Are guys like Kevin Rumley good or bad for DLM racing

[billetbirdcage]

Are guys like Kevin Rumley good or bad for DLM racing

Kirkpatrick can be an example of being good for the sport. Now I know his results haven't been good since the beam car, but hear me out.

1. Showed you don't need to spend huge dollars
2. Showed you can build your own stuff
3. Showed you can build a car with a harbor freight welder and a hole saw for a notcher
4. Showed it's possible for an unknown guy to do his own thing and be competitive
4A. This is huge as the perception is you can't unless you spend a half million plus a year and have a full time crew and huge stacker hauler and the latest greatest stuff being sold.

I had a big argument with Lucas after they said he wasn't welcome to run their races (many may not know this but it was right after he won and caught everyone eyes) that he was good for a sport when they are struggling for cars. This helps get some lower budget teams saying well if Austin can do that, then I might be able too also and give it a shot.

Side note: His car was 100% legal (ignore his body here as everyone bodies where being pushed and his was no different) to the letter of the rule book for both Lucas and WoO.

Someday the rest of this story will be told but that's for Austin to tell if or when he wants to as it will make several people bad.

On the flip side, you can argue he was bad for the sport. Lets just say for argument sake that his outlawed car was so revolutionary that it was going to obsolete every other car out there. That has to be bad for the sport right? So everyone has to buy new cars to be competitive now, how is that any different then Rocket, Longhorn or whoever making chassis as they change them all the time, year to year or even mid year or quarterly updates to the chassis. Sure that happens at a way slower pace then Austins would have been but top guys are constantly getting new cars. It would hurt the little guys more then the top high dollar teams.

[billetbirdcage]

Also no matter what side the fence you on with Kevin, back in 2015 he posted a picture of his car (JD driving) with 2 other cars from over the years. One was an old wedge car and titled it, the modern day wedge foreshadowing what was to come if they didn't start enforcing body rules. He brought it to everyone's attention but was ignored

[ImCryn2]

Kevin is doing his job, the sanctioning bodies are failing at theirs.

[zyoung25]

Maybe Lucas should try to hire him as tech director? 😀

[GrocMax]

When Larson wins the Indy 500, the F1 title (or a single race), major sportscar/endurance events, along with what he's already done on dirt, then we can compare to A.J., Bobby, and especially Mario. Until then he's Smoke with a much better record on dirt. He's one of those guys can get 90% out of any car he drives right away, and 95% within 10 laps. Hewitt won all four but that's all but forgotten now. And then there's people like Steve Kinser, most phenomenal career in all of motorsports, tried other types of cars and failed miserably.

[fastford]

I think rumley and innovation is good for the sport , with out it , you have nothing but a spec class and there is plenty of them if thats what you prefer , reading between the lines ( innovation ) is how most all improvements in racing has happened for the last 100 years , and if money is a problem for you , then you have the great alternative , crate racing ....lol....

[EvelB7]

When Larson wins the Indy 500, the F1 title (or a single race), major sportscar/endurance events, along with what he's already done on dirt, then we can compare to A.J., Bobby, and especially Mario. Until then he's Smoke with a much better record on dirt. He's one of those guys can get 90% out of any car he drives right away, and 95% within 10 laps. Hewitt won all four but that's all but forgotten now. And then there's people like Steve Kinser, most phenomenal career in all of motorsports, tried other types of cars and failed miserably.

I believe it was 2015 that Larson was a part of winning the 24 hours of Daytona, so check that box....As for Kevin, don't confuse his success with the lack of enforcement of the rules. He would be just as successful either way, the cream will rise to the top.

[Raceready]

Kevin is doing his job, the sanctioning bodies are failing at theirs.

In full agreement with that post .

[grumfan]

Duh, Of course he's good for the sport the same as that radical CJ Rayburn and Ed Howe and so many other innovators were in their day.

[Jking24]

Kirkpatrick scared them so bad, with an "inferior technology" (mandatory in many forms of racing) that they wrote rules to outlaw his car after it won a single non-lucas, non-woo race. Meanwhile, space ships were racing on both tours every night.

I don't really think Austin scared anybody. I think he shot himself in the foot by winning one race and the first time he had a mic stuck in his face he went on a ego trip talking about out smarting everyone. That probably poked hard at a few egos and they made short work of his. But I do agree with most of billets statements about what it showed could be done

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I don't really think Austin scared anybody. I think he shot himself in the foot by winning one race and the first time he had a mic stuck in his face he went on a ego trip talking about out smarting everyone. That probably poked hard at a few egos and they made short work of his. But I do agree with most of billets statements about what it showed could be done

I don't think a chapped rear end is enough to motivate someone to do as much kicking and screaming as they seem to have done. I'm sure someone was worried. Was it warranted? We'll never know. Rumley was allowed to win all season before the crying was productive, but I guess you gotta be in the club...

[dirtcrazy4u]

In the club ! Truer words where never spoken. I had the chance to go with a neighbor to a crate santioned race at screven a few yrs back. First I was blown away by the stackers that came rolling in. This class was budget friendly ? Sure it is.
Anyhow, back on track. He along with his son field a crate car. Getting in line going thru pre race inspection they looked at all 4 tires on the car. I stood there in amazement that the only thing that guy could have possibly seen was the tire brand. Once the inspection line got longer that no longer happened. The measuring of the rear deck height was what really got me. Crew guys pushing down on the back of the car and dependent on were you stopped or the tape measure was read to get the number on deck heights. Those good Ole boys were having a great time. Heck I think you could have changed cars and they wouldn't have noticed. My buddy and his son didn't care, they were just there to race and it seemed like it didn't matter much.

The post race inspection of the top 3 finishers was like a family gathering. You didn't know who was an official and who wasn't. My buddy and his son may be done with the closing of oglethorpe speedway, he knows Red at screven real well and even they are not sure what there plans are. As Dean told me, Ole Red don't get much excited about things.

[Burke1118]

I don't really think Austin scared anybody. I think he shot himself in the foot by winning one race and the first time he had a mic stuck in his face he went on a ego trip talking about out smarting everyone. That probably poked hard at a few egos and they made short work of his. But I do agree with most of billets statements about what it showed could be done

The rumors I heard from multiple ppl was that mark spent pretty much the whole off-season trying to get the straight axel banned and threatened to pull his team from WoO if they didnt…….. Sounds pretty scared to me. Even in dirt racing the little guy gets shot down.

[MADCAPRACING22]

Nothing wrong with guys like Rumley. He is just one of many innovators in the sport. The regulators of the sport and their stupid rules are the bad element.

[84wedge]

Kirkpatrick can be an example of being good for the sport. Now I know his results haven't been good since the beam car, but hear me out.1. Showed you don't need to spend huge dollars2. Showed you can build your own stuff 3. Showed you can build a car with a harbor freight welder and a hole saw for a notcher 4. Showed it's possible for an unknown guy to do his own thing and be competitive 4A. This is huge as the perception is you can't unless you spend a half million plus a year and have a full time crew and huge stacker hauler and the latest greatest stuff being sold. I had a big argument with Lucas after they said he wasn't welcome to run their races (many may not know this but it was right after he won and caught everyone eyes) that he was good for a sport when they are struggling for cars. This helps get some lower budget teams saying well if Austin can do that, then I might be able too also and give it a shot. Side note: His car was 100% legal (ignore his body here as everyone bodies where being pushed and his was no different) to the letter of the rule book for both Lucas and WoO. Someday the rest of this story will be told but that's for Austin to tell if or when he wants to as it will make several people bad.On the flip side, you can argue he was bad for the sport. Lets just say for argument sake that his outlawed car was so revolutionary that it was going to obsolete every other car out there. That has to be bad for the sport right? So everyone has to buy new cars to be competitive now, how is that any different then Rocket, Longhorn or whoever making chassis as they change them all the time, year to year or even mid year or quarterly updates to the chassis. Sure that happens at a way slower pace then Austins would have been but top guys are constantly getting new cars. It would hurt the little guys more then the top high dollar teams.

Great post.