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

Is the Heffner car parked for the year? Is Smith out?

Thanks!

since this is only my 3rd season following central pa cars closely...

what would have been realistic expectations going into last season?  this season?  i feel like he's been running about where greg hodnett was.  greg won pa speedweeks in 2018...but if you take larson out of the picture...i believe ryan smith would've been second.  i don't feel like ryan has been running that much worse than greg...but i don't have a longer perspective about what would've been expected out of the 27 turned 72.  

 i'm just trying to give ryan smith the benefit of the doubt because he seems like a great guy who runs consistent and doesn't tear up equipment.  it has been a little concerning the way he's run the last couple of weeks...almost like he has taken a step backwards...but he's not far removed from what everybody agreed was a very successful speedweek in what has been a difficult year for everyone.  you could argue he's been one of the most consistent drivers in in the area.

i'm also a little worried about chad trout because he's been struggling since he won at lincoln earlier this year.  he's another great guy and i know that only gets you so far.  i'm just trying to get a feel for what's expected of these guys.

Yeah but it's all about parking it in VL and unfotunately Ryan hasn't been doing it. Not sure why. He's a good driver. I thought this would be a good match.

A

I said from the very beginning and posted it here that this would not be a winning car with Smith at the wheel.  He is a nice guy but not the caliber of someone putting it into VL often.  1 win in 88 races is not good at or on any team.  Really hope Hefner make a great choice for his next driver and he parks it in victory lane like this car has been used to.

Yeah I feel like this was "no hard feelings" way to let Ryan go. And I'm sure Mike needs some R and R every now and again. Ryan's a hell of guy and a good racer but sprint car racing is weird sometimes. He's won some big races including an WoO show at Port, back when Schatz was untouchable. And can't forget about 24th to 5th in a Kings Royal a couple years ago. That feature went green all 40 laps btw.  Definitely got the talent  just too inconsistent I guess. 

I think its more the car than the driver. Saying it purely as a spectator and not knowing a ton about the inner workings of the pit area.

I was at the USAC midget race last night in Kutztown and they had Kevin Thomas Jr in the Heffner car. KTJ lost his ride eariler this year but is a pretty solid talent and a great pickup for them for midget week. That car had mechanical issues all night long to the point I felt really sad for that whole team. They were able to clean it up enough to squeak out of the consi to tag the tail of the feature. Only to end up in someone elses mess and destroyed the front end.

I feel like this has been the story about Ryan in that 72 on many nights. Take a look at their performance this year at time trial shows. He's definitely a solid driver who will take care of equipment. He will find a ride. I really think the entire PA 410 landscape is going to have a major overhaul next year in terms of teams still running and where drivers are at. The economy is not helping which I'm sure is also a factor.

Also, this may be kind of the elephant in the room,....but outside of JJR which is the unicorn of this situation....how many teams have successfully bounced back from a death in their car? Even further than that, how many kept racing at all?

They have been operating w/o a crew cheif for most of the year and then added Heath Moyle, former crew guy on the KLR 2 recently. So that coudln't have been easy.

That said, that car suffers from the hall of fame drivers it has had in its seat. Lofty expectations sank Smith I would say.

i have the same impression.  i don't have the race by race results in front of me but it seemed like they were having mechanical issues every week at the beginning of the year.  he might have opened up with a win at the grove if he hadn't broken the front wing (not sure if he hit something or it just failed).  based on the documentary from sprint unlimited...ryan's driving and one of the primary mechanics which can't be easy.  i'm sure other teams have similar situations except ryan made a comment about chad trout's team that he wishes he could steal some of their guys.

do they only make money if they're winning?  they seem to have one of the better sponsors in red robin.  

No offense, and correct me if I'm wrong- and history has proven that it's likely I am :) -  but it seems like there's something missing in this car - wrench, mojo, something, ......I don't know. Greg Hodnett - rest his soul - didn't set the world on fire in this car. Seems like the only guy to wheel it consistently was Darryn Pittman - for, like, a year - 2011, I think. Pittman's last year in the car - 2012 - was somewhat mediocre, as I recall.

The road to the Steve Kinsers, Donnie Schatzs, and really just a few others, is littered with very good cars and very good drivers that just couldn't do what the 11 and the 15 did/do year after year.

After what with the loss they went through. I can't see how the motivation level can be the same. To me it came as no surprised that they parked the car.  Hodnett came off the outlaw tour and settled into running  central pa. I think they need to look at a guy like Shane Stewart.  If they want local talent I would look at A.J. Flick. He is young, usually pulls off a couple big wins at port royal. I would go do some testing at other pa tracks to see what he can do. The car he runs has no top crew chief or big backing behind them and he does well with what he has. 

I would love to see Flick in that car. And he does have some decent backing on the #2. Afterall, he's sponsored by Red Robin, just like the 72 is. What they put into it is hard to say but I'm sure it's a huge help. But yes, I like the idea of AJ behind the wheel of the Heffner ride.

Didn't Hodnett win 70+ races in four and a half years in the 27?

Don't know about 70 (at least not 410 wins) but he had very strong years in 2015-16 followed by mediocre years until his passing.

Lance sort of became the team to beat in Central PA when he went to the 69k, and the Heffner team kind of fell behind.

i don't know that i would take the ride if i was aj flick.  like others have said...they weren't exactly dominating before greg hodnett passed.  i'm not sure the expectations meet what the team is capable of. 

It's still 1 of the top rides in PA. I would think they would have their sights set a little higher than AJ. Hopefully Heffner still fields a car and gets another driver soon, no matter who it is. 

A

If you compare dollars to dollars A J doesn't come close to what some of those guys have. He has said for whatever reason they are struggling this year to find speed. Hey Sye Lynch had a shot in the groves 70 car which I really didn't think that was going anywhere. Great kid, but not even close to the driver his dad was.