- Let's start happy! Congratulations to Josh Riggins and his wife Amanda on their baby girl, born April 23.
- After a weekend of rain outs, things got back to shape for most tracks last weekend. I took the trip to Eagle on Saturday. I had to leave for an emergency after the heats so I didn't get to see what was reportedly a hell of a sprint feature. Mike Boston pipped Jack Dover by 0.058 seconds. That's 58 milliseconds. The average blink of an eye is around 350 milliseconds. Think about it!
Jack later remarked on his facebook page that it was one of the most fun races he's ever run. And he finished second. Jack's got a great attitude, and he's fun to watch on the track, too.
- By most accounts, the overwhelming response to the night was positive. If I had one complaint it's that I didn't like the 2 "qualifiers" run as sprint heats. I realize that a few guys arrived late, and two races would take less time than three. But, I think it takes away a little bit, especially as a sprint fan. I'd like to see more than three total races.
But more than that...with all those cars, the risk of a wreck is much greater. With the numbers hovering around 20, the last thing the sprints need right now is to tear themselves up. Things got pretty dicey in the back of the pack.
That's about all I'll comment on since that's all I saw. Other than that, it seems things went OK.
- Congrats to Don Droud, Jr. for picking up the 410 A Feature win at Knoxville.
- Sprint car troubles:
* 22 410 sprints showed up for the Knoxville opener. On the positive side, 33 360s took to the track.
* Car counts are in the teens at the famed Devil's Bowl speedway, with rumors suggesting the class may be dropped (thanks, IBRACN)
* Also from Brad, rough track conditions prompted some sprint teams to pack up at Husets. The track later issued an apology.
The bottom line: things are tough. High dollar, high maintenance classes are feeling the pinch. What's the solution? It may be a case of waiting things out. In the late 70's, sprints hit an ebb around Nebraska, with Eagle going dark for 1977 and running a stock-car only program until 1984.
On the other hand, early car counts at Eagle in the 1980's were often in the teens, and didn't pick up into the 20's until the late 80's after the closing of Midwest Speedway. The glory days of the early 2000s were frankly an anomaly. But, I do miss the days of a 42 sprint car average at Eagle in 2002! Interestingly, the country was in the midst of a post 9/11 recession, though not nearly the scale of the one we're (still) in now.
- What to do? I'm not sure there's much that can be done. A lot of teams are funded out of their own pockets with a sponsor subsidy. That said, as much as it may seem odd to add expenses to track owners (though Adams County found a way), I'd like to see an increase in the purse, starting with the back of the A feature. $150 to start the A was a kick four years ago, and it's more of one now.
One could argue that if you increase one purse, you need to increase them all. It's a valid point, but I'll counter with this: market value.
I'll talk about that next time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Dwindling sprint car counts are not caused by any one problem, it's more a sign of the times. I agree we need to ride things out and weather the storm put to us by todays economy. I hate to dwell on the word "economy", but I don't have a better answer. With tracks closing, or in danger of closing, it is up to all of us to step up to the plate and do what it takes to preserve our sport. It is no longer solely up to the promoter to get "butts in the stands". It has become everybodies job.
While purse increases are a good incentive, I don't think it is the answer. Pumping $40K-plus into an engine, and another $50K+ into a tow rig to win $1-2,000, and then complain about the purse is just plain ludicrous. I could go on and on, but I will get off of my soapbox.
Great advent to your site Jason. I wish you well on it
Good point. The fact is top-tier racing, even on the dirt is a bit of a rich person's game. We've seen sprints phase in and out.
Maintenance and parts are killer, especially with wrecks.
I do agree, that there's a lot of money being spent on things not supporting the car. What happened to building one's own motor, for example?
Post a Comment
The rules:
1. No ad hominem attacks - AKA: don't "diss" anyone personally.
2. Keep it on topic.
3. I'm open to any well-thought comment just play nice.
4. PG-rated please.
5. By posting, you agree to indemnify me, the blog owner and hold harmless for any liability caused by your comments. (I'm covering myself here).