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

Since arriving at USAC just over three months ago, we have focused significant attention on two areas which we deemed "broken"...the Silver Crown new pavement car and the Ford Focus series. In each case, we spent many hours on the phone and in person listening to car owners, drivers, promotor's and fans. We are in the process of taking action and direction on each of these programs.

Perhaps the largest task at hand is evolving the "culture" of USAC...a difficult process in any company, let alone one with a storied 52 year history and grounded in its past. It is a challenge we are up to, and have made progress in a short time with a long road to go.

The goal for USAC as an organization is to be transparent, honest and open. I read with much interest voices expressed in all mediums. The ones posting here are some of the most vocal, and ones I respect, as they often weigh their opinions onto many others.

The CRA series is one of the most entertaining sprint car series in the country...exciting action, a storied past and marketable characters. I understand the concerns that have been expressed on this board. I commit to work with all...the officials, crews, teams and promotor's...to make CRA a stronger organization in the very near term.

The issue raised on the annual points fund has been a troubling one. I have posted and repeated the facts elsewhere. A $40,000 points fund was paid, with $9,600 paid out to the winning team. How do we make it a larger fund? We attract more fans, and we attract a series sponsor. USAC is aggressively searching for a series sponsor and will commit increased funds to a points payout if found.

Please feel free to email me directly with your questions, or concerns. I welcome the feedback, and complete understanding is the only way to move forward.

I am concerned about many issues with our CRA series. While the racing is some of the best out there, I believe our presence could be dramatically enhanced. In the next several weeks we will have a series of meetings and discussions with participants to understand all the elements. That is our first step...to listen.

Oh...as far as the USAC website, you can blame me personally. I took it upon my self to create a temporary, yes temporary website. This has made it difficult for USAC staff who email out results and standings at 2:00 est to post results at Manzy to do their job. The temporary site will be fixed and updated on Monday.

In the meantime, you have my ear. Please email me directly, as I do not make a habit of posting. Thank you.

Kevin Miller - CEO, USAC

[email protected]

Kevin:

First, thanks for your post. I am aware of your posting on the Indiana board as well. Nice of you to reply to this board as also. I am well aware you have just entered into this arena. I have posted previously (when you were announced that you would be in play) that it was hopeful that you would be successful in making things better.

With the understanding that you have just taken your seat, I ask that you just understand where many of us come from in our position as to what is happening with the "CRA" series. You know how USAC got into this market so no need to go there. Prior to your arrival, your predesessor(s) gave a presentation to the car owners as to why it would be a positive to go with USAC. We only know what we have seen and heard since. Car owners, drivers and fans have seen a decline in morale, and fees that only make the racers pay even more to participate. Yes, some fees seem small on the surface like the $25 entry fee. However, when one looks at the total that brings in at season's end, that adds up and the teams look at it as a matter of principal more than anything. There's other issues, but I take it you know what they are already. The very fact that only 5 car owners from California went to Manzy last night really shows a sincere problem as we know it's not entirely the cost of travel issue.

If it was just fans ranting, it could all be taken with a grain of salt I know. However, when the car owners and their drivers share the low morale attitude as the fans do, it makes for an unsettling feeling as to where the sport in this market is headed. Speaking for myself only, I want the sport to prosper and be healthy. I hope you are able to get things fixed but.....(and this isn't personal), USAC as a sanctioning body has made the car owners feel like they are just to show up, mind their p's and q's and do whats directed of them.

My question is: Is anyone in your chair (regardless of the name on the business card) really able to make calls and changes or does the racing community still have to endure the decisions by those we consider to be the true decision makers....The Board of Directors. If thats the case, I'm not holding out a lot of hope.

I don't know exactly how full that plate is you took over, but I know its fuller than the average racing fan really understands. Best of luck to you as I know you have a lot of work to do with all your divisions.

John Lemon

Owasso, Oklahoma

I promise,my last comment on the subject.I respect the fact you bothered to post anything...but are you out of your mind.Screw silver crown and the focus series.You say you welcome input from officials,crews, teams and promoters;but those are the idiots who have run USAC/CRA into the ground since 04,they love sprint car racing,but we don't know how to market it.No tv coverage,no cross marketing,NASCAR has 11 million fans watching their dull program In my mind marketing in the race organization job[USAC]. Your the new head of USAC,and you don't recognize we're broke,in my mind you've flipped the handle and now all thats left is to watch USAC/CRA circle till it's totally flushed down the toilet.I hope my RUDE comments enrage you enough to think about what I said.You don't have to agree..but DAMN not broken,come on....transparent,honest,and open;easy to say but clarify How??

You can't expect after treating the CRA, which by the way has a history and tradition that's older than USAC's, like a second class bunch of bush leaguers and then say , Oh sorry, we've been busy with the Silver Crown mess and the ford focus ie YOUTH MOTORSPORTS PROGRAMS, to feel reassured. What you've said in my opinion is, Sorry, but we have been to busy to bother with you except to collect the fee's, but hold on, we'll be there in the very near term.

I wish USAC and you the best Kevin, USAC has been a part of my life since the old fairground day's in Phoenix when I was a kid, but you (USAC) make a much better guest than a landlord.

Just my opinion

Ken Clever, Prescott AZ

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Kenny:

Not having meet Kevin, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that as an 'individual' he does want to make things better. That being said, if we were in his shoes, to whom would we have to please foremost? The regional group calling out for structure and proper leadership or the Board of Directors to answer to? Doesn't seem hard to guess the right answer huh? I'm sure having only the 5 California car owners go to Manzy last night got some eyes opened in Indiana. Now lets see if anything happens.

I heard Robin Miller say on TV awhile back that if USAC would let Miller manage and make decisions without interference, maybe he can get some things done. When I reflect on that, I have a hard time convincing myself that the 'board' will let an outsider come in and tell them what's going to be done. A 90 + day employee may get to make suggestions on major issues, but making such decisions alone w/o the boards OK? Not so sure about that. No different with Rollie either. Those ugly Silver Crown cars didn't get on the track w/o the OK of the board. As for having to "take time" to fix that broken division, well who's fault was that? Duh! CRA shouldn't have to be set aside and ignored while they fix what they broke. Looks like that's what is happening however. Which is the point you were making.

Now, maybe Miller has already ruffled some feathers in CRA land (if we go by what some of the owners/drivers are saying they have experienced). I will say that he inherited a really tough situation when you consider more than one division needs fixed. If USAC wants to keep the CRA, they better get on the ball before somebody gets an itch to reform the 'club' and go racing w/o them!

I agree John and you must know I want USAC to do well and come and visit, say four or five times a year..LOL It's not like the national guys didn't show up for the opening race of the season during the Copper Classic, two nights with SCRA and a full house both nights. The Western certainly had no trouble getting the best of the best and bigger fields and larger crowds before USAC. The oval nationals could get bigger and better, it's possible

I can only imagine what those teams that built that new Silver Crown car are planning on doing at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lawsuit in the works. How can you compensate for the money spent. I would sure love to here Foyts opinion of that deal, but from a safe distance.LOL

Corporations have no soul John,the bottom line is their God

Kenny.

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

Oh...as far as the USAC website, you can blame me personally. I took it upon my self to create a temporary, yes temporary website. This has made it difficult for USAC staff who email out results and standings at 2:00 est to post results at Manzy to do their job. The temporary site will be fixed and updated on Monday.

Its now 12:14am est on Tuesday. Site still isnt updated. Were we forgotten again?

Just looked at the "new" USAC temporary website...

A couple of comments...

1) No rule book - link or otherwise...

2) No posting, that I can find, that reflects the purse being paid on a weekly basis the in various divisions.

3) Under sponsors, Toyota is listed as a contingency sponsor. When you link to the Toyota contingency page, there are a number of awards listed. Among those is a $10,000 winners bonus if a Toyota wins the Chili Bowl. Isn't the Chili Bowl a non-sanctioned race? If so, why does USAC list it and the contingency $?.

4) As of 10:00 PM EST, the results for USAC/CRA still do not reflect updates for Vegas, Manzy or Perris two weeks ago.

I guess Kevin's got a lot more to do than he realizes; and I agree with the poster who said that the USAC/CRA is an afterthought in the total USAC plan. What I don't understand is what all of these 90+ people do.......

Have they posted a guaranteed USAC/CRA point fund payout yet for 2008 - anywhere???

Chuck.....

Mr Miller

USAC cannot be micro managed by one new guy, clean house. Start with the board of directors. (Do members get a vote? where are the minutes posted?) Start with an advisory committee made up from owners, sponsors, drivers, team managers, crew chiefs and fans.(do not appoint them). Start one for each division. Start getting and keeping good officials that know the rules! Get a web person that can keep information posted on a timely manner. Post the payouts and point funds for each division before the year starts. Most importantly do not BS us in any way shape or form. You are not dealing with corporate workers of a major automobile corporation but streetwise individuals. Be aware that many teams will simply vote with their feet and not say a word when fed up. Most importantly mix it up with the racers in the trenches to know what it is like to get dirty fingernails.

Thank you very much for your time. The Colonel

This has been a rather difficult day at work. I decided to come over here and take at the postings here on this page. JayP, I really, really wish to thank you for providing some humor to my day.

USAC cannot be micro managed by one new guy, clean house. Start with the board of directors.

"JayP, I really, really wish to thank you for providing some humor to my day," said RichCee looking down on the racing peasants.

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

Tripcrwn -

Didn't know I was coming off like an a-hole. Thanks for the kick in the backside. Everyone needs one of those from time to time. I will rethink my approach. But I honestly did laugh pretty hard at that post.

wow

Rich is as big of Fan as there is anywhere. I remember his columns back in the 90's & really wish he would still do them.

Oh come on guys,there's a lot of humor in JayP's statement.Just reread it. Richcee didn't go after him in a mean way.Get a USAC handbook,learn the structure of the organization who has voting rights and over what areas. To suggest Kevin Miller could 'clean house' and fire the people that hired him,come on you have to see the humor in that.The best Mr. Miller could do is to point out the deficits,make suggestions and recommend actions to improve the organization to the board that hired him.As long as Richcee and JayP voice their opinion ,I'll read what they have to say,even when they disagree. Nice guy's............

Like most of you I grew up at the track. I spent weekends riding down the road in the back of my uncles pickup looking back at a flatbed trailer loaded with a race-car and some wheels. So for what it's worth here is my two cents.

Half empty grandstands at any price are far less profitable than sold out grandstands at half the ticket price. You sell twice the food and drinks, twice the parking and have ten times the positive buzz around the water cooler on Monday because the conversation goes "And the place went crazy when the #4 car passed him on the last lap!". Excitement is contagious, but you can't infect people who don't show up, so drop the ticket prices and pack the joint!

Some of you have the right idea about handing out a little gas money to your favorite driver or a guy who had a tough night, but again if the stands are twice as full then you have a much better chance of receiving some help.

Some of this may be in the wrong order, but I'll continue anyway. We need to get people personally involved. The truth is that most of us wouldn't have even been there unless we knew someone personally who was racing that night. As a kid I would travel through the pits and get autographs from every driver and I still have most of those autographed programs today. If the fan just gets up after the race and heads to the parking lot it's probably a 50/50 chance that they will be back next week depending on life's hectic schedule etc. But if you get them into the pits and put their son or daughter inside you race car and ask them if THEY enjoyed the race, then thank THEM for coming and invite them to stop in and say hello next week.....now you'll probably see them again next week. It's not a sales pitch. If you truly love racing and remember why you fell in love with it, then you are already doing all this stuff anyway. I've been to your track (Perris) and I've seen the old timers walking through the pits after the races introducing their kids and grand kids to all the drivers and I've seen them slip a driver twenty bucks and tell them to come back next week and you know what? It made me want to slip a driver $20 also. First of all if that driver gives a sincere "Thanks" to the first guy then I know that he doesn't think it's a joke or that he's too good to accept such a petty amount of money. I've actually seen newer fans come down and hand a driver a bunch of money probably because he and his family had so much fun and he just wants to be a part of it. To some people a couple thousand dollars is nothing and if you treat them right and make their racing experience personal then they are glad to help you out. Let's face it, some people spend tons of money on the dumbest crap so it's up to us to help educate these folks on what's crap and what's not.

When it comes to the club or association, its all about two things in my opinion. People and Passion. That wonderful old gal that worked the pits at Ascot ran that joint better than any business that I've ever seen. She probably never missed a race, BUT if you placed an add in a fortune 500 magazine and hired the most organized production manager you could find and paid that person 1.5 million a year, I guarantee that person would call in sick at least twice in the first year. Money can not buy passion or dedication. Do you think Ron Shuman's wife got paid for every phone call she made or message she took while they were running the SCRA? It wasn't about the money. Those morons who bought the "World of Outlaws" probably thought they were going to make a bundle, If Ted Johnson was so rich then why did he get his trucks impounded in some hick county or why did guys bitch from time to time about payouts etc? I don't really know much about Ted, but I am sure that he started and kept that circus going because he loved racing, not because he was getting rich. Did the USA last? Did the CRA last? Did NARC last? The only reason some of these clubs lasted so long in the first place was because of the countless hours and passion that thier leaders invested into the sport they loved. They did'nt always make the right decision or achieve the best results, but they loved racing and did whatever it took to keep things going. Racing has always been expensive and it always will be. Sure I remember the weekend my uncle pulled the small block 400 out of my aunts fully loaded station wagon and finished in the top 5 at Calistoga. That car never ran again and the 65 Mustang she made him replace it with wasn't cheap (plus the ass chewing he recieved wasn't fun either I'm sure). I've always said that if we all just sold our race cars and bought some kick ass go-karts, then met up every other saturday and raced for beer, we'd have just as much fun at a fraction of the cost.

I agree with you guys on these new development series. Why does USAC feel the need to control everything? The big series are already finding great talent in USAC, so why change things? You can't just start a great youth series. The kids in northen California race these outlaw karts year round, rain or shine. There are over 100 kids age 5 to ? on almost any weekend at one or more racetracks in northern California. These kids are good! You can see 5 year olds racing wheel to wheel at over 40 mph and 14 year olds bouncing off the cushon and fences lap after lap at over 70 mph. The youth movement is alive and well. Some of of these kids have more seat time by age 15 than your past USAC champions. Drivers like Robert Ballou, Kyle Larson, Alissa Geving and Mason Moore are not only racing sprint cars, but winning races in there first season. USAC doesn't need to develope another series.

The truth is that you CRA fans and drivers are in open wheel heavan. The first time I watched a race at Perris, I could'nt stop tearing up because it was like being a kid again. The fans were having fun, the announcer was funny and the racing was unbeleivable. I preach "RacewayVideo.com" to everybody I know. If you don't get excited after watching a clip on that website, then you are not a race fan. I don't even have to give a particular race, because they are all good and once you watch one, you have to watch another. You guys have the best all around racing package in the country in my opinion.

Money will always be an issue, but I don't think raising the ticket prices will put more money in the racers pocket. The fans are getting a bargain for thier money so they need to spread the word and bring somebody new to the races. Maybe the next time there is a "Drifting competition" in So Cal (you know ..a bunch of crazy kids getting sidways,smoking the tires in a figure eight) some of the sprint cars guys should show up and enjoy the show, then hand out some tickets to Perris. Once those kids see 20 guys drifting wheel to wheel at 100mph you might just start a new fan base? Maybe even a drifting show at the fairgrounds during the day and a race that night? Intertwine the speed freaks and make it personal. Invite those kids into your pit and show some interest in what they do. The next hot CRA star could be smoking the tires at a parking lot near you and he just might bring along his big rich sponsor?

In closing I'd like to say "Thank You"

Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply

Vista Paint

AMA Plastics

and all the rest of the people that support this sport that I love. Even if some day you decide to pull out of racing, I hope that we will never forget what you have done for us. It really pisses me off when they refer to Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt as a former "Sprint Cup Champion". Winston spent millions of dollars for all those years without half of the exposure of todays races and they can't even achnoledge them as a former "Winston Cup Champion". Maybe it's todays lack of loyalty that makes it so hard to find good people and sponsors? Let's face it when the CRA folded a lot of people worked hard for many years trying to save traditional sprint car racing in Southern California and the SCRA was a good club, but USAC poked there head in and said "we can do better" and just like that the SCRA was kicked to the curb. Not much loyalty there huh? I hear that San Fernando Valley Pipe & Supply has even more money than TVP&S, maybe USAC can get them on board?

I'd really like to see my kids run with you guys someday, so keep up the fight and look out for each other.

Sincerely

Chad Hawkins

Mr Chad Hawkins

Just wanted to say that your post is very compassionate it shows your love for the sport that we all love . I think that you have said alot in your post that most of us were trying to say but are so pissed at USAC that we could not find a nice way to say how we feel.

Thanks

Joe Clifton

 Great Post RACERX3C! That's the best I've seen in a long-long time.

If I may make a suggestion, might want to lower the 'caps' in you nick name. There's some strange poster accusing people like us of yelling....LOL. Again, thanks for that awesome post!

"Oh come on guys,there's a lot of humor in JayP's statement." Yep that first part was to lighten up the meat of my post, the rest of the post is "dead on," to quote mr Millers response. Hopefully we can all see some results on the horizon. In the mean time how do we get rid of the board? LOL

Yep, a very good post and the story about the small block 400 pulled out of the station wagon was great! I also send the video highlights to friends and foe alike.

John that "strange poster" sure does cover a lot of ground.LOL Oh my, I just looked at my nickname and noticed somthing wrong. The caps are OK but I forgot the ! point.

Thanks again Chad; Kenny aka BIGFISH!

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.