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

When "betting" or "gambling" gets involved many people think things will be rigged because somebody could pay a wide reciever to drop a game winning touchdown because potentially that reciever could make more money from someone paying him than winning the game.

Again, I'm no expert but here's some things that could be bet on sprint car racing that I don't think could be "fixed" unless there's a MUCH bigger plan. 

For qualifying- time between first and fifth, time between first and 20th etc, who has the fastest combined average of two laps and everything that could be fed from there. 

Heat races- total number of competitive passes in the first heat, second heat etc or combination of all heats.  How many yellows in a particular heat race or all of them combined.  

For features- how many cars finish on lead lap.  How many cars are involved in an accident.  How many cars finish.  How many positions does the hard charger advance.  How many red flags.  How many yellow flag laps.  How many GWCs.

I'm sure there's a ton more that you could come up with.  The point I was trying to make with these potential bets is, yes you could fix this but it would take a lot of people making it happen and a lot of people keeping their mouths shut because once something comes out that it's rigged that will destroy the sport for many years.  

It's a different way to watch sports.  Does this interest me?  Not at all.  However when I was a kid, I got into NASCAR racing because of a computer game (Papyrus NASCAR Racing 1994).  As a 12 year old kid I watched every NASCAR race I could, thinking I was going to unlock the next greatest cheat code for the computer game I was playing.  Did this computer game interest my parents?  Not at all, they would watch me play it a little bit.  But when the NASCAR race came on they would watch it with me, probably not as intently as I was but they started to enjoy watching the races.  I however was "working" when I watched the race or at least I thought I was lol.  However this stupid game (I would admit it was stupid too) has made me a lifelong NASCAR fan.  When I started watching NASCAR in 1996 nobody was talking about it or wearing any of their apparel but by 2001 EVERYONE was talking about it.  I realize it's not the "cool" sport to watch anymore but I still do even if I don't enjoy it near as much as I used to.

Point being, it's different.  I don't care about it and maybe nobody else on here does either (possible age related lol) but this could be where the next generation of sprint car fans come from.  And lets be honest, if there isn't a next generation of sprint car fans, sprint car racing will die.

The argument that this will lead to fixing races is just silly. A Sprint Car race has 24 teams all trying to win the race. In order for the fix to be assured, the fixer would have to pay just about everyone in the field to make sure they don't win the race.

Another point is that Sprint Car racing is going to have a very small betting pool. There is not widespread interest like the stick and ball sports or a major fight. Any whale trying make serious money on something with such little money being wagered on it is going to collapse the odds of whoever they are trying to fix the race if favor of.

I am at a lost on how people think that this is going to lead to people throwing a race.   

The most common form of manipulating a game out come is in basketball, and the fix is in covering the spread not the out right winner of the game.   Team X is favored to win the game by 10 points.   The gamblers beat that team X will not cover the spread.   The point guard for Team X is working for the gamblers.    He will know the point spread when the game starts.   When his team builds up a lead that is too big, he will have a turnover, or barely miss his jump shot.   For the Fix to really work, Team X needs to win as to not create suspicion.    This is the most common and best way to fix a bet on sports.   There are already a lot of turnovers and missed shots.   A couple more here or there does not raise suspicion. 

For the fix to work in racing, someone would have to be in the lead.   You can't fix the race if you are not in the lead.  Then the person that had the bet on them would have to be in second.   If either of these items are not in play, you cannot fix the race.   

I think people are complaining to complain.   

And yet a large group of people think the fix is in with the Chiefs, the NFL, and the refs. Won't be any different here. It will add another topic thread for this board and for many of you to be enraged with. 

Not to mention, the Chicago Blacksox of 1919 couldn't keep it quiet between 8 guys, with no social media........................