Blount Motorsports

[hardracer32]

Sad news to hear that Blount Motorsports team is shutting down. They cited the escalating costs for being the reason. Keep in mind, this team has only been around since 2006!!! That's how quickly things have gotten out of hand. The real surge started with the tie-down shocks and the ridiculous manipulation of the bodies around 2010. It only took a couple of years for that to evolve to the stupidity we have today that is driving people out of the sport. When will the powers that be get it? What does it take to get somebody to make some meaningful changes to get costs under control for Super Late Models? And don't start with the B.S. lines about it being "Super" for a reason! 410 sprints have practically no rules and the costs to run one of those hasn't escalated at nearly the rate of running a Super Late Model. As a matter of fact, I would hazard a guess and say that these days, you could probably run Sprints for LESS money if not the same.

It wouldn't even be that hard! A few body rules and uniform application of the droop rule, only more restrictive than the current rule, and you would unhook the cars enough that having a $50k engine wouldn't do you any good. That would be a start. I don't have all the answers obviously, but doing nothing at all isn't helping either.

Sorry for the rant. I just had to get that off my chest. I love this sport and I want it to be around for a long time.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Sad news to hear that Blount Motorsports team is shutting down. They cited the escalating costs for being the reason. Keep in mind, this team has only been around since 2006!!! That's how quickly things have gotten out of hand. The real surge started with the tie-down shocks and the ridiculous manipulation of the bodies around 2010. It only took a couple of years for that to evolve to the stupidity we have today that is driving people out of the sport. When will the powers that be get it? What does it take to get somebody to make some meaningful changes to get costs under control for Super Late Models? And don't start with the B.S. lines about it being "Super" for a reason! 410 sprints have practically no rules and the costs to run one of those hasn't escalated at nearly the rate of running a Super Late Model. As a matter of fact, I would hazard a guess and say that these days, you could probably run Sprints for LESS money if not the same.

It wouldn't even be that hard! A few body rules and uniform application of the droop rule, only more restrictive than the current rule, and you would unhook the cars enough that having a $50k engine wouldn't do you any good. That would be a start. I don't have all the answers obviously, but doing nothing at all isn't helping either.

Sorry for the rant. I just had to get that off my chest. I love this sport and I want it to be around for a long time.

The droop rule has made shocks more complicated. That is totally the wrong move. You want to remove down force? Remove down force. Don't go about it all sideways.

[MRM]

Rising costs is just one of many factors for this team shutting down. But yes, they need to find a way to control costs and shocks would be a good place to start.

[clayman2]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

I'd love for that rule to come out. I'd stay the same speed.

I'd just have to keep my stuff covered up.

[JimBo]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

Yes, move the shock back to the front on the left rear. While you're at it, how about making a shock claim rule to eliminate the high dollar shocks? Straighten the bodies, reduce the rear spoiler size and a universal nose piece that that looks like a stock car.

[Late_Model_Mark]

15 years is a nice run, savor what we have now people and enjoy it instead of trying to rotate the earth with unachievable rule alterations. Thanks for the run Blount!


LMM

[Josh Bayko]

High dollar shocks are actually cheaper in the long run than cheaper options, because they can be built to how you want them and rebuilt until they’re bent or start leaking. Sealed shocks are definitely cheaper up front, but they’re also not able to be fixed.

[JabberJaws83]

15 years is a nice run, savor what we have now people and enjoy it instead of trying to rotate the earth with unachievable rule alterations. Thanks for the run Blount!


LMM

What makes it unachievable? That's a lazy comment and it's why the sport is where it is. The wedge was done away with in the past, it can be done again. Certain people in the sport just need to grow some balls

[riddle28]

What makes it unachievable? That's a lazy comment and it's why the sport is where it is. The wedge was done away with in the past, it can be done again. Certain people in the sport just need to grow some balls

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

[Josh Bayko]

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

UMP’s new mod rules, especially when it comes to bodies, are pointless. There is still rake in the deck and they’re going to get spoilers back. If they were serious about it, the decks would be flat and the spoilers would stay gone.

Straight, symmetrical and flat bodies with a max deck height of 36” would help both mods and late models immensely, but unless you tech them early and often, we’ll be right back to this within a year.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

^^Bayko is on point. With them putting spoilers back on, it's almost like they changed rules to make people mad, not to fix anything.

[Drop Shock]

I just don’t see a lot of the high dollar teams supporting “going backwards” with the body rules. That would possibly be the final straw for a lot of guys to call it quits and start going fishing instead of racing. Can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube as they say

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Who cares about those 10 guys drop shock? Did everyone quit when the wedge was killed? No. Some folks tried to keep them going for a year or two and gave in.

We are only here because Francis, Kenneda, and others rubber stamped every new nose submitted and never sent anyone home for a body infraction.

I'm sick of redoing our stuff for the opposite reason. The cars change even though the rules say they didn't. I have no sympathy.

[Mike]

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

UMP put words on paper. Lets see how many actually gets enforced come winter nationals.

As for the sanctioning bodies actually taking control back from the manufactures that's never going to happen with those manufacturers being the ones "sponsoring" the series.

[Josh Bayko]

UMP put words on paper. Lets see how many actually gets enforced come winter nationals.

As for the sanctioning bodies actually taking control back from the manufactures that's never going to happen with those manufacturers being the ones "sponsoring" the series.


See, I don’t think Five Star cares if they redo the body rules, because everybody will have to buy a new legal nose and body kit from them. They’d probably welcome new body rules because of that.

[Mike]

Josh Bayko, I didn't say five star cares, but I'm sure they would have some nose and body kits laying around already manufactured that would become obsolete/useless they would lose money on.

As you already know it wouldn't just effect the nose/body manufactures. If you unhook the cars you make some of those other high dollar parts not necessary to be competitive. I'm sure you remember some of your arguments form 10 years ago when you was against change. You said things like "you can't do that your going to obsolete a bunch of parts" "rake is already built into the chassis" ect.

[Josh Bayko]

Josh Bayko, I didn't say five star cares, but I'm sure they would have some nose and body kits laying around already manufactured that would become obsolete/useless they would lose money on.

As you already know it wouldn't just effect the nose/body manufactures. If you unhook the cars you make some of those other high dollar parts not necessary to be competitive. I'm sure you remember some of your arguments form 10 years ago when you was against change. You said things like "you can't do that your going to obsolete a bunch of parts" "rake is already built into the chassis" ect.

The bodies the years ago were still pretty flat, and the frames do have rake built into the roofs and that isn’t going to change. You can move the t-bars up or down to achieve a flat deck. If the deck has to stay at 39” because of fuel cell location, then move the front bar up to 39” too. The rake in the deck needs to go.

As far as obsoleting parts, I’ve only ever really said that about shocks, and I stand by that. Standard canister shocks are not, and have never been, the big problem with super late models.

[NeedforLM$peed]

Are they the ones that brought a Buick motor to speedweeks a couple yrs ago?

[JabberJaws83]

Are they the ones that brought a Buick motor to speedweeks a couple yrs ago?

That was Donald McIntosh's family team

[Mike]

Josh Bayko

The bodies the years ago were still pretty flat, and the frames do have rake built into the roofs and that isn’t going to change. You can move the t-bars up or down to achieve a flat deck. If the deck has to stay at 39” because of fuel cell location, then move the front bar up to 39” too. The rake in the deck needs to go.

As far as obsoleting parts, I’ve only ever really said that about shocks, and I stand by that. Standard canister shocks are not, and have never been, the big problem with super late models.

I’m not going to look it up but I’m pretty sure you said a bunch of parts. Anyway I know you was dead set against enforcing/changing any thing about the bodies back then even as some were saying they were going in the wrong direction and it was hurting the sport.

[Mod Runner]

The problem sanctioning bodies face when they outlaw certain parts is that racers leave the sanctioning body and go race for a sanctioning body that allows the outlawed parts. A competing sanctioning body will welcome the outlawed cars , as a result changes are hard to make in racing to cut costs.

[JabberJaws83]

The problem sanctioning bodies face when they outlaw certain parts is that racers leave the sanctioning body and go race for a sanctioning body that allows the outlawed parts. A competing sanctioning body will welcome the outlawed cars , as a result changes are hard to make in racing to cut costs.

But Francis and Kenneda are supposedly on the same page.

[JustAddDirt]

But Francis and Kenneda are supposedly on the same page.

But is it the right page To keep the sport moving forward and cutting costs so teams can continue to race?

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

But Francis and Kenneda are supposedly on the same page.

The sanctions have observed each others tech. They still listen to guys cry about self- inflicted shock costs and ignore the wedge bodies on the track. Everyone thinks you need 200 more horsepower because "shocks". It just isn't so.

[JabberJaws83]

I agree with both of you totally. Nobody wants to fix the most simple piece of the puzzle and I don’t get it.

[Barbecueboy]

Follow the money trail ……you will.

[JabberJaws83]

Unfortunately, I know you are correct