NSS World Series

[Winger]

take a guy who dominates every week and keep adding weight to his car till the playing field is level . that takes money out of the equation and gives the little guy a chance . do this consistantly each week in every class and more cars will come now that they have a chance . enforce the rulebook for EVERYONE .

You need to be careful doing this. You may just be penalizing the guy that has done his homework or hit on something that works.

[straight up]

doesnt matter , the fans dont want to see the same car win every week . im not talking about winning by a nose . just the usual half a lap or more . if all cars are legal by the rulebook , doing your homework aint gonna let you be THAT much better . racing needs to get back to driver and setup , not who has the most money or cheats the best . although that seems to be the fla way of racing .

[Mike Bresnahan]

Tim,
The only reason I went to Dirt was because it was a new challenge, more affordable, and a lot less work. It remended me a lot of how pavement was when I first started racing. Above all, it was a hobby again, and fun, not a job.

The last two years I raced Sunbelt, me and a few other drivers (working class drivers) lobbied for some of these changes. But because a hand ful of teams had to have that testing edge and financial advantage, the powers that be told us to "quit crying poor mouth". I tried to explain obviously the 12 -15 cars we were getting could deal with it, but it was the dozens home on jack stands that couldn't. The response was "We'd rather have the 12 best cars than 24 also rans".

To race a super late model at a high level takes an extreme commitment and an awful lot of labor. Commintment and dedication are free but will only take you so far. The last year I ran Sunbelt we finished 3rd in points with 3 wins and 3 poles. We were the only team in the top 6 with zero paid employees, only one car, and one engine.

Eventually you just get burned out and need to do something else for a while. But yeah, if it could be fun for me, I'd go back in a heart beat.

[Tim]

Mike, so you know, I wish I had all the answers. But I will tell you first and foremost as a track manager, I appreciated every time you showed up, you always had a great attitude, your team represented you well, and when I saw you pull in, I knew you were another contender. Hope we get you back, just give it time.

[Frasson118]

Mike didn't say it, but that quote came from Don Nerone, I'm sure (because he said the same thing to me, during a radio broadcast that LOTS of people heard). His quote to me was "we don't WANT 40 cars. We only want the 20 BEST cars". The inside joke is that he kept adjusting that number from 20 best, to 12 best, to 8 best, to 6 best. Mike must have talked to him a year after I did!

And that's exactly what he got... 6 guys that can run up front, and over 100 Late Models in Florida that sit home.

[Tim]

Jerry, stay focused, today's problem has nothing to do with Don. He's been gone for two years. 2 World Series, 2 Gov Cups, and so on....times are changing finally and it will hopefully create a racing enviroment where Mike and Rich (Pratt) can come back to asphalt and feel they can compete. (Rich sorry to here about your dad). Everything is headed in the right direction. We all need to stay positive about the future.

[Mike Bresnahan]

As soon as this cast comes off I have a couple offers to do some late model racing on pavement, and I'm really getting the itch to get my dirt car back out again. Don't think I'll be back asphalt racing as an owner again until my kids are old enough though.
I really miss the technical side of pavement racing, and it suits my driving style a whole lot better than dirt does, but damn, the dirt is so much fun and challenging..... Just blowing laps on a dirt track is fun in and of itself, then mix in three different grooves and 23 other maniacs with their cars all jacked up and out of control..... hard to beat that feeling from where I sit!!!!

[bubba]

I will tell you what there was no shortage of money being spent in the pits at VSP for the late models. Full on Cup level rigs with multiple motors/cars, etc they are spending some money there too. The show that was put on was exactly how Mike described it - 2-3 wide out of control mayhem and very fun to watch. I can definitely see the appeal for the guy like Mike.

[Tim]

Focus Bubba!!! You need a wingman!!!.... lmao

[Tim]

I get it Mike. I assure you. From watching you race, you are calculated, strategic, and always on the move. That was the pleasure in watching you race. You never made a move unless you knew it was your position to take. Again watching you race was always a pleasure, as long as your on dirt...give them hell the way you did on asphalt and wear them out!!!

[Jane]

Mike, I missed you on asphalt when you left and wrote you and you explained to me why you did and I understood. I too now have switched to dirt and to be honest found it much more exciting than asphalt ever was. Three wide racing is fun to watch. I admit there are some big rigs in dirt racing also but the ones with the big rigs also seem to race other tracks, the United Dirt Late Model Challenge, and go to tracks out of the state also like Golden Isles, Waycross, etc.

I love watching you in a road course car and you know that one. We had a blast in Sebring those two years and you can definitely wheel a road course with the best of them. And I loved it every time you came for a Sunbelt race and I got to see you. But family comes first no matter what and I understood that you felt that way also.

One day I will make it to Ocala to see you race and maybe one day you will come to Volusia and race like Rich has. But I will see you again I know. And no matter what you race in or on - dirt or asphalt - I know you have fun and fun is the name of the game in this since you ain't going to get rich racing and we all know that. When the fun is gone, you need to quit for awhile and remember why you loved this crazy sport in the first place.

I still much rather watch a good local race than a NASCAR race any day of the week.

[Frasson118]

Tim... my only point was, things that were said, by Don, are still having an effect on the racers from 2, 3, and 4 years ago. His attitude killed it for a lot of racers, and burned racers normally have a long memory.

I know it's different, you know it's different, but until the racers come back out, THEY don't know it's different. The trick is getting them back out there, and give them hope that they can compete with the others talents... not by having to match their checkbooks.

[Tim]

Jerry, the problem was that track owners, promoters, officials, ect. had bigger ego's than their racers. It seems to be getting better across the state.

[Frasson118]

From what I could see, it was mainly Don N and John S with the big egos, and see what it got both of them? Short fields, pissed off racers, empty grandstands, and a hell of a lot of work for their succesors to clean up (Desoto hasn't faced this yet... John's still there).

And yes, I does seem to be getting better across the state. Mainly, I believe, because more things are being controlled by people willing to listen and respond. Ken Kinney, Mike Peters, Kim Brown, the people that run Citrus, Rex Guy... racers actually LIKE these people. They don't talk down to their racers, even if theres a problem. Mike B. was told to "quit crying poor mouth"... is THAT the way you'd like to be treated? Would YOU keep coming back for more of the same?

You can't make any headway with someone who already knows-it-all, and many, many racers quit bothering.

Yes it's 2 years later, but the damage that was done at that time will take a long time to recover from. Burns don't heal overnight.

[Tim]

You are right Jerry. WIthout the racers there is no racing.