Are race fans in the south getting shafted??

[Doc88D]

A recent discussion on a racetrack's facebook page got me wondering the question that is my title. Late Model teams in the south have successfully convinced the promoters/track owners that they are too special to run heat races. Many local shows just qualify, then have a 2nd hot lap session and run a feature. If the fan is lucky they only lock in 10 cars or so and then run a b feature to set the rest of the field. The argument by so many car owners is that they get tore up in heats.

I find it funny that all over the Midwest, heat races are the norm. Many times they are the best races of the night. Many tracks in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky & Michigan draw for heat starts. Then the top 4 transfer to the feature, with the top 2 redrawing for a top 8 starting spot. What that gets you many times is a feature winner coming from the 4th row to win!. And you don't ruin the track with 40 laps of 1 lane qualifying.

This is something you very rarely see in the south. Once you get south of the TN state line the drivers feel they should only qualify then start straight up with the fastest man on the pole. YAWN!

My question is WHY? If you cant get through a heat race, then I guess a 1 lane no passing feature is good for you. We are all in this sport because we like watching cars RACE other cars. The only time qualifying should be used is in a show of $5000 to win or more. Then it should just set the heats. Just like the Lucas & WoO series do.

And don't get me started on provisionals... Hell even in the NHRA, (which is the only series that can justify qualifying), If John Force don't make the field, he loads up and goes home.

Am I the only one that feels this way? I am a team owner, and I feel all the qualifying is ruining our sport. When I convince newcomers to come check out a dirt race, they all ask me why all the time is wasted with one car on the track. This has to be an issue with getting new fans in our grandstands. These people come to the races to see RACING. So come on Late Model team owners, drivers, promoters, and track owners. Grow a pair and put RACING back into dirt track racing. The gate prices are going up. The RACING action is declining. Bring back the pill draw and make the drivers turn back into RACERS. Maybe the headlines could then read that driver "X" started 10th and pulled off an amazing win on the final lap. Not driver "X" starts on the pole and leads every lap... This could be why the southern teams don't venture up to Eldora or any of the Midwest tracks for the big shows. You have to pass other cars up there...

[jog49]

Perhaps southern drivers are smarter than Midwestern drivers!

[Doc88D]

The grandstands in the south seam to be emptier than those in the Midwest...

[huskerdirt]

A recent discussion on a racetrack's facebook page got me wondering the question that is my title. Late Model teams in the south have successfully convinced the promoters/track owners that they are too special to run heat races. Many local shows just qualify, then have a 2nd hot lap session and run a feature. If the fan is lucky they only lock in 10 cars or so and then run a b feature to set the rest of the field. The argument by so many car owners is that they get tore up in heats.

I find it funny that all over the Midwest, heat races are the norm. Many times they are the best races of the night. Many tracks in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky & Michigan draw for heat starts. Then the top 4 transfer to the feature, with the top 2 redrawing for a top 8 starting spot. What that gets you many times is a feature winner coming from the 4th row to win!. And you don't ruin the track with 40 laps of 1 lane qualifying.

This is something you very rarely see in the south. Once you get south of the TN state line the drivers feel they should only qualify then start straight up with the fastest man on the pole. YAWN!

My question is WHY? If you cant get through a heat race, then I guess a 1 lane no passing feature is good for you. We are all in this sport because we like watching cars RACE other cars. The only time qualifying should be used is in a show of $5000 to win or more. Then it should just set the heats. Just like the Lucas & WoO series do.

And don't get me started on provisionals... Hell even in the NHRA, (which is the only series that can justify qualifying), If John Force don't make the field, he loads up and goes home.

Am I the only one that feels this way? I am a team owner, and I feel all the qualifying is ruining our sport. When I convince newcomers to come check out a dirt race, they all ask me why all the time is wasted with one car on the track. This has to be an issue with getting new fans in our grandstands. These people come to the races to see RACING. So come on Late Model team owners, drivers, promoters, and track owners. Grow a pair and put RACING back into dirt track racing. The gate prices are going up. The RACING action is declining. Bring back the pill draw and make the drivers turn back into RACERS. Maybe the headlines could then read that driver "X" started 10th and pulled off an amazing win on the final lap. Not driver "X" starts on the pole and leads every lap... This could be why the southern teams don't venture up to Eldora or any of the Midwest tracks for the big shows. You have to pass other cars up there...

Completely agree. It's one of those things that I could never understand. I've long been an advocate of the passing points system. A lot of guys don't seem to understand from that part of the country. Clanton made a comment about he shouldn't have to pass cars to qualify for a race on late model live a few weeks ago. He dropped a few pegs in my book because it sounded so ignorant.

A lot of times these passing point heat races are the best races of the night. Nothing like seeing Stovall come out for a heat race in the last row, knowing he's gotta get up on it to have a shot at the pole.

[Just The Tip]

I can't speak for racing in the south, I live and watch most of my races in Indiana. However, I personally hate qualifying. Draw a pill for your spot in the heat race and finish in the top 3 or 4 to transfer to the feature. If not, run good in your last chance race. The track i go to normally to watch races just started group qualifying where the will take your fastest lap time from your hot lap session. I can live with that. If most places don't run heats in the south, I feel like that is not a good value for your money, personally. I don't want to watch a feature where all spots are determined by one qualifying lap. Sounds boring to me.

[GEAR_HEAD]

I've been saying this for years! The race formats in the south are terrible and there is no reason to travel down there to see freight trains. The Ray Cook races are always terrible because of the crappy format. I feel fortunate to have grown up where pill draw shows and passing are plentiful. Qualifying proves nothing and running a fast time all by yourself should not earn you the pole. The sport is called racing, not qualifying.

[a25rjr]

I'm not sure where the orig poster is referring to, but every track here in south Ga and all of Fl run heat races. They only qualify for series or bigger paying races. No we don't have supers but we got what we got!

[Kwd1253]

Well I'm from South Louisiana. They do qualify, heat, last chance, main. Don't no what part of South they just do qualify, hot lap, then race. Sorry for them folks

[STRONGERTHANDIRT]

I can hear Dixie from my house and I quit going a couple of years ago. Late models hot lap, qualify, and run a feature. Could be one reason Dixie seems to struggling right now for cars and fans.

[TerryM]

I'm from Lexington, KY, which is an easy drive to numerous awesome dirt tracks in several states -- KY, OH, TN, IN, etc. It's my idea of dirt late model heaven. But three years ago I met and wound up marrying a Georgia girl, and moved down here last year. We're about 30 minutes from Savannah. Compared to where I'm from, the racing scene in southeast GA is terrible. And no, they don't run heat races. The top 10-12 feature cars are set through qualifying, and then there's a B Main to set the rest of the field. For someone like me, who grew up watching a full race card, these formats down here are pathetic.

The first time I saw this format was at a SAS show at Tazewell many years ago. I swore I'd never go to another one and I never did. But now I'm living in the land of no heat races and have no choice. Well actually we do have a choice. We can stay home or find something else to do. And often times now that's what we do. If the track doesn't want to put on a full late model show, we'll spend our money elsewhere.

[matdaddy]

well just keep your yankee asses up north, sit down, shut up and quit ruining our lives, clinton commy's

[Bud99]

I'm from north central ILL. And I love the south. I wish I lived in the south. I love the way the southern people live. So please don't tell all us Yankee's to stay up north. Really I love my country, and I'm sure as hell not voting for Old lady Clinton. TRUMP ALL THE WAY.

[vadirtfan]

As a fan, I would rather watch heat races determined by a pill draw. As a crew member, I would rather qualify and either start straight up or invert the top 4 or top 6 qualifiers. It's more entertaining to watch fast cars come from the back to the front but when a fast car gets taken out by a slow car that has no business starting up front, it ruins a fast cars night and a chance at a win.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I'm from north central ILL. And I love the south. I wish I lived in the south. I love the way the southern people live. So please don't tell all us Yankee's to stay up north. Really I love my country, and I'm sure as hell not voting for Old lady Clinton. TRUMP ALL THE WAY.

I love almost everything about the South. The exception is the race formats.

[zach51]

Twin heat races with the second round inverted on passing points is the ultimate for a big show. (I can't remember which race did that last year but it was the one where Jason Jameson ran so good).