Truth or Dare...

[carolwicks]

i wasnt going to get involved in any conversations regarding the "owner" meeting... however i see so much BS and hypocracy. this meeting is in no way making things better for the racers or the fans.... it is simply a way for track owners to keep in touch and find out what the others are doing. does anyone really believe that a single one of them will change their tires to help the drivers be competitive... does anyone believe they will confer and MAKE SURE they dont conflict with their racing schedules....
the only one i really trust in and believe in is Kevin at Punta Gorda. He isnt talking shi#... he is making changes. he has lowered his prices in food and at the gate... he isnt competing with race track owners. he is competing with family oriented places of entertainment. he wants families to be able to afford to go to the track. kevin didnt need a meeting to open his eyes... HE opened them qand he knew what needed to be done and he is doing it! the talking part is over... he has spoken to the drivers in a language they respect and understand. he will demand respect and he will make the rules and he will make sure they are followed to the letter. thats what the drivers have always asked for. consistancy... well PGS is working hard to make the racing FAIR and trying to make it affordable. actually anyone who thinks racing is affordable for the drivers is crazy. it isnt possible! but making it fun IS possible.

[dave41]

owners

Ms. Wicks , you have once more got it right.

[JackTripper]

Do you even go to any tracks other than Punta Gorda?

[carolwicks]

Bad mood...

i know i was sort of negative but i have been most tracks in Fl. several times. Have talked to owners several times. Have heard the results of these meeting many many times and it always comes out the same. expecting owners to work together is not only improbable but why on earth would they have to have a meeting in the first place. if they do things right for the drivers and fans and make some money doing it, then they dont need to confer. they need to do what kevin did. he has been in racing for decades and has seen the problems so is working hard on fixing them . He wants his track to be organized and his rules consistant and understood by staff and drivers. ive said it before...there are over 4,000 racers in fl. i think there are plenty to go around ... lately we have seen 2 tracks have the same class racing and both tracks had good counts...
the drivers are going to go where they think they are treated the best. its really that simple. so if track owners respect their drivers and the drivers put on a good show it seems all the silly BS problems are handled!
i dont know what can be done about the tire issues. it is costly for the drivers.....
im not a driver and i dont own a track but i do know that KMART isnt going to meet with Walmart and talk about their prices and "work together"... they are competitors and will do whats best to make a profit at their store. racing is VERY competitive and the same will apply...
i may be way out of line and i may be totally wrong but i have always been willing to learn....we have such a fun exciting sport but it is costly for the entertainers.
i am hearing reports from drivers who attend PGS and except for a couple disgruntled drivers, i am hearing very positive feedback... that is proof things are going well. the stands are full ... another positive fact, we barely have spots for all the cars in the pits... another positive fact... food is great and the place gets better looking and cleaner every week... the atmosphere is wonderful... now how can anyone argue with that? even if i had never been to another track the facts speak for themselves... but yes... i have traveled to almost all the tracks... its time to stop all the talking and time to act! we have heard the talk for decades... its old! this is strictly my opinion and like i said. i may be wrong so teach me! i was in a bad mood last night when i wrote the post... lol live with it. i put up with alot of crap on here too... we can work together without being nasty... ;-0 yep.. we sure can...hahaha
carolwicks aka oz

[ronabneysr]

all i want to say about punta gorda is it's a decent track

it is a good size . but if you don't live within 35 0r 40 miles of the track and i am only speaking for my self , you got to run good year tires so before you even get your car off the trailer now this is for one open wheel

you have spent 1000,00 buy you tires 6 - 15 gallon of fuel - pay for slad pay for car entry fee -food water fuel to get to and from races

and thats why there are 20 open wheels sitting in garage on jack stands with cover on them and 8 0r 10 racing i know of over 25 open wheels that are parked and they make more money not even leaving the garage

who wants to buy a set of tires at each track they race at that only last two weeks and pay 8,oo gallon for fuel if you win you loose

[carolwicks]

and you are right Ron

the tires are a huge issue and i dont know how that can be fixed. track owners have contracts with tire companies...any ideas? if you bought 4 Goodyears at PGS and then race at Citrus on American Racers the next week, cant you use those goodyears when you come back to PGS... i dont know anything about the life of the tire or how drivers could store all of them...please help me understand and please offer ideas that will work for drivers and owners... i honestly dont know how to fix it. i think drivers have their favorite tracks but sometimes it isnt about that. they may be racing for points and have to go to a certain track... maybe get rid of the point system and find another way? is that a possibility? is there another way for them to be honored at the end of the yr.? i know there are pros and cons for each type of tire ... affordability vs wear and tear vs handling... we are in a recession so im thinking affordability is the key issue for now. ????? we HAVE to find a way for those drivers to enjoy racing the cars that are in storage!
carol

[gogame]

the tires are a huge issue and i dont know how that can be fixed. track owners have contracts with tire companies...any ideas? if you bought 4 Goodyears at PGS and then race at Citrus on American Racers the next week, cant you use those goodyears when you come back to PGS... i dont know anything about the life of the tire or how drivers could store all of them...please help me understand and please offer ideas that will work for drivers and owners... i honestly dont know how to fix it. i think drivers have their favorite tracks but sometimes it isnt about that. they may be racing for points and have to go to a certain track... maybe get rid of the point system and find another way? is that a possibility? is there another way for them to be honored at the end of the yr.? i know there are pros and cons for each type of tire ... affordability vs wear and tear vs handling... we are in a recession so im thinking affordability is the key issue for now. ????? we HAVE to find a way for those drivers to enjoy racing the cars that are in storage!
carol

the tire part is easy. if you run on 10" slicks then any 10" inch slick should be allowed as long as it meets the softness/hardness number. same as 8" treads. this would allow racers to go to any track without the added expense.

[ancrdave]

I think gogame has the right idea... Right now tire costs are causing a lot of teams to avoid running more races, in fact I talked to two in particular last week that told me that...
I remember when I worked on Sprints (many years ago), there were vendors for Goodyear, Firestone and M&H at each track... It wasn't unusual to see a guy running a Goodyear on the right rear and a Firestone on the left rear or vice-versa... More "good old days" I guess....

[JackTripper]

im not a driver and i dont own a track but i do know that KMART isnt going to meet with Walmart and talk about their prices and "work together"... they are competitors and will do whats best to make a profit at their store. racing is VERY competitive and the same will apply...

Actually the same does not apply.

KMart and Walmart do not share the same resources that are used to bring customers through the door and thus generate revenue for the business. Race tracks that are within a reasonable distance of each other do share the same resources to generate revenue - race cars (and drivers/owners obviously).

I can go buy what is essentially the same 2 liter bottle of Coke at KMart and Walmart within minutes of each other. What I can't do is go watch car #14 driven by Mike Rafone at Punta Gorda and Desoto on the same evening.

So if race tracks want to optimize efficiencies amongst common shared resources, it is in their best interest to work together and have some sort of understanding on rules so that the common shared resource can increase in quantity and hopefully in turn bring in more customers.

To an above point, if you want to fix this tire rule foolishness and increase car counts, each class has to punch a given number on a durometer, regardless of tire manufacturer.

Problem solved.

[WideOpen]

So far the only thing that has come out of the owners meeting-->

Punta Gorda Nixes Major Changes in Wake of Owners Meeting

And of course "Kevin" is the godsend down south for right now as was Bobby and the others so quoted by a certain person. I give them another year before the true colors start showing.

[Frasson118]

"Problem solved.".... by Jack Tripper

Here's the BIG problem Jack... they don't WANT it solved. Each track jockeys with the tire companies to become the "Official Tire" at XYZ Speedway, in exchange for a nice "donation" towards the points fund (which in most cases doesn't pay even the Champion shit in the first place). The tire companies named as "official" are rarely the best tire, or the best bargain for the racer... it's what pays most to the TRACK.

With all the tracks crying the blues about the economy (still a BS excuse), who is going to volunteer to axe one of their profit centers, for the sake of the health of local racing?

Lets see if ANY of the Promoters that came from that meeting will be willing to dump their "official" tire deal for the good of the common racer.

It would be a HUGE step in the right direction if they ALL would, but realistically, I'll be shocked if even a single one will have the balls to do it.

[Boneman]

Imagine if the owners came out of that meeting as a single customer, looking for a single tire supplier for the whole state. Then the tire companies could compete with each other and present their best money-saving offer in order to win the state wide tire business. I know, I know, "HAHAHA".

Its much more realistic to go with a common size and minimum durometer rule. That would be a massive step forward compared to the status quo.

[openwm53]

Same Tires

Same Rules And Each Track Will Have Better Car Counts Especially In The Mod Class. Desoto Is Having A Race And Allowing Any Treaded Tire But I Seriously Doubt You Will Compete With Their Hoosiers. Same Tires And Rules And Car Counts Will Climb For Desoto And P.g. Bring Back The Slicks D.miller

[UREZ2PASS]

Any struggling racetrack should open up their tire rule to allow the tires from racetracks in their vacinity. That way they might draw cars from other tracks. Hey, a racetrack is a business. I don't believe for one minute tracks will be helping each other out in this depressed economy. The track owners that are eating steak do not really want to give any of it to the tracks that are eating peanut butter and jelly. Now I do believe they will jab that steak knife into the heart of their competition at the right moment.

[Don Nerone]

Tires

There are only 3 major co in the tire game and all of them are good.All of them have a treaded tire for mods and lower divisions. Why not run any of the 3 at oll tracks?
Because the best tire would win. (cant have that)
The superlates dont care they will buy a set for each big race. how long they last?
I do have more info on tires than anyone and did have the hole state on Goodyears for14 years. Before that it was Hoosher fo 12 years ameircan 3 years .we wanted the best tire.

Today Hoosier tire is the only one with enough different compounds to work at multiple tracks . it takes a different tire for NSS than the small tracks. The tire that have at NSS will work anyware and is used at most of the short tracks in america. May be you dont like me or the track but it is the only tire that will work at all the tracks. Now that wont happen.(1981 tire rule forSLM
any tire for sale at track for$70) only Hoosier showed up and keep the deal for 10 years.

Ps dave
i was there olso and help stop that madness.$225 for a right rear .
Don62