Blount Motorsports

[hardracer32]

Sad news to hear that Blount Motorsports team is shutting down. They cited the escalating costs for being the reason. Keep in mind, this team has only been around since 2006!!! That's how quickly things have gotten out of hand. The real surge started with the tie-down shocks and the ridiculous manipulation of the bodies around 2010. It only took a couple of years for that to evolve to the stupidity we have today that is driving people out of the sport. When will the powers that be get it? What does it take to get somebody to make some meaningful changes to get costs under control for Super Late Models? And don't start with the B.S. lines about it being "Super" for a reason! 410 sprints have practically no rules and the costs to run one of those hasn't escalated at nearly the rate of running a Super Late Model. As a matter of fact, I would hazard a guess and say that these days, you could probably run Sprints for LESS money if not the same.

It wouldn't even be that hard! A few body rules and uniform application of the droop rule, only more restrictive than the current rule, and you would unhook the cars enough that having a $50k engine wouldn't do you any good. That would be a start. I don't have all the answers obviously, but doing nothing at all isn't helping either.

Sorry for the rant. I just had to get that off my chest. I love this sport and I want it to be around for a long time.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Sad news to hear that Blount Motorsports team is shutting down. They cited the escalating costs for being the reason. Keep in mind, this team has only been around since 2006!!! That's how quickly things have gotten out of hand. The real surge started with the tie-down shocks and the ridiculous manipulation of the bodies around 2010. It only took a couple of years for that to evolve to the stupidity we have today that is driving people out of the sport. When will the powers that be get it? What does it take to get somebody to make some meaningful changes to get costs under control for Super Late Models? And don't start with the B.S. lines about it being "Super" for a reason! 410 sprints have practically no rules and the costs to run one of those hasn't escalated at nearly the rate of running a Super Late Model. As a matter of fact, I would hazard a guess and say that these days, you could probably run Sprints for LESS money if not the same.

It wouldn't even be that hard! A few body rules and uniform application of the droop rule, only more restrictive than the current rule, and you would unhook the cars enough that having a $50k engine wouldn't do you any good. That would be a start. I don't have all the answers obviously, but doing nothing at all isn't helping either.

Sorry for the rant. I just had to get that off my chest. I love this sport and I want it to be around for a long time.

The droop rule has made shocks more complicated. That is totally the wrong move. You want to remove down force? Remove down force. Don't go about it all sideways.

[MRM]

Rising costs is just one of many factors for this team shutting down. But yes, they need to find a way to control costs and shocks would be a good place to start.

[clayman2]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

I'd love for that rule to come out. I'd stay the same speed.

I'd just have to keep my stuff covered up.

[JimBo]

easy enough move the LR shock back to the front of the housing on the bird cage

Yes, move the shock back to the front on the left rear. While you're at it, how about making a shock claim rule to eliminate the high dollar shocks? Straighten the bodies, reduce the rear spoiler size and a universal nose piece that that looks like a stock car.

[Late_Model_Mark]

15 years is a nice run, savor what we have now people and enjoy it instead of trying to rotate the earth with unachievable rule alterations. Thanks for the run Blount!


LMM

[Josh Bayko]

High dollar shocks are actually cheaper in the long run than cheaper options, because they can be built to how you want them and rebuilt until they’re bent or start leaking. Sealed shocks are definitely cheaper up front, but they’re also not able to be fixed.

[JabberJaws83]

15 years is a nice run, savor what we have now people and enjoy it instead of trying to rotate the earth with unachievable rule alterations. Thanks for the run Blount!


LMM

What makes it unachievable? That's a lazy comment and it's why the sport is where it is. The wedge was done away with in the past, it can be done again. Certain people in the sport just need to grow some balls

[riddle28]

What makes it unachievable? That's a lazy comment and it's why the sport is where it is. The wedge was done away with in the past, it can be done again. Certain people in the sport just need to grow some balls

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

[Josh Bayko]

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

UMP’s new mod rules, especially when it comes to bodies, are pointless. There is still rake in the deck and they’re going to get spoilers back. If they were serious about it, the decks would be flat and the spoilers would stay gone.

Straight, symmetrical and flat bodies with a max deck height of 36” would help both mods and late models immensely, but unless you tech them early and often, we’ll be right back to this within a year.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

^^Bayko is on point. With them putting spoilers back on, it's almost like they changed rules to make people mad, not to fix anything.

[Drop Shock]

I just don’t see a lot of the high dollar teams supporting “going backwards” with the body rules. That would possibly be the final straw for a lot of guys to call it quits and start going fishing instead of racing. Can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube as they say

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Who cares about those 10 guys drop shock? Did everyone quit when the wedge was killed? No. Some folks tried to keep them going for a year or two and gave in.

We are only here because Francis, Kenneda, and others rubber stamped every new nose submitted and never sent anyone home for a body infraction.

I'm sick of redoing our stuff for the opposite reason. The cars change even though the rules say they didn't. I have no sympathy.

[Mike]

right, ump is at least trying to make rule changes in the mods and folks are losing their minds. The sport is governed by a hand full of manufacturers and wont change until the sanctioning bodies actually take back control, but folks dont wanna hear that

UMP put words on paper. Lets see how many actually gets enforced come winter nationals.

As for the sanctioning bodies actually taking control back from the manufactures that's never going to happen with those manufacturers being the ones "sponsoring" the series.