Fig 8s at Aurburndale

[helper]

Hi all,

Just got back from up there. I will say the Friday show was wild. It looked like 3 divisions out there. We had the superlate model indiana boys, going up against the latemodel and sportsman local boys. The indiana guys I will have to say where awesome fast, but they did not know how to pass cleanly very often, normally they dived into the dirt going into the corner and pushed up into the car in that spot. This was the most common form of passing there.

That and some of the locals where getting tired of being ruffed up by the indana boys. Rodney Davis lost his top when he was left sitting next to the x for 3 to 4 laps, and I don't blame him for that. The way they where driving and they kept going off the track at the x, they would have killed him as fast as some of them where going. We had the 40 looked like he got squeezed and jumped tires and ended up on top of a car as well as other cars getting together and going head on into the wall. With 24 cars starting and tight racing there where a lot of frustrated drivers. That night we ended with 13 cars.

Saturday, the frustrations ran over. A number of local drivers where frustrated with some of the driving of the indiana boys. Rodney Davis again got knocked out of the road when an indiana car went under him in the dirt and spun him out when he was leading. He got out complained and jumped back in the car and went demo derby on the guy. It was a wild time. After that, they calmed down. There was some good racing in the field but not a lot of x action at least compared to friday. It ended with only 9 or 10 cars running.

Then it boiled over again in the pits. As Davis car owner was leaving some bald guy from the indiana 42 crew threw some alchol at the car owners face and truck. It appeared to be done with, but someone had to start it up again as I was standing there talking with one of the mini mods and I watched it happen. Then the words got exchanged and it about turned into a riot. Just like the old days. I then headed out of there and talked with some of the other drivers there and looked at the cars. They are incredible cars and fast hope to see them run on their home field some day.

Hope they have some more big figure 8 races in the state, that was fun.

[Boneman]

You have a point. I don't think I made in clear in my post that the northern drivers were a problem too. I'm sure Rodney Davis didn't spin himself out while leading on his home track! The IN drivers knew they had the officials in their back pocket and had nothing to fear from them. Jeez, even the announcers were talking a little smack about the FL drivers.

[flvideo]

Andrew

If I'd had your cell # I'd have called and let you know the races tonight were cancelled. I hope you didn't go the the track and find no one there. Robert and I left the track about 3 or 3:15 this afternoon and we got about 5 miles away and I realized I had left my wireless transmitter on their sound board. We turned around and went back to get it and they had cleared out lock stock barrel. We couldn't have been gone more than 30 Minutes. When we left they were still paying off drivers. Some of the Indiania Drivers were still there as well as some of the local drivers were standing in line to get their money. We looked at Roberts intersection footage last night in the motel and he got some great shots. One I remember especially, one of those blue cars from Indiana was leading and he hit his binders hard and then floored it an threaded the needle thru 2 cars. Man that was close. I wish I could have been there Friday. Ole well can't be in two places at once, I ain't figured that out yet. It was good seeing you agin. Bob...

[helper]

Bob,

It was a great time. Hopefully they will do it again in the future, but this time do it like the world fig 8, have a couple of days of practice and then on Saturday have the big 1,2 or 3 hour figure 8 race. That would have been the best race anyone has seen down here in years, as they would have probably had 27 or 28 cars and would have been a full house like it was Saturday.

If not them have a Florida Championship where they run a time race like the world fig 8. I talked with some of the promoters there and they are talking about doing something like what they ran but on their own. As a number of Florida guys where not happy with how they where treated, especially the support guys. I feel really bad for them. They where called to race and then the next thing you know they call something else. I never knew if we where seeing their feature or a heat race and I dont think they knew either. Like Saturday, they called Sportman to run and then called figure 8. The sportsman got hosed I guess, as they never got a feature or the heat race was their feature, I am not sure.

See ya in a couple of weeks for the LM race at CCMP, hopefully it wont be the same as this, as they try running all 3 division together.

[Jimmy McKinley]

THIS is what a Figure 8 car SHOULD be:

Figure 8 Street Stocker

THIS is NOT a Figure 8 car:

NOT a Figure 8 car

I don't care what anyone says...LMAO...that second thing looks like a cross between some sort of open-wheel Modified, a Sprint car or a Supermodified, and a mini-stocker...

[helper]

Nice shots...

Actually if you get a closer look at the Indiana cars, they are bascially a rectangle tub, with side tubing to make it look more like a normal race chasis. They are custom built, I was told by the car builder for one of the teams. That is why the driver sits in the middle of the car, much like the 55 but his car was not built out in the sides and back to look like their cars.

[flvideo]

Jimmy that #55 looks weird but it gets around the track pretty quick. Michael Cherry drove it, for John Lavale and he took a 2nd in the 100 lapper with several of those high dollar cars from Indiana following him accross the finish line. John told me Sat he got his inspiration from a picture of a Indy Car. I agree these modern Figure 8 cars are taxing to our old minds. Bob...

[mizechris]

Why yall picking on us yankees? LOL One thing about it, I hear all of you with interest in your quotes. Its a show, and that fighting brings a crowd sometimes. You hit it on the head. Just like the old days. I seen these guys run before. There nuts.

[Boneman]

The on-track fighting may bring a crowd, but the in-fighting drives cars away.

[ronabneysr]

to jimmy mckinley

i know you are on here a lot i got one question for you back in day that full bodie car was what ever body ran i ran then 30 years , but i like the looks of the cars from the north but you ain't got nothing to worry about ain't none of these florida boys gonna build any thing like those cars they are luck to have what they got

and that # 55 that michael cherry drove that you said was not a figure eight car are your balls big enough to drive something like that mine aint see ya

[flvideo]

Ron, the #55 Cherry ride has all the saftey features the others do but the body is different. I think John has figured out the dymamics of a figure eight car. Although Michae didn't have the power the northern cars had he was able to stay with them all the way. I think with a few more laps he would have given Vanmeter a run for his money. He could drive that car anywhere, high, low or inbetween. Michael is a good driver in any setting. Bob...l