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

I use to just have to walk 10 minutes through the woods and a cemetery to get home.

-----------------------------------------------------
A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

I was pretty shocked when I read Dougs article. So he gets a speeding ticket and goes on a full page rant using his magazine as a soap box to attack everyone from the Governor to the mayor to the town of Knoxville itsself. I will agree that 7-8 years ago the law enforcement was getting out of control and being more of a presence than needed to be and got a lot of bad press. I know there was a lot of work and discussions about turning that around. There may still be a lot of law in Knoxville during Nationals but its used mostly as safety and traffic control to get people in and out of the fairgrounds before and after the races. It's a bad idea to speed anytime in this area, not just Nationals.

Doug also goes on to belittle the town of Knoxville as having nothing to offer if it wasn't for the race track. I've lived in Knoxville most of my life and we have a great town with a good manufacturing base and a town square that is now full of businesses as well as a lot of recreation near by. We are very proud of the track and you will not find another community that welcomes it's fans as openly as Knoxville. The people are genuinely hospitable. The chamber of commerce does a great job with the parade and getting fans places to stay with local families which has created great lasting friendships with our guests. Don Zoutte is also a very active and passionate mayor that works very hard for our town. We see this as an opportunity to "host" the sprint car world. We do have a unique situation with our track being in the middle of town so extra precautions are needed. Doug wants to compare Knoxville to Eldora but the two are totally different in what is needed to have a smooth weekend.

I've been thinking about letting my subscription to SC&M go any way due to the lack of coverage of anything other than Nationals for our local area and this seals the deal. I hope everyone else had a great time at Nationals. It's great to see ya'll every year.

Jimbob Darnell

I didn't read the article and have never gotten in any trouble with Knoxville or County PD during Nationals. I also haven't broken any laws that I can remember. If you're a fan, local or out of towner, and you are speeding, driving drunk, being drunk and disorderly, whatever...then you deserve to get a ticket or be arrested.

But I will say this. It's pathetic that teams were being stopped and ticketed for pushing cars from the staging area along the frontage road and parking lots to the track.

If I were running the track I would find out what teams that were supporting this event were ticketed and reimburse them for the fines they recieved, and apologize on behalf of the track for how they were treated by local law enforcement. Then I think a serious discussion with the police chief would be warranted.

Made my first visit to the nationals. My wife and i had a fantastic week and can't wait to go back. No problem with the police, but we are a racing family not a party family. We spent a day at the Iowa state fair which was great, we spent time in town at yard sales and met some really fine people from Knoxville. I just had to tell them this is the fartherest i ever went to a yard sale, from Pa. to Iowa. We met the nicest little old lady right across the street from the track that talked to her resident every year camper and squeezed another spot out to rent us for race parking. Really she was a sweetheart. Even here in Pa you don't walk into a restraunt and get welcomed by a hostess and waitress with racing T's and racing conversation and that was pretty much every establishment. We ventured to some antique shops and had the same reception. To me it was hospitality at it's best. Thank you Knoxville residents and businesses, I would recommend the trip to anyone. The only bad part of the trip was nagging race car problems and that had nothing to do with Knoxville, the residents, or the police..Thanks again for the great vacation.

I know the team parked at Marion County Auto Body was ticketed and had their 4 wheeler impounded. Atleast that is what Van Gorp told me.

-----------------------------------------------------
A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Boredom is probably why the local cops get a little wild during the nationals....However, earlier in the year I was heading back to Knoxville after attending the MOWA race in Burlington. I was doing 90 on 92 as I was starting to get a little tired and just wanted to get to the hotel. Marion County Sheriff pulls me over, explains my situation, and lets me go after he finds out I was a race fan (i am from out of state too)! So in my experience, the local patrols can be nice...it just depends on what time of the year you are breaking the law

I went for 8 years in a row in the 97-05 range, then back in 07, then never went back. I found it harder to find people who wanted to go back again. I think the last time I went was when the law had someone park a bus in the fairgrounds lot directly across from the Dingus on Saturday to prevent people from assembling along the road as they always did. That same Nationals after the Saturday finals we were going to the car and there was an issue with a car pulling out in front of someone on a side street. 2 bike cops rolled up all pumped up gunna kick ass like dogs who see another dog mad and words were said to each side of one car. All of the sudden the roid cop on the passenger side is ripping a guy out the car window by his head. Guess what, he had a prosthesis leg and it got ripped off cause it caught inside the car somewhere. I am sure the guy who looked to be 45 said something to flare the rage riddle cop with a hair trigger just wanting to use those roid induced muscles to bully someone. Here is my take. I go any other NASCAR, NFL game, etc. for the special of the event. That means roaming around during the day, sipping a cocktail if you choose, etc. (Look at every college football stadium environment nationwide) If I truly went to only see the racing we all know where we can see it in a more comfortable environment. When for whatever reason the level of "Spectacle" is reduced less people will attend and event of such. 1 person getting an absurd ticket will impact the spectacle for 10-20 others also. Either those who see it or hear of it. (hell I bet the topic of the team getting ticketed pushing the cars has impacted 100 or more minds in a negative way) I just stay home and watch this forum for results and see it on Speed. The reduced spectacle of the event does not draw me to go anymore after that weekend. It only takes 1 negative situation to alter the decision to take off work, put forth effort to secure tickets, arrange others to commit, etc. I love Sprint Car racing, don't care for the environment. It just changed my mind to act & put forth the effort to plan to attend. We go to every home Husker game and tail gate, never go to the games. We go for the spectacle. I have been told somewhere around 150k fans go to Pitt home games to tailgate and enjoy the spectacle. The stadium holds around 85k if I recall. The local officials obviously have helped support to make that a spectacle obviously, not impacted it in a negative way. I am just 1 person with 1 opinion and impacted mindset. However it may be similar to others that explains why those stands are far from full anymore for the nationals.

I have never had any problems with the law in Knoxville . Seldom go any more because of the distance involved. My wife and I watched the 360 nationals from the second floor of the sprint car hall of fame cost us 112.00 . We were told that the hall of fame has to give half that amount back to Knoxville raceway even though the hall of fame is not on there property . I was also told that Knoxville had only shown a profit on two shows preceding the nationals . This came from a person long associated with Knoxville raceway. Knoxville needs to look at their situation as they are now competing with the asphalt track in the area . Sprint car racing is in trouble and they need to realize it , read Jeff Swindell article in the same magazine and as Doug Wolfgang told me 2 years ago promoters don't promote or take car of their tracks .

I quit going to the nationals because of all the drunks and I have never had any problems with the law but I think it is a crock that they say you were going 70 but let you off with 61. I thought you could request to see the radar? 360 nationals dont have near the drama and I dont have to fight all the people.

Actually the Hall of Fame leases the property from the fair board. The lease payments are 1/2 of the ticket sales for the 2nd floor and suites on race nights.

You bet they do...I think busting as many as you can is mandatory in South Dakota!

Of course they do, especially to out of towners because who gonna fly or drive back to fight a measly ticket. It would cost more for someone to fight it than to just accept it, thats why law enforcement does it.

I agree about leting the fans camp at the fairgrounds. Them were the good old days. As for the state trooper that about caused a crash on 92 east turning around to chase me down for a burn't out license plate light, sorry I wasn't drinking, maybey then it might have been worth it. He just couldn't belive I was at the races, and wasn't drinking. It's not about saftey, it's about revenue.

Could someone PLEASE post the link to the article so that I can read it before forming opinions? Thank You!

I remember when highway 163 was two lanes from Des Moines to Monroe and ran right through the towns of Prairie City and Monroe.

On the way back to D.M. after the races you would always get stopped in one town or the other, and sometimes both! Of course it's about revenue.

I quit going to Knoxville nats 10 years ago. The cops are not the only ones with their hands out wanting race fans money its the whole town.. Making money on parking,,camping,,and on top of that Friday nights program is a ripoff aswell,,,,it has little meaning whatsoever. The nats. need to be condensed into 3 nights with the lower car counts. The 360 nats. is done in 3 nights and they have a field as big or bigger than the 410s.. With the economy as it is today the nats. is a very expensive week for one person let alone a family.