The Dome Race

St. Louis is my hometown. I’m proud of where I’m from.. I’m a big dirt racing fan. But I’ll say it....this dome race...it’s a great idea on paper. Dirt racing in December....I get it. However, the place is just too small for this type of car, and rough as a cob. If the track were a little bigger and it was possible to keep a portable dirt track from becoming rough as a corn field, it would be awesome. It’s a 50 mph destruction of expensive race cars. For midgets and mini sprints and all that, it’s much better suited. 900HP full blown late models...come on.

Bshep said in his interveiw last week that the track wasnt as hard on equipment as people think. So take that FWIW.

The track holds up til the mods get out there and their stiff sidewalled tires dig into track surface and start the ruts. Go back to thursday night. Track was in awesome shape til the mods got out there for their hot laps.

I think its a great race if you like alot of crashing and door slamming. I like it myself. Would be nice if they could add more banking in the turns and widen it out and lengthen in. Also might be nice to open the field up to just midgets and maybe mini sprints and keep the late models til the end. This would allow the track to not get rough. I would say with open fields could get 50 mini sprints, 45 or so midgets and 70 to 90 late models.

You are correct but I think your strengthen it a little bit at 50 mph but even though it's not much racing and it's rough but as the old saying goes as long as people keep coming they will keep having it.

Midgets will not be there in 22. Myself I dont like the dome,(JMO} its the Jerry Springer show of dirt racing. Last nightS LM race was boring.

The midgets, which won't be back unfortunately, put on the best show.

At times, when the top comes in (not often enough) the lates can put on a show. The track seems to get better every year.

When they use recycled dirt from dirt bike and monster truck events it doesn't have any kind binding in it like clay. Might as well just bulldoze part of of the Mojave desert into the shape of a track

If I didn’t already have a Flo subscription, I wouldn’t tune in for the little that a did. It’s a gimmick that I guess has to be making money or it wouldn’t keep going. More of a show than a race in my opinion

with midgets gone wonder if it will just be late models and mods next year and unlimited openings. Might get 70 or so mods and 70 or so late models. and split the fields on Thursday and Friday and run double features top 2 get locked in for Saturday.

Don't like midgets at all

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Originally Posted by 50Dixon50

Don't like midgets at all

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You didn't like that race last night??

Gateway Dirt Nationals

Dates for the next 3 years.

2022 - December 1st - 3rd

2023 - December 14th - 16th

2024 - December 5th - 7th

if you didnt like the dome race i have great news for you, they race on bigger wider tracks every weekend from march to october around the entire country.

Hoffman admitted the mods tear up the track too much!

Solution......run late models first!

Side note......I think the late models need another 20 feet in the turns!

I live in central MN and won’t ever go. It’s not for me. If I’m going to spend money on travel, hotel/camping, tickets, time off work, etc I want to see racing, not what that event produces. Like someone said it’s more of an entertainment/show than it is racing.

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Originally Posted by th3Swami

if you didnt like the dome race i have great news for you, they race on bigger wider tracks every weekend from march to october around the entire country.

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And they go a whole lot faster than this too.

Supposedly street stocks are taking over for midgets. An since when does a driver doesn't have to pull in when you have a flat?

WWE on 4 wheels

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Originally Posted by 50Dixon50

Don't like midgets at all

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I attend many late model, sprint car, and USMTS modified shows each year. I also attend a few midget shows (Powri and USAC), but there are not as many of them in my area.

With out any doubt in my mind, midgets provide the best and most consistent racing of any of these classes. They are basically a "hidden gem" seeing that they are not readily available to a lot of folks.

This race is what it is. It’s not terribly hard on equipment other than the bodies from beating and banging. Sheppard proved you could pass, if you had a good car and if you can drive. If this was a starting field of nothing but top notch drivers it would likely be highly entertaining and much cleaner racing... but it isn’t.

I just like mods and Latemodels mostly

I have raced on fifth my tracks in the past and have to say the Dome race is fairly typical for being a track where there will be contact between race cars. The bad thing about a race under the dome is that it is hard to keep enough water in the track to keep it from falling apart and getting rough. The thing is drivers and fans still want to see some racing in December.

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Originally Posted by fryefan

I attend many late model, sprint car, and USMTS modified shows each year. I also attend a few midget shows (Powri and USAC), but there are not as many of them in my area.

With out any doubt in my mind, midgets provide the best and most consistent racing of any of these classes. They are basically a "hidden gem" seeing that they are not readily available to a lot of folks.

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You're absolutely right on all counts, ff. As I've said many, many times, I love DLM's and attend as many, or more DLM shows per season as any other division. With that said, on average from a spectator point of view, the top echelon midgets put on more intensely exciting and enjoyable racing than any other division that races on dirt.

Driver skill, talent and bravery needed to be a consistent winner in top echelon midgets is higher than any other dirt division except for maybe wingless 410 sprint cars. That isn't my opinion, it's the opinion of a driver that has been inducted into multiple national racing hall's of fame who has won races driving DLM's, mods, winged & wingless 410 sprint cars, USAC Silver Crown cars on dirt and pavement and yes.............midgets.

That statement is not a knock on any other dirt division, it's merely stating fact.

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Originally Posted by 50Dixon50

I just like mods and Latemodels mostly

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And that is okay.

Personally, I like all of the forms that I mentioned in my earlier post. They all have provided good racing, but as I mentioned earlier, the midgets provide the best racing (cars consistently battling for position). They rarely have a snoozer.

Driver who finished on the podium in all 3 features said the midget was the most fun, already talking to Cody about getting them back.

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Originally Posted by Mod Runner

The thing is drivers and fans still want to see some racing in December.

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This is my take. I'm just happy to see racing in December, with some big names.

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Originally Posted by Birky.Fan

This is my take. I'm just happy to see racing in December, with some big names.

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It is a show of shows

It’s remarkable that they get done what they get done, and all of it basically works like it should.

Hats off to all of them that make it happen.