8 Possible Provisionals ??

[MUD MAESTRO]

Can a true "Crown Jewel" race be afforded 8 provisional starting spots and still be considered a crown jewel event? What ever happened to Race your way in? I say the only legitimate Crown Jewel is the World 100. Your thoughts?

[zach51]

Ya gotta have more than one Jewel in your Crown :)

[dirtdobber45]

It is dumb...gettin as bad as NASCRAP. I understand THESE people are in the 'points' but if you cant race your way in you should get 50 pts and we'll see ya at the next race pat on the back.

[old fan]

can it be crown jewel with support classes

[huskerdirt]

Can a true "Crown Jewel" race be afforded 8 provisional starting spots and still be considered a crown jewel event? What ever happened to Race your way in? I say the only legitimate Crown Jewel is the World 100. Your thoughts?

Great hot take.... roll eyes.

And the world 100 had provisionals for guys that went really fast around there for one lap.

There's likely not gonna be 8 provisionals.

2 Lucas Oil- EPJ, Flinner
2 MLRA- Phillips, Eckrich
2 Lucas Oil Emergency provsionals--- not applied because everybody has made the show.
DNQ race winner-- this guy has a choice. So it's really not a provisional
Past champion-- Wallace, this has been a provisional for a while now.

So really it's only gonna be 5 or 6 at the most.

Maybe start paying attention to the actual racing instead of some preliminary line up sheet.

[huskerdirt]

It is dumb...gettin as bad as NASCRAP. I understand THESE people are in the 'points' but if you cant race your way in you should get 50 pts and we'll see ya at the next race pat on the back.

Ummmmm. NASCAR doesn't even have enough cars to award provisionals anymore.

Great comparison. Lmao.

[old fan]

yeah that's the only way if you are fast you should make it not the good ole boy syndrome

[MUD MAESTRO]

Can it be a "Crown Jewel"......Lucas Oil regulars against the regional stars?

[huskerdirt]

Can it be a "Crown Jewel"......Lucas Oil regulars against the regional stars?

Then Knoxville, DWTC and such aren't either.

World 100 is Lucas/WoO and regional guys. So by your theory World 100 isn't a crown jewel either.

[cgrace]

agree 8 is too many. heck could have taken one more from each heat and two provs

[MUD MAESTRO]

What is a 'Crown Jewel" The size of the purse? The competition? How many fans attend? IMO, its the one race that defines Late model racing and is the one race every Late Model driver dreams of winning.

[rickybrown1952]

Should be three provisionals 1.lucus oil 2.past champion and former track champion

[dirtdobber45]

Ummmmm. NASCAR doesn't even have enough cars to award provisionals anymore.Great comparison. Lmao.Idk bud dnt watch NASCRAP . Havent watched it in about 4 years. Lost my heart when Earnhardt died, lost my soul when they went to the 'playoff top 12' crap. Started liking Kyle Bush but when they let him get into the title deal lost it all together

[old fan]

what is the big deal if its lucas quist being involved was never like that at the 1971 world 100 so it should n't be now either

[MUD MAESTRO]

Read Brian Birkhofer could have used another car and started the Show Me. The other car I assumed would be Justin Kay's. Believe Birky knew he didn't earn the past winner provisional spot. The guy is and always be a class act.

[huskerdirt]

Read Brian Birkhofer could have used another car and started the Show Me. The other car I assumed would be Justin Kay's. Believe Birky knew he didn't earn the past winner provisional spot. The guy is and always be a class act.

No because he would've had to atleast take the green in the B main. And that means Justin Kay would've had to scratch. You can't have two guys running the same car.

Birky broke a motor in his car. He's not gonna squash somebody else's chances to make the show just because he had a provisional.

[zyoung25]

Read Brian Birkhofer could have used another car and started the Show Me. The other car I assumed would be Justin Kay's. Believe Birky knew he didn't earn the past winner provisional spot. The guy is and always be a class act.

Justin is a lot bigger guy than Brian, its not like birky could just jump in his car and go. Swapping the seat and adjusting the pedals isn't the easiest thing to do. Birky done the smartest and thing he could do.

I wouldn't feel comfortable jumping in another guys car after never being in it at all

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Can a true "Crown Jewel" race be afforded 8 provisional starting spots and still be considered a crown jewel event? What ever happened to Race your way in? I say the only legitimate Crown Jewel is the World 100. Your thoughts?
Even one provisional that has nothing to do with performance for that race weekend, eliminates it in my mind. Of course some folks think every race paying over 10k is a crown jewel.

[old fan]

totally agree both from mud and mastersbilt racer we understand why its being done but it kinda cheapens the final product

[Barbecueboy]

Should just let some fan pick a couple non qualifiers names out of a hat and do away with provisionals.............only exception would maybe be a " last years champion" provisional maybe?

[onlyfacts]

What is a 'Crown Jewel" The size of the purse? The competition? How many fans attend? IMO, its the one race that defines Late model racing and is the one race every Late Model driver dreams of winning.I would like to know the answer to these questions as well. I really don't think it is the size of purse. I do think the competition is more of a factor than purse. And I think the crowd should be part of a crown jewel race. With that said I don't think the show me is a crown jewel race. The Firecracker isn't considered a crown jewel race so why should the show me? I do think the world finals is a crown jewel event as well as Florida Speedweeks because of the competition and the crowds at those events. Truthfully any event that is sanctioned by a series that runs against another national series on same weekend should not be considered a crown jewel. Just because an event use to be a crown jewel event doesn't mean it still is... The name should not be the determining factor. Times change.

[old fan]

world and dream why because no tours are attached only one class and the crowd is bigger than any other event

[onlyfacts]

world and dream why because no tours are attached only one class and the crowd is bigger than any other eventI do agree that these are the only real crown jewel events.

[dirt crow]

I'm still waiting on the "but, but, he tried so hard" provisional

[Highside Hustler25]

Truthfully any event that is sanctioned by a series that runs against another national series on same weekend should not be considered a crown jewel

This should be the deciding factor which must be met to qualify as a crown jewel.

[RCJ]

The only problem I have with provisional is,Say a guy lives down the road in Springfield and is leading the MLRA points.He could go to the Show me run last in the heats and look like he forgot how to drive.Then would get a prov. in to the feature and finish dead last.Takes home $2000 for not even trying.I know sounds crazy but it could happen.

[zyoung25]

The Firecracker isn't considered a crown jewel race so why should the show me?

The show me has a much deeper history than the show me. Granted it's lost some of its luster I think since the move to wheatland. History to me is what makes a race a crown jewel, not the amount of money it pays out.

I know hillbilly is oldest bigger paying race out there. where it's moved around so much, it's not as big as it once was. It's hard for a race to become a crown jewel if it can't find a home. This is just all my opinion.

[fryefan]

world and dream why because no tours are attached only one class and the crowd is bigger than any other event

FYI -- THE Knoxville Nationals (not the late model Nationals) has a bigger crowd.

[old fan]

and your point is apples to oranges biggest crowd for late models yes a lot people are enthralled about winged dune buggies

[onlyfacts]

FYI -- THE Knoxville Nationals (not the late model Nationals) has a bigger crowd.That use to be true but the last few years the crowd at the nationals has declined and isn't any bigger than the world 100 crowd.

[vande07]

That use to be true but the last few years the crowd at the nationals has declined and isn't any bigger than the world 100 crowd.

Knoxville Nationals crowd has increased the last few years.....bottomed out in 2011 (the 51st).

Very hard to compare The World and the Nationals. Seating wise, Knoxville has Eldora by nearly 5000 (and probably 2000 empty seats at most last year on Saturday), my guess is Eldora has Knoxville by a wide margin with the # of people in the pit area. Overall Saturday Night crowd is probably about the same. Not sure how prelim nights stack up at Eldora, but Knoxville is usually in excess of 17,000 on Wednesday, increased again on Thursday and a slight increase on Friday.

They're different animals. Both are the Crown Jewell of the respective division (just like Indianapolis (Indycar), Monaco (F1), US Nationals (NHRA), Daytona (NASCAR), Boone (IMCA) are).

[onlyfacts]

Knoxville Nationals crowd has increased the last few years.....bottomed out in 2011 (the 51st).Very hard to compare The World and the Nationals. Seating wise, Knoxville has Eldora by nearly 5000 (and probably 2000 empty seats at most last year on Saturday), my guess is Eldora has Knoxville by a wide margin with the # of people in the pit area. Overall Saturday Night crowd is probably about the same. Not sure how prelim nights stack up at Eldora, but Knoxville is usually in excess of 17,000 on Wednesday, increased again on Thursday and a slight increase on Friday.They're different animals. Both are the Crown Jewell of the respective division (just like Indianapolis (Indycar), Monaco (F1), US Nationals (NHRA), Daytona (NASCAR), Boone (IMCA) are).Saturday World 100 crowd over 25,000

[vande07]

Saturday World 100 crowd over 25,000

and so is Knoxville. Like I said, hard to compare. Eldora taps out at 20,000 in the grandstand area, the other 5000 are pitside. Knoxville tops out at 24,762 in the grandstand, and another 400 in the Sprint Car Hall of Fame Suites and 300 or so on the 2nd Floor and another 6-800 on the frontstretch suites. But much less in the pit area (spectators at least).

I'd say they're pretty close to even, but since neither group gives out attendance figures, none of us will ever know for sure.

[old fan]

Eldora also has grass seating which would count I was up thereon year and my buddy was up for the first time for late he told me the crowd for the kings royal was bigger then it came race time he said where in he11 did all these people come from lol late model race was of course the world

[Snake X3]

Provisionals are a joke in any series. I was keeping a rough tally of them earlier in the season to see how Lucas stacked up against WoO, but it quickly became clear the top 10 WoO guys were taking far more provisionals than Lucas so I stopped counting. As someone said earlier, if you can't race your way in then you get the participation points and you go home. I think the main reason they have the provisionals is for the fans though, so whatever.

The whole Crown Jewel thing is a becoming a watered down joke. A race has to have the history, the purse and enough prestige to draw the best of the best. The Dream and World are no-brainers. Knoxville? Maybe? DTWC...maybe. World Finals? Could be, but no purse. Others have the history and the purse, but always seem to be up against a race held by one of the other national touring series. And I think a lot of the promoters are putting up big winning purses in an attempt to get the powers that be talking about their race being a "Crown Jewel".

In my opinion the fans and the drivers are the ones that decide this by their participation. Whatever races mean the most to them should be clear and stand head and shoulders above the others. Promoters and media outlets are always going to want to hype up everything to that level. They don't care if it cheapens the label of a Crown Jewel.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

what is the big deal if its lucas quist being involved was never like that at the 1971 world 100 so it should n't be now eitherLucas is not part of The Dream or The World 100. Eldora is UMP, you of all people should know that. Which is owned by WRG, which owns WoO.


And yes, they should never tarnish the two big races at Eldora with either of the two big series.

[old fan]

I was responding to another post

[fryefan]

and so is Knoxville. Like I said, hard to compare. Eldora taps out at 20,000 in the grandstand area, the other 5000 are pitside. Knoxville tops out at 24,762 in the grandstand, and another 400 in the Sprint Car Hall of Fame Suites and 300 or so on the 2nd Floor and another 6-800 on the frontstretch suites. But much less in the pit area (spectators at least).

I'd say they're pretty close to even, but since neither group gives out attendance figures, none of us will ever know for sure.

There are several people in the pits at Eldora, but nowhere near 5000 people.

With that being said, both Eldora (LM's) and Knoxville (Sprints) draw great crowds, which is the important thing.