How can late model costs be reduced

[Barbecueboy]

It's across all divisions.......a successful team I'm pretty close with has won multiple track championships and tons of races in the local superstreet class using the same motor ( refreshed each year) and they take care of their stuff.

Motor new was 7k( huge spend for them) but as stated, they take care of their stuff , the driver is smooth and easy on equipment........but in their class like every other ,there are always "those "guys that roll in with a 25k (or more)chassis/motor combo to race for 500 bucks every Saturday night......some of those guys can actually drive, most just have a bigger checkbook and a smaller bottle of talent and the 7k motor is still sitting in victory lane or on the podium more times than not.

And yes Josh, some of the mods that run down our way are every bit as high dollar as some of the late model classes.........

[grt74]

everyone always screams engines, you can buy a piece that will compete with national guys for 15-20,and guys are putting 15 in crates(just insane in my opinion)
i always hear someone say it take 70-90 thousand to build a super today, its just not true, you can buy a new (i cant use chassis names here, so don't ask) chassis 25000(a very well known top piece)engine used 20,shocks(people need to learn more on this as its not as expensive as these shock guys say) and trans, a top of the line piece for 50-55,it can be done
start money and winning purses(so people will to take a chance for the reward) is what it will take, just my 2 cents
facts are facts, have a sensible entry fee and raise the purse to 2000-2500 per week and watch the cars grow, it will happen and most guys running supers that i have talked too are will to pay a reasonable entry fee

[cgrace]

everyone always screams engines, you can buy a piece that will compete with national guys for 15-20,and guys are putting 15 in crates(just insane in my opinion)i always hear someone say it take 70-90 thousand to build a super today, its just not true, you can buy a new (i cant use chassis names here, so don't ask) chassis 25000(a very well known top piece)engine used 20,shocks(people need to learn more on this as its not as expensive as these shock guys say) and trans, a top of the line piece for 50-55,it can be done start money and winning purses(so people will to take a chance for the reward) is what it will take, just my 2 cents facts are facts, have a sensible entry fee and raise the purse to 2000-2500 per week and watch the cars grow, it will happen and most guys running supers that i have talked too are will to pay a reasonable entry fee

good post. personally i also think there is too many classes which causes lower car counts in ALL classes.

[Forward Bite]

I think Josh is right about all the special races for late models as a reason fans don't go to weekly late model races. Why should a fan go to weekly shows and watch 10 - 15 late models when he can see a special with 30 - 40 late models or more ?

[roughride]

I think this is actually pretty easy. Remember the wedge era and dwindling car counts? UMP saved late model racing. These bodies are out of control. Look down the front to back they are tunneled out so bad they are very close to big block mod bodies. Lift the nose off the ground a few inches, make the decking be level side to side, and reduce the spoiler to 4 inches or so. The cars would look exactly the same from the stands! And what the crap is wrong with a harder tire rule as long is everyone is on the same thing. Sipe it, grind it, I don't care. No soaking or treatments as I think that is a big part of rubbered up tracks. That Batesville race was a fiasco if you ask me and it can and will happen again. Dirt late model races should not be won on pit strategy. Whats next, 10 gallon fuel tanks so we have to have pit stops like NASCRAP?

[STRONGERTHANDIRT]

Great post!!!

[GRT32]

It's not the cost of bending metal, it's about taking the aero affect away so the engines are less effective. The bodies and deck heights are ridiculous.

[B_K]

Look at pictures of cars from a few years ago and now. Guys are basically driving wedge cars again. With the advance of suspension technology and as aero is these cars are now, you can use all the power that overpriced engine can produce. Not to mention the racing has suffered IMO, because you get out of line and the air messes with handling.

Need a nosepiece height rule.
Need to enforce and rewrite body rules.


Racing will always be about $$$ that's just reality. The powers that be need to make these things a little tougher to drive and put more emphasis back on the seat and no so much on all the other stuff.

[Bcollins82]

You want to save it you'll have to take traction away. Period. To take traction away you've got to limit rear axle down travel to take away the mechanical grip attained by it, along with the wedge car aero affect, then get the bodies back in check. Outlawing spread bore motors, allowing springs to be mounted to only one side of the axle, and worrying about tire rules is taking a piss in the wind until these other issues are solved.

[Barbecueboy]

As stated , I'll watch about anything race.......but watching supers and crates run together but scoring them differently is not at the top of the list.......confusing and dangerous in my opinion depending on what track your at.

[Illtsate32]

Also last night they ran the pro 4 race before late models they pull the moisture back up in the track it saved last night from rubbering up in the feature imo..

[Bubstr]

Easy, rob all the sponsors and backers of the cars. As long as they have money, they will spend it to win. Therefore the rest have to spend it to keep up.

Short of making any part illegal that doesn't have a factory part number, I don't think there is anything you can do with the rules to make it cheaper. How do you think a whole car claim rule would go over? lol

My Dad used to say, "The bigger he prize, the bigger the greed. The bigger the greed, the bigger the crime." Buying a championship or even a race win, seems like a crime to a lot of people.

This cost thing has been set in motion in the 50s, with the after market parts and chassis. The only thing we can do is let it play out and see what comes out of the ashes. We will most likely end up with some kind of hobby racing, with hot pockets of racing and nothing everywhere else and maybe a national tour.

The only form of racing, I see growing is the IMCA crate mods. Most new cars are open motor mods backing down because of cost. The small tire makes this possible. The draw back is the tracks will cut purses, because the racers are saving money and they end up in the same money crunch. Much like crate LMs. Although there are high dollar specials, most other purses dropped by a third and savings are no here near a third. The money crunch got worse instead of better. This doesn't account or the missing fans, because the think it's a lesser show.

[a25rjr]

You CAN'T stop technology! There will ALWAYS be teams that spend more money for the most technology!

Put guys like Bloomer in a sportsman lm, and in a short time, he will be competing head to head with the supers!

You guys keep talking about, taking traction away, what do you think the dryslick racetrack is doing in the features?

Technology and money will always buy the most speed!

[Highwayman]

Learn from history or be doomed to repeat it.

You CAN'T stop technology! There will ALWAYS be teams that spend more money for the most technology!

This part is partially true, some will always spend their last dime and that's their right. What you can do is make those dimes less effective.

You guys keep talking about, taking traction away, what do you think the dryslick racetrack is doing in the features?

Dry slick surface on its own doesn't do much anymore, due to what technology/setup is allowed to be used today. The way they are allowed to run the cars today makes it possible to maintain nearly the same speed all night. More HP than whats needed should be allowed, if you try to go about it with just minimizing HP then you get a bunch of over-hooked go karts(602/604 crates). Agree with me, don't agree with me I don't care. I agree with the guy who said we'll have to let it all burn down and see whats left because the powers that be are selfish, short sighted, greedy and stupid.

Learn from history or be doomed to repeat it.

[a25rjr]

[QUOTE=Highwayman;2131048]This part is partially true, some will always spend their last dime and that's their right. What you can do is make those dimes less effective.



Dry slick surface on its own doesn't do much anymore, due to what technology/setup is allowed to be used today. The way they are allowed to run the cars today makes it possible to maintain nearly the same speed all night.

HUH? Go to Race Monitor and compare qualifying, heats , and feature lap times. There usually 2-3 seconds apart!

Plus, go ask a super driver after the feature, how much throttle they were using!