You got to love. Larson

[CIRF]

cirf you must remember the guys on iow are mostly usac fans and have been for ever. i'm in my 50's and probably one of the youngest guys on there. if you don't run a drc chassis, claxton motor and a hoosier spec rr tire a lot of those guys don't want to watch it...lol. I like it all. been on both sides of the fence!!!

I really don't know any of the guys on IOW other than to read what they post from time to time so I'm not privy to the average age of the members but I suspect you're right in your assessment that 50ish is young.

I like it all, too. The most exciting race of the 4 Crown Nationals was the winged sprint cars and the winged sprints at Fairbury this year were stellar and we loved watching them. But, after dirt late models, USAC Silver Crown and wingless 410 sprint cars followed by full on midgets are our favorites, so I guess other than the love we have for the dirt late models we'd fit in quite nicely over at IOW

[minthess]

Kyle is as good as there has ever been. NASCAR is becoming like punching a clock for anyone involved with a brain in their head. If the trend continues, NASCAR won't even exist in 10 years.

[TBSprintFan]

I really don't know any of the guys on IOW other than to read what they post from time to time so I'm not privy to the average age of the members but I suspect you're right in your assessment that 50ish is young.

I like it all, too. The most exciting race of the 4 Crown Nationals was the winged sprint cars and the winged sprints at Fairbury this year were stellar and we loved watching them. But, after dirt late models, USAC Silver Crown and wingless 410 sprint cars followed by full on midgets are our favorites, so I guess other than the love we have for the dirt late models we'd fit in quite nicely over at IOW

Not sure if you have ever saw a race at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND, but that is one racey track for both sprints and late models, it is a high banked 1/4 mile bull ring. Last year after the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals (been going there for at least 10 years, once a year) we watched Donny Schatz win the NLRA Late Model feature by driving past guys in middle of the track while they went high and low and then win the sprint car feature. It would be interesting to see what he could do if he had more time to spend in the late model but he is just another driver that seems he cannot get enough racing in during the year.

[CIRF]

Not sure if you have ever saw a race at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND, but that is one racey track for both sprints and late models, it is a high banked 1/4 mile bull ring. Last year after the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals (been going there for at least 10 years, once a year) we watched Donny Schatz win the NLRA Late Model feature by driving past guys in middle of the track while they went high and low and then win the sprint car feature. It would be interesting to see what he could do if he had more time to spend in the late model but he is just another driver that seems he cannot get enough racing in during the year.

TBSF, I've never seen an event at River Cities but it sounds like a very good venue.

Through conversations I've had with Jack Hewitt over the years I've gathered that it's nearly impossible to beat the dirt late model regulars without totally devoting a season or two to learning the proper set ups and nuances of DLM's combined with a solidly knowledgeable crew chief. With that in mind guys like Schatz may be the most talented dirt drivers out there but until they get the set ups down pat it's nearly impossible to beat the really good DLM guys. Jack said that DLM's are somewhat easier to drive than dirt open wheel cars, especially the 410 sprint cars. He said you have to drive open wheel cars much more defensively and know when to amp up or dial back the aggression due to the added speed, agility and quickness combined with the increased potential for driver injury.

[retired racer]

always wondered why jack couldn't win in a late model , now we know it wasn't his fault.

[brsteg]

TBSF, I've never seen an event at River Cities but it sounds like a very good venue.

Through conversations I've had with Jack Hewitt over the years I've gathered that it's nearly impossible to beat the dirt late model regulars without totally devoting a season or two to learning the proper set ups and nuances of DLM's combined with a solidly knowledgeable crew chief. With that in mind guys like Schatz may be the most talented dirt drivers out there but until they get the set ups down pat it's nearly impossible to beat the really good DLM guys. Jack said that DLM's are somewhat easier to drive than dirt open wheel cars, especially the 410 sprint cars. He said you have to drive open wheel cars much more defensively and know when to amp up or dial back the aggression due to the added speed, agility and quickness combined with the increased potential for driver injury.

There are so many bells and whistle and trinkets on a DLM today I don't doubt any of this for a second. Sprints seem basic in comparison.

Go back to Kyle's interview for Open Red about Eagle (I think it was.) Stenhouse who is no expert chassis guy and one of Kyle's Cup guys who hadn't touched a sprint car since 2014 set it up and got it close to where a very talented driver was able to win with it.

I don't think that EVER happens with a DLM. You have to have that expert guy put the set up in. Then I don't doubt with all the moving pieces it really takes a special feel to get the most out of it. Hard to have if you have never drove one, in Kyle's case, or seldom hop in one like Schatz.

You won't beat the WoO or Lucas guys like that... without an insane amount of luck. Even well founded local drivers can't compete anymore with any consistency in regards to a win.

[retired racer]

i agree it takes a few more smarts to field a open late model team than it does an open wheel team, just walk through the pits of each class sometime and you can see it.

[CIRF]

always wondered why jack couldn't win in a late model , now we know it wasn't his fault.

Jack won some races driving a dirt late model. He runs down all of his DLM wins in his book that has just been re-released. Get it, it's a great read!

There are so many bells and whistle and trinkets on a DLM today I don't doubt any of this for a second. Sprints seem basic in comparison.

Go back to Kyle's interview for Open Red about Eagle (I think it was.) Stenhouse who is no expert chassis guy and one of Kyle's Cup guys who hadn't touched a sprint car since 2014 set it up and got it close to where a very talented driver was able to win with it.

I don't think that EVER happens with a DLM. You have to have that expert guy put the set up in. Then I don't doubt with all the moving pieces it really takes a special feel to get the most out of it. Hard to have if you have never drove one, in Kyle's case, or seldom hop in one like Schatz.

You won't beat the WoO or Lucas guys like that... without an insane amount of luck. Even well founded local drivers can't compete anymore with any consistency in regards to a win.

Not sure what point you're making. It seems we're in agreement. Jack said both to me personally and in his book that the set up is somewhat more important in a DLM than the driver. It's the other way around in wingless open wheel cars. That's not counting the testicular portion of driving dirt open wheel cars due to the higher potential injury factor which makes the margin for driver error far narrower, as well. Guys like Robert Ballou or Thomas Meseraull can muscle up on an evil 410 sprinter and still be relatively fast.

i agree it takes a few more smarts to field a open late model team than it does an open wheel team, just walk through the pits of each class sometime and you can see it.

What is it that you can see? LOL! Keith Kunz, Rusty Kunz, Tim Clauson, Bob Hampshire and the Hoffman's just to name a few, and there are several more. Any one or all of those fine gentlemen are considered genius' by anyone who knows a whit about dirt racing of any kind, especially their peers. I'm thinkin' you'll substantially drag down the collective IQ of whatever pit area you're in! LOL!

[smith19]

when Hewitt was driving for Hampshire #63 he came to Lawrenceburg and won the sprint and lm race. really don't think any driver had bigger balls ....his dad was pretty good to. drove for us in the 1960's...

[Bumpandrun]

I remember Clint Bowyer saying if he could make half the money running a modified around Kansas City that he does in NASCAR he'd have never left Kansas.

I met Clint at Quad City Speedway about 7 or 8 years ago. He was there when he drove the # 07 Jack Daniels car. I had a picture of the late model car he raced at the Prelude to the Dream. He ask me where I got the picture from, I told him I took it from the infield at Eldora. I ask him what he would rather be racing, dirt or NASCAR. He said If it wasn't for the money from NASCAR, he would much rather be racing dirt. He pretty much hinted that NASCAR was boring, but it paid the bills and much more. Obviously much more.