Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I have been reading all these threads about track conditions and I'm beginning to think what I thought I knew, I guess I don't.. Over 50 years ago when I first watched a dirt track race I thought I knew what made it exciting.. Keep the dust under control, keep the track smooth so they could broadside without risking life and limb and a track layout that provided multigroove racing and give me a good view of the action..  In dirt tacks everywhere we spent far to many years hoping to get that much with marginal success.  With today's technology I am provided the opportunity to see races from all over the country and all I can say is Wow, how far we have come...I watched the race at knoxville who with Eldora is clearly our best facility.  But, I also watched a race at a small rural track in Chatham Louisianna and the racing was just as good and the people seemed to be having a great time.  And by the way, the speed was about half of what you see any weekend at Port Royal.... Point is this... Drag racing is about pure speed... From here to there, period.. dirt track racing has to have enough speed to make it exciting but speed alone is not enough.  It takes that side by side " oh my, here they go" feeling to make it work.  Every track does things I don't particularly care for, but hey, I watched maybe 10 14 races the last week. Yeah... I'm pretty happy and if you all are stuck on who has the biggest water truck well, I'll just say we sit in different sections of the grandstands..... Truth of it is, in todays world wet track really begins to equal single file track and that usually does not mean exciting track.

Exactly

Bingo!

I always chuckle when people talk of a rough race track, yes there are some rough tracks out there but watch a Dick Wallen video of races in the 50s and 60s.  Now those were rough tracks and no cages.  Safety has evolved no doubt.  But with safety you got alot of drivers that drive over their heads IMO.  Sorry got a little sidetracked there. 

Would rather watch a racy race than a follow the leader, and heavy tracks are usually follow the leader.  

Spot on.  

How dare you get "a little sidetracked!!!

First time its EVER happened on HH...

Yeah, what do the Duncan's know that no one else knows?  They have it soupy wet every time they race and by the time the feature rolls out track is perfect for racing. They are simply the best!!

Port Royal has the worst track prep this side of the Mississippi.  Razor Steve doesn't have a clue how to prepare that track....see last weekend!!!

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

They know, you can't show up the morning of a race, and think you can have a good track. They start working on the track for days, before a race.

Didn't I read something about 19 second laps at Knoxville the night Brian Brown won. I think it was in the same thread where they were complaining abour Baps being so dusty you couldn't see the cars at the other end of the track. In the same thread someone said Lincoln had been the same for two races before that. I wasn't at any of those races just repeating what had been posted here.

Yes, track was slick and 'slow' on 'opening night' at Knoxville. Quick time wasn't even in the 15 second bracket. The racing in the heats was great, which always scares me a little. The track was actually perfect in the 360 feature... but there was nothing to get a hold of on the bottom, which is eventually a recipe for rubber. The Dunkins (not Duncans) turned it around, as they usually do, last weekend. 

Then shut your stupid mouth and move to Iowa. I was at Port all weekend. I expected to see you pitching in to help the track crew since you know so much. Steve Stimely isn't perfect and he's the first to admit it. Try talking to him sometime without being a loud mouth know it all asshole and you'll be pretty impressed with the guy. He's extremely humble and he's always open to other people's opinions on what he can do better and that includes fans. He's a good man. He does a great job and pours his heart and soul into what he does. Sometimes he misses it and he'll flat out admit it but see, the difference between Mr. Stimely and loser like you is, he's actually out there DOING something & trying to do what he can to help his track and the sport as a whole in any way he can. Maybe you should get off your lazy ass and do something too. Try your hand at preparing a track and if you're as good at it as you think you are, you'll be the talk of the sport and you'll be doing something a little more than sitting on your lazy ass bad mouthing those who actually have the ambition to get their hands dirty trying to do something positive for the sport we all love. People like you are part of the problem. Unfortunately our sport has far too many big mouth assholes who sit on the sidelines bashing everything and everyone they don't like even through they themselves don't have the balls, brains or ambition to own a team, or drive a car or help out at a local track whether it be track prep or sponsorship or whatever else. You just do NOTHING but bitch and whine when you aren't even talented enough to be a wart on the ass of the person you're bashing. Get a life loser.

We just need to ignore his comments from now on, eventually he'll leave when he has no replies to get a woody over.  He is even getting blasted on Twitter, by some good folks, who are actually part of top race teams.  So everyone realizes he's just a blowhard with nothing to do but bitch and complain.  Port was fine all weekend long. A bit dry & slick but damn was there some excting racing in all the divisions over the two days. 

The roughest Track I ever saw the W of O run on was in 2005 somewhere way out West, Montana maybe?  Help me here Gibby if you see this.  Steve started 17th and was thinking about running a few laps and pulling in, to save his equipment.  But he passed a bunch in the first couple of laps and thought what the hell, he Won the friggin' race.  Cars spent more time in the air than on the ground, never saw anything like it.....

Once again I agree with you 100%

Quit talking to yourself Strawser.

How about the Vegas dirt track, I've seen that place get pretty rough, last year for the Hangtown midget race in Placerville I think was a pretty technical track. I know car owners really don't like rough tracks but as a fan I like them. Remember, everyone has to race on the same surface and some drivers are just better on cowboy up tracks.

IIRC,  the track you got your most lucrative photo was a mine field of ruts due to the spring frost working it's way out with the help of  morning rain shower.    In fact,  wasn't the double wheelie kind of started with a big bump at the exit of turn 4?