Fans want passing, inversions

[brsteg]

You know how stereotypes are... they aren't always true; but start with a kernel of truth. Many Southern tracks prep tracks very hard, and just keep watering the top without working it.

Some tracks up north do that also... and that is not conducive to good racing. Tracks end up slick with no cushion or bite anywhere in the track unless there is some type of rework mid-event. Those kinds of tracks I've seen way more parades on than good racing.

[Hoosier_Dirt]

Stop qualifying. Draw for positions and make race in the heats.

[tb1545]

With everyone having better and better equipment the difference between 1st and last in the feature doesnt seem as much as say 10-15 years ago. Lap traffic usually leads to the better racing for the lead, and faster back markers, cars stopping to change tires and the phantom debris cautions seems to put a damper on a lot of the lap traffic lately especially in shorter races.
Also doesn't it seem like more drivers are worried about points now vs wins as compared to 15 years ago? Instead of throwing the kitchen sink at the car and going for the win, they make a minor adjustment and settle for a top 10 for a "solid points night"

[brsteg]

With everyone having better and better equipment the difference between 1st and last in the feature doesnt seem as much as say 10-15 years ago. Lap traffic usually leads to the better racing for the lead, and faster back markers, cars stopping to change tires and the phantom debris cautions seems to put a damper on a lot of the lap traffic lately especially in shorter races.
Also doesn't it seem like more drivers are worried about points now vs wins as compared to 15 years ago? Instead of throwing the kitchen sink at the car and going for the win, they make a minor adjustment and settle for a top 10 for a "solid points night"

You hit on something. The cars that will stop on track just so they can change tires, and 50% or more of the time pull back in after the change doesn't help or they see they can't drive back up through anyone, ruins a lot of races. Either flow or racing in lapped traffic.

There needs to be a penalty for this; but it's always a series regular so the series just doesn't go there.

[WVRACEFAN]

The now defunct UFO series never had qualifying & they inverted top 12 in the feature, it was the best late model races I've ever seen, look up the you tube videos or dirt on dirt archives , great racing, do you agree Josh Bayko?

[Josh Bayko]

The now defunct UFO series never had qualifying & they inverted top 12 in the feature, it was the best late model races I've ever seen, look up the you tube videos or dirt on dirt archives , great racing, do you agree Josh Baylor?

I do. The UFO races were usually excellent. It helped that most of the races were held at tracks that have/had reputations for being really racy. Occasionally there was carnage due to the format (Davey J and Jeep taking all the other cars and each other out in a heat at Challenger comes to mind), but it wasn’t rampant.

But racers themselves aren’t fans of the format. Not even the low budget guys that it’s supposed to benefit. Racers prefer having control of their own destiny.

The happiest medium is group qualifying where you only time vs. the guys in your heat and a random invert chosen after qualifying.

[Pennsboro23]

UFO shows at Tyler County were great.

[Clayton_Wetter]

The Cherokee race was inverted... Didn't fix whats wrong.

There ya go!!!!

[Clayton_Wetter]

You know how stereotypes are... they aren't always true; but start with a kernel of truth. Many Southern tracks prep tracks very hard, and just keep watering the top without working it.

Some tracks up north do that also... and that is not conducive to good racing. Tracks end up slick with no cushion or bite anywhere in the track unless there is some type of rework mid-event. Those kinds of tracks I've seen way more parades on than good racing.

The less bite the cars have the worse the racing is, fact!!

[B_K]

The now defunct UFO series never had qualifying & they inverted top 12 in the feature, it was the best late model races I've ever seen, look up the you tube videos or dirt on dirt archives , great racing, do you agree Josh Bayko?

Most telling part of that entire thing is now defunct.

[Josh Bayko]

Most telling part of that entire thing is now defunct.

There are a few different reasons why it went away. Much of it had nothing to do with the racers or races. And right at the very end, it was going to go to qualifying to set the lineups.

[BTExpress]

I have noticed since I have become a DLM fan over the last few years that the majority of late Model fans see nothing wrong with formats that let the fastest cars start straight up in the heats and the features. Coming from a Big Block Modified and Sprint Car background I find that kind of mentality absurd. Give me some sort of invert and I can guarantee the cream will rise to the top, most of the time, and you will see a better race. I am glad this topic came up because I have been scanning the results from around the country on Dirt on Dirt for the past several weeks and I came to the same conclusion: "Boy a lot of races have been won from the pole recently"

[callmez]

Seems like the last few big races I've been to the driver on the outside has had the preferred lane, which tends to give the fastest qualifier and the heat winners a one-position disadvantage. Seems to me that if you want to give the fast qualifier the advantage, he should get lane choice at the front of the field.

That said, I prefer the invert like WOO does it.

[callmez]

The last few big races I've been to the driver on the outside has had the preferred lane, which tends to give the fastest qualifier and the heat winners a one-position disadvantage. Seems to me that if you want to give the fast qualifier the advantage, he should get lane choice at the front of the field.

That said, I prefer the invert like WOO does it.

[brsteg]

I have noticed since I have become a DLM fan over the last few years that the majority of late Model fans see nothing wrong with formats that let the fastest cars start straight up in the heats and the features. Coming from a Big Block Modified and Sprint Car background I find that kind of mentality absurd. Give me some sort of invert and I can guarantee the cream will rise to the top, most of the time, and you will see a better race. I am glad this topic came up because I have been scanning the results from around the country on Dirt on Dirt for the past several weeks and I came to the same conclusion: "Boy a lot of races have been won from the pole recently"

Sprint car racing in general has a lot more inverts and things and a lot less b!tching about it. You are also right, I've found that the majority of late model fans seem to think that everything should be heads up because "he earned it".

What's kind of funny is that the WoO Sprints may have the best racing going right now and they run heats heads up now, and everyone loves to bash winged sprints as parade cars.

But if you take a hard look at late model racing, the winged sprint and late model heat races all look the same.. fast and spread out without much passing (aero and no traffic). But when it comes feature time and you catch the back of the field.. I think the winged sprints are now more race-able than late models.

I think it's because the sprints are less reliant on track conditions. I've seen some WoO Sprint races that took rubber and in theory locked down but still you could move around and try to pass. Heck I saw Donny pass someone on the outside and outside of the rubber last year like they were tied to a tree for the lead and win.

Just chew on that leather for a bit.