Sportsman Tires

[Patrick Thomas 25]

It has been since 2008 that I've had a full time sponsor, I had 2 different individuals buy a set of tires for me this year, I also had a radiator donated. We had a good year after knocking the clip off due to a bad part that I custom built.

I will gladly accept any sponsorship help, and appreciate you guys noticing that I race on a shoestring and compete with the big buck teams.

Thanks

Patrick Thomas 25

Hope to race about 20 times next year, pending the tire decision.

[8modified]

Showtime this Wednesday the Hoosier rep will be there with the new 2 groove tire

[racin24dev]

Matt

I hear Matt saying that he could spend $400/week, but he might complain about it constantly....Maybe you should be proactive in our sport by supporting a low budget team occasionally and then you would have your own insight as to how important tires are and how much they cost. Not a lot of people have an extra chunk of money laying around each week to buy tires...sounds to me like you could be making a difference besides typing away on a forum.

I race an OWM, and I am normally very competitive...I know myself that if it weren't for the generous payouts that we have been getting over the last few years, I wouldn't be able to afford to put tires on my car like I do (which is the minimum that I believe it takes to win). Imagine how tough that must be for a smaller class, who doesn't get the same type of payout that we do, but yet needs to put tires on their car almost as much as we do.

[Matt Albee]

I hear Matt saying that he could spend $400/week, but he might complain about it constantly....Maybe you should be proactive in our sport by supporting a low budget team occasionally and then you would have your own insight as to how important tires are and how much they cost. Not a lot of people have an extra chunk of money laying around each week to buy tires...sounds to me like you could be making a difference besides typing away on a forum.

I race an OWM, and I am normally very competitive...I know myself that if it weren't for the generous payouts that we have been getting over the last few years, I wouldn't be able to afford to put tires on my car like I do (which is the minimum that I believe it takes to win). Imagine how tough that must be for a smaller class, who doesn't get the same type of payout that we do, but yet needs to put tires on their car almost as much as we do.

I've seen you race a number of times, you do a great job. My point is.....if you're going to race, then you have to be prepared to spend the money that's required. If you don't have the money, either stop racing or get into a type of racing/class of racing that better suits your checkbook. The fact that some racers can and will spend the money to win doesn't mean everyone has to spend the same amount. But as long as there's been racing, money has helped determine the outcome.
Now there are people like Patrick who claim their performance has nothing to do with spending lots of money. And i suspect he's worked very hard to get the performance he apparently now has. But Patrick should total up EVERY dime he's spent on this car from day 1 and post it. I'm betting the total would be wayyyy out of touch for the average Saturday night racer. Or in other words, it's all relative.
I have in fact helped out a number of small/under financed teams over the years. I purchased a set of tires for a team at Desoto years ago. I've given teams tow home money after they've had a particularly bad night. I've loaned a pick up truck to a team that needed a way to get the race car to the track. And i've handed out a dist cap or motor oil plenty of times with the " i'll bill you later " routine. Of course i never billed them, never planned to. Just wanted to be proactive.
My thoughts on tires are pretty well known, i think the majority of classes should be required to run ONLY take offs, there's plenty of them and they're a bargain.

[OldSchool+]

Matt, I am confused. Not that I am the essence of consistency, but...

This thread (and others) has to do with cheap(er) longer lasting tires vs short lived tires.

On the one hand, your point is "If you don't have the bank roll, stay on the porch" (which, incidentally has always been part of my deal, and I stayed on the porch).

On the other hand, you state "...I think the majority of classes should be required to run ONLY take offs, there's plenty of them and they're a bargain."

They do not seem to reconcile (to me).

Hell, if you go with Scott's harder tire goal after two weeks they are takeoffs!

[OldSchool+]

Further, again, I think 3 classes could run the same motor ($3,500 crate motor or junkyard equivalent) , and long lasting tires.

The same motors, and the same tires.

Hobby Stock
Modified
Late Model Sportsman

If there was a ton of them, and the racing was like the Sportsman event at Auburndale recently, that would do it for me.

No high dollar four bangers, no high dollar eight bangers.

Sure there are places for them--touring series for instance.

Skip the needs of the racers. Look at it economically:

>A track needs fans
>Fans want cars
>Racers need to be able to afford the cars

>Therefore, the track needs to figure out how to get the cars financially feasible so IT is financially feasible.

[xracer54]

What do you say,Don

So Don, how do you feel about that, have your kid put the Hoosier on Patrick car.....show a little love back to the racer. Maybe Jeff can help too

[Matt Albee]

Matt, I am confused. Not that I am the essence of consistency, but...

This thread (and others) has to do with cheap(er) longer lasting tires vs short lived tires.

On the one hand, your point is "If you don't have the bank roll, stay on the porch" (which, incidentally has always been part of my deal, and I stayed on the porch).

On the other hand, you state "...I think the majority of classes should be required to run ONLY take offs, there's plenty of them and they're a bargain."

They do not seem to reconcile (to me).

Hell, if you go with Scott's harder tire goal after two weeks they are takeoffs!

My point ( not fully explored ) was that racers in many classes could be saved from themselves and their desire to spend what ever it takes, if they were forced to use take offs only. I would assume that the take offs would be 50% to 75% the price of new ones. And if the new tires from Hoosier fall off very little as we've been told, then the take offs would be cheaper than new and they would all perform about the same. With Scotts tire, the racers will still be buying new tires every week for whatever advantage they offered. Thats racing.
Now that we're on the subject, what does happen to the enormous pile of used race tires that tracks and race tire dealers accumulate every year?

[OldSchool+]

"And we got a cool logo too".

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-med...rtnership.html

[scottgarrity07]

From the "other" thread:

One amazing piece of information I will let out of the bag is that the year-old 100 lap 800's WERE 2 TENTHS QUICKER THAN THE STICKER 800's! This was true for both the Sportsman AND Super Stock they were tested on. Shannon Kelly (reigning and multi-time NSS Super Stock Champion) stated to me that he felt that he probably could get 10 races out of the 800!

[Frasson118]

I once read an article on how to use your racing dollars in the most efficient ways.

One of the lessons was this..... "Never buy used tires for half price. It costs you both the same amount, but he got the good half"

[OldSchool+]

"...year-old 100 lap 800's WERE 2 TENTHS QUICKER THAN THE STICKER 800's!"--SGarrity

How can this be...?

Matt's "take off" 800s will sell for a premium?!

[racin24dev]

I have in fact helped out a number of small/under financed teams over the years. I purchased a set of tires for a team at Desoto years ago. I've given teams tow home money after they've had a particularly bad night. I've loaned a pick up truck to a team that needed a way to get the race car to the track. And i've handed out a dist cap or motor oil plenty of times with the " i'll bill you later " routine. Of course i never billed them, never planned to. Just wanted to be proactive.

Well then I'd like to say thank you for helping local racers.

[scottgarrity07]

"...year-old 100 lap 800's WERE 2 TENTHS QUICKER THAN THE STICKER 800's!"--SGarrity

How can this be...?

Yeah, Old School, this took us by surprise. Driver's said they felt more stable too. Not unheard of, with hard Hoosiers, though. Many moons ago I raced a Sportsman-type "Late Model" at Stafford Speedway. Due to repaving and our old tires blistering on the new asphalt, we were switched to the hockey puck Hoosier Commanche. They were ALWAYS quicker the second week on them. In fact, I won a feature on the FIFTH race on them one night in a tough field of 26 cars!

[Don Nerone]

well I think that a few of you don't want to hear what is going on with the tire test that are going on all over the state buy Hoosher.
Why they didn't want to test when a few drivers wanted to?
They were trying to get the tire done that they wanted to test. it is a new tire . not the same one from last year. Try to get ur facts right.
Goodyear would change the # with any change and Hoosher tryes to use the same #.
The tire they tested is a 750r and a 800r The left side had some other letter on it.
The sidewall is different than the old tire.
They still might change it more after the test. that is what tire testing is for this time of year.
A few of you could not weight for this to happen and might have done some damage to the outcome.
Jeff is doing it the right way so give him some time to get it right.
There are tire experts form the factory working on this and they don't need a few "Ill fix it now" racers trying to push them.
They have had 2 test and will do a total of 4 this week.
lets see what they come up with.



Jerry o great one you bring the popcorn.

Scotty when I asked you to call me I was going to give you the info on the construction of the new and old tire. also the rest of the story.

don62