...We
are elated for Tim Shaffer and his $26,000 win at East Bay. However,
it says allot about the state of racing when Shaffer makes $26 G's at
East Bay in one of the biggest sprint car races, and our guy Dave Marcus
made over $100 G's for finishing next to last in the Daytona 500.
Sponsors
that are not on the sprint car bandwagon are sleeping on a giant. Things
are not all gloom and doom. Fans still pack the grandstands, and the racing
is still good, if not better than ever. The non-wing set has traveling
series' USAC, and SCRA, and big races at Williams Grove, Manzanita, and
Terry McCarl's Oskaloosa whopper. The World of Outlaws are coming
off a season that saw a record number of unique winners. Facilities for
short track racing have never been nicer. Irwindale Speedway, Texas Motor
Speedway, the Charlotte Dirt Track, Houston Raceway Park, and Las Vegas
Motor Speedway are all great new places to see a race.
The
USAC TV schedule shows one "live" race this year, with the remaining
13 tape delayed on ESPN-2. Even if the World of Outlaws, and USAC are
struggling with their TV deals, and WoO loses 3 traveling teams in 2002
to the current economy, and lack of a concrete TV deal, sprint car racing
is far from doomed. ...As long as you are reading this, there IS interest.
What happens next is anyone's guess.
Maybe I'll
start spewing more sprint car propaganda... : ))
We do know
from personal testimony that Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart
say sprint cars are the racers race car. Wide-open, or finessing a dry-slickie,
a good sprint car driver knows how to react by the seat of his pants.
Gordon claims that beating Steve Kinser in a heat race is one of
the absolute highlights of his career. Stewart still shows his enthusiasm
for sprint cars and midgets by driving and owning a car with WoO champion,
Danny Lasoski.
Tony Stewart
and Jeff Gordon agree on this subject. They agree for a reason. We do
this website for a reason. It's because short track open wheel racing
is inherently exciting. Many folks like to say negative things about the
state the sport. We know it has rough spots. We need to continue to improve
safety conditions, we need better lighting at many tracks, we need a uniform
set of rules for the various 410 and 360 classes across the country.
All that
being said, the future is extra bright. My man, Mike Z. is a 30
year veteran of racing. He has recently been going to Quarter Midget events
everywhere in the US, and he says the Little League of sprint car racing
is in a huge boom time. The Ratbag PC sprint car game has caused more
than a few headaches for Mom's and Dad's all over the world who now have
Little Sparky wanting to go racing for real.
The Sony
PlayStation 2 "World of Outlaws, Dirt-Track Sprint Car Racing"
game is due out soon, and will only add to the furor. Young heroes are
everywhere you look. Daryn Pittman, Kraig Kinser, Bobby East, Tim and
Bud Kaeding, Chuck Gurney Jr., Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers,
The Fike Brothers, are but a handful of cats under the age of 25
that will lead the sport into the great unknown.
Quit hatin'.
Buy a sprint car T-shirt, and speak highly of sprint car racing. If we
don't love ourselves, who's gonna love us?
HammerDown!
Beanies. Get
Yours NOW~~
HammerDown! Hats 