Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone
you had about 50 IHRA S/SS cars in Buffalo, about 400 miles away.
You had 128 S/SS cars at a National event in Brainerd, Mn.
Milwaukee is about half way..500 miles. Lots of cars on your side.
Three events in a row in Div. 3, including Indy, 2 weeks away
|
There are 750 S/SS between Div. 1 & 3 alone.
IHRA scheduled the Empire Pro-Am on top of us, after our schedule was out. If someone wants to run two $1,000 races instead of a $3K, a $5K, Class Eliminations, FREE Quick 32 CIC race, FREE Jr. Stock Shootout, FREE racer appreciation party, and THOUSANDS of dollars worth of prizes put up by numerous manufacturers who believed in S/SS racers as much as we did, then I can't help them. The vast majority of people that go to Brainerd are from MN. Any date you choose, there will be multiple races in a row.
Quote:
|
Ed Carpenter was unable to do his SS/K Shootout, so very few of those cars attended
|
9 cars showed up for this last year, with over $7,000 worth of cash and prizes on the line. $7,000. 9 cars.
People like the *idea* of the race, and if there's nothing going on the week of, the week before, or the week after, the weather's perfect, and it's less than two hours from the house, then buddy, they would BE THERE!
We had people that live close by that went to *Atlanta* last year. We had hardly any support from Div. 1 either year. The bottom line is that a huge-paying Class Nationals event with everything that class racers ever asked for is not a priority for nearly enough people to make it financially viable, regardless of what you do. If it's not one thing, it will be something else. *You* made it to the race last year, because you made it a priority in your life. I appreciate every single person that made the Class Nationals a priority, either this year or last year. Unfortunately, not enough people care enough. Now it's gone.
Lee Zane and Brian Van Poppel did the Combo in the Hills at Numidia, right in the heart of Div. 1, and could draw no more than 85 cars for $10,000. I was there. They tried one more year, and attendance fell even further. Rob Keister tried to pick up and had a total of 28 S/SS cars for $3,000. I was there. Britt Cummings tried to do big money Combos at the Great American Bracket Race ($2K/$5K/$2K for only $200) at No Problem Raceway, that S/SS absolutely love. I was there. If memory serves, car count was in the 30's. Bowling Green does a $5K Combo for only $100 at their Sportsnationals, and cannot get more than 75 cars to participate. I was there. They have all failed. Most people want to race for $1,000 and a Wally. That's their priority, and that's just the way it is.