From my vantage point the only class that is doing well in Upstate NY is the Crate Dirt Sportsman. Are the asphalt tracks trying to do smoothing similar? Also, dirt tires seem to be less expensive long-term. What are the asphalt track's doing?
What are the asphalt tracks doing?
Not trying to be overly sarcastic, but from my point of view, all the asphalt tracks are doing is closing up...…
Sad situation.
Yes many years of money grabbing from the racers has killed asphalt racing in NYS .. sanctioning fees,pit pad fees,price gouging with tires and minimum fuel purchases sure helped with this....promotors don’t promote,they just open the doors and expect racers to show, then they put a stupid sign on the way out of the pits saying “thanks you are the show” Insulting LMAO.. WCIS and Oswego have done their homework getting big fields and nice crowds..Oh I’m sure I’ll get calls on this one (AGAIN) as we know all track owners and promotors read here on RACE NY..
We will be open again in the little town called Perry, NY. Some minor tweaks and our 2019 season looks very promising.
- Dakota J. Packman
The Bullring, Wyoming county Int’l Speedway
minor tweaks ??
....................................
We will be open again in the little town called Perry, NY. Some minor tweaks and our 2019 season looks very promising.
- Dakota J. Packman
The Bullring, Wyoming county Intl Speedway
Well that statement just about sums up the state of asphalt racing in NY
We will be open again in the little town called Perry, NY. Some minor tweaks and our 2019 season looks very promising.
- Dakota J. Packman
The Bullring, Wyoming county Int’l Speedway
Well that statement just about sums up the state of asphalt racing in NY
What’s that supposed to mean?
Yes many years of money grabbing from the racers has killed asphalt racing in NYS .. sanctioning fees,pit pad fees,price gouging with tires and minimum fuel purchases sure helped with this....promotors don’t promote,they just open the doors and expect racers to show, then they put a stupid sign on the way out of the pits saying “thanks you are the show” Insulting LMAO.. WCIS and Oswego have done their homework getting big fields and nice crowds..Oh I’m sure I’ll get calls on this one (AGAIN) as we know all track owners and promotors read here on RACE NY..
I've been away from the "participant" side of racing for quite a while, so I'm not all that familiar with the requirements about fuel and tires that you mention. However, look at it this way.....over the years, things like roller valvetrains, CNC prepared cylinder heads, billet crankshafts, specialty carburetors, race-specific "coil-overs", Wilwood calipers, race tires that last 50-60 laps, etc, etc, have all added to the expense of fielding a race car. Even a couple of guys with good paying jobs, working together, would have a hard time financing a front-running modified.
Combine that with the social climate of today, where the automobile, and the competition of automobiles, is on the decline, and that, IMHO, is a major factor in the demise of local, short track racing. Furthermore, property taxes are on the rise, all over, due to a number of Government inefficiencies (that's a completely different, very debated topic), and the race track promoter/owner is in a tough spot. In western NY, you might get in 12 weeks of racing, but your tax bill covers all 52 weeks of your ownership. And when you're NOT getting 4000 "fans in the stands", at $5-6 per, that tracks like Spencer USED to get, it's VERY tough to operate a successful facility.
Leadfoot accurately brought to light many factors that are working against asphalt (and other) racing today.
While I am also away from the sport as a participant, I try to follow the sport as a fan and keep up on the changes in technology. To that point, I found the recent article in the October 2018 Speedway Illustrated, Page 74, about rebuilding shocks very interesting.
Back in 1971, I was the Shock Specialist for the garage build asphalt modified we raced at Shangri La, Spencer, Fulton and occasionally Oswego. The reason I was the shock guy was because I was then the proud owner of a 1963 Chrysler 300 coupe. Sears sold heavy duty shocks for $6.99 when they were on sale. Regular price was $7.99 each but a $4.00 savings at that time was 8 gallons of Sunoco 260 gas for the racecar. I went to Sears with my race partner and purchased a pair of rear heavy shocks that fit my Chrysler. My partner bought the same pair of rear shocks for his "'63 Chrysler." Dude at the parts counter never even raised an eyebrow. We took the shocks home and installed them on the modified - same shock on each corner.
Sears had a Lifetime Guarantee on their shocks. In case you haven't guessed it, we never spent another dime on damaged or worn out shocks. I don't know the cost of shocks today, but I hear drivers in the winners circle take time to single out and thank their shock specialists and I believe I saw an advertisement that you could lease shocks rather than purchase them. None of them mention Sears?
Back to the article in Speedway Illustrated - It emphasized the importance of having a shock dyno if you want to be able to have the correct valving and be competitive.
Coincidently, on page 90, same issue, you can own a variable speed shock dyno which can be purchased for a mere $19,995.00.
Even with little or no cost for shocks back in 1971, by 1976 we had to throw in the towel as the cost of racing exceeded our money supply.
I'll be in the grandstands at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee on Friday night. A $20.00 senior ticket is a great bargain.....
Moselli
"Moselli", thank you for the compliment.........….and no wonder Sears is in deep financial trouble today.
Just kidding, of course!!
One other thing I forgot to mention before, is the circular (no pun) effect of the high cost of fielding a race car. Fewer cars on the track, often translates to fewer fans in the stands. For people like me, I grew up going to tracks such as the 'Monroe County Fairgrounds' (yes, a dirt track!), 'Spencer Speedway', 'Lancaster Speedway', and occasionally 'Fulton Raceway', and/or Oswego. The one thing they all had in common, was a "full field" of race cars, driven by well known drivers. Any track you went to, in the late 60s-late 70s, was pretty much a collection of "who's who" in modified racing.
Can you say that today? Not really. Yes, some tracks will advertise that they have 60-70 race cars in the pits, but maybe only 12-14 of them are "full tilt modifieds", like we "old-timers" used to watching. The rest are various 4 and 6 cylinder "hobby cars". No disrespect to the guys in the hobby cars, but when a spectator is used to watching the 140 MPH "land missile modifieds", watching a bunch of FWD Hondas and Dodge Neons, running 65-70 MPH, just isn't going to be a big enough attraction to fill the grandstands. Hell, I used to see the 65-75 MPH racers on my way to work, on I490 through Rochester, before I retired....
My post above was not a bash in any way,shape or form towards the ROC modified series..
Can you say that today? Not really. Yes, some tracks will advertise that they have 60-70 race cars in the pits, but maybe only 12-14 of them are "full tilt modifieds", like we "old-timers" used to watching. The rest are various 4 and 6 cylinder "hobby cars". No disrespect to the guys in the hobby cars, but when a spectator is used to watching the 140 MPH "land missile modifieds", watching a bunch of FWD Hondas and Dodge Neons, running 65-70 MPH, just isn't going to be a big enough attraction to fill the grandstands. Hell, I used to see the 65-75 MPH racers on my way to work, on I490 through Rochester, before I retired....
No disrespect taken (I race a 6cyl) but just to throw in another viewpoint I personally have no interest in racing anything carborated because I’ve never worked on them. Where’s the 8cyl or modified that’s fuel injected? These aren’t new technologies but somehow the racing world has fallen behind or refused to accept them. My interest would be sparked if some more technologies on my street car made it into a modified. Until then, I’ll stick with my 6cyl that I can relate to and know how to work on.
Brandon
No disrespect taken (I race a 6cyl) but just to throw in another viewpoint I personally have no interest in racing anything carborated because I’ve never worked on them. Where’s the 8cyl or modified that’s fuel injected? These aren’t new technologies but somehow the racing world has fallen behind or refused to accept them. My interest would be sparked if some more technologies on my street car made it into a modified. Until then, I’ll stick with my 6cyl that I can relate to and know how to work on.
Brandon
Brandon, you bring up a good point. Yes, it took NASCAR a long time, to switch the "Cup Cars" to EFI, and move into the 21st century. Having said that, it appears that most of the 4 and 6 cylinder classes seem to be built around street cars that are stripped out, then beefed up for running on the ovals. They're also newer cars, so they originally came with a computer controlled, fuel injected engine. Therefore, they do embody the original concept of "stock car racing". And from a rules enforcement point of view, I would think that a cursory check of each competitor's ECU would be enough of a "tech inspection".
With a modified, two things come to mind. The first, is that "modifieds" are no longer modified anythings. They have evolved into "scratch built" race cars, with bodywork that still sort of resembles the General Motors "J cars" from the early 80s. Because of that, in order to run an EFI engine, the computer controls would have to be added on to the car. This would add more cost to an already expensive race car. Secondly, at most tracks where they run, (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I think the current modifieds are limited to a specific CFM rated 4 barrel carb, an attempt to hold engine costs down, as well as car speeds, to a certain degree. I think an EFI unit on a modified would be harder to "police", consequently they stick with a carburetor.
But I do see where you're coming from.
Cook, Evans, and countless local/regional drivers were once lauded for taking a frame out of a junkyard and giving it new life as a race car. Not so anymore. The six cylinder division at Spencer and WCIS is probably the closest embodiment to that era of true American 'stock' car racing that there is around here (minus the vintage cars).
I completely understand the sentiment from a fan's perspective, though. More power, more noise and ultimately more speed. As a driver, the same applies... with the added factor of safety. If you're ready to go faster, there's only so many MPH you can responsibly go with a modern unibody car.
I'm old.... I like old. A 14 year old chassis just won @ MVS. Knowing your shi...stuff helps IMMENSELY.
When I see street stocks roll out of stackers I think the world (racing wise) is out of whack.