Thoughts on this past Weekend's Races at Eagle

Took another trip to Eagle this week. Despite the heat, it was nice to see quite a few people and get some feedback on the piece I wrote regarding the 360/305 change at Eagle. (I didn’t realize later it got posted on Hoseheads.com, and other places until I checked my site traffic stats).

A few observations:

1. There’s a concern among some teams that a vocal minority is speaking on behalf of the current sprint car contingent. Not saying that they’re not in agreement on many things - but the approach taken has caused concern that this minority and its attitude is weighing heavily on Roger Hadan’s actions. The answer for this is to speak to Roger directly, on behalf of themselves and if needed, publicly state that these few are not speaking for the group.

2. The decision to go to 305’s is not cast in stone, but the mold has been set. My prediction is we’ll see the 305’s next season, but a concerted effort from a NEW group of representatives and a new way of thinking may change that. I would say this - if the 360s are willing to compromise on engine (such as injector restrictions), tires or wing size/configuration, and if the changes were such that ‘the little guy’ could keep up, there could be a change of heart. It’s looking like the 305 announcement was more of Eagle's answer to the question “...or else what, Roger?” But make no mistake, the gauntlet has been thrown down and I fully believe Roger will follow through.

3. Running the sprints first makes sense, and produced a good feature on a decent track. I don’t mind dry tracks - with big wings, it often leaves you with great racing as long as the track doesn’t take rubber. But - the rest of the night seemed a bit empty to me. Until the final race, leading me to...

4. The ‘A’ Mods still put on a fantastic show, and if you have to close with something other than the sprints, they’re the ones to do it. A fine piece of driving and strategy gave Chris Alcorn the win on the final lap.

5. The myth of the crowd pouring out after the sprints run is busted. Now, I did notice people leaving, but certainly not in droves. Maybe a hundred or so, if that. The crowd dwindled slightly as each feature ended, but it certainly wasn’t empty by the final feature, and the typical line down the road was there after the show. I think this: the sprints are liked, being without them would have a significant impact, but they aren’t the entire show and don’t hold nearly the sway as they did during the Cormack/early Hadan years.

6. I was impressed, barring the after-race figure 8 program, the show was done shortly after 10. I can live with that.

7. That said, the ‘A’ Modified car count was down to just 22 cars - all running in the A. Yes, we see car counts drop in July as heat, vacations and most importantly budgets take their toll. But 22 is a noticeable low for a normally strong weekly show. It’s seasonal. BUT I think that in terms of attrition due to costs, A mods are next on the list, especially when you can run a sport mod on the same track. The question will be: if their car counts drop below 20 for a length of time...does Roger put the ultimatum on them, like he did the sprints?

My plans lie elsewhere this weekend, I’ll likely be out at Eagle for the USAC show. Otherwise, despite the heat, it was a pleasant trip.

But those chicken poppers - they need some improvement.