Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

In 2010 3 tracks have closed in OK SFS (by city), Enid & Ardmore (car count, fan count) there may be other reasons but that's another topic. There are numerous places still to race in OK but it seems from track to track every class has different rules even though they might be called the same. Why can't the track owners/promoters get together and make the rules the same? That way you could run Friday night at 1 track and Sat at another and hopefully not have to wrench and change everything on Sat. I used to run "Street stock" in northern Indiana. It was basically a pure stock class but we averaged 85 - 100 cars per night and there were at least 8 tracks within a 1 hour tow of my house. The rules were simple stock DOT tires no wider than 235 75 15, stock engine, any trans and rearend, $750 engine claim. Most tracks want even pure stacks to run NASCAR takeoffs that by itself stops me from running I don't know where to get these and how much do they cost? I can get stock street tires from any tire shop and if I look around I can get decent tires from the throw out pile for free. These promoters were smart if you have 85 cars in one class plus the crew and fans you can afford to pay the higher classes with less cars. The tracks ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights you could run 3 shows per weekend. We would run 4 or 5 10-lap heat races with 15-25 cars per heat and a consolation race and main, no yellow flags, red only and only for a blocked track or rollover. It made for a quick show and our main was last so the fans that didn't want to watch us run could leave (most didn't). In addition with the economy as it is there aren't that many new teams most are family operations and some of them drop every year. For any sport/activity to survive there has to be new blood coming into the sport. I have started running Enduro cars now last Sun at Wild West there were 40+ cars name one track and class that has had 40+ cars this year special shows excluded. Outlaw had 25 or so in Apr. This is where the beginners are and we can run from track to track I would run the weekly strickly stock show at Thunderbird but they threw the manditory aluminum racing seat rule in there and that is an expense I can't afford when I can run at any other track with my stock seat. I do know that the other drivers don't like the beginner class but if run right these classes can be the one paying the bills and purses for the track.

In a nutshell what this whole post is about is tracks will keep dying in OK and the rest of the county if new, young drivers don't have a place they can start and it has to be affordable enough that if they can start without breaking the bank.

Sorry for the length of this but I hate to see racing continue to die.

Demo derby because most sports only use one ball!
Dave Unsell 2X SFS Demo Derby track champ

You my friend jsut asked the million dollor question that has been asked for many of of years around here.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 
in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he 
stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Erich Petersen 

Almost every track here has the best idea and will not change. I will be blasted for this but after seeing IMCA cars in the past up in Nebraska, watching when they were IMCA type in Ardmore a couple of years ago and after going to Mayetta, Kansas Saturday to cover the NCRA sprints, they ran IMCA divisions as well.

I am not just talking modifieds but the sport mods, hobby stocks and stock cars. There were no IMCA cars in the Topeka area this winter and when the new owners went IMCA sanctioned, it was a stretch. But they average 32 northenr sport mods, 25 modifeds, 24 hobby stocks and about the same street stocks and all put on a hell'uve a show. I think they even had a pony class for new drivers. All the above IMCA sanctioned.

Troy Gemmill says for it to work in Oklahoma (IMCA modifieds) you would have to grandfather the rules in and in three years tops make it IMCA exclusively. This coming from a guy who travels with his son to Hays, Kansas on Friday nights, Dodge City on Saturday nights and wherever they can find on Sunday nights. Troy and Brenden have done just about everything and if he prefers IMCA and tells you why, a person tends to listen.

But to respond too your question it takes promoters to get together for once and actually agree to work with each other and realize that they will or will eventually have all the cars that they will want.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

They did that in the 80's with the NCRA. C Ray at 81 speedway, Larry Hill at State Fair and Stan Durett at tulsa fairgrounds. Lawton and Dallas ran the same rules also. It didn't matter what track you went to a full field of cars awaited. NCRA races had at least 50 cars.

The problem is much larger than this. The promotional ring is very political, sides are taken, and then the strangest things happen. Relationships, circumstances can change extremely in an instant. Todays friends, are tomorrows enemies, and vice versa.

Down here, Arbuckle Speedway was knocked out by Lake Country thanks to pride, ready money. Now both are closed at the moment.

Arbuckle is owned by a rancher now, and the cattle poop all over it just like they did before it came in. Hated to see that, since I grew up at that old store at the end of the road going onto sh 53. Pop. 12! Woodford Oklahoma!

For so many years I couldn't go to the races in other towns, and then it came to me! LOL.

Now it's gone...................

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OkC was the shrine, and Lawton was up there pretty good. I guess Lawton still is, but everything is drying up in the wrong places.

Oh yeah, my point

Honorable friends that work together, flourish together. The opposite, not so good.