Forum: SCRAFAN.COM Forum (go)
Moderators: ljennings

By failing to respond to several questions concerning the 2008 Bandit Sprint Car series, Mr. Curto, as the public relations director (or whatever his title may be) has damaged the reputation of the series and its track operators. Too bad, as simple answers would have helped insure the series' creditability. I really hope for the best and have not given up hope.

"Ralphie, Senor, muchas gracias por una mas cerveza"  -
Scott Daloisio @ the PAS

Mr. Curto's official job title is head jerk-off. As for the creditability of the series,It has never had any. It has never had A title sponsor, It has never even had A rule book,It's always been A'come as you are' type of deal. Depending on who you are you could even run whatch you brung. As for the reputation, of the track operator I think Mr. Swindell's reputation speeks for it self.

Dude, that was for the race on the 15th...Dang guys, step away for a bit...and all heck breaks loose...I am sorry, did n't realize with the rain out there would be interest in the topic ...I am very willing to answer questions...to the best of my abilities, limited though they may be...

And please, call me Pete... Mr. Curto is what the principal called me when I was in trouble...

First, I do lobby for and discuss rules and issues... but I do not control the purse or pay outs or point funds.

That being said, there is a search for a series sponsor to cover the bulk of a point fund, there is also discussion of other alternatives that can be announced later. The alternatives are ways of dealing with the economy, lessening hardships while keeping racing viable and doors open for venues.

So in a nutshell, hopefully there will be some announcements at the races sometime soon, what ever I can do I will, but I don't do this for a living and it is on a limited basis. Any help would be appreciated.

The first part is re-establishing a show, and building it back up. This is the next part and it is needed very badly. I spoke to a great fan today who wants to help and suggested that I solicit support from fans and all those interested...is that a good idea? I hope so.

My great concern right now is the economy and how racers are effected. Good people are struggling with economic issues and racing as a priority falls in comparrison to other things in life. Those who can race sprint cars need to deal with rising costs of racing too. That I'd like to help with too, maybe more urgently than a point fund.

$4.00/ gallon tow vehicle fuel, $7.00/gallon race fuel, pit fees and everything besides the race care impact the racers and car count. What is the answer? What is the balance? Give me some input...also email me: [email protected] or call me at 805-305-9884

Peter

Dear Richard,

What I stated was clearly my opinion on aspects of how you chose to do things. Sometimes that did not involve taking the high road.

Thats your deal friend, but I would have thought that things could have gone better for SCRA if certain things were done better. We can disagree, and I hope to see things get better with the 360 Sprint Cars as a whole. I don't carry a grudge. In a not perfect world we just do the best we can, do what we believe is the best thing to do and live with and accept the consequences. Right?

No matter the circumstance, we need to keep race tracks and racing viable for evryone... Thats what I am for...what would you like to see Richard? Is that BS or can you be concrete and definative?

Richard, you've been telling me for 4 years time will tell the truth...dude, just get real! You may mean well...but too often you are angry and bitter. I am just a race director dude. I keep rules and maintain standards. I am also observant and work to improve things. I have tried to talk with you, to bring things closer together, but you don't want that. You have never tried to make any peace.

My experience with you is you instigating problems. I would hope you change your attitude...and work to build, not tear down.

As for me, if someone thinks I ought to be replaced and call the powers that be. I will step aside without getting my feelings hurt. The fact is, I have a personal interest in things getting better but not a financial tie or stake in this deal. Thats it. I don't need to defend anything. So, be positive, keep with the good stuff Richard and throw out all of the negativity. That would be your first step to success.

Your friend Peter

Hey Friend, I'd like to discuss things intelligently with you but that may be a bit unfair to you. Do you need to resort to name calling? I am simply the Race Director for the series. I am admittedly a fan, and enjoy racing. I am not the promoter or have any financial stake.

Also, I stand by what I said about rules and working with them. We do pump motors, check essentials. And we absolutley work with rules, to suggest otherwise is not simply an insult but a sign of blatant ignorance on your part. Ask those checked.

What I do is make sure there is integrity, consistency and uniformity with the quality of the program. What I sometimes do is write unpaid articles in the absence of a real journalist. I do enjoy it and have fun doing it and what I can to help people get their names out there.

But friend, you clearly hide in anonimity. Are you afraid to be in the "light"? C'mon now, hide and call names? Get real!

As a racer told me last year, but it wasn't the only time I heard this type of statement...I paraphrase, "My cousin is a race promoter and he said a lot of bad things about Dave Swindell, but he is a racer and puts on races" I heard from many racers who don't want wars, they just wanna race. First things first.

From what I have seen, without Swindell, Santa Maria would be in much worse shape than it is in today. Thats my home track, I want to see it open. I was at Kings first practice day ever, I went to most of the Friday night shows to see my friend Jimmy Eiland race there, and the track was pretty rough than when Swindell operated it. Do you remember that? I hope it can get back there again.

Looks like the ASCS needs to come in and restore some order for the 360 sprints. They are now in Arizona and the Pacific Northwest. Wouldnt take much to swoop through the California region. They could put a lot of this BS to rest in a hurry.

Amen brother John, Amen.

Pete, sorry if I offended you by calling you A name, not only are you A jerk off, you are A Liar. In 2004 Danny Sheridan won 8 of 16 races between Hanford and Santa Maria, And still holds the one lap track record (set in 2004) and that car never once was pumped after A race,never a fuel sample taken,tire checked. All under your 'supervision'. In 2002 and again in 2003 Bud Keading won main events at Hanford using 18* Alan Johnson heads. I also witnessed at Hanford, you allowing Tyler Spath to compete without the ASCS gasket. In 2005 when David Addomo was the track GM,he raised the purse across the board for all divisions, track conditions were good, everybody was paid on time.The first Thing Dave Swindell did when he jot to town was cut the purses,and track conditions suck! ask those who compete. Amen to KOP bring on ASCS !!!

And oh ya Pete I was at Hanford the night it opened in 1984,do you remember who won that night ?.........

Jimmy Sills driving the Uba city scrap and steel #71n

Hmmmmmm????

Hello Friend, Obviously, you have a difficult time making your point with out name calling. I will still address you with respectful dignity, fair enough?

I took over this job for the 2004, after being a crew member for a team for the previous 5 seasons. I had nothing to do with the previous stuff so get your facts straight please. The previous situations led to rule clarifications as reflected in the current rule book. There had been a previous standard of 23 degree heads +/- 2 degrees, that was changed to 1 degree because of that situation. I was with the Kings Tech Official in 2003 when he checked Bud and he was within the 2 degree tolerance. Thats the fact.

I have worked with various track tech officials over the past few seasons, that is why, as much as I am able. I try to be more hands on than simply an admistrator. Also, to keep the integrity, I have stepped up routine inspections over the time that I have done this job. The most recent thing you've brought up is 3 seasons old. If that is the best you've got then I think that I am ok, right? That doesn't invalidate what you are saying, it is reflective of the learning curve and I take it as a compliment that I have improved, learned and grown in this position.

I can believe what you said about the Sheridan issue, like I said, that is a major factor in why I see the need to be hands on and proactive and the improvement since. Wouldn't you agree?

Fuel samples have been collected a couple of times but isn't in my regular routine for inspections, but I can increase that collection. No problem. The Tyler Spath issue: he was told to come down and he'd be allowed to race, not by me or anyother Bandit representative, I did make the decision to let him race, considering all of the factors. Was it the right thing? I don't believe so and that is why with anything to do with the "holy trinity" of the 360 rules, must be adhered to. My sin was cutting a break in the face of all of those who followed the rules. I owned up to that then and own up to that now. The evil would be in the continuance of repeating mistakes as well as the repeation of poor choices. Wouldn't you agree? I have been to thousands of car races, watched even more other sporting events and have never seen a perfect umpire, referee or official. Have you? What seperates the good from the bad? The competent from the incompetant?

You are correct in 2005 the purses being raised. Dave Addamo and his group had their own agenda and along with that came some good things but many problems came also. The treatment of the 360 Sprint Cars suffered to the point of a mini revolt. Too much of the racetracks money was spent in many areas without any significant infrastructure gains. A huge monitary loss incurred, so much so that SMS was in danger of not opening and SMS was inserch of a GM. Dave Swindell was hired at the last hour to fix the damage. Much of what it seems he had inherited was in servere disrepair. He has since ran SMS, and racing there is returning to what it had been before Doug Fort passed, and its subsequent decline and mismanagement. That is fact.

Two potential GM's had told me the track was in need of a huge financial infusion ($100,000 +) to get it up to snuff, this is independant of and prior to Dave Swindell. So the fact is the problems were preexistant and are still being dealt with.

The point of remembering Kings in 1984 wasn't the trivia question you refer to (but props for that inconsequential fact), but was the clear improvement of the track and the surface made during the Swindell period. Dave Swindell does not need an appologist or a defender, and I don't intend to be. But unfair attacks are not called for, and there were many things that he did to foster and create that we all enjoyed the benefit of. One of which was the growth and foundation of the 360 non-winged sprint car racing that we enjoy here in Central California. That is also fact, wouldn't you agree O nameless one?

Gentlemen, take it easy. Just ask yourself...............How much longer till ???

ASCS Expands with Northwest Region in 2008

Dreamer, schemers and message board mavens, ASCS will not take over California until John Padjen says so

Shhhhh, don't tell Hahn. He was told in 1992 when he launched ASCS that he wouldn't last 1 year. Hmmm, wonder where those visionaries are today?

90% of 360's in California run on Padjen's tracks. How many tracks in California does Emmett control?

Hey Pete keep diggin brother. Yet another post full of contridictions. Hanging out in the main event winners pit, drinking beer from thier cooler does not constitut 'teching' a car. If you would prefer A more recent example of your lack of inteligence, we would only have to look to last season, shall we disscus Jesse Mac ?

O nameless one.

How many tracks? Did you not read the press release I posted? He isn't there "yet". Strong emphasis on the word "yet". Pay attention will ya? LOL

PS: I dont like Bush either. One of the worst Presidents this country ever had. What an idiot!

Don't believe KOP is talking wing cars anyway.We're talking non wing 360's. The non wing 360's are a joke in Central Cal, and non existent in Nor-Cal (not talking spec sprints). The time is right for Emmett to clean house here and rid us of this cancer.

Oak, your right about the fact that we were addressing non wing. Looks like I opened up the wing cars into this equation when I posted the PR notice that mentioned Nor-Cal. In that PR tidbit, the ASCS office was mentioning 'wing' cars as it was tying in with the Pacific Northwest announcement. Then IHB chimed in on my opening and thus that is the dialogue you now see.

As we have all seen over and over, if ASCS says they are expanding into a certain market, they do so. Whether it will be working with Padjen or not remains to be seen.

As for the non wing issue we were on, as you and I alluded to, ASCS would be a major fixer upper to that group.

Guys, putting all that aside, if you bring Naylor's deal into the discussion you have to figure he has a pretty sweet deal at Ventura. He has a great fan base and a very enviable car count. My guess is that group is having a lot of fun for the minimum amt of $ already. I'm not so sure Naylor would risk upseting his faithfuls w/ a cylinder head change.

Like i said earlier, central & nor cal non wing 360's are the ones that need the ascs. Never said anything about ventura.