Lucas going to Port Royal

[MACNGRAVY]

I heard that Lucas series will be at Port Royal in 2017. Should be a great race, port royal is awesome

[GEAR_HEAD]

http://www.4m.net/showthread.php?362265-Port-Royal-and-Lucas-Oil

[uncle geek]

Finally!!! Can't wait for this something other than Winged sprint cars in Central Pa.

[ironboss]

Glad to see Port Royal is on the schedule. Now it's time for Williams Grove and Lincoln (PA) speedway to step up and get a Lucas Oil or World of Outlaws sanctioned super late model race!

[06Tireman]

That wont ever happen.. Honestly.. It wouldn't surprise me if Williams Grove doesn't even schedule late models for those early Friday night shows..

[Josh Bayko]

Williams Grove tried a WoO late model show a few years back. Crowd was atrocious. At the Grove especially, if it ain't 410 sprint cars, nobody goes.

[BTExpress]

I was so looking forward to the start of this season when Williams Grove scheduled the late Models for the first two shows only to see a field of less than 20 late models. The kicker might have been the final race of the season with a RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG race that produced a whopping 7 cars with 6 taking the green flag feature...... However, give props to the Williams Grove management as they still paid the full advertised purse of $2000 to win.

[m_stagev]

most late model drivers dont even know the grove runs lates. first of all they have a show in april when its 20 degrees at night and even the 410 fan count suffers and the deal at the end of the season was unexpected.

[manwplan]

Williams Grove tried a WoO late model show a few years back. Crowd was atrocious. At the Grove especially, if it ain't 410 sprint cars, nobody goes.

You would almost be correct. In 2004 they had a Xtreme race on Goodyears and yes the crowd sucked. They also had LM speedweeks races the first few years of the series and the crowd also sucked. And the reason cars do not come to the regular shows in April is because the purse is terrible. They pay the Late Models a 358 sprint car purse.

[prodirtcar32]

You are wrong about the Limited Sprint Car purse. All WG Super Late Model purses have been $2,000 to win shows since 2014.

[bighalfmile]

This is going to be a great show the late model racing at Port Royal is 3 and 4 wide running the top and the bottom. I would expect a early start time being it's on a Sunday night to get people home early. If you have never been to Port Royal then this is a must see show great people, beautiful facility and a awesome surface.

[manwplan]

You are wrong about the Limited Sprint Car purse. All WG Super Late Model purses have been $2,000 to win shows since 2014.

I stand corrected. The races have always been great there. I do believe the purse isn't good enough to justify more than a full field these days. To expect more than 20-24 is a dream.

[BTExpress]

manwplan, I agree. If you look at some of the area tracks that run DLM's on a full time basis, Hagerstown, Winchester, Potomac, Delaware Int'l etc, they seemed to struggle to get full fields for a regular show..... Port Royal & Selinsgrove seemed fine last year......so I guess after thinking about it, getting fields of 18 or 19 cars as a support division at Williams Grove, in early April isn't so bad afterall. I did get to see one of my favorite drivers Gregg Satterlee race and pick up a win.

[prodirtcar32]

manwplan, no worries, you were correct that up unto a few years ago the SLM purse was terrible. I just wanted you to know the Grove did make their Super Late Model purse more competitive with the area keeping in mind that when they run they are a support division. The reason why the SLM races are scheduled early and late in the year is because they do not want to interfere with Bedford Speedway's schedule since SLM are their premiere division.

[birky time]

This is going to be a great show the late model racing at Port Royal is 3 and 4 wide running the top and the bottom. I would expect a early start time being it's on a Sunday night to get people home early. If you have never been to Port Royal then this is a must see show great people, beautiful facility and a awesome surface.

from the map it kinda looks like Florence speedway shape...what size is port royal?

[Josh Bayko]

from the map it kinda looks like Florence speedway shape...what size is port royal?

True half mile.

[flash49]

It's bigger than Florence, and since recent updates, is a first-class facility.

[bighalfmile]

More upgrades are already started for the 2017 season.

[ironboss]

Williams Grove could have successful shows if they actually tried a little harder. The shows they do have are hardly promoted, have small purses, and are treated like a grocery getter class instead of a co-headlining main attraction. Back in the 80's and 90's, they always had the STARS series come in for 1 or 2 races every year as a double bill with the 410 sprints and they were awesome shows that are still talked about today. The Stacker2 series race didn't work as it was held on a rainy weekend in 2004 (scheduled for Sat against all the other area Super late model tracks ..rained out and ran sunday night). They had 3-4 Appalachian Speedweek shows that were good but were ran on a weekday and didn't draw a ton of fans. If they scheduled super lates and ran them on their normal Friday night show and paid at least equal to or more (if a sanctioned series race) what they pay the 410 sprint car class, the place would be packed.

[ironboss]

Lincoln Speedway (PA) is an awesome track for late model racing and needs to have a couple big shows. They did have the Outlaws in for a show in 2005 won by Tim Mccreadie and 2-3 of the early Appalachian Speedweek shows but nothing recently. Since they already run WOO Sprints, don't think it would be hard to get at least one WOO late model series race a year. Also, I would love to see a Lucas Oil series show there too!

[flash49]

The problem at Lincoln and Williams Grove is that the Sprint Car fans in large part are not interested in Super Late Models.

[ironboss]

I do agree that there are some "diehards" that only want Sprint Cars but I think the majority of today's fans just want more bang for their buck and enjoy both the super late models and sprint cars. Look at Lincoln Speedway back throughout the 70's and 80's, Hagerstowns Octoberfest, the World Finals at Charlotte, and the success of the shows that Lernerville, Selinsgrove and Port Royal put on every week. I think with a little effort it could work well. And I would think the national series would be all for coming in here and establishing a stronger presence in the Mid Atlantic area.

[PennDirt]

No surprise here. I posted a thread a few years back where Port Royal was the best track in Pa. and nothing has changed since. If anything, 'The Port' has gone full steam ahead to preserve the title.

I can't really throw shade at Lincoln or Williams Grove for being buggy snobs. It's just too multi-generational. It's how they pay the bills. However, Williams Grove has promised surprises for 2017. Maybe wait and see. Williams Grove has had a tough existence the last decade, at least by Williams Grove standards, not so much by most weekly track standards. But that said, WG is feeling the pressure of economic stagnation and a lessening crowd base.


WG cut back a 50-show schedule in 2015 to 35 events in '16. Central Pa. racing is pretty brutal. It's a very long season generally starting in February and ending late October. WG plans on trimming the 2017 schedule by a show or two, as well. And as a matter of perspective, Port looks stuffed to the gills, give WG the same crowd number and the place looks empty. The difference being how does WG staff for a night like that? It's the little things that can make a race profitable.

I'm just happy Port Royal is doing what they do. 7-8 years ago, I saw some of the most boring WooLM races in history there but the place was SRO and gave the track the extra income to make improvements that have paid off in spades. The track is fast and passing has become commonplace. What more could you want?

[06Tireman]

http://lucasdirt.com/home/1798-lucas-oil-late-model-dirt-series-nov-2016-technical-bulletin And these rule changes just pretty much eliminated 3/4 of the locals that race weekly at Port.. Plus add the fact you need to buy their RR tires..

[GEAR_HEAD]

http://lucasdirt.com/home/1798-lucas-oil-late-model-dirt-series-nov-2016-technical-bulletin And these rule changes just pretty much eliminated 3/4 of the locals that race weekly at Port.. Plus add the fact you need to buy their RR tires..

Any of the locals that don't enter because they can't afford to meet safety standards probably don't have a shot in hell of winning anyway. The good local teams will all still be there.

[06Tireman]

Thats the attitude to have.. gzzz

[GEAR_HEAD]

Thats the attitude to have.. gzzz

No, it's the truth. Anybody who skimps on safety in order to be able to afford to race obviously doesn't have the equipment to even have a chance of making the show, which means probably 2 less backmarkers will show up.

[manwplan]

No, it's the truth. Anybody who skimps on safety in order to be able to afford to race obviously doesn't have the equipment to even have a chance of making the show, which means probably 2 less backmarkers will show up.

You must be an idiot that sits in the stands, drinks his beer, and has no clue what it takes to operate a race team. Most of the rules are correct and not expensive however the seat rule is way out of line. SFI certification is not necessary to produce a safe seat and more than doubles the cost of the seat. Do you think a small team like Covert's is going to drop a few grand to get SFI approved seats when they have perfectly safe full containment seats sitting there? Understand what things cost and how things actually work before opening your mouth.

[GEAR_HEAD]

You must be an idiot that sits in the stands, drinks his beer, and has no clue what it takes to operate a race team. Most of the rules are correct and not expensive however the seat rule is way out of line. SFI certification is not necessary to produce a safe seat and more than doubles the cost of the seat. Do you think a small team like Covert's is going to drop a few grand to get SFI approved seats when they have perfectly safe full containment seats sitting there? Understand what things cost and how things actually work before opening your mouth.

Yes, they are. They're not going to skip all sanctioned shows so that they can skimp on safety. You should use common sense before opening your mouth.

[06Tireman]

Gotta remember.. EVERY race at Port Royal is considers a points race.. So if you want to do good in the points you have to show up to the race.. I would be surprised if they exclude the Lucas Oil race.. They haven't for any other..

[manwplan]

Yes, they are. They're not going to skip all sanctioned shows so that they can skimp on safety. You should use common sense before opening your mouth.

No you don't get it. A full containment seat built by a reputable manufacturer is no less safe than an SFI seat. You other than sitting in the stands and giving your blanket observations have no industry connections to get the true feel and information on issues.

[manwplan]

BTW when they adjust the rule to remove the SFI label I will be awaiting your mea culpa.

[GEAR_HEAD]

No you don't get it. A full containment seat built by a reputable manufacturer is no less safe than an SFI seat. You other than sitting in the stands and giving your blanket observations have no industry connections to get the true feel and information on issues.

Where did I say I agreed with the rule? Your reading comprehension skills need work. I said that teams that have a legit shot at making sanctioned shows will buy an approved seat so that they can run those shows. And what exactly do you do besides sit in the bleachers?

[Josh Bayko]

WoO late models also hitting Port Royal on August 19th.

[PennDirt]

Port is paying 50K to win for the Tuscarora 50 in 2017 since it's the 50th anniversary. Ever since the board brought back promoter Steve O'Neal, Port Royal has been WFO killin' it.