NASCAR Sanctioned...whats the plan?

[MJM10]

Does anyone know how the "Nascar Whelen All American Series" is going to work? I saw this posted on the original announcement and don't really fully understand it. I missed the free beer night meeting.

"With their Division I designation, NASCAR-licensed Super Late Model drivers are eligible to compete for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships at the track, state and national level."

"The track operators will designate support classes as NASCAR Divisions II-V and each will compete for points in the NASCAR Finalist program. The program brings added recognition to support division drivers."

My questions are what are 1) What races count for the supers. I noticed there is no Brighthouse series on the schedule, so what races count for NASCAR. Do the 35 lap nights count as a race for the series. I don't really understand how this all works.

Also what divisions are considered Divisions II-V, what are the Pro Late Models considered?

Do you have to run nss AND orlando to run for points under this series, or just one or the other? Looking on the NASCAR home tracks site it looks like everyone is pooled together, do you just run any track that is sanctioned and the champ is whoever has the most/best finishes?

I won't beat the lack of Orlando schedule to death as it is already in another post, but is there going to be a series for pro's or supers at either track? I figured they would have put some of this info on the NSS web site by now but they don't even have the full schedules up. It looks like there's only one super race between march 23rd and may 18th, could that be right? I would like to try to plan out the season a little but don't even know where to start with no info available.

[Frasson118]

The only thing I can answer here with any kind of certainty, is the question to run BOTH tracks for the points.... The areas I've seen where there are 2 tracks close together, the was NO requirement to run both. However, they both pay points for the same region, and it doubles their chances of collecting points. May not work the same way with both tracks running on Saturdays though.

There is also a limited points-paying "season", as they've already figured out that racers in Florida can run a lot more races than guys in Maine (or wherever). They even it out to the same amount of races as the rest of the region.

This was the basic understanding I've had for several years, but it may have changed in the last few that I hadn't kept up with.

[Mark Keeler]

I will try to answer more thoroughly when I get back to work tomorrow.

The National Points are awarded to ALL division 1 drivers that compete at Orlando OR NSS or ANY track that has Super Late Models with a Division 1 designation. (Or I should say ANY time you compete in Division 1 for ANY track it counts towards Division 1 points) EVERY time the Super Late Models are on track, at either track, regardless of lap count, it MAY be taken as part of your 18 races.

NASCAR takes your 18 best races. Points are awarded based in car counts also so the 8 races of Speedweeks will most likely count towards national points for the drivers that competed. AGAIN, they only take your 18 best races.

As for Bright House Challenge, the Cracker 200 on March 23rd is the opening race for the Bright House Challenge Series.

Again, I have been off all week but will try to answer the rest and get everything updated and explained when I get back to work tomorrow.

Hope this helps at least answer a couple questions.

[MJM10]

Yes, that definately helps with the NASCAR part of it. Do you only get points for top 5's, top ten's and wins?

So if you win a race with 10 cars in it you don't get as many points as you would if you won a race with 20 cars?

So far there are only 7 super races on the schedule for NSS including the Governers Cup, so unless they add a bunch more you would almost have to run both tracks to meet the 18 races. I missed speedweeks due to surgery and probably won't be able to race until Late April or Early May, so I'm wondering if it is not worth it because I probably wouldn't make 18 races. I'm just trying to come up with a plan for my botched racing season, its more difficult without the full schedules up.

[Benny The Mule]

The guys winning the national level travel to tracks with the highest car counts. A win is more points. I (heard) some brought backup cars and (start and park) guys with them, but that's rumor LOL.

The way they do it up here in Hickory is..qualify, start straight up with fastest guy on the pole............and you get to watch the train go in circles.

This is for all classes, 35 lap features ONLY.

The guys who have the money and can rent the track for 500 laps of practice before the 35 lap race...........well, you know where they will most likely start the race every weekend.

It's a double edge sword. I will still go for a big event but I think the format for a regular night is horribly boring but Hickory has a HUGE nightly car and fan count every Saturday. I quit going because i started going to the dirt tracks and actually go to watch RACING.

Best of luck to both tracks because i do consider them my "home" tracks.

Been to many races at both and drove my first race in an oval track car at OSW. OSW was also my first drag racing experience which i did prior to moving next door to the oval.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Did I see that the Cracker 200 is coming back in the spring? A Sunday-afternoon show...?!? Or, like every other "big" event, is it on a Saturday night? :-/

[Frasson118]

Just speculation here... but it would make sense: since both tracks are sanctioned, and both running on Saturdays, it would be logical to alternate weeks between the tracks, only have certain races at either designated as NASCAR 'points' nights. With the 7 that NSS has scheduled (and add 1 somewhere), and have OSW schedule 8, right there you've got your 16 race max towards the points. There is enough of the year to reschedule rainouts to different weeks to still make up for the ones that will be lost to weather.

I think this would bring nice fields to each 'points' event, which increases the point VALUE to these teams.... the more cars, the more points to win.

It would also encourage some teams to get some races on 'non-points' nights to be better prepared for the NASCAR weeks.

If it gets scheduled correctly, between the two, I believe it could be very good for BOTH tracks, even if they are going head to head at times.

[Lightening Mcqueen]

They said at the driver's meeting that Orlando is back to Friday nights since the Nascar sanction is in place. There is no schedule so I guess we will see but that is what was said at the meeting.

[23ny]

For what was said at the track on Wen will will be racing on march 8th call the track to find out

[scottgarrity07]

I really don't think this NASCAR thing will work out in Florida in terms of being able to crown a National or even Regional champion. The system rewards winners of races with full fields. Each driver is given two points for each car they finish ahead of up to 20 cars with a five point bonus for winning, making the maximum number of possible points per race 45. This system benefits drivers who perform well in races with large car counts as races with fewer than 20 cars will earn the winner fewer than the maximum possible points. Only a driver's best 18 races count in the championship standings. I saw some 5-8 car Super Late Model fields at New Smyrna and Orlando last year. Even if you had a "perfect season" and won every one of your 18 races you still wouldn't win the championship for the region with the small Weekly Super Late Model fields these tracks have a history of.

[Racer6x]

If they run it right they'll have some cars. When David Rogers won the sunbelt series they had good car counts. And I remember jack sprague would come down to race against Rogers to try and get points on him.