Orlando Speedworld: Response about Super Late Models

[Darren]

A lot will not agree with me. Yet, I am old enough to remember when tracks had pack stands and full classes to have people come out and watch the drivers they enjoyed to watch. Then a thing called travel series started for the late models and after that other classes started to have travel series. Cost for racing went up and crowds count went down. Drivers that were doing the differ series wanted to incorp the series rules at local tracks that then would increase the cost for the drivers that only wanted to run at their local track. If the track did not incorp the series rules drivers just race the series.

[Prowler018]

Sad day

While I understand why OSW is not racing SLMs. I also think this has something to do with not going up against NSS with both tracks now running Saturdays. Maybe it was part of the deal to get the Harts blessing to change to Saturdays. While the SLMs didn't have a huge car count saying they never have more than 11 EVER is exaggerating. And I don't think it's fair to say if you can't afford to tow another hour and half to somewhere you shouldn't be racing. I know multiple cars that now will be sitting on jack stands for a while now they have absolutely no shot at NSS. As said before I think once a month would have been a good idea. But hopefully one day SLMs will be back at OSW on a regular basis.

[Don Nerone]

Personally, I don't think this is a bad move. The track was on the verge of extinction and there's a catch-22 with SLM's. If you don't pay a big enough purse you won't get many, but will still have to pay a bigger purse than any other class. If you put up a big purse you are rolling the dice on how many cars will actually show. If they don't show and you cut the purse and you are the devil. If you advertise baseing the purse on the car count, you will get a small field, cut the purse and once again you are the devil. You gotta walk before you can run. The place needs to get back on it's feet with OWM's, Sportsman and Trucks as the weekly headliner for the short term. Once that happens then bring the SLMs in with a guaranteed purse. I think that we are now at the point that the only time you are going to see a good SLM fields is either tour events or stand alone big events (i.e. Governor's Cup, World Series, etc.). I hate to say it but I think the time has come for SLM to no longer be a weekly (or bi-weekly) class where they only draw 5-6 cars. That being said, every other schedule is up, WHERE THE HELL IS THE SCHEDULE FOR SPORTSMAN???

In my day I could open up a downed track....call 5 or 6 of my friends with good SLM names to show. Put together a good ad campane. A purse with a good starting pay.
20 or so would show and the fsans would show to see some guys they haven't seen in a few years.. Home run..
Then we had to make sure that one of the big names came each week and the other stayed home so the reg drivers had a chance to win or run 2nd.
Now we had to make heros out of the local drivers that we had.(.Roby Helm miss u)
25 laps every week and 2 big races a year.
Had a sponsor for the big races with tire and fule we could afford to have the race
Now today with the crying about the tires and fule the tracks have to stop the big races or pay a big price.
The old stars have quit racing and the track promoters didnt make new ones.
There is more to just putting on a race..Anyone can do that with a check book.
Tommy I could alwase count on u with a good name driver. Thanks for all the years





don62
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[ancrdave]

Don, I remember when you ran OSW from late '85-87, our LM cars were a mix of locals, Hialeah/WPB cars, New Smyrna Thunder Cars and six-cylinders from Lakeland... Basically, if it wasn't a Sportsman (similar to a "Super Stock" today), Mini-Stock or a Bomber, you ran with the LM class... We had a lot of fun back then...
The first photo is from 1985... Most of the cars in this picture were NSS Thunder Cars with the six-cylinder Chevy of David King #23 out of Bartow... The #01 and #02 were the King brothers from Edgewater... John ran the 01 and I can't remember his brother's name... The other photo is the six-cyl Ford Eddie King won tons of features with...

[dd38]

Why don't they(Speedworld) try and go out and find class sponsors to offset or pay the SLM purse. Oh wait. That means getting out of the office. The phone isn't going to ring by itself. Not having them means less tire sales, and less fuel sales. I think if they would at least schedule them once a month they would see a reasonable car count. That would be a set of tires and fuel at least from me. Anyone that knows me knows I'm not shy about putting new tires on. When the late Steve Peterson ran the track for awhile, he was out all week talking to drivers and owners to get input. And he didn't do it one time, it was EVERY week and EVERY class through out the race season. Daytime and nights too.

[modracer22]

That makes my mind up sale the car and get a nicer boat.

[floridanajoe]

said it before , its over , track is doomed unless Harts take it back. Today day is Monday at 7 30 pm, what happened saturday? Whats the promoter doing, know one knows how to use a computer?? Did they race , was it rained out? Doomed !

[Boneman]

@ floridanajoe, to battle with your over-whelming pessimism, I'll go ahead and re-state the obvious. The races rained out; that info is on Facebook and on here. What is the promoter doing? Look on Facebook and see. He is actively engaged there on many topics.

I can just hear you; "I don't do facebook". There is no reason for you to complain if you don't make any effort. Get on facebook and learn for yourself, wait for the new website that is underway, and pay a little attention to the info on sites like this one.

"Doomed" before they run their first race! Amazing. Of course it was so much healthier when the Hart's ran it. Oh wait, maybe not...

@modracer22, when is the last time you ran your car at OSW? Yes, you had raced there for many years, but it has been a while since the last one, right?

[floridanajoe]

Speedworld was my home track for many years, I truly hope it makes it !

[Jimmy McKinley]

Once again, for those of you that "don't do Facebook", here's Orlando Speedworld's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/orlandospeedworld

You do NOT - I repeat, DO NOT - have to have a Facebook account to view Orlando's Facebook page. If you *do* have Facebook and "like" their page, then info will get posted to your wall as they post it.

BOOKMARK IT. Check it before you head out the door. Check the schedule there to see what's running that week.

[UREZ2PASS]

I find it hilarious when people cry about the changes the track has to make when they don't even support it. Racing once or twice a year does not qualify anyone as a supporter. Complaining, bitching, and offering ignorant suggestions on a daily basis on message boards doesn't make anyone a supporter either. Simply liking the track and talking about it don't give it much life.

I already know some of the loudest complainers numbers and if I had a dollar for every race their cars attended over the last two years, I couldn't buy a Chicken Sandwich and a milkshake at Micky D's.

[floridanajoe]

Changes are not the problem , the track hasn't been open, when it is know one knows its open unless you use the internet. Orlando is a major metropolitan area. Place would be packed every night IF any one new it was open . Going to take DEEEP pockets !

[Boneman]

IF any one new it was open

You are right about that. Starting with that damn eyesore of a sign....it still says Friday night.

[UREZ2PASS]

not including super's is the change I was referencing

[wesnsf]

After the bright house nightmare the next slm race there was 16 cars but after the problem with tires & rain it's not been good