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

As a longtime fan of Port Royal Speedway, what is wrong with the track? Went to all three races this year and have seen 0 passes for the lead in 410 sprint features.  No passes for lead in 410s or late model heat races tonight. Late Model features have been decent to good but the 410's seem to be one lane racing. 

Last week a really fast car started on the front row and was nearly caught by someone who started back a bit I am not sure where. Tonight the winner started fourth(same car that is going good right now) and did lead the first lap but I am not sure how you go from fouth to lead without passing  anyone when no one broke. With the sun and wind all day you sort of knew it would likely dry slick. Sort of a tribute to the 07 to win on totally different tracks the last two weeks beating a guy who can win anywhere. He has also passed a lot of cars making some daring moves boths weeks to get thru lapped traffic.  Handicapping will start next week.

So who won?

Esh did start forth but was second across start finish as pole sitter and entire inside row couldn't go. Every heat race was won from 2nd starting position. He also was first exiting turn two.  Blaney when interviewed said his car was terrible but held off Hodnett for numerous laps.  Esh is fast maybe the fastest car the last two weeks but it seems like single line racing which killed nascar. First week hodnett passed numerous cars but every one had to jam on brakes or get put into wall. Saying that I am a hodnett fan. watch a race at Knoxville and they have a bottom grove that you don't have to slide across the track and risk tearing stuff up.  At port it is nothing but try to cut off the guy running the top to make a pass. Both are half mile tracks. Port is doing great things with facilities just wish they would work on making the track two lanes.  

Might be a case of the track being too good. When you have a cookie cutter, stomp and steer half-mile with a fast smooth surface, everyone is hammer down and that makes it really hard to pass. I think it's more of a problem with the cars. They're too locked down these days. The 360's were the same thing at Selinsgrove tonight. Track was good but very little passing. Need more bullring racing or else unhook these things so we can see some more passing on the big tracks.

A

Couldn't agree more. I'm a lifelong Port fan but the track since last season has been garbage. It's smooth and all but they pack it down so damn hard and that leaves everyone fighting over that little strip of moisture around the top without any grip to be found anywhere else. Also, to make matters worse, they insist on destroying the cushion with a push truck parade every chance they get. I wish they'd go back to prepping it like they did a couple of years ago because right now, the racing flat out sucks. Seems like anymore, they're hell bent on making it as black and slick as possible and it makes for boring racing. That's why I'm regularly attending Lincoln now. I'd rather see good racing on a well prepped surface as opposed to what we've been seeing at Port recently. 

Most nights it is multi groved and most drivers comment on that. Last night and a lot of nights they should have left the cushion alone and not run it in there was not a lot there and with it dry slick they needed something to get hold of. Last nights racing was not a lot to brag about but the previous two weeks there was nothing to complain about except handicapping not started yet.

Its not a racetrack problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is  a division problem.The 410 sprints for the most part is a cookie cutter race car. most of the cars (about 90% ) all have the same equipment.So where you start most times is where you finish.Its not just Port Royal,its alot of the larger tracks.You see much better racing on smaller tracks because they dont get so spred out.You can thank the world of outlaws for rules that these local tracks think they have to abide by!!!!!!  example,,,,,,,wing rules,tire rules, wheel rules,.There is no trying new things anymore,everyone goes out buys the same parts and goes racing.The faster guys are normally the teams that have enough money to hire a full time setup guy, a full time shock guy, and full time tire guy to maintain and treat tires to their liking.Williamsgrove and Selinsgrove most nights is the same deal.

Yep---- We have regulated ourselves into boring racing. 

You want to unhook them? Its simple. Lose the wing. Problem solved. The big half miles are a place for speed exhibition. The bullrings are for side by side action. It's so simple to understand. No wing =  no downforce done.

Just proof that people will bitch about anything.  Port has done more to upgrade their facilities in recent years than probably any track in the country and the surface is amazing.  It was a breezy day and you got a dry slick track plus no handicapping made for an ok race... which i didn't think was too bad.  Get Over It. 

The nine scariest words in the english language 
are ,"i'm from the government and i'm here to help" - 
Ronald Reagan

(sigh) It's been what, three races so far? Can we please take a "wait and see" approach and let the year play out a little longer? After week one it was "Oh my God, 16 cars!! Port is in trouble! What's wrong?". The past two weeks the car counts have rebounded and now it's "The racing is boring and awful." Just give it some time.... we are still in early April, there's still six months of racing yet. Does the car count from the past two weeks mean that they will have a full field every week? No. They'll still be shy of a full field sometimes I'd bet. Will the racing automatically improve as the Summer creeps upon us? Perhaps. Perhaps not.  As Axl Rose once said, "We need a little patience, yeahhhhh" 

As far as knocking down the cushion, I was told by two people who I find to be reliable, that the 410 drivers want it that way. I have no idea because I'm not in the pits. According to the same people, when the USAC teams came in they left the cushion alone during the race, because the USAC drivers wanted it that way. If I heard it wrong, or somebody knows why they actually knock it down, feel free to correct me. I'm always looking for more education.  I mean, it makes sense... the wingless guys are used to riding some pretty tall berms.

Let's say it is true though. Who wins the battle this year during Eastern Storm? USAC and winged 410's on the same card... Hmmmm.

The cushion is run in to make the track as wide as possible. I would sooner see follow the leader around the top than a rubber down track anyday. It's funny how some of the people on here complaining was not even at Port last night. 

I will say this, some of same people who want to unhook the cars to make the racing better also don't want the cushion run down and don't like dry slick tracks. Two ideas that seem to contridict one another. Don't dry slick tracks and no cushion unhook the cars to make the driver count for something? That is what they say they want.

I am not an expert on track prep or an expert on cars. However I enjoy a good competitive race.  410s seem to have become worse each year and late models have become better.  If that's track prep or car rules I'm not sure.  Port has the best facilities around but I go the races for the races not the facilities.  

I havn't been to Port this year.  I do plan on going to a few races at the Port this year.  I only hope they can find the water truck keys the weeks I am planning on going!  I used to go everyweek to Port.....since they misplaced the water truck keys over the last few years.  I only go every once in a while now.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

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

The reason Port runs in the top is because of the little balls of clay that the cars throw up aound the top turn to marbles that can't be raced on. Last night there were two lanes that took rubber, at least in three and four. One lane about a car width up from the bottom and one around the top. Both looked the same a far as the amount of rubber.

I'll gladly trade the new shitter, fancy new guardrails, and new concession stand for a well manicured surface with adequate moisture and a return to exciting racing as opposed to the skating around on a hard black skating rink while fighting over that little strip of moisture that was once a cushion prior to being destroyed by a parade of push trucks. 

Track was fast but not as fast as last week when mother nature watered ,this was a normal Port track as long as they have timetrials and start the top four cars in the first two rows you wont see many lead changes

Good to see the Mercer guys support again ,to bad for the DNQ cars hope they dont get discouraged as 30 was padded by 49x,98 and Robbie Kendall. Next week Mercer runs All Stars at Attica and 5000.00 TO WIN AT LINCOLN.

Late Models were handicapped which made for better racing.

I'll see that,  and raise the pagoda and pits in the infield. 

Not that it was better, just that I liked it that way.