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

 I realize it may be colder today in Posse country but fans end the season by supporting Todd Fisher and Scott Gobrecht and come out today to the races . Thank You

Too windy and cold!  Mother nature is going to hurt attendance today.  Could they postpone until Sunday with a much more favorable forecast?  We would attend.  

 Thanks you fans for turning out today , it was not easy with the weather conditions and delays , but you once again showed why we have some of the most dedicated fans in Pa .

excellent turn out of fans

good car count

excessive screwing around by the track

too disorganized to run a TT show in an efficient manner

Watering the pits and front stretch when the top of the turns were a dust storm

dismal attempts to get Consi and Feature lined up quickly and green flag laps

1 yellow after another 

5 race stoppages in the first 6 laps of the feature

but only a few fans left before the feature

The new owner was there to see exactly how low people's expectations are...will he...can he save the place?

Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH 
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better 
weather." Van May

My thoughts exactly. As always, it was great to be at Susky. For whatever reason, I love the place. The watering of the pits and the INSIDE of the frontstretch had to be the most pointless use of a water truck that I have personally ever witnessed. Turns 1 & 2 sure could've used that water around the outside but for some reason, it didn't happen. Hopefully Scott does what I think he's gonna do and builds the place up to its full potential. I've said it before and I'll say it again, despite the shitty track surface and all of the other seemingly endless issues with the place, Susky puts on the best sprint car racing in Central Pa. I can only imagine how awesome it would be if they actually had a well prepared surface. Here's to hoping we finally get to see it next year.

You guys are right on all accounts mentioned . Scott will make the necessary changes that this facility needs and hopefully he  will get most of it done over winter and finish by spring . I agree the racing will be the tops in central Pa and this facility will be right up there with Port Royal when said and  done . Concessions will improve , as it was another obvious problem yesterday  as many couldn't even get waited on . I look forward to seeing more conveniences offered at THE NEW SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY PARK . The man who owns Rock It Pizza -Subs said he will become more involved as well . Good luck to all fans and to Scott Gobrecht , on a great off season .

The only good thing about last night was the dedication on display by the race teams and fans.

Susquehanna Speedway didn't deserve either!

• Deplorable/Dangerous track conditions (the visibility off turn 4 was 0%)
• Pathetic Scoring (no transponders, no accuracy, no controls)
• Crash fest fueled by incompetent track-prep/driving 

Hopefully the new ownership/management can turn things around! 

   Your opinions are strong but true , but this will be a track to support in 2016 with Scott Gobrecht in control along with racing people involved , and with fans in mind as seen already with new seating on display yesterday . Lots are planned and hopefully all will get accomplished to provide good racing and a better facility for all concerned . Also sir this is what happens when no clay is added on a regular basis either every year or every other .

I'm cheering for the new ownership/management! 

It was hard to see down into turns 3-4. I actually walked down to turn 4 (as did a few drivers) to see just how bad it was down there. Alot of the dust was actually being carried down the front stretch so the visibility wasn't as bad as it looked from the stands, but still it was dusty.

Gotta keep the show moving. I actually wanted to stay, but when the sun went down it was getting too cold for my daughter even though she was super layered up, it got cold fast.  The show needed to be done by 5 not finishing up the consi.  

 Additionally that wasn't a good turn out by the 358s. If that is an indication of their future support either make it a 305 support or do a 358/360 challenge, or maybe Super Lates or something.  It's sad to see that kinda turn out, but it is what it is. 

The 358 count will rise when the track gets new clay. noone wants to tear a car up on a junk surface. After the 410s there isnt much track left it's all used up. 

where were Rahmer's cars?   or the host of others?  

was it fishers track crew that ran the show? sounds like it.

immediate changes.....ardc for 6 shows next year.

as long as gobrecht doesnt inherit fishers "my way or the highway" attitude and actually LISTENS to the fans and racers, not only will he save the place but quite possibly move it to the top of the list. for the money i am hearing that has and will be invested, im pretty sure he isnt doing this as a hobby.

and with kreitzer moving to selinsgrove with heffner money, that could be another positive surprise.....

Did"nt take long for changes, they started tearing up the old track surface today.

Blowing dust on the top. You know what the new saying in sprint car racing is. If you have to run the top, you might as well get a real job. 

Luna's Ford engine style that won 2 WoO titles and 3 
Kings Royals before a weight rule against the best EVER
in their prime and now DOMINATES super dirt late model
racing is no longer allowed/wanted in a WoO sprint
car.... Was Luna a miracle worker?

Dietrich just really has the joint figured out. Kreitz car was really coming with Henderson at the wheel as well. Was windy and cold as hell but there was a lot of passing what you could see of it thru the dust. Place was packed, could hear the old wooden grandstands cracking beneath the weight.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

I asked a prominent 410 driver what the view coming off of turn 4 was like and his exact words were "I can't see jack shit. It's dangerous"

i dont believe there has been a 358 race in pa for atleast 5 weeks, id say that has a lot to do with their car count...best sprint car racing i seen in pa this year was in the 358 division

I'm surprised that more than a few cars show for this race to be honest. The payout was ...Well,  a joke ! I'm friends with a couple of the guys on the MCR 410 car that Lance Dewease run at this race. The car run 3rd and was paid $1200.00

They run 3rd and lost money !!! How do you expect to have car counts when you lose money running 3rd. The team had this car dis-assembled ready for the winter rebuild and decided to put the car back together to run this race to help Lance out since his ride had folded earlier than expected. Figuring the race paid $10,000 to win and Lance has a proven record at Susky.

A real problem I see with ALL TRACKS ( except Selinsgrove. they are the only track I know of that posts their complete payout for a race.  is they proudly tell you a race pays XXXX to win and XXX to start the race but its like you need and Act of God to see a complete payout to decide if its worth running the race. Since that info was nowhere to be found the team could only assume what the payout would be. 

Do the math.... Driver percentage ( usally anywhere from 20-50% based on their success), they used up 3 rear tires at $200.00 each, 35 gallons of fuel at $3.00 per gallon, 6 pit passes at $30.00 each , fuel for the truck/trailer, $50.00 entry fee, wear & tear on the motor ( they say a 410 motor is usually figured at $400 per race based on a normal rebuild with no issues) Food for the crew at the track @ a guess of $50.00 ( Thank goodness most the crews work for the love of racing and a pit pass, burger fries and drink...) And keep in mind this team does not have a paid Crew Chief, they call their own shots.

With Hodnett finishing 4th , I would assume that the car owner did'nt make enough to pay his driver and crew chief ( they have a paid full time crew chief , Ryan Hand )

This is a big reason why our beloved sport is dying a slow death. It is the family owned teams that is keeping this sport alive. Remove them and you would have a 3-4 car race each week. I'm sure a simple "THANK YOU" to those family owned teams would be appriciated very much by them. I know the MCR team is a family owned team and the crew are family friends and it takes everything they have to field a competitive car.

This is a though tho ............... Are these promoters really just making ends meet ? I don't know Scott G. but know he's a successful business man. That being said I will assume he is a very smart business man also. When the decision was made to pursue the chance of purchasing the Susky track I'm Sure he looked over the books Profit & Loss balance sheet ( I own a small manufacturing business myself ) to make sure he could " make ends meet ". After looking at those numbers he felt it was a good buy and made the purchase of the track ( rumored at 750K - 1 Mil..... I DO NOT know this to be fact...again Rumor only !!!! ) invest say 250-300k into it before he opens in 2016 plus any other moneys... employees, insurances, taxes etc.

And promply announces that they are going to run the same schedule and classes next year with the same 410 race format of a race a month. As a business man myself that tells me that the Profit & loss balance sheet showed that the track was profitable enough to cover the purchase and expenses on limited late models , 4 cyl. cars and mini vans, ect. saturday program.  Things that make you say Hmmm  

I would say that yes, it is profitable to own/run a dirt track when you pay $10,000.00 to win and $1200.00 for third

Sid

It will not change as long as advertising a large sum to win draws a good field of cars. When a promoter gets 30 calls asking for the full purse breakdown and 28 say they are not coming because from 3rd on back pays too little then maybe the top heavy purses will stop and the money will be spread out better.