"Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am - Page 2

340Cuda · 06-01-2014, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrypuppy4865

Well, a pop up shower came out of no where, and it ended the test session. Forecast calls for a 40% chance of rain tomorrow evening. More tomorrow.

Thanks for the reports, what are the car counts like in Stock and Super Stock?

Bill

countrypuppy4865 · 06-01-2014, 09:42 AM

Yesterday, they had 15 cars in stock and 9 in super stock. 2 super stockers broke in qualifying. Track conditions were not very good as always. This is probably a big reason for the low turnout for stock and ss. We won't be attending this race next year.

Brett C · 06-01-2014, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrypuppy4865

Yesterday, they had 15 cars in stock and 9 in super stock. 2 super stockers broke in qualifying. Track conditions were not very good as always. This is probably a big reason for the low turnout for stock and ss. We won't be attending this race next year.

Disappointing.

RJ Sledge · 06-01-2014, 11:02 AM

I just don't understand the thinking or the lack there of, as to why IHRA does not require that the San Antonio Raceway management (sic) take a more positive position as to the condition of the racing surface.

I know that IHRA may not have the amount of money that NHRA does, but can't they see that if you don't have a track surface that works for all Classes, that people just won't come back.

If Jimmy and his son do not return to San Antonio, they just cut the field down by 2 Stockers and 1 Super Stocker, and the people that are reading this that have not attended will not even bother to try it.

Very few if not all Stockers had traction problems as more that half the SS field. Especially during the last 2 rounds.

The track at one time was very good, but in the last few 7 or 8 years has gone down hill. Trying to cut corners on track prep with cheaper traction compounds (VP), poor management and legal issues has once again turned a good track with National Event status, down to a pure Bracket Program Track.

R J Sledge

RJ

kdanner · 06-01-2014, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ Sledge

once again turned a good track with National Event status, down to a pure Bracket Program Track.

You're too generous RJ. It's clear from their concert posters with pictures of thugs on them and the constant promotion of $10 watch or race nights that is all they are interested in. Trouble is that doesn't pay the bills, and the April report for the bankruptcy shows a $29k loss for the month. They won't be around long. No track at all is better than what it is right now. Anyone who complains about the track just gets told they don't know what they are doing and fed a line of BS about some big tired turbo car and how great it runs there.

Alex Denysenko · 06-01-2014, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrypuppy4865

Yesterday, they had 15 cars in stock and 9 in super stock. 2 super stockers broke in qualifying. Track conditions were not very good as always. This is probably a big reason for the low turnout for stock and ss. We won't be attending this race next year.

Yet the IHRA powers at be at the time elected to keep division 4 over division 5 even towards the end we never had turn outs so poor in division 5. They're bragging all over the place about resigning all of these old/new tracks but not a peep about bringing division 5 back. NEW IHRA OWNERS and president are you listening?

Ed Wright · 06-01-2014, 06:36 PM

IHRA Div 4 never had decent car counts. I don't recall going to one with more than a dozen SS cars. I don't know how the tracks can afford that.

countrypuppy4865 · 06-01-2014, 07:52 PM

Ed you missed Baton Rouge which always has good turnouts and Memphis usually does as well. We had 43 stockers and around 30 super stockers in Baton Rouge this year. Memphis should have 25 stock and 10-15 ss. The other classes average around 30 cars if I had to guess.

Ed Wright · 06-01-2014, 08:50 PM

I went to the Memphis & Baton Rouge races a couple of years ago, along with Red River, San Antonio, Pine Valley, and of course Tulsa. All this the years Tulsa was IHRA. Low car counts at every one I raced.

RJ Sledge · 06-01-2014, 10:53 PM

Cooter sorry to hear about your problems, I guess Pap gave'em an ear full. You were on a roll.

Baton Rouge was always a good hooking track, " Moose Juice" was the secret along with a large dose of common sense and track people that actually wanted to do the job correctly. I miss those days.....

San Antonio Raceway was and could be great track again, but there would need a change in their thought process. Not everybody runs a set of 32X14's, a 3000 rpm converter with a 1.72 Glide in their car. It would have been great if on Saturday and Sunday to have a 20 minute timeout and re-prep the track for the final two rounds of completion. It would just make common sense to do that. I am not certain, but I believe that the regular track personnel were in charge of track prep for the event. I know that there were only about 18 Stocker and 9 SuperStockers and they do not make up the majority of the racers, but we paid our money and quite a lot of them will not come back ever. As Cooter has said in an early post, Baton Rouge has 4 to 5 times times the amount of S/SS cars show up there as compared to San Antonio Raceway, and hey it not because they don't want to drive a little further, its because of the problems with the lack of track prep at SAR. In my racing life I have never seen a track that has so much potential and still does not understand what needs to be done.

I would be more than happy to have a discussion with the management at SAR and/or IHRA about how little time and expense it would take to make this a great place to race.

I live 45 miles from SAR and drive right by it to go to Houston to test at least once or twice a month. That tell you anything??

06-01-2014, 09:42 AM	#12
countrypuppy4865 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Donaldsonville, LA Posts: 980 Likes: 17 Liked 228 Times in 70 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am Yesterday, they had 15 cars in stock and 9 in super stock. 2 super stockers broke in qualifying. Track conditions were not very good as always. This is probably a big reason for the low turnout for stock and ss. We won't be attending this race next year. __________________ Jimmy "Cooter" Hidalgo, Jr. 4865 E/SA '04 GTO 4865 SS/GA '99 Firebird

06-01-2014, 11:02 AM	#14
RJ Sledge Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 783 Likes: 503 Liked 288 Times in 90 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am I just don't understand the thinking or the lack there of, as to why IHRA does not require that the San Antonio Raceway management (sic) take a more positive position as to the condition of the racing surface. I know that IHRA may not have the amount of money that NHRA does, but can't they see that if you don't have a track surface that works for all Classes, that people just won't come back. If Jimmy and his son do not return to San Antonio, they just cut the field down by 2 Stockers and 1 Super Stocker, and the people that are reading this that have not attended will not even bother to try it. Very few if not all Stockers had traction problems as more that half the SS field. Especially during the last 2 rounds. The track at one time was very good, but in the last few 7 or 8 years has gone down hill. Trying to cut corners on track prep with cheaper traction compounds (VP), poor management and legal issues has once again turned a good track with National Event status, down to a pure Bracket Program Track. R J Sledge RJ

06-01-2014, 06:36 PM	#17
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am IHRA Div 4 never had decent car counts. I don't recall going to one with more than a dozen SS cars. I don't know how the tracks can afford that. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

06-01-2014, 07:52 PM	#18
countrypuppy4865 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Donaldsonville, LA Posts: 980 Likes: 17 Liked 228 Times in 70 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am Ed you missed Baton Rouge which always has good turnouts and Memphis usually does as well. We had 43 stockers and around 30 super stockers in Baton Rouge this year. Memphis should have 25 stock and 10-15 ss. The other classes average around 30 cars if I had to guess. __________________ Jimmy "Cooter" Hidalgo, Jr. 4865 E/SA '04 GTO 4865 SS/GA '99 Firebird

06-01-2014, 08:50 PM	#19
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am I went to the Memphis & Baton Rouge races a couple of years ago, along with Red River, San Antonio, Pine Valley, and of course Tulsa. All this the years Tulsa was IHRA. Low car counts at every one I raced. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

06-01-2014, 10:53 PM	#20
RJ Sledge Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 783 Likes: 503 Liked 288 Times in 90 Posts	Re: "Live" from the San Antonio Pro Am Cooter sorry to hear about your problems, I guess Pap gave'em an ear full. You were on a roll. Baton Rouge was always a good hooking track, " Moose Juice" was the secret along with a large dose of common sense and track people that actually wanted to do the job correctly. I miss those days..... San Antonio Raceway was and could be great track again, but there would need a change in their thought process. Not everybody runs a set of 32X14's, a 3000 rpm converter with a 1.72 Glide in their car. It would have been great if on Saturday and Sunday to have a 20 minute timeout and re-prep the track for the final two rounds of completion. It would just make common sense to do that. I am not certain, but I believe that the regular track personnel were in charge of track prep for the event. I know that there were only about 18 Stocker and 9 SuperStockers and they do not make up the majority of the racers, but we paid our money and quite a lot of them will not come back ever. As Cooter has said in an early post, Baton Rouge has 4 to 5 times times the amount of S/SS cars show up there as compared to San Antonio Raceway, and hey it not because they don't want to drive a little further, its because of the problems with the lack of track prep at SAR. In my racing life I have never seen a track that has so much potential and still does not understand what needs to be done. I would be more than happy to have a discussion with the management at SAR and/or IHRA about how little time and expense it would take to make this a great place to race. I live 45 miles from SAR and drive right by it to go to Houston to test at least once or twice a month. That tell you anything??