Late Model Race 50 Laps 7/19/14

[OldSchool+]

There is also less chance of a new front clip being required...

[Lurkin]

Peanut gallery keeps your post at the top too. Let us rant ramble and carry on and it seems like all in all things are getting a tad better.

[turnleft]

tires

This seems like it will be to hard to police! 4/32" really? how about 1/8" or .125?

Just sell the tires at cost, 400.00 per set.

Just my two cents, Vince Patola

[OldSchool+]

"...it seems like all in all things are getting a tad better."--Lurkin'

Perhaps. Scott's harder tire initiative/testing sounds promising.

Nonetheless, probably not a bad idea to be respectful while getting one's point across. Seems like it would have a better chance of being taken seriously.

[John Berti]

I have to agree with you, Scott, on how to handle critics. It is best to ignore them. If they see they won't be getting any attention they'll go away. They just love it when they get responses and they can get a "pissing contest" going.

I have to correct you on track sizes you mentioned in this post. New Smyrna Speedway is a 1/2 mile track and you are saying in this post that Citrus County Speedway is half the size implying that it is a 1/4 mile track. CCS is not a 1/4 mile track it is 3/8 mile just like Desoto Speedway. Auburndale and Showtime are the 1/4 mile speedways. Don't believe me? Look it up on the National Speedway Directory available online.

I find the best course of action is this : "Don't Feed The Trolls". If no one responds to their cage rattling, then they tend to go away. If they get a rise out of you, they have succeeded at what they are trying to do. The people that read this page, for the most part, can seperate the truth from the BS, and the good from the bad.

BTW, New Smyrna pays $800 to win for Super Lates running 35 laps, so Gary's purse is not out of line and is actually a little better top to bottom, all for a race that is 10 laps shorter on a track half the size. The racers asked for this, so I commend him. I personally would rather watch a shorter race with action right from the green then a long boring race. It's nice for the fans to be able to get home at a descent hour AND watch all the racing. If we want this to flourish as a "family sport" once again, we gotta be able to get the young 'uns home before it gets too late (and Dad has to be able to see all the races in that time frame if you expect him to want to bring the whole tribe out again anytime soon).

[OldSchool+]

John,

Track length has always been a puzzlement.

Some measure the inside, some the middle, some the outside, and some, well, I think they just name the length.

Bristol's banking was apparantly misquoted forever, and now that it has been reconfigured, twice, it is less than what it was back in the (good 'ol) day, I think.

Subjectively, Auburndale, Inverness, and Sunshine all feel about the same, with Bithlo being longer than all three.

New Smyrna seems a lot bigger than double that of any of them.

But then, it seems like I shouldn't be nearly this old...

[cfontfan]

No way citrus is a 3/8 mile like desoto. It takes roughly 100 points more gear there than it does at desoto

[John Berti]

Bottom line is that New Smyrna Speedway (.48 mile) is not twice the size of Citrus County Speedway. It surely isn't .25 mile larger which would make it twice the size. I've seen many a 1/4 mile track in my racing lifetime, up and down the Eastern seaboard. I can say, assuredly, Citrus County Speedway is larger than 1/4 mile.

Being a Northern transplant like me, Scott should have realized this. He is familiar with the defunct Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA and Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH both 1/4 mile tracks. CCS is bigger than both of those tracks.

John,

Track length has always been a puzzlement.

Some measure the inside, some the middle, some the outside, and some, well, I think they just name the length.

Bristol's banking was apparantly misquoted forever, and now that it has been reconfigured, twice, it is less than what it was back in the (good 'ol) day, I think.

Subjectively, Auburndale, Inverness, and Sunshine all feel about the same, with Bithlo being longer than all three.

New Smyrna seems a lot bigger than double that of any of them.

But then, it seems like I shouldn't be nearly this old...

[John Berti]

I'm thinking that New Smyrna Speedway may be a 5/8 mile track like Thompson International speedway in Thompson, CT. Desoto may actually be a 1/2 mile track and Auburndale, Citrus County and Showtime are 3/8 mile ovals.

My favorite Florida track got taken away from us several years back that being the 3/4 mile U.S.A. International Speedway in Lakeland. That track was fabulous and you could always be assured of great racing there. Plenty of room to make moves.

[OldSchool+]

Re: Lakeland

Yep, nice track, and a shame it is gone.

Interestingly, that looked like a big place, and yet I had the opportunity to drive a sportsman-type "student" car around the place for a number of laps and it felt quite small compared to, say, an sweeping curve on an on ramp.

Managed to bounce it off the rev limiter at the end of the straights, was kind of proud of that...

[scottgarrity07]

Hey John. My gear tells me what size the track is. I've turned many a lap at Riverside (gone unfortunately) and Thompson. I find Citrus to be just a hair bigger than "The Park" but not much more. The way these tracks are listed is suspect. Citrus requires about 70 pts. more gear than Desoto. The way I see it Citrus, Bronson, Showtime and A-dale are 1/4's, Orlando and Punta Gorda are 1/3's, Desoto is a 3/8 and New Smyrna and Lake City are 1/2's. Some on the big side and some on the small. I had to laugh some years ago when Waterford Speedbowl went from a 1/3 to a 3/8 without anything being done to the track!

[polesitter61]

Citrus measured all the way around at the outside wall, the entire length of the track, is just short of being 3/8 of a mile. Been there, seen it with my own eyes.

[Winger]

Citrus measured all the way around at the outside wall, the entire length of the track, is just short of being 3/8 of a mile. Been there, seen it with my own eyes.

That's the difference. It seems there is no uniform way of measuring a track. Some measure it so far off the wall, some measure the groove, apparently Citrus measured right on the wall, and some even measure so far off the bottom. I always felt Citrus was the shortest 3/8 track I'd ever seen and the difference is probably the way they're measured.

[Don Nerone]

Re: Lakeland

Yep, nice track, and a shame it is gone.

Interestingly, that looked like a big place, and yet I had the opportunity to drive a sportsman-type "student" car around the place for a number of laps and it felt quite small compared to, say, an sweeping curve on an on ramp.

Managed to bounce it off the rev limiter at the end of the straights, was kind of proud of that...

Lakeland was a 3/4 not 5/8
OSW 1/3 DS 3/8
SCS 1/2
Alburndale smaller than a 1/4

You mesuare a track 8' off the bottom
I have worked both Alb and OSW the little track on the bottom of Orlando was bigger than alburndale 1402' vs 1290' now that's funny.

now back to the sun in your face.. come to the other and ill buy you a ticket cheap ass..lol
I have heard for years about the races being to late
"Times are a changing "now it to early

don62

[OldSchool+]

Don,

Thank you for the offer, but was hoping it could become a "regular" deal, for myself, my Dad, and others (that have indicated similar interest).

The idea was not to leverage anyone, but to provide an idea that will theoretically get more people into the stands.

--or you could hand out parasols to the folks in the top row of the frontstretch with "Don Nerone" written on them...