off, I would have sent this to Mr. Snyder also, but I do not have his address.
I know you have much bigger concerns than what I am about to say here, but I'm sure that I am not alone on this.
We were trying like mad to get the car together to run DuQuoin. I know our presence there would not mean much to the big picture, as I just try to make shows. BUT! Another quality car in final car count never hurt anyone. I stopped by the USAC office to grab the registration paperwork on Friday morning in order to not have to fill it out in the pit line at DuQuoin. I had barely walked out your office doors when the math hit me... $815 TO JOIN!!! WHAT???!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? I walk back in where Greg tells me that that is correct. Then to top it off, NO T.P.'s??? WHAT THE...????? So your telling me that if I pay the "registraion fees, the entry fee of an additional $125, and two pit passes.. I would have to finish 10th just to break even on what I paid USAC to be there??? Again, I say, ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!!

A whole 5 dirt races on the schedule, and you raised the already ridiculous "registration fees" approx. $200 from what they used to be AND took away the T.P.'s? I am sorry Rollie, but this is a joke!
What am I getting more of, for the raise in fees, from what I was getting before?? What exactly was I getting before, when I registered the car? I have never understood why it costs $450 just to register the car for 5 dirt races? Where is all that $ going? I have asked many folks (why the high cost), and the only response that I have been given was, "because they race on the bigger tracks".... Yea??... And?... What does that mean? You can register for the Midget or Sprint Car divisions for $250 less, yet run 15 and 20 more races respectively (that is supposing you have both pavement & dirt cars of course)(when compared to the full SC schedule). How does that make any sense?


The T.P. thing is a total farce! You took that away from the Silver Crown division, yet I could have run all of Sprint Week on a T.P.. Where you historically have not hurt for cars at all!!!... Is there a coralation here???? Small entry fees, T.P.'s allowed, and if your running for points, a smaller "registration fee", and a heck of a lot more races to "break even" with USAC!

This is wrong. Very wrong! Our true feeling is that the 60-70 or so pavement cars that you used to have register with you (that is before any dirt only guys registered) are now gone. So you just raised the prices on the whole division to make up for the lost revenue. By doing that, you just priced a guy like me (a dirt only guy) right out of the game! I cannot have only 5 chances to run, and spend 1-2 of them just trying to pay my USAC bill!!! These cars, as you know, are costly enough just to put on a race track, without having to (overly) pay just to be allowed in the gate!

O.K., so there is my rant. You or Owen or both, need to somehow seperate the dirt division from the pavement deal. These are now, more than ever, two totally different types of owners. I am not talking about the Tony Stewarts of the world, but us average guys that still try to to this for fun, sport, and competition.
Respectfully, Craig Dori

When Kevin Miller solicited IOW's to e-mail him any concerns shortly after he started, I sent this letter.. To both Mr. Miller and Jason Smith. Neither of them has ever responded.

[Seadog]

Note to self: When all the ********, moaning and whining is over, and the public airing of dirty laundry is done, have somebody wake me up and I will start going back to the races again.:usacfan

[Sandy Lowe]

Originally Posted by Charles Nungester I seen two regular shows at TC this spring, I seen Cottle, Stinhouse, Levi, Short, Bland, Stanbrough and several other stars all in the same night. Tell me what I need USAC for? other than qualifications, There isn't anything better about it. IMHO.

If a promoter can get those drivers to show up for a $1,200 to win show and the spectators to pack the place (for $10 a piece) why would anyone book a USAC race for $4,000 or $5,000 to win?

[DonMoore10]

YEs... and look at the 300 midget owners that wet their pants trying to get into the Chili Bowl Sweat Shop building racing for pennies..... Same deal.