hardracer32
07-17-2020, 09:03 AM
Just making an observation here. This is not a bash. I would like to hear some other opinions and see if anyone else sees this the same way I do.
Seems like the Southern All-Stars series has gone down hill quite a bit. It used to be a pretty solid series where you could count on a solid field of stout regional guys and a fairly frequent presence of "Big Names" that would drop in several times a year. The schedule was more diverse, as in they went to more tracks, and traveled a little farther. It was a stepping stone to going on up to Hav-A-Tampa/Lucas. It seemed to carry some prestige with it. I remember when you would see McDowell, Clint Smith, Scott Bloomquist, Ronnie Johnson, Freddy Smith, just to name a few, running several races a year. Now it seems like it's just a series for local racers that don't have a home track anymore, with an occasional appearance by some regional guys and a drop in from time to time by guys like Dale McDowell or Smokey when their schedules allow. it seems to me that the Schaeffer's tours have filled the spot that SAS used to. Better quality cars, better purses, more prestige. The only thing that those series lack, in my opinion, is the diversity of venue. I wish that they ventured into a few more tracks around Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and the Carolinas.
Again, this is not a bash. I would love to be able to run either series. The SAS holds a very special place in the industry just from it's history alone. And I think Ray has done an outstanding job of building his tours into a very respectable and well run series.
Seems like the Southern All-Stars series has gone down hill quite a bit. It used to be a pretty solid series where you could count on a solid field of stout regional guys and a fairly frequent presence of "Big Names" that would drop in several times a year. The schedule was more diverse, as in they went to more tracks, and traveled a little farther. It was a stepping stone to going on up to Hav-A-Tampa/Lucas. It seemed to carry some prestige with it. I remember when you would see McDowell, Clint Smith, Scott Bloomquist, Ronnie Johnson, Freddy Smith, just to name a few, running several races a year. Now it seems like it's just a series for local racers that don't have a home track anymore, with an occasional appearance by some regional guys and a drop in from time to time by guys like Dale McDowell or Smokey when their schedules allow. it seems to me that the Schaeffer's tours have filled the spot that SAS used to. Better quality cars, better purses, more prestige. The only thing that those series lack, in my opinion, is the diversity of venue. I wish that they ventured into a few more tracks around Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and the Carolinas.
Again, this is not a bash. I would love to be able to run either series. The SAS holds a very special place in the industry just from it's history alone. And I think Ray has done an outstanding job of building his tours into a very respectable and well run series.