I think I'm done with racing....

[Todd McCreary]

All's I here from you guys is that 13 year old kid. No name.

Logan Ruffin. i've already mentioned him once.

i know the kids are an issue in truck racing as well. not that some of the adults aren't problems, but the kids regularly are.



that's why it is racing, not just fast cars going in circles.

shut yo mouth, Jerry.

haven't you watched Indycar, F1 or NASCAR? start the fast cars up front, woooooooh.



My son is the only one that I can speek for.

you do keep taking this as a personal attack, yes.



It don't mean I'm right, but I'm NOT just some idiot that can't keep my trap shut!

who, me?

[Andy S]

Andy mentioned that he heard a lot of teenagers at NNS. Andy do you know anything about those kids racing back ground? What series they came from or how many different types of vehicels they have raced or do you just know their age? I was using my son so you could understand how some of these kids got to LM's.

I'll hold my hands up and admit to total ignorance as to how a lot of these kids got into the higher levels of racing, and have appreciated you explaining where a lot of them come from. The progression you describe for your own son sounds just about perfect as you've taught him to respect the sport as he develops, and not just sat him in a fast car and rolled him out onto the track.

My comments about NSS and OSW are just borne out from my experiences watching this year, and it's interesting that Todd points out how this does seem to be an issue in the truck racing in particular. I think my post about NSS on Saturday night was the one that started OJ thinking about this as you had the two extremes - a 14yr old who got to the front of the truck race and deservedly held that position to win ahead of some experienced drivers, but who then jumped into a late model and had a pretty bad crash that saw the ambulance on the track for a long time while they checked him out. I also know that I've seen a lot of younger drivers this year at those two tracks and all but a handful have either run in the middle of the pack - and that in some pretty small fields at times - or have been wrecking all over the place and are constantly sent to the back.

I think drivers like your son are the real exceptions to the rule, and I know from the other racing I've seen that there *are* genuine prodigies out there who can handle the higher level of racing much earlier than an average racer. But I think the concern people are showing is more for the kids who, with the best will in the world, can never aspire to much more than being in the top 5 of points at their local track for the highpoint of their careers, but who are being shoved into cars that are way beyond their ability level because the dream is that if they can win in those a lucrative national career will follow.

I'm just a spectator, but that really makes me feel uneasy. There should always be a way to fast-track genuinely talented youngsters, but to me some of these kids are just like the poor kids pushed onto TV talent shows when they obviously can't sing. In that case they just get humiliated on national TV. Driving an SLM around a fast race track when they shouldn't be there has potentially much more serious consequences than being made to look stupid.

[Rick Williamson]

Ok next subject!

[Osmosis Jones]

Next Subject:

Sporstsman/LLM type race cars:

Relics from the past whose time is past and should all be destroyed? Used up cars and used up drivers? Ban any car numbered 13?


I'm just kidding, Rick......I had to throw something out there for a smile....lol

[ocalasp76]

Sporstsman/LLM type race cars:

Relics from the past whose time is past and should all be destroyed? Used up cars and used up drivers?

HEY HEY HEY !!!
My car and I resemble those remarks........
-GYM-

[Todd McCreary]

Ban any car numbered 13?

you going to let me slide by with a "1.3"?

[Dana Barlow]

Nothing like little to no seat time no matter what age,or just motorcylerace drit track idea of how to drive a turn=go in tell you losted it and then try to save it each turn,well not all dritbikers do it that way,but some,and I had to race a few that moved to cars. Hard headed ones never got better.

[Darren]

sorry

if this has already been mention. Could it be along with a couple of other reasons that NASCAR is losing fans is the fact that they are starting kids that no one knows and has no plans of wearing their t-shirts or caps. What 50ish persons whats to wear a 18 year old stuff or maybe I sure say how many 50ish persons want to spend money on their stuff.

[Frasson118]

Darren... I kinda see your point. For example, how many fans have gotten to see Joey Logano run on the short tracks, do some travelling around and such? How many fans did he earn across the country before "getting there"? Not very many.

Now look at Dick Trickle. He probably ran at well over 100 short tracks all over the country before going to Nascar. Hundreds of thousands of racefans, from all over the US saw him "working his way up", and therefore had a huge amount of support once he got there. Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace... all fall into that category.

Logano, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Juan Pablo, Martin Truex, and several others, do not!

The 50 year olds never saw ANY of those guys working there way up, and seem to have more support for the Stewarts, Martins, etc...

[Todd McCreary]

Logano, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Juan Pablo, Martin Truex, and several others, do not!



Montoya doesn't belong in that list. he was a very experienced racer at an international level before he came to NASCAR and had plenty of fans from outside our little corner of the sport.

[Rick Williamson]

Sporstsman/LLM type race cars:

Relics from the past whose time is past and should all be destroyed? Used up cars and used up drivers? Ban any car numbered 13?


I'm just kidding, Rick......I had to throw something out there for a smile....lol

Anything to slow this string of posts down some.