Any Sportman Drivers Interested???

[RSB]

RSB, I agree with what you're saying about the slicks. As far as the 3 links, I know that there are quite a few cars that have them that's why I said that, but on the other hand, it's Sportsman, not Late Models. Either way, we like our leaf springs. Tech, no friends, no enemys, just a rule book and tools. If it's wrong, it's wrong. Personally, I like crates, makes it easier for some teams. Just have to tech them right, teams with legal crates shouldn't care if the engines get checked over thoroughly, should they? We've ran them, changed oil and valve springs only. Just not fair to the teams with legal crates (Yes, they are still out there) to get thrown under the bus all the time.

I like crates too if they're not cheated up. A friend of mine ran one for about 30 races and never even pulled off a valve cover! Sold the car with the crate and I heard it's running "down south" somewhere still!

[openwm53]

If you're going with a Hoosier slick, the rich teams will win. To win, you WILL buy at least right sides every race. I would vote no 3 links. Get a LLM. Also, TECH TECH TECH! Especially the crates!

20 sportsman at citrus 2 weeks ago would disagree with you about three link and 19 would agree with tech tech tech

[fred23]

RSB, you are right about having to buy tires but that is true with any series or even weekly show now. There will always be guys that can and will buy new tires every race. One way to stop it is to have a two tire rule for each seies race. They all have barcodes on them now and are easy to track.
When they did run slicks, that allowed teams like ours to get take offs and race. We raced one year and bought a total of 4 new tires the entire year and won a championship doing it. THe treaded tires don't allow for that and they are the crappiest tires we have ever raced on. There is no cost savings to the racer with the Hoosier tire. I would actually say it is a cost detriment.

[souk45]

I would love to see a sportsman traveling series again . I would like it to be run with a 8 inch grooved tire that would last like the goodyear tire in the southern sportsman we were getting 5 to 6 races on one set. I would let [ringers] and latemodel drivers run cause strong competition makes for good racing but keep the costs down. keep high dollar parts down like carbs, shocks, engines, light weight tubing, titanium or gun drilled axles or any expensive parts that belong on late models not sportsman cars. how bout a once a year championship race putting all the top sportsman cars around the state against each other during the governors cup or at speedweeks.

[Frasson118]

There are basically zero divisions that you "earn" your way into. You can "buy" your way anyplace you want to go in racing. It's no different from Sportsman to Indy cars or NASCAR. That includes the Mod Tour.

I also think this Sportsman tour could work IF you let guys bring what they already have. If they need to spend too much just to become legal, most will say F'it. I think a good race format would equalize out alot of the technical issues. If the fast cars need to come from the back, but how much does it really matter if it's a 3-link, 4-link, leafs, quick change rear, or Ford 9 inch?

I'm not technical at all about these things, but it seems to me that there would be advantages at some tracks, a little disadvantage at others, but close enough it could be offset with weight rather than buying different parts.

I'd love to see something like this come together, but starting out by making cars conform to the rules that only 15 cars already are, is the wrong way to approach it.

[fred23]

How about making the events different from other series????? I just saw the AMA outdoor Moto X results scroll across the bottom of the TV and it triggered this thought.....
Two 25 lap races. Lowest point total wins. Qualify for points, invert rows with a dice roll (two dice) start the first race. Invert finishing order for 2nd race. Lowest point total wins. Maybe a $200 bonus for winning a leg of the race and $500 bonus for winning both plus whatever the purse is.
No tire changes between races only mechanical changes to chassis and fuel.

Run the entire season like this. I would make it the first feature and the last feature of the night to keep the fans interested.

As for the rules and combining the existing cars out there.......there is not a huge difference except for the Citrus cars. THey are basically a LLM. THe motor combination and triple disc clutches make a huge difference. Other than that it can work. THere is no real advantage on any of the tracks except NSS and Lake City.

[Bill Chapman]

Sportsman Series

Buckwheat,
Do you run a Sportsman? Just wondering. I'm trying to see how many Sportsman drivers or Owners are interested.

[Patrick Thomas 25]

I have been reading this post wondering what would be said and how negative it would get. I can tell you, I raced with the SSS in 04, 05, 06, 07, and I was the champion in 08. There were 3 thing's that killed that series,
#1 the series started out very limited, very tight tech, low dollar parts, no crazy, exotic, lightweight parts. At the end of the series I was over a second faster at Nss than I was the first time I brought my SSS car there. It takes too much money for the average racer too make those changes.
#2 When Todd hutto sold the series to Don Nerone, well we all know what happened, People dont like Don, the first 2 races of 2007 had 24 and 22 car's in them. The car count went way down from there. The tech became nonexistant, the the inversion went away, and so did the competitors.
#3 The other thing that changed was the tire. We went from the Goodyear 8" tread to the Hoosier 8" slick. The Goodyear cost us $424.00 a set and you could get 4 races out of the right and 6 out of the lefts. The Hoosier tires costs us $540.00 and you got 1 race out of the rights and 2 out of the lefts.

Bill I would love to talk to you before you talk to the track's, and if we could get on the same page, I am sure a series could and will work.

Patrick Thomas 407-227-0342

[Rick Williamson]

BW for you information there was a large car count when they ran the Southern Sportsman Series a few years back. And there is a set of rules under Florida Sportman Allaince. Rules are on Auburdales website. Where do you race? Also Punta Gorda is on Goodyears almost all other tracckss use hoosiers

Your statement about the car counts is right. But only for the first two years. After that the rules keep changing and heading toward being an LM class and no longer Sportsmen. And the numbers keep falling. In my opion you need to keep the tracks as close as possible. This because of the cost of gas to get there. 4 hour drives like to Lake City may stop alot of drivers. Citrus, Auburndale, Orlando and say DeSoto or NSS. You have a large number of Sportsmens in this area of the state. A few things work with the drivers that were part of the old SSS and get some of their ideas. Leave crates out of it! Run the series from Feb. to May and then restart it Sept. to end of Nov. Leave the heat and rain of the summer out of this series it helped the SSS. 2 to 4 hour runs to get to a rain out will kill the series faster then anything. And get a real tech man. The series had one at one time that didn't know his stuff. Good luck with your idea.

[Rick Williamson]

The rules post were for the Florida sportsman Allaince; IE the old Southern spotrsman series also Auburndale had 10 sportsman last night, OSW had 6, and NSS had 10

Thses numbers aren't very good. Check out Citrus this weekend they have a 50 lapper for them this coming weekend. Should be good numbers there.

[Don Nerone]

I have been reading this post wondering what would be said and how negative it would get. I can tell you, I raced with the SSS in 04, 05, 06, 07, and I was the champion in 08. There were 3 thing's that killed that series,
#1 the series started out very limited, very tight tech, low dollar parts, no crazy, exotic, lightweight parts. At the end of the series I was over a second faster at Nss than I was the first time I brought my SSS car there. It takes too much money for the average racer too make those changes.
#2 When Todd hutto sold the series to Don Nerone, well we all know what happened, People dont like Don, the first 2 races of 2007 had 24 and 22 car's in them. The car count went way down from there. The tech became nonexistant, the the inversion went away, and so did the competitors.
#3 The other thing that changed was the tire. We went from the Goodyear 8" tread to the Hoosier 8" slick. The Goodyear cost us $424.00 a set and you could get 4 races out of the right and 6 out of the lefts. The Hoosier tires costs us $540.00 and you got 1 race out of the rights and 2 out of the lefts.

Bill I would love to talk to you before you talk to the track's, and if we could get on the same page, I am sure a series could and will work.

Patrick Thomas 407-227-0342

Patrick its hard to beleave you posted that. Most of the post on this is about trying to keep the LM drivers and ie pro teams out ..You hav the best crew chief all the shock and spring info from one of the best. That worked out for you well and you won most of the races..No i didnt do anything about it because there is not a rule agenst beeing smarter than the rest..
If you tell them your coming back to race with them they wont show>
all i heard was how i let you cheat and you and i know the truth.
You were one of the best teams i had and didnt think you would say what you did.

don62

[PMENNENGA]

I for one would love it, but the rules are a major issue. I couldn't run my current car, it is an inverness/bronson type car. That being said weight is the only solution. Take a look and the Howe sportsman series in and around Michigan. Granted their enigne rules are a little out there but my thoughts were along those same lines. NSS type car 3000. Citrus type car 3100. All cars 56% left, and treaded tires. Hoosier makes a harder type tire (700).

Just my 2 cents,

Patrick Mennenga

[snotragracin68]

I for one would love it, but the rules are a major issue. I couldn't run my current car, it is an inverness/bronson type car. That being said weight is the only solution. Take a look and the Howe sportsman series in and around Michigan. Granted their enigne rules are a little out there but my thoughts were along those same lines. NSS type car 3000. Citrus type car 3100. All cars 56% left, and treaded tires. Hoosier makes a harder type tire (700).

Just my 2 cents,

Patrick Mennenga

now i agree with this but what about Punta Gorda we are even different from everyone else!!!! But here's what i say i have taken my car to 2 tracks and ran punta gorda rules and ran very close to all tracks ran with good won 1 race finish in top 5 mostly!! so take the rules for each track and run the cars the tech guy is going to have to be on his game!!!Now when all is said and done if one tracks rules make there stuff where it's stinking up the show add wieght than!!! cause if you look at the rules from engine to chassis one track gives you something and the other tracks give you something else!!!pretty even!!! except im personally not a crate motor type guy but to each his own as long as tech does there job and the payout is decent ill suport your show!!! I would love to race some of these teams!!!! and Mr. Chapman please call me again I wasn't meaning to be rude you just caught me at a bad time!!!!

Just my opinion alls you here is add weight why not just run the your track rules with one weight rule and see what happens each team will have the own little extra this way a true sportsman race and personaly tires dont matter cause no matter what someones going to buy tires so this is a pointless subject cause if i see a team like Patrick's buy tires im gonna go buy me some knowing its the only way to even have a chance!!!!! and im not albe to run citrus this week cause the rules are so different and thats not fair to the fans or the racers i didn't build it to sit on jack stands!!!

thanks for reading a poor man racing teams opinion!!!
GAry McFall Jr. #68 PGS sportsman

[sportsman73]

I would love to see another SSS type series. We raced for 3 years and felt it brought the best sportsman drivers together all competing against each other. I took a quick look at the Auburndale rules and noticed an inconsistency. Vortec heads. Not allowed under the SSS rules.

Bottom line. Count me in. Even if Patrick is showing up!

Mark
73 Sportsman

[Bill Chapman]

Sportsman Series

thanks to all for your input so far.I know rules need to be tweeked and i agree. I am trying to put together the ols SSS rules and Florida Sportsman Alliance Rules. Also instead of the tire now i would recomend the Hoosier 800 Rib tire aafter speaking with Hoosier South this morning. Thanks, Bill