Why the drop off in Limited Late Model car counts?

**Returning to Dirt** · 05-26-2016, 05:23 AM

http://insidedirtracing.com/turn-2-b...model-numbers/

We discuss why we think the car counts for Limited Late Models have fallen off in east Tennessee and we discuss the recent success of the Crossville Speedway.

**weatherman85** · 05-26-2016, 08:47 AM

I agree that the opening of the rule book has been a big factor. I remember in the 90s and early 2000s when Limited motors were pure steel motors and much cheaper than the SLM engines. I know a lot of the tracks here in the south now allow aluminum heads, the 525 crate engine and ford crate engine in this class. Rise in costs have lead more to turn to crate classes and I can't blame them. A lot of times the pole time for crate at some tracks are just around 3 tenths off the pole time of the limited class. Some of these guys are literally spending $10,000 more on a limited motor just for these mere thenths.

**clayman2** · 05-26-2016, 10:54 AM

the one deciding factor in all this is the cost !! the engines that the sportsman classes are running is basically the engine you could run limited with 5 years ago accept for the 602 crate of course, there are many cars sitting collecting dust because the owners most of which this is a hobby for them cant afford to put competitive engines in them so they don't go !! it is just that simple engines, fuel and tires are the biggest expenses in racing, for most working people who love the sport of dirt track racing the sportsman class is becoming the only class we can afford !! rules and the enforcement of them are non existent protest fees are outrageous especially for lower classes so that's another expense that most cant afford !! 90 % of the racers are loosing money every nite but most are willing to accept that part of it if they can afford the initial expense of it truck, trailer, insurance, car, engine, tires, just for the love of the sport, and if the sportsman class is the class for them then I say if you have a car and its legal come on out !!! I really wish some one local would step up and run a class for 525 engines or true limited engines witch would be in the same horse power range i mean who wants to try to compete wit a 525 against all steel engines that are pushing 700 hp !! just 2 cents from a racer that is sitting in the stands because of the cost !!

**old fan** · 05-26-2016, 04:58 PM

We are getting 11 sportsman at only one track b mods are taking over no steel heads or crates around 20 supers on a given night paying only 1200 to win

**mopar92** · 05-28-2016, 12:11 PM

Well, a lot of places combine crates and 2bbl limiteds. Some guys I run against spend $15k on a 2bbl motor that is usually a little quicker than a good crate car. Crates get tired of that. Somewhere else has a bunch of crates while that one place has 7-10 money spenders. In my opinion, limiteds fulfilled their special need until crates were born. That's when the class needed to be dissolved. We don't need 2 "limited " classes competing for car count.

**RW57** · 05-28-2016, 04:55 PM

Engine cost is what I think is the problem.l know of people spending way more than 10 grand on a steel head engine some nights the steel heads are good so far this year the 525 combo has been better than the steel heads.