Orlando SpeedWorld Winter Series starts out with 81 cars

[Jane]

Yep, 81 cars came to run the first Annual Winter Series at Orlando SpeedWorld. We had Bandoleros, Legends, Pro Challenge, Late Model,
Sportsman, Super Stock, Mini Stock, Strictly Stock and Hurricanes,
Outlaw Strictly Stock, Jr. Stock, and QUICK Kids. Everyone had a great time and it was a very nice day.

Join us next Saturday at 7 p.m. for the 2nd race of the series. Hope to see you there.

[Winger]

Let's see if I understand correctly. You had 82 cars and 12 divisions? That's less than 7 cars per class. I'm sure I can't be interpreting this correctly. (I hope.) I'm not bashing, just looking for clarification.

[AB195]

Lighten up a bit.
Some had a whole lot more, some not so full.

Lots of heat races, and then feature's.
Just a start, and will almost surely grow as time goes on.

This is merely a start of a Winter Series, and not to shabby of a start, for all that's involved, being the free admission, trophies and such.

Wish them the best of luck, I do.

[Frasson118]

Maybe it's time to consider "bracket" racing out there. For example, if you are a 15 second-per lap car, you are in one group. If you run a 16 second car, you are in another. make it where comparable SPEEDS race against each other, rather than comparable rule books.
I'm not saying to put a Bandelero on the same track as a Late Model, but Super Stock, Strictly Stock, Mini Stocks, Hurricanes, etc... there should be SOME way to make a 20 car feature instead of 3 seperate 7 car features.

OSW doesn't seem to mind the differnce in the size of cars racing against each other in the Strictly Stock class. Tweak it some to make it something the FANS would want to see. 82 cars in 12 seperate divisions in nothing to brag about... although I give Rusty and crew credit for trying to do SOMETHING anyways!

Just for a point of reference... the Crate Late Models at Pensacola had 67 cars in ONE class. They needed a B-Main for the Modifieds, 2 for the Crates, and 2 for the SLM cars. I know it's not even comparable, but you have to do SOMETHING to cut down on the number of classes you all are running. Far too many to make a decent show. An average of 7 is horrible.

[Jane]

Thanks AB195

The Winter Series is new, done purely for fun if anyone can understand the word fun. You win trophys and nothing else unless Dave Westerman has some donations he gets thru the day for the drivers. We did combine a few divisions because there were not that many cars but I did not show that in my results but gave each division their due. We aren't competing with anyone and everyone liked the idea that this was a way some of the unexperienced drivers got more seat time and learned what it was like to race that division. What is wrong with that Jerry?

Some who came just to watch said next week they would bring their cars. We aren't out for blood just everyone having a good time and enjoying the sport so many have made NO FUN.

i WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO CAME TO THE WINTER SERIES YESTERDAY. WE DID HAVE FUN. WE WEREN'T IN SUCH A HURRY THAT WE FORGOT THE FUN WE LOVE AND WHY WE STARTED RACING AND COMING TO THIS SPORT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THANKS GUYS AND GALS - YOU WERE GREAT!!!!

[Osmosis Jones]

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.........

Careful there, boy.....

You are walking dangerously close to that sharp ledge that divides the negatives from the positives. And we all know what happens to the slanderous few who dare to offer a contradictory opinion from the "accepted" party line employed by the....the......well, for fear of censorship let's just say "the dark lords(and ladies) whose names we dare not speaketh".

Dont worry, though...You can still get on here and post what you feel and think.....as long as it parallels what...well...(whispering) "you know who"....thinks and feels. It's a great thing to live in a democratic and free thinking society, ain't it?

Just be careful and stay away from the edge, dude. The abyss you'll be cast into is a desolate and lonely place to be. I know.

Wait....What am I saying? There is no abyss! There's a whole world of racing sites out there that LOVE to hear an educated opposing point of view that might possibly lead to a better deal for everybody involved. Racers AND Owner/Promoters! And some of them don't even HAVE radio shows to plug!


So you go, boy! Keep tellin it like it is and someday....MAYBE....someone in a position to implement rational and well thought out suggestions will make the quantum leap from the unproductive and stagnant all the way to open minded and thriving. Is it a long shot? Stranger things have happened.....


To Rusty and OSW: (if this stays up here long enough)
Love the idea of a winter series. But WAAAYYYYY too many classes for one night. Actually, it's too many classes for TWO nights. Better to give someone a small taste and if they like it, they'll buy the 3 gallon jar and then thank you for the opportunity. Just my $.02

[Frasson118]

I still don't get the part where I said anything ugly, nasty, or "no fun". I merely had a suggestion for trying to put on the best show possible with a limited number of cars.
For lack of a better word, I suggested "Bracket" racing.... it's done all the time in road-racing. Multiple classes on the track at the same time. But on an oval, the faster groups should start in the back rather than the front. You want these people to get experience behind the wheel? This would be the perfect chance to do so. This would give every single driver in a combined Street Stock/Super Stock/Mini Stock race the experience of passing people and also BEING passed. And just maybe, all that passing might create an outside groove, which would improve the Modified, Late Model and Sprint cars races. I wish I had the complete numbers for each class, and maybe I could explain a little better.

The only thing that should be taken as negative in my post, is that "a 7 car average is horrible". I know Jane is going to say "well, it's only the first week, etc, etc..." But the fact is, that 7 car average isn't all that far off from what too many classes out there bring every single week. That may be fine when the fans are getting in for free, but if I'm PAYING $15 a week to see 7 cars, I'm gonna quit coming.

You got to find SOME way to combine some classes to get a decent amount of cars per race. Two seperate 3 - 4 car "Junior Stock" races aren't putting any butts in the bleachers. You are running fans off from the front gate with these kinds of classes... which I guess is OK because the back gate is where the money comes from anyhow. Then you wind up giving away grandstand tickets because not enough people are willing to pay for the show they usually get. You're giving drivers too many options of what to build, and the fans are using there option to find something else to do on a Friday night.

Give the fans a good 5 division show, charge a fair price for it ($10.00 for any show that doesn't include Sprints or Super Lates... $15 if it does) kids 12 and under are free, and send them home at a decent hour, and they WILL be back. Whenever you see parents carrying sleeping kds out halfway through the show, you've probably seen them for the last time.

I hope someone will get this... 12 divisions is not only far too many for one night, it's far too many PERIOD!

THAT'S the point. If you think I'm trying to take the fun out of it for the drivers, you have it all backwards. I want the fun to be put back into it for the FANS!

[OrlandoGraphix]

Jerry - You weren't there....

Okay Jerry... you and I are friends... but this is gonna get a little dirty...

***Note that none of this is a personal attack... just an opinion***

The initial part of your post was actually a decent idea with some good merit... but then you followed by pointing out the average car count and made negative points directed at someone who is TRYING to do something NEW... Which if I recall, has been what you (and many others) have wanted to see all along... Something different tried! I think that is where you went a stray... after all - you weren't there!

It's not as if Rusty asked you to pay $20.00 to come out and be part of it... he offered Grandstand Admission for FREE and yet those who feel that they have a voice weren't even there to support it...

How can you offer suggestions or improvements for an event you haven't even witnessed?

That would be like trying to tell an airline pilot how to fly when the closest you have come to a cockpit was the "If You Had Wings" ride at Disney...

I'm not trying to be nasty... I just wish before you commented on the car counts and averages (btw one division had 17 cars!) you would have come to support the event in the first place!

Now... that being said...

The invite was made to ANYONE, ANY DIVISION to come and HAVE FUN!

And if you were there yesterday... that is what you would have seen... Fans in the Stands HAVING FUN... Cars/Drivers HAVING FUN... Officials/Staff HAVING FUN... I must say... it was an entirely different atmosphere there yesterday... and IT WAS FUN!

81 cars/drivers came out to HAVE FUN... and the fans DID get to see a lot great racing... and as said before... IT WAS FUN!

and F-Y-I... the Bandoleros (young guns & bandits) ran a combined race and the JR Stocks ran a combined race... back to my initial point that you weren't there!

[Frasson118]

Mark... here is my quote: "although I give Rusty and crew credit for trying to do SOMETHING anyways!"

How is that being negative towards "someone who is trying to do something different".. ?

My point is, why does any track, anywhere, need 12 divisions of racing to choose from? If people want to get involved in racing, give them 5 choices of what to build, not 12. Did they have 12 divisions in New England where you grew up? They didn't in NY. They don't in Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Maine, etc.... and you don't see it in dirt racing in any state.

Why just Florida? Isn't that possibly the root to the whole problem our tracks are in?

Also, I was not just pointng out that the average on Friday was very low, I'm pointing out that in some divisions it's very low ALL the time... even when their IS an admission price for the fans, AND a paid purse to the drivers. I'm not critcizing Rusty for trying something new. I respect the Hell out of Rusty for thinking outside the box. I just believe that having too many choices dilutes the entire pool.

Looking at a CCMP post a few days ago, I was pointing out the same thing. Bobby Diehl stated that he was tweaking the rules among FIVE different Late Modle rule books to let them compete against each other. Why in the hell do we need FIVE rule books for 1 class? There should be 2... open motors and Crates. That's it. You can't make me believe that we really need seperate divisions for Super Stocks, Strictly Stocks, Hurricanes, and whatever the hell an "Outlaw Strictly Stock" is. Isn't that an oxymoron unto itself?

I'm not bashing Rusty, OSW, the crew that works there or anything else, other than the FACT that 12 divisions IS TOO MANY!

I'm all for everyone having fun... but since noone gets my point here, I'll quit beating a dead horse. Apparently the Promoters from around the country that attend the RPM workshops don't have a clue either. Most of them run a 4or 5 division show.

But it's just me being negative, once again!

[catman]

Maybe it's time to consider "bracket" racing out there. For example, if you are a 15 second-per lap car, you are in one group. If you run a 16 second car, you are in another. make it where comparable SPEEDS race against each other, rather than comparable rule books.
I'm not saying to put a Bandelero on the same track as a Late Model, but Super Stock, Strictly Stock, Mini Stocks, Hurricanes, etc... there should be SOME way to make a 20 car feature instead of 3 seperate 7 car features.

OSW doesn't seem to mind the differnce in the size of cars racing against each other in the Strictly Stock class. Tweak it some to make it something the FANS would want to see. 82 cars in 12 seperate divisions in nothing to brag about... although I give Rusty and crew credit for trying to do SOMETHING anyways!

Just for a point of reference... the Crate Late Models at Pensacola had 67 cars in ONE class. They needed a B-Main for the Modifieds, 2 for the Crates, and 2 for the SLM cars. I know it's not even comparable, but you have to do SOMETHING to cut down on the number of classes you all are running. Far too many to make a decent show. An average of 7 is horrible.

Not to bad of an idea at all

[Cara]

OSW had a Winter Points Series almost 10 years ago when we first started racing this car we have now. The regular season ended early and they had a winter one where we raced for not only trophies but we were also paid for where we finished. It was nice because we kept our regular classes and didn't add any. My husband and I took turns racing (when they gave the points to the car number not the driver) and we finished 7th that season. I liked racing during that time because we were able to learn alot and yes we did have fun doing it.

My husband decided for us not to racing the new Winter Series since we had so many other things that needed to be done and we could not afford to race and do the other projects. I have been also out of work since school started, only substituting when they need me. Hope to be able to race full time next year since I start my new job in January.

I wish everyone the best of luck during the winter series. I plan on attending the PRI show this coming week and the Charity truck race. Chris and I have our t-shirts and we have pledge money for this event.

[Boneman]

I loved the racing on Saturday afternoons! I am very lucky to have a Friday night so close to home, but every time I race it is a big rush (because of work) and I am tired out (also because of work). Yesterday was a really nice, but of course it is not an option for hot weather.

Why not make Sunday afternoon the "Rain date" for any Friday or Saturday show that is lost to weather?

BTW: Cara, you are racing the same car as you did 10 years ago?

[Cara]

Yes, it is the same car except the engine was rebuilt a few years ago and we replaced on right front fender when my husband hit Homer's car one night. (that is why he doesn't drive it anymore)

[Todd McCreary]

.well, for fear of censorship let's just say "the dark lords(and ladies) whose names we dare not speaketh

Darth Jane, the Sith Lady?

oops. i accidently speakethed it. i sure hope she doesn't make me start at the back next week.

[Jane]

Todd - punishment for you would be making you start up front since you and your dad both hate that. But I would never punish you, you bring too much joy to my life.

As for everyone else, we did this just for fun. Doesn't matter how many cars or how many divisions are there, we are having fun. Didn't Clyde Hart say it only takes two cars to make a race, well, we made alot of races then. Sorry if you don't like it but then again, you aren't one of the drivers who came for whatever reason and had fun. Some came to test their cars, others came because they had never raced before but whatever the reason, it was done in the name of FUN. Not making fans happy wasn't a factor because the fans were happy because they got to see racing at no cost on a perfect Saturday afternoon. They were iinformed that we did not know how many cars or what divisions would race because I could not make a schedule up until I knew who and what divisions were there. I didn't hear one complaint except on this message board how wrong we were to offer this to fans and racers.

Sorry you missed the fun but we will have fun again this Saturday at 7 p.m. Schedule and divisions will be unknown until they get there. If you want to, think of it as a TEST and TUNE night except cars will run a race and not single practice.