Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
Moderators: StuDeedooo

you obviously don't get my point. also i never said anyone didn't want GSC to do well. jpm still makes money off both races. i would say he is not as interested in how much SMS makes as he is about pville in this case. so if you had to run both series, on the same night, wouldn't you run them so they dont compete against each other for fans if you could? especially when one of the tracks is yours and the other is not? and you don't see the the advantage or the benefit in that? so yes i can very much see jpm wanting to "rid" the area, as you put it, of the GSC on a week they are running a $5k race in pville. why would you want to compete with your self? i don't mind discussing things back and forth but at some time it would be nice for the person i am discussing things with to think about what i am saying. i am not faulting anyone or anything, again just saying why they might have given this date to SMS and not a closer norcal track, since you have pointed out that GSC runs most every week anyway. again, if you were the owner of both GSC AND pville, and you had a big race at pville, why would you want to run your other series against it, in the same area, on the same day, if you could run your other series somewhere else, at someone elses track, that would not have a crowd conflict, and could possibly put more cars in the back gate of YOUR track because they didn't want to travel?

how do you figure that? jason lives in grass valley. besides 50 miles turns into 100 miles on the round trip. and when you are talking about fueling a race rig.................

Guess I've been away too long... Jason was always a south bay boy. When did he relocate?

beginning of the year. round trip to pville about 100m. to SMS almost 800m. but i understand your point if he had not moved.

no offence, as i am not arguing with you and i see your point, but maybe you are reading too much into things?

to indy and beyond!!

I don't think at the workshop they sat down and made sure that SMS got the date they got to get GSC out of town to not compete with the Forni. Most things just work out the way they work out.

I understand your point. I just find no base to it. Build a house without a foundation and it will fail

I will start by asking Topwing if he knows whether or not GSC sprintcars run wings or not ¿ If my memory serves me correctly, Santa Maria ranks as the site of Jason Statlers biggest career win! If he would have attended so would his father-in-law Pat Harvey. Bobby McMahon won at Chico on Friday in #33 Steve Harris car which has a team car with his son in that one! There is 2 more cars! Throw in Golebic, Benson, Crockett, Forsburg, Furr,Mathews, hell how about a little Super Blake with it, and its easy two see how it just doesnt add up...GSC races for the exact same purse that it started with over 10 years ago!Lets hear a rally cry for a point fund this year... I dont believe their has been one in quite sometime.

Let's here a rally cry for you to go out and find a series sponsor to provide that title fund. I won't even go into your supposed other cars that don't add up.

The Forni had nothing to do with the low car count at Santa Maria. The real problem is that it is just damn far away for a one day show. When they used to race Watsonville on Friday and Santa Maria on Saturday it was an alright trek and at least two chances to pick up a bit tow money by starting the feature. Many of the northern most teams would have to leave on Friday night to make it down there by showtime on Saturday. From Chico in a tractor trailer it is about 450 miles or 9 hours in a rig. I suppose you could leave at 6am to make it by 3p, if you didn't stop for lunch.

While there is a lot of room for improvement in the GSC, unless your willing to put in some effort to the cause how can you complain about the way the series is being handled?

Here's an idea - take the wings off and see how many sprint cars (even 360s) show up. Central California is traditional sprint car country. BTW both Matt and brother Randy are great supporters of sprint cars and along with promoter Chris Kearns offer nothing but the best in open wheel racing at SMS.

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

Now you're talkin' Bob! Even though it would never happen, it would sure be really cool to see! I can picture it now.................

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

I’m a bit confused: Handy Racing Productions is the promoter for Silver Dollar and Placerville Speedway. I could be wrong on this but isn’t GSC a John Padjen series that closed down NARC and is not controlled by Handy Racing Productions? Personally, GSC seems to be on its last year with the car count – sad but true. I would like to see Handy Racing Productions create a new series for the 410. Bring a new beginning to the 410’s – run a 360 Series and the 410 series (example: Civil War 360 Series and NARC 410 Series- just using NARC as an example) together and eliminate on those nights the other divisions – modifies, dwarfs, etc.- a night of just sprint cars. Some teams would compete in both divisions. It could bring the 410 car count back up. Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Placerville a long time ago run both 360s and 410s on the same night?

This 360-410 series could run twice a month. Track point races – when a race is schedule at their track, these races are part of their track point race (like Petaluma Speedway does for a Civil War race).

Handy Racing Productions needs to consider what is best for sprint car racing for the upcoming year. I personally think this might be the way to go – we need to keep the race tracks wanting sprint car racing – a new fresh start of running 360s and 410 together on the same night – we need to keep the fans coming.

Personally, I feel Handy Racing Productions is a good thing for sprint car racing. You look at what he tried to do for Silver Dollar Speedway, he brought in new dirt to change the racing surface. It didn’t work so he took it off. People complained but give this promoter credit – he realized the dirt wasn’t good and worked hard to get it back to the surface that it was. Give Handy time and I’m sure he will get racing back to where it needs to be. Time for a change and Handy Racing Productions might be the answer!

Let's hear your thoughts about running 360s & 410s together next year and no other divisions on that night.

handy took over the jpm stuff.

to indy and beyond!!

i thought race_dirt said the sanction fees went mainly to support the points fund?

to indy and beyond!!

First of all Narc killed itself internally. Nuff said. Second, Alan of HRP is John's son, so everything is still in the family, nothing's really changed except the name. Alan's got some new ideas and a few different ways of running things, but basically the formula that was so successful with John and Robbie is unchanged. As far as 360/410 shows, i don't think that will be as successful as the "openwheel madness" type of shows(winged/non-winged or sprint/midget)have shown to be. The reason is, unless you're a diehard sprint car fan, the average race fan can't tell the difference between the two classes. Let the two different sprint classes stand alone and be the marque class of the night wherever they're running that evening. That way one doesn't overshadow the other. JMHO......

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Understood that Alan is John's step son. But that doesnt mean everything is still in the family lol. Just curious why did they change to Handy Racing Productions then? Maybe Handy Racing Productions should step away from family and do his own ideas. I'm sure he doesnt want to step on family toes but 410 sprint car racing is dying in California. Something needs to be done. I dont know what the fix is but we need to keep 410 sprint car race alive.

Yes I would say, it doesnt feel like anything has changed at Silver Dollar and Placerville We still see the same people in the ticket booth - mom, dad riding the quad, same format, same everything, so yes I would say nothing has changed except Alan taking over as promoter at both places. John has been good to the sport and appreciate what he has done. As retirement has its place in life - it might be time for both to just sit back and enjoy the races and not have a hand in it. Changes are needed and maybe next year Alan can make some changes to make it feel like it is something new in racing and we as fans want to come out and see it for ourselves. Making changes usually brings people out cause they want to see for themselves. Look at Calistoga when they scheduled a USAC race last year during the Labor day weekend? People came out to see it.

I dont know what the fix is but Handy Racing Productions needs to make some changes, whether its personnel changes, formats, divisions, payouts, etc. I'm sure Alan will take a look at everything during the off season and scramble it up a bit for the better.

Why does 410 racing have to stay alive in CA? As T-Dub noted other than the diehard fan you can not tell the difference with the exception that 360 seems to be more competitive. The idea of keeping the 410s alive just for when the WOO comes to town seems a bit of a waste.

As for the comments of "take the wings off and then see who runs", well probably the same folks that run without a wing now. It's called the bandit series. USAC comes north a few times a year as well with the CRA. If you like non-wing racing then support them but don't change a series for it.

I have been to about 20+ nights of racing this year in 5 states and the racing was good in all. However, the best racing (for me) this year was the Mini Gold cup with the Bradway a close second. Both at Chico, both by Alan and Co. so he must be doing something right.

Every GSC race I have been to this year, although not many, has had a full field. The promoter at Santa Maria and GSC should be commended for trying not put down for lack of cars. Neither should the drivers for not going. It is simply economics. The only way they are going to increase the car counts is to have a Friday night race half way down and increase the purses significantly. Why would you want to drive your rig down to San Jose for the night and then just sit around. The only way to increase the purse is to get a title sponsor or charge more at both gates.

Greg, get to work on that sponsor thing already will ya. 8-}

GSC had a Friday night race at Watsonville on May 29th then went to Placerville on Saturday the 30th. Since Ocean runs mainly on Friday would it have made more sense to schedule Santa Maria rather than Placerville? Also could a Friday night Saturday night work with a Tulare or (Kings) and Santa Maria.. Just trying to see how they maybe can get the car count up for Santa Maria.. We all know it's the work of the promoters that make things happen and it appears there is a good one at Santa Maria from what i hear. Most of us that have been going to Watsonville for years know the story there since Prentice has taken over, he has gone out and got sponsors and has one of the best local 360 series in the state, a well prepared track most of the time with no dust, the show is usually over well before curfew, good concessions at reasonable prices, and Ocean draws good size crowds.

"Winged or non-winged its all about 
the sprint cars for me!"
http://mattmusselldesigns.daportfolio.com

I tend to echo the sentiments that California should become either a 360 or 410 state (probably the former). The teams that can compete in the WoO will find engines for the one or two night shows, so that shouldn't be a concern.

Someone who feels strongly about the need for a winged 410 series in California - convince me why, other than "there's always been a 410 series".

National Sprint Car & Midget Examiner
http://tinyurl.com/r4opgk

Why would anyone have to convenience you of anything? Once again, if you don't like wings, 410's or the opera simply do not attend. Thats why there is chocolate and vanilla.