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

7th.. I was off by one spot. 

Him and Larson were sure duking it out during A main hot laps though, huh? I was wondering when one was gonna lift and let the othet go by, but neither did. Entertaining for sure.

I have seen Hodnett in the late stages of races this year fade like crazy.  I am sure it was coming him backing through the field.  Hodnett on an outlaw budget that matches the big boys and he can't win in a 410 in central pa since the beginning of June!   That is what I call awesome! 

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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

Dude did Hodnett punch your Mom in the mouth or somthing? So angry LOL. Hodnett is having one of his worst seasons in recent years but I don't think he's washed up quite yet, lots of teams have off years and bounce back. I will agree that it's crazy he only has one win considering the lack of competition in PA this year.  if you were forced to bet your house on which 3 Pa drivers have the best chance of winning the Natty open this year, you know damn well Hodnett would be in your top 3.

The Sammy fans will tell the cute story of him getting his nickname because of slamming up against the cushion.   However, the name stuck because everyone else saw him slamming up against everyone else.  There has been many more instances of him hitting everything on the track than him slamming into the cushion.   We have all seen his show enough to know the real reason.   

Jon R ! You must have been watching someone else. You have made it obvious you don't like Sammy. To all, remember he will go down as 1 of the best. Top 5 drivers the WoO has ever had. Anybody that ever attended a WoO sprint show always new were the 11 and the 1 car were at on the track.  Yea Hodnett  has been off this year for sure, but they came loaded for bear at knoxville. They were in position that could have put them on the podium for the 360 & 410 shows. 

+1

Why didn't you come to Knoxville?

-

I haven't been watching Sammy for as long as some of you guys, & I don't think you're lying about his career. But my response is just the opposite. I kind of like him for being "the guy everybody loves to hate". He studied engineering, didn't he? My late father was an engineer & I can testify they aren't always so strong on "people skills"! Sammy has hundreds of wins & my old man had 52 patents (all of which went to his employer for $1 each...)

My first really big sprint race was 7 years ago when Sammy won the National Open at WG. I was rooting for DeWease to catch him, like most everybody else there, but when he didn't I was one of the hundreds chanting "Sammy, Sammy". (After losing Knoxville lead with flat tire right near the end, earlier that summer)

I like to see the old fart win, (even tho he's younger than me).... same for Mr Rahmer Sr.

I would have loved to come.  I had to start a new job a couple years ago.  Old company bougtht out and started new job without a lot of vacation time yet.  I will be back to Knoxville once I get more vacation time.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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

Hey BStrawser26...........Hodnett WON Susky tonight.  Let me hear your excuses on the race.....LOSER!

No excuses.   Congrats to Greg and his team on the win.  It has been a long time coming!

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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

LOL..Loser is right...Douchebag is even better!

A few things here, the 27 team was told Saturday that the 410 feature was going to be curfewed and made up this Saturday the 26th. Since they are not racing this weekend, there was no point in running. However, something changed and Port decided to run the feature.

Secondly, the 27 was not fading at Knoxville. The only thing fading is your brain, if you even want to call it that. To go out there and run as well as they did all week for ONE Week a year is pretty impressive.

And the 27 Smoked em last night at Susky! 

So I've been pondering this question (okay for like 2 minutes, not exactly bending my mind wondering) and it's a serious one to the OP or whomever.  Sammy is a HOF'er and one of the best drivers to ever enter a sprint car.  Even if you don't like Sammy, the fact of his greatness is undeniable.  So, my quesiton is why every time does Sammy win or run well today his fans need to pound their chests and throw it into people's faces (okay that might be strong, might not be though).  Is it because Sammy is a polarizing figure so his fans feel as if these have to come out in droves and thumb their noses at the "haters" and say "see, hes' the best, he's still winning, in your face."  Can solace or joy not simply be had in the fact "your guy" is still winning or running well (which again shouldn't be a surpirse given his prowess).  I mean this seriously, I'm wondering why this is the case.  Maybe a Sammy super fan can chime in here.  Danny Smith won this weekend, another legend (yes I know not on Sammy's level) but everytime Danny wins his fans don't feel the come out and say "see, in your face" to people.  Then again Danny is universally liked.  So maybe I answered my own question.  Because Sammy is either a "love him or hate him" type guy those that love him feel a passionate need to defend him.  

Posts like this from people like you is one of the reasons why this website has no merit. How dare you call out one of the legends of the sport just because he is not in his prime. I'd love to compare to what you are doing in your 60's. This website is for sprint car fans. As an actual sprint car fan, I choose to relish every opportunity I can to see guys like Sammy and Hodnett run as I know they are reaching the end of their careers because I will get to tell my kids about all the legends that I got to see race as my parents did with me. But by all means, lets bash the legends who made sprint car racing what it is today simply because they are not in their prime. Find some maturity

I do believe you've answered your own question.  Polarizing figure + vocal people who want to express their opinion + social media = "Fun" stuff to read.

Yep, you answered your own question, plus: OLD FARTS HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER!

Personally I think a large number of the fans that booed Sammy over the years were just "joining the choir" because of what they heard, and not what they may have witnessed. Most all sports enjoy having a bad guy. I've really only become a fan of Sammy's in recent years. I did however always enjoy his ability. I had many other favorites based on where they were from mostly. My opinion of Sammy has always been consistant. I've seen a hundred or so live WoO events and too many taped WoO races to count. I can honestly say I've not seen more than a few incidents on track that could even come close to being considered intentional on his part. I hate booing....period! Has he always been the best interview? No, but I think more so because of his nature and being uncomfortable with a microphone than his being an "ass" as many state. I do think in his interviews today he seems more comfortable. At every race track in the country I visited, Sammy was always booed. Impossible to have that many people witness an on track act that was worthy of that being the lable of "Slammin". So why now am I a Sammy fan? Well the most obvious is the fact that we are witnessing the tail end of a fabulous career, and, he reminds those of us that were there in the beginning, that we did have a hell of a couple generations of fabulous drivers back in our day. Secondly, I was one of those who chanted "Sammy-Sammy-Sammy" at the 2010 Nationals after the tire let go. It was a "feel good" moment to witness the largest crowd of the year cheering the man for the drive he had just left on the race track. And it was a hell of a drive! A CLEAN DRIVE! It was almost like in an instant, there would now be more cheers for Sammy in the future at the Nationals than there would be jeers. And that has been the case there ever since 2010. And.......those cheers come from a large base of fans that did witness that night, because they return year after year to Knoxville for that event. That drive also represented the hundreds of great drives he has performed over his long career. Even though some will deny those drives ever existed at all. So yeh, I'll continue to cheer for Sammy Swindell!

I've seen Sammy do a few things on the track over the years that have irritated me, and I have never been a fan.  However, one of the reasons I decided to drive out to Grandview on Thursday after still recovering (work wise, sleep wise, and financially) from Knoxville, is because Sammy was on the list of drivers who were going to be there.

I might have gone even without him there, but I will take any chance I get to see a legend of the sport race in a competitive car at least one more time.

I like Sammy...bought about a dozen shirts to prove it.

BUT...when I am there and he drives like a dick...I take the shirt off, tie it into a knot and throw it at the catch fence.

2 less shirts now because of it...got thin out the collection and its a good way to start...

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

Never been a Sammy fan and never will be but I've come to respect the man for his skills and accomplishments. It's even more impressive that he's still competetive at his age. 

A