Are race fans in the south getting shafted??

[TerryM]

Passing points are a reward. No one is getting penalized for being fast.

[slmcrewchief99]

Everybody has their own theory on what is best. We run with a couple of different regional series within about 6 hours of home. 3 of those heat race with passing points, 2 of those time in. The 2 that time in lock in the top 8 on time but run a dash for feature starting position. Those that are left run b-mains to finish out the field. We REALLY like that format. The better cars are up front and the winner usually doesn't come from the pole. It still promotes good racing. The fast cars are up front and most of the time its "good" "hard" racing too.

At times we like the pill draw with passing points but some of the dumps we race at, you can't pass. I'm not blaming the system and for that matter, the tracks. But it makes it hard to want to go back to a track because the system won't work there. Most of those we WONT go back to unless they time in. We have replaced more body panels and moving parts at passing point races than you could imagine. But again that is due to 1 and a half lanes of racing. If you start in the back and you have a good car, you will pull out some panels after a heat race. That's just the nature of it. It also makes for hard feelings but hopefully we can all have a beer afterward and laugh about it.

Back a few years ago before we started racing more regional races and was still just going to different tracks, we went to a couple of those tracks that don't heat race. We didn't like it at 1st but it was more because we were just getting started and didn't qualify well. We usually raced good but had to come from the back half of the field. But the 1 thing we did find was we didn't tear up much equipment. The squirrels were still behind us and we didn't get in the wrecks. Plus it really gave us a ton of free time to visit with all the other racers and have a good time. Its less work to do to the car. No tires to buff. No mud to scrape off. Just walk around and talk to your friends. There were 2 tracks that we called our "home tracks" at that time that were close to home. We got to where we quit racing there because it was pill draw and we got tired of buying parts. I can remember back in the day, we got knocked out of 5 weeks in a row on the 1st lap of heat races and couldn't fix it to make the feature. That got old in a hurry.

Like I said, I see both sides because as a fan you want to see as much racing as your money will buy. As for a local race team they have to look at the monetary part of it. If they can save money on fuel and parts to time in and just feature race, then that's better for them. I think it's just a track to track thing that they need to work out themselves. I'm sure if they attempted to do that, I'm sure they could get a solution that everyone could be happy with. We are engine poor right now with 3 of them broke. We will be back in a week or 2 for sure. No matter what the format is when we come back, we will go after it as hard as we can. That's a fact. Maybe we can keep the fenders on it and keep all the engine parts "inside" the block for the rest of the summer.

slmcrewchief99

[bite me too]

Troy, Troy,Troy.....

I am a real race fan. I have seen it both ways. I still don't like the idea of making a good car start behind some jack wagon that might turn right or left when he gets to a corner.

Billy, Billy, Billy....

we've had this discussion a billion times. I know you're a real race fan. jack wagons are part of racing. SLM drivers, "mostly" in the south, have whinned their way to not having to deal with them. thus, the formats.

we had a guy win up here last week from the pole and his crew chief brother came up just short of apologizing for him winning from the pole because he knew the race got "stunk up".

difference of opinions. it's all good. we still get to go see our local favorites race at our local tracks!

[B_K]

Lol, we'll probably have it again at some point. How are things in liberaland?

[bite me too]

If qualifying, with fastest guy starting on the pole, is good enough for Nascar, it's good enough for me!

NA$CAR races are 400 - 500 miles on tracks over a mile and, 400 - 500 laps on tracks under a mile. BIG, HUGE difference than a 30 lap race on a 3/8ths mile!

the fact that NA$CAR is good enough for you....well...good for you!

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

The problem with the South, why they "have" to run those junk formats, is because they have too many Oglethorpe type joints and not enough Golden Isles type joints.

[bite me too]

Lol, we'll probably have it again at some point. How are things in liberaland?

I hope we do!

lberaland is as expected. although, we live in the nonliberalist part up here. lotsa camo and everyone owns firearms and farms and does all things nonliberal. in fact they booed the local Dem candidate at our local parade last fall. all is not lost. lol

hows you and yours?

[fastford]

I didn't say I hated racing. just the format. and, it's the only format so I was "stuck" with it.

the format is the race , you cant have it both ways, you cant say I " hate" the way they race in the south , yet show up and pay your money for 15 years, sorry but this don't add up for me...JMO..

[fastford]

Living in the South is awesome in my view, our formula at TST works and the fans do not gripe about our weekly format. Our track features 2 and 3-wide racing each and every dang week. You can race at TST and the "freight trains " stay on the rails. As I posted on Midsouth, a post that Doc started there I have stated my views that have evolved over the year, costs, the era that we are in and so forth.


We run the absolute tightest shows in the South and we finish on most nights by 10:45p.m. after hot laps start at 7:15p.m.

If you have 20 cars should you really heat race? Maybe, maybe not. We heat race the other 5 classes.



Late Model Mark
TST Announcer

you are correct mark, you guys are doing a great job. are you going to be in the tower this week end? we will be there for the B. J. Parker memorial this week end.

[Bubstr]

Living in the South is awesome in my view, our formula at TST works and the fans do not gripe about our weekly format. Our track features 2 and 3-wide racing each and every dang week. You can race at TST and the "freight trains " stay on the rails. As I posted on Midsouth, a post that Doc started there I have stated my views that have evolved over the year, costs, the era that we are in and so forth.


We run the absolute tightest shows in the South and we finish on most nights by 10:45p.m. after hot laps start at 7:15p.m.

If you have 20 cars should you really heat race? Maybe, maybe not. We heat race the other 5 classes.



Late Model Mark
TST Announcer

Just wondering. Do you have more than 20 cars in the other 5 classes?

[fastford]

Just wondering. Do you have more than 20 cars in the other 5 classes?

not any more, the steel sportsmans are usually the largest late model type class, the hot shots/ pony's have grown to be the largest class. but , they have had some of the best side by side racing here lately that ive seen at TST in a long time. some times lesser car count = better racing. 10 years ago there was 40 to 50 cars in every class every sat night, with heat races and B mains and such, we wouldn't get out of there till one to three in the morning..

[bite me too]

the format is the race , you cant have it both ways, you cant say I " hate" the way they race in the south , yet show up and pay your money for 15 years, sorry but this don't add up for me...JMO..

no, the race is the race. some tracks are down there are conducive to great racing and I have seen some winners come from way back. especially at racey tracks like TST, Bulls Gap, Columbus, Rome, Boyds, Magnolia, Charlotte and East Bay. however, there are many more tracks that are not as racey as the ones I've mentioned that are one lane dust bowls where the "fan" gets to see "great" racing for 11th, 12th and 13th...which they rave about. I like to see racers racing and, call me crazy, passing more than 1 car, if that, for the win.

the first 10 -15 races I read about in the south were won by one of the front row starters. the top 5 finishers, in some cases top 10, were virtually the same position at the end as they started. IMO, that's not racing. that's follow the leader, who was the fastest guy that day with little to no passing behind. IMO, that's not racing.

thanks for your opinion.

[A ron]

I'm in Mississippi. As a fan, I actually liked to watch qualifying and be able to hear those throttles being worked. However, now as a rookie driver, trying to learn is tough with qualifying. You start in the back every week no where near any fast cars. It also cuts down on seat time. It's kinda disheartening to pay $35 a pop for a couple of pit passes, $50 for an entry fee (or more), fuel, food, etc to show up run hot laps, qualify, run a b-main and go to the house. $250+ for 15 laps.......

[old fan]

no entry fees plus heat races group qualify like the Big E this weekend

[fastford]

thanks for your opinion.[/QUOTE]

your welcome.