thoughts on 2026 season....

[ftfiowa]

i find myself not watching much racing live this year....i pay for Flo & DV & racing this year just isnt exciting me. nno matter if its sprints, lm's, midgets, mods....doesnt get my engine revving. I watch the YouTube video recaps and am satisfied.. Anybody else feeling this way?

[BTExpress]

I too have both DV and Flo. I still enjoy watching a lot of racing on streaming. I still try and get to 12 to 15 races a year in person, mostly the larger sanctioned shows. I guess I am not just a fan of one type of dirt racing. I love 410 sprint cars as much as Dirt Late Models. I am going to the Knoxville Nationals for the 4th time and try to hit many of the bigger sprint car races in my area, The Bob Weikert Memorial & Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal, and The National Open at Williams Grove. My problem with the current state of DLM racing is there are only 5 or 6 drivers winning on the two national series. Don't get me wrong, Pierce, Davenport, Thornton, O'Neil, Sheppard, Moran, Hoffman etc. are terrific drivers, but it sure was nice seeing Josh Rice get a win the other night. The formats and the high dollar budgets for a handful of national teams does not warrant good racing in my humble opinion. I also wish there were more variety in the DLM chassis besides 80 percent of all drivers running Longhorns throughout the country. Rocket has had somewhat of a resurgence, but there seems minimal hope for Infinity, AK, Capital, MB Customs, etc.

[Patansplant]

My problem is most of the show is boring. Hot laps, qualifying then track prep and a bunch of cheesey commercials. Heats, track prep and more cheesey commercials. B's then more cheesey commercials and track prep. Then the A's. By then I've lost a lot of interest and half the time already fell asleep. I like watching the next day so I can cut out the fluff. Some real pit reporting would be nice.

[over4T]

I was surprised and happy to see Chris Ferguson in a Stinger chassis, of all things at Wheatland. He ran pretty well and I'm sure his budget probably isn't 10% of the big boys. It can be done, though not likely.

[Morgs153]

Last night I drove two hours to see a race in person I could have watched on Flo (IRA@141). My wife likes winged sprints so it was a date night treat for her. I was glad we went because nothing replaces the noise and the dust and mud crumbles landing in your lap. I can't watch my TV with the volume on max and put earplugs in to try and duplicate it while viewing through safety glasses. It turned out to be a very good show for the 410s and we really like visiting that track.

But, between the gas prices (I put in $65), ticket prices ($45 for both of us), food and beverages for both of us ($57), I probably spent very close, if not more than my annual Flo subscription for this one trip. So I will pick and choose a bit more and probably not spend too much on races I can stream. I'll go to some local and regional shows that won't show up on streaming.

[MRM]

I think you're slowly seeing burn out from the fans. Basically having 3-4 weeks off doesn't make people really miss it.

[zyoung25]

I think you're slowly seeing burn out from the fans. Basically having 3-4 weeks off doesn't make people really miss it.

I think I watched maybe 1 night of the wild West shootout. I paid attention to the results. I couldn't get into it.

Plus the chilli bowl was on at the same time. Much better product of racing.

[riddle28]

i think its burn out from life in general but no i still enjoy sitting on the couch with my family and watching when i can

[Tireguy17]

Burn out - 11 month long season, everyone could use a 2-3 month off-season

[WisWildManFan]

You can literally watch dirt racing almost every night of the week now. I just have never been one to watch live on tv, I can catch the highlights in the morning or even that night sometimes. All the hate nascar gets comes from people watching on TV, it's not the same product as being there in person. I just hope people realize if you don't show up to the track once in a while and spend some money they won't last. Spending $150 a year to watch every race from the couch isn't going to support tracks in the long run.

[Jking24]

I was surprised and happy to see Chris Ferguson in a Stinger chassis, of all things at Wheatland. He ran pretty well and I'm sure his budget probably isn't 10% of the big boys. It can be done, though not likely.

He's been in a stinger for awhile now most of if not all of last year and i think a little of 24. I agree that he doesn't have the budget of others but i feel for how they race i don't think he lacks for funding. It's always good to see a smaller chassis get a shot from a bigger driver and i think his schedule fits well with that situation. The thing that makes it tough for the national guys that many don't realize is many of them guys rely heavily on the manufacture for setup support because they need to be fast out of the box everywhere they go so when a manufacturer can't provide that the situation gets dyer pretty quick. You can go to just about any track in the country and mark Richards or whoever the go to go at Longhorn is and they can have you pretty close. Theirs alot of good wheel men out their but the setup stuff when it comes to going from one area to another kinda can't be figured out any other way than putting the time in. That's a tough thing for a small chassis builder.

[chathamracefan]

Specific to late models, there basically is no offseason to speak of. Also, the product on a national level is not competitive beyond the top handful of guys. If I give you the following #'s, it's 90% of the big wins in the sport in recent years. 32, 49, 20RT, 76, 71, 99, 1. A few interlopers but it seems every big $ race is the same 3 guys winning the vast majority of the time. The product is stale in a lot of ways.

Yes - the best guys should win the most but it seems the best guys are also the best $ teams & the $ is a bigger factor than it has ever been. It's always been a factor but worse than ever.

[klemmabyna]

Still enjoying racing after so many years. Watch live streams or replays when i get the chance. i do think there are too many different streaming services and would consider paying more for one if there was some consolidation.

Also was able to attend a couple local events in the area where i grew up. There is still nothing better than being at the race track.

[BTExpress]

Chatham I agree with both of your points. The same 6 or 7 drivers win all the big races, and yes there needs to be a defined off season for the fans and teams. Take a break after the World Finals, have The Gateway Nationals in early January (AFTER THE HOLIDAYS), move the Wild West Shootout to the end of January, drop the Sunshine Nationals, then start up again full bore at Volusia in February for Speedweeks. I know this is wishful thinking, and it probably will never happen because of streaming, but for the overall health of the sport, this should be seriously considered. This would leave both the fans and teams fresh and ready to go for the next season.......

[Dirt Clod]

Trying to stay a fan of dirt late model racing, but your points are well said. Same 6 or 7 drivers keep winning. Every time I get a pit pass, dirt late models look so radical. Left rear fenders rounded off for aero, each front fender is different, and lord knows how many other advantages the big money teams have. I'm more of a fan of the MARS, Northern All Star regional series and Summer Nationals where it seems the racing is more balanced. Also lucky to live in the Indy area where USAC open wheel divisions invert the top 6 in each race, so you are guaranteed to see drivers have to race their way to the front to get their times back.