NOW ,....NOW, TURN OFF THE STEAM THERE DOWNUNDER BUDDIE!
I'M SURE WE ALL AGREE WITH YA! YOU'RE RIGHT ON ALL COUNTS
BUT......
WOULD'NT IT BE NEAT TO WATCH A RACE WHERE ALL THE CARS LOOKED LIKE K.K.'s ,
MESKOWSKI's, WATSONS, EDMUNDS, HILLEGAS', AND THEIR LIKE.
EVEN YOU HAFTA ADMIT THAT MODERN SPRINTERS HARDLY SHARE A THING IN THE LOOKS
DEPT. EVEN THE TAIL TANKS ARE A POOR FACSIMILE OF THE REAL THING.
HOWEVER, THAT SAID,FOR MY MONEY, THERE IS NOTHING IN ANY SPORT THAT CAN
COMPARE WHEN IT COMES TO THE VERY BEST IN SIT DOWN ENTERTAINMENT.....
YOU GUYS THAT HAVE YET TO GET TO A GOOD SPRINT CAR RACE,DO YOUR SELF A
FAVOR.....
CHEERS, YER PAL uPsiDoug in south NuYawk
From: Peter Carpenter <tinshed@ozemail.com.au>
To: Doug Anderson <boogiewoogie12@hotmail.com>
CC: fosterap@flash.net, hosehead@hoseheads.com, land-speed@autox.team.net,
cbailey@sprise.com, av8ford@volcano.net, chopt32@aol.com,
Capecod626@aol.com, whodaky@sympac.com.au, pyramid62@aol.com, je832@aol.com,
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Subject: Re: YO! ......SPRINT CARS!
Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 00:40:59 +1000
UH OH! I feel I just gotta respond to this one. Hope what I'm about to
write
doesn't offend you guys too much, but even if it does please try and
understand
what I'm saying.
Doug Anderson wrote:
> HI JERRY!
>
> SEE BELOW:
>
> From: "JERRY FOSTER" <fosterap@flash.net>
> To: "DOUG ANDERSON" <boogiewoogie12@hotmail.com>
> Subject: YO!
> Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 09:16:50 -0500
>
> I had heard you talk about sprint cars before.
>
> AHA!
>
> I have been to Knoxville three times in the mid 80's for the Nats. I
don't
> like the wings either, but now even the non-wing cars look like some kind
of
> road-building machines with those down tubes. Guess I'm just on old
timer.
The wings make the cars much safer than having no wings. Compare the number
of
crashes or rollovers in the races where they don't run wings to those where
they
do. No matter that there's plenty of protection for the drivers in the
modern
sprint car it's still no fun to tip one uside down mid race. The wing keeps
em
right side up and racing. That's gotta be worth something. Of course there
is
an option. Take some pwer out and reduce the speeds. For my money such
action
simply goes against the entire concept of motor racing. And the down tubes?
They are there for a reason as they too make the chassis stiffer and thus
safer
for the driver in the event the car is involved in a heavy shunt. They've
saved
a lot of necks and even a few broken parts.
> NO YA AIN'T....
> I AGREE WITH YA 110% !
>
> IN THE PAST COUPLE YEARS THEY'VE REALLY GOTTEN BAD. SPRINT CARS ARE OUR
> STRONGEST LINK TO THE RACERS OF THE PAST, AND ARE ONLY APPEALING BECAUSE
OF
> THAT TRADITION. I PREDICT THAT IF THAT CONNECTION GOES AWAY, SO WILL THE
> SPRINT CAR FORMULAS -WHICH AS WE ARE AWARE, IS REALLY FOR OUTDATED
UPRIGHT
> HIGH CENTER OF GRAVITY INEFICIENT TIPPY KIND OF RACE CAR. AS OUTDATED AS
A
> HARLEY. I LOVE'EM BOTH -JUST FOR THAT VERY REASON.
>
> THIS MODERN CROP OF DRIVERS AND OWNERS APPEAR TO HAVE EITHER FORGOTTEN
THAT
> OR NEVER REALIZED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I DON'T LIKE WHAT I SEE.
> NOBODY'S WATCHING THE FOX CIRCLING THE HENHOUSE..... TED JOHNSON DON'T
SEEM
> TO BE ABLE TO (OR WANT TO...) CONTROL IT..... I THINK HE'S LOST SIGHT OF
> WHAT IT WAS WHEN HE STARTED. AND NO ONE WANTS TO CONTROL THE INCREDIBELY
> INSANE SPENDING FORCING MORE AND MORE GOOD TEAMS OUT OF THE GAME ALL THE
> TIME JUST LIKE NASCAR.....
Once again, the reality is if ya wanna win ya gotta have the biggest engine
and
the fastes car. There's only two ways to do that, cheat or build a biggr
better
mouse trap within the rules. Ole Smokey was pretty darn good at the latter
and
much of what he did was not cheap. Speed and winning costs money, always
did
and always will. Sure you can win with a small budget and nobody knows that
better then me, but we could have won a lot more with a bigger budget. And
we
could have run the full season. If we want dave to be the national
champion, we
gotta get more funding pure and simple. Perhaps the following copied from a
bulletin board I frequent may help clarify what I'm saying.........
)> )> Thanks for your response, Carps. - - - I hope I am not considered rude
for
asking, but how
many of those Aussie bux does it take to field a competitive car for the
season?
If you do not want
to answer, I understand. I am just trying to learn things you can't see from
the
grandstands. ----- Are
the largest expenses due to crashes or mechanical failures, or just normal
wear
& tear? ----- Has the
win money exceeded the expenses yet?
Tyres are probabaly our biggest single expense. A main wing costs about the
same
as the right rear
tyre at around $500 Aussie. We busted three wings for the season and use
three
tyres per show. Of
course there's a need to budget for other breakages. National Rod Ends
provide
all the parts that
wee need from their inventory (relatively new to Australia they are not in a
position to provide cash
yet, but hope they can help us some more this year - they've been really
great
to us and we hope
they can establish the brand here.)and AGIP look after our lubrication
needs.
Methanol runs out
around $110 per 44 gallon drum and we use around 30 gallons per show. For
next
year Denso have
offered to keep us in spark plugs and John's company, Ranbuild will be again
covering a big prtion
of the racing budget. Metroll have also put their hand up to back us however
they can and even my
boss has made a most generous gesture.
)> Not if it's like american racing. The best way to make a small fortune
racing, is to start with a big
furtune, and race one season.
That pretty well sums it up. If you think you can stand under a freezing
gold
shower for four hours
each day ripping up fifty dollar bills and watching the little peices go
down
the gurgler, then you might
just have what it takes to be a racer.
)> ------- Please understand I'm not trying to be nosy. I have always been
curious about the
monetary side of racing, but don't know who to ask.
This might put it into perspective...
To make the starting grid at Knoxville we need to raise $50,000 Australian.
That
will cover the cost
of renting a competetive race car and getting it to the line with David in
the
driver's seat and ensure
we have enough parts, tyres and fuel to race the weekend. Teammembers who
want
to be there will
have to fund their trips themselves as that will add about Aus$3,500 per
person
to the budget.
Of course we could ship No 71 over and that'd only cost about $35,000, but
to be
competetive she
needs a fresh big horspower engine at around Aus$60 to $70,000. She also
needs a
new rear axle
assembly at around Aus$9,000.
We are nowhere near the $50K yet but there's still a couple of months to go
and
the show aint over
till the fat lady sings............
Fact is if we wanna play in the big league we gotta have a competetive
package
and we gotta be able to get it to the line. There's no free rides in
competetive sport of any description. However relatively speaking the
situation
for us today is no different than it was in 1954. The cost to race thenmay
have
been much less but so was the funding base for everything. Work it out as a
percentage of the anual salary and I wouldn't be surprised to see that it's
even
cheaper in real terms today than way back when.
>
> NO ONE WILL ADDRESS THE APPEARANCE OF THESE UGLY THINGS. THEY LOOK LIKE
> HELL.
They look mean nasty and badass. There's not one single bit on any car that
has
no function or purpose. Not like them woossie F1s, Indycars or sports racin
cars (now that should surely catch me some greif).
> THERE'S NO DOUBT, SPRINT CAR RACING HAS LOTS MORE "EXPOSURE" THAN IT EVER
DID
> -THANKS TO TV TIME.
>
> BUT IS THAT NECCESSARILY GOOD? JUST AS WE FEAR "OVEREXPOSURE" IN
> LSR,....
The more people see it on TV the more people will come to watch it at the
track. The more folks come to watch the more sponsors will fund more race
cars. And the more sponsors the faster and more aggressive the racing will
become. Yup it's a viscious circle but again it goes back to the beginning
of
time. When it stops being entertainment for the masses then we prolly wont
ba
able to afford to play.
>
> I THINK SPRINT CARS HAVE SOLD OUT IN SAME WAY STOCK CAR RACING HAS.
> ....ALL ITS ABOUT ANYMORE IS HOW MANY SECONDS THE "SPONSOR'S" NAME CAN
> APPEAR ON NATIONAL TV -NOT ABOUT THE COMPETITION AT ALL. THE ONLY REAL
> COMPETITION IS ALL IN THE "MARKETPLACE" -WHICH JUST DELIGHTS THE
> CORPORATIONS! I TOTALLY IGNORE NASCAR FOR THAT REASON-AND BECAUSE NASCAR
> WILL NOT STOP MANIPULATING THE RULES TO APPEASE THE CORPORATIONS. I WAS
A
> "NASCAR MECHANIC" IN 1964 -BACK WHEN "STOCK" MEANT "STOCK" THAT WAS THE
> REAL THING. NOW IT HAS BECOME A SHAM. A JOKE. A F#@%ING MARKETING
GIMMICK.
Maybe here it's a little different but I doubt that. Reality is, the
competition is as intense as it's ever been. There's only so many sponsors
bux
and never enough to go around. You only get those bux if you can offer
something to the sponsor in return. Do you just hand over money for stuff
you
purchase? Nope? I figure you're like everybody else, when the value in the
product matshes the value you place on your money, then you'll hapilly part
with
it in exchange for that product. Sponsorship money is no different. If you
can't offer the sponsor some valeu for his money then you aint gunna get
any.
Value for sponsors is measured in exposure to the people they hope will want
to
purchse their product. The appeal of sprintcars is much more limited than
Indycars or F1 thus we have less access to sponsors funds. The only way to
get
a good share is to be a winner, thus the off track battle for sonsorship
makes
the on track battles to win even more intense.
> CURRENT SPRINT CARS HAVE BECOME ALMOST AS UGGGGggLY AS D.I.R.T. MODIFIEDS
> -WHICH I IMAGINE YOU'VE SEEN IN PICTURES. I CALL THEM "DOORSTOPS WITH
> ROLLERSKATE WHEELS" AND LIKE NASCAR, I WOULD'NT CROSS THE STREET TO WATCH
> THEM -IF YOU GAVE ME THE TICKETS.
The current sprintcars don't look that much different to sprintcars of ten
or
more years ago. They are about as basic as a race car can get and still go
fast. And how many other motorsport events will you attend where you can
see
the competitors race wheel to wheel on a track that allows you to see every
second of the event? My drag race buddies often ask me why we do it. The
answer is pretty simple really. They all know what a buzz it is to run an
eleven second quarter mile with but one other car on the grippy bitumen
track.
If you've ever done that, try and imagine doing it with the minimal grip
offered
by a much narrower dirt surface, four corners and another twenty cars all
trying
to get in front of you.
> ....BUT SPRINTERS, WELL,..THERE'S ANOTHER STORY. I LIKE THE IDEA OF
VERY
> FEW RULES; WING SIZE, CUBIC INCH, (tire perhaps) AND NOW IN SOME
CIRCLES,
> WEIGHT. THOUGH I FEAR THEY HAV'NT GONE NEARLY FAR ENOUGH WITH THAT: IN
> FAIRNESS, ALL WEIGHT CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD BE "WITH DRIVER" SO AS TO
> ELIMINATE THE OBVIOUS ADVANTAGE TO STUFFING JAC HAUDENSCHILD IN YOUR SEAT
AS
> OPPOSED TO BIG STEVE FOR INSTANCE.
Rules are needed to maintain some level of parity. Here we do weigh them
with
driver and whatever fuel is left in the tank. It's never bothered us since
our
car is some 200 pounds heavy without a full tank and David.
> I CAN'T BELIEVE TO "POWERS THAT BE" CANNOT WAKE UP AND SEE SUCH AN
OBVIOUS
> THING. IN THE OVERALL SCHEME OF THINGS A DRIVERS WEIGHT IN A SPRINTER IS
A
> SUBSTANCIAL PART OF THE EQUASION -SAY 10 TO 15% -THATS A BUNCH.
A heavy driver in a sprinter can be an advantage on many tracks as the extra
weight over the back wheels provides more bite. take a look at the super
lightweight cars that need to run some balast to get them legal. Where do
the
put that balast? Right over the back wheels, that's where.
> WAKE UP, SPRINT CAR AMERICA"!
>
> FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD.
>
> ARE YOU LISENING TED? ALLEN KREITZER? BERT EMMICK? USAC? CRA?
>
> COM'ON-SMELL THE COFFEE!
>
> REAL FANS WANT REAL SPRINT CARS IN REAL, FAIR, EQUAL RACIN!
Sprintcar racing is about as equal and fair as racing gets. The only thing
fairer is Dry Lakes racing where there's one car against the clock. Fact is
one
sprintcar against the clock has limited entertainment value. Possibly
explains
why for all the years it's been going on, the spectator crowds at Bonneville
etc
have been made up of pretty much only hard core enthusiasts with oil in
their
veins just like the guys racing. That's not a bad thing, in a way it's a
good
thing as it's helped keep the racing pure and close to it's roots.
>
> The best guys to come out of Dallas (Devil's Bowl Speedway) were Gordon
> Wooley in the 60's (won USAC title or two) and James and Jim McElreath,
> Johnny Rutherford and my favorite from the 90's Bobby Marshall. For the
> spectator, there is nothing like the sprinters. I only go twice a year
or
> so when the Outlaws are here. I simply can't sit through four classes of
> junkers waiting for the sprints on a regular weekly show. jf
>
> I TRY TO GET DOWN TO PENNA A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR TO SEE THE PA, POSSE WHO
> ARE PROBABLY ABOUT THE BEST WEEKLY SHOW IN THE COUNTRY. PA. SPEEDWEEK IN
> JULY IS AWESOME; USUALLY 7 RACES AT 7 DIFFERENT TRACKS IN 8 NIGHTS-ALL
> WITHIN SOMETHING LIKE A 50 MILE RADIUS -CAN YA;' IMAGINE?
Yup, sounds like our Easter trail, cept there's a couple of hundred miles
between tracks. But it's a great weekend all the same. Pack the car and
stuff
into the trailer at midnight, then hit the highway in convoy. Arrive at the
overnight accommodation (usually close to tomorrow nighst track) and settle
in
for some serious bnch racing over a couple of sherberts since ther's no need
to
be up untill after noon. Arrive at the next track around 3:00pm and get
ready
to do it all over again. It's a hoot!
>
> WANT TO LEARN MORE?
>
> GO TO: www.hoseheads.com for DAILY UPDATES AND NEWS!
Hoseheads????? how about... WWW.sprintcarnews.com.au
>
>
> HEY JERRY! I GOTTA GO!
Me too, havin possibly overstayed my welcome :-)
Carps
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