NOT nascar BIG 3 - Late Model / Modified Thread

[Bob Riebe]

I agree, those things are one reason I rarely go to short track races unless the are sprint cars.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by Matt

I hate these sheds on wheels.

But IMO more fun to watch than asphalt modifieds.

Of course dirt sprint cars are even better.

[Matt]

Disagree entirely on both counts.

[fieldodreams79]

I mentioned this in grim reaping thread but worth mentioning here. Ted Christopher, modified legend, quite frankly, died this weekend in a plane crash. He was 59.

Seems that every modified race that I've seen on my TV had Ted in the conversation. Condolences to his family and friends.

[Nick Woodbury]

I've been going to the Saturday races in both the summer and the fall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 2002, and I always remember seeing the black-blue and silver #13 modified...and in later years, his Red #36 competing for wins almost every time. Quite a shock to have found out about his death yesterday. Very sad indeed.








On another note, I'll be making the trip again this coming weekend to Loudon for the Saturday races, and more importantly the last time the circle racers will be coming to Loudon for the September races, so I am sure there will be a fitting service for Ted.

[FormulaFox]

Diss the dirt mods all you want, but there are several very good reasons why they're becoming increasingly popular.

Though I wish they'd go back to the mid-90s narrowbody forms to help them stand out from limited late models;

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Nick Woodbury

I've been going to the Saturday races in both the summer and the fall at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 2002, and I always remember seeing the black-blue and silver #13 modified...and in later years, his Red #36 competing for wins almost every time. Quite a shock to have found out about his death yesterday. Very sad indeed.








On another note, I'll be making the trip again this coming weekend to Loudon for the Saturday races, and more importantly the last time the circle racers will be coming to Loudon for the September races, so I am sure there will be a fitting service for Ted.

His Speedbowl 13 was at the track last night, as it stays in the same trailer as the #19 Street Stock. After the announcement was made at the track, the car owner drove it around the track for two laps slowly in tribute.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Matt

His Speedbowl 13 was at the track last night, as it stays in the same trailer as the #19 Street Stock. After the announcement was made at the track, the car owner drove it around the track for two laps slowly in tribute.

That must have been "a moment".

He was still more than just active correct? As in, he was not only still competing, he was running towards the front?

[Matt]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

That must have been "a moment".

He was still more than just active correct? As in, he was not only still competing, he was running towards the front?

Oh god yeah. He won at Stafford on Sept 8, and one of Thompson's two SK features on the 10th.

ALWAYS at the front, I believe he had 6 wins this year in an SK at Stafford alone.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Matt

Oh god yeah. He won at Stafford on Sept 8, and one of Thompson's two SK features on the 10th.

ALWAYS at the front, I believe he had 6 wins this year in an SK at Stafford alone.

I thought so.

Been a minute since I've been able to catch any of the races outside the top three.

Impressive for a man pushing 60...

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by FormulaFox

Diss the dirt mods all you want, but there are several very good reasons why they're becoming increasingly popular.

Though I wish they'd go back to the mid-90s narrowbody forms to help them stand out from limited late models;

Unfortunately, many of the dirt tracks (especially in the Southeast) are closing...

[Matt]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I thought so.

Been a minute since I've been able to catch any of the races outside the top three.

Impressive for a man pushing 60...

Yeah, the battles him and Keith Rocco have had over the years have been tremendous.

Keith's first job was working on TC's car when he was way young, so he learned everything from him, and it shows.

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

Unfortunately, many of the dirt tracks (especially in the Southeast) are closing...

We have the opposite problem up here - asphalt tracks are struggling.

Ultimately I think the country got oversaturated with short tracks so of course a lot will be closing now that weekend short tracking isn't as big a deal as it once was.

But that's actually one of the reasons those modifieds are growing so much in areas where tracks aren't closing. A track that can't afford to run with the payouts for high-dollar machines needs something that's fun for drivers(drivers LOVE those modifieds), cheap to operate, and still puts on a heck of a show for the fans.

At the near half-mile track I raced on, our top modifieds were only half a second slower than the crate late models, and they're half the cost to run. (too bad I did not have the talent to be competitive in those things despite having a track championship in the limiteds)

In this day and age the high-dollar equipment needs to be limited to the touring championships. The weekly stuff needs to be cost-effective.

[Matt]

Where'd you run?

[FormulaFox]

Originally Posted by Matt

Where'd you run?

I'd rather not say specifically what track I raced at weekly due to my inherent desire for privacy, but I'm happy to give you a general area; Eastern Ohio/western PA. Just west of Big Block territory, in fact.

Tracks I've run include(but are not limited to) Raceway 7, Sharon, Eriez, 250, and Mercer.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by FormulaFox

We have the opposite problem up here - asphalt tracks are struggling.

Ultimately I think the country got oversaturated with short tracks so of course a lot will be closing now that weekend short tracking isn't as big a deal as it once was.

But that's actually one of the reasons those modifieds are growing so much in areas where tracks aren't closing. A track that can't afford to run with the payouts for high-dollar machines needs something that's fun for drivers(drivers LOVE those modifieds), cheap to operate, and still puts on a heck of a show for the fans.

At the near half-mile track I raced on, our top modifieds were only half a second slower than the crate late models, and they're half the cost to run. (too bad I did not have the talent to be competitive in those things despite having a track championship in the limiteds)

In this day and age the high-dollar equipment needs to be limited to the touring championships. The weekly stuff needs to be cost-effective.

The two asphalt tracks near me still exist but no longer hold races. Ones towards South and Middle GA struggling as well, if not closed (one appeared in the Cars 3 / Dodge Commercials here recently).

Definitely an over-saturation from the 70s on, but there's at least 3 dirt tracks in NE GA still going decent and a boxing ring that also holds Saturday night dirt races to my west.

[NaBUru38]

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West will race together at Gateway Motorsports Park. The 150-lap Midwest Melee will Friday, August 24, prior to IndyCar qualifying.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West will race at the Las Vegas dirt track on Thursday, September 13, supporting the Mosnter Energy Cup, Xfinity and Trucks races. It will be the series’ first race on dirt since 1979 at Ascot Park.

[NaBUru38]

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West will race together at Gateway Motorsports Park. The 150-lap Midwest Melee will Friday, August 24, prior to IndyCar qualifying.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West will race at the Las Vegas dirt track on Thursday, September 13, supporting the Mosnter Energy Cup, Xfinity and Trucks races. It will be the series’ first race on dirt since 1979 at Ascot Park.

[NaBUru38]

Today it's the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink, a midget race at the new quarter-mile dirt oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will be held over 39 laps, and the winner will get US$ 15 k.

https://autoweek.com/article/other-m...ps-usac-record

[Nick Woodbury]

nascar's instability is felt even at the developmental level. The big heads down in Daytona Beach have decided it best to ultimately cancel the upcoming K&N series race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on June 15th due to a severe lack of entries. From what I understand and have heard, only 7-9 entries have committed to the June 15th Thompson weekend.

Headquarters published a scant press release on the matter today.



As a result, the scheduled support (and weekly) series that will be in attendance will take up the slack, including the American Canadian Tour Late Model Series, which will replace the K&N series as the main attraction.

It is very saddening to see how far the K&N Thompson events and the K&N series in general have fallen over the past decade. In fact, I was in attendance at the 2018 K&N Thompson race and the series garnered only 14 confirmed entires, 13 of which ended up taking the green flag. What's more, the K&N East series's crown jewel event at NHMS late last year (which I was also in attendance) only managed to get 17 entries. Keep in mind NHMS used to be the biggest draw for the K&N development drivers and the biggest payout (obviously).

Long gone are the days of a surplus of development drivers and well established Busch North veterans making for a wholesomely enjoyable series overall. Case and point, the 2012 G-Oil 100 (which I was also in attendance) is one that immediately sticks out to me as one of the greater K&N (Camping World East Series at that time) races post 2010, take note that there were 36 starters for this race -https://youtu.be/3LNYwUblaMQ?t=208.


Everyone knows by now that nascar is struggling immensely, but it this is the first time that I have seen circumstances reach the point where the series is left with no choice but to cancel an official nascar weekend because of an acute lack of interest.

[fieldodreams79]

This is a bummer, Nick.

I wonder how deep and far reaching the impact at the top are having on local series. I know they're all struggling, but this kinda thing don't help.

[NaBUru38]

So the Indiana State Fairgrounds will no longer host the USAC Silver Crown's Hoosier Hundred.


How about one of the horse racing tracks, Hoosier Park or Indiana Grand?

[fieldodreams79]

Ugg, that's not good:

Saw this a little while ago...

https://twitter.com/ChrisDyson16/sta...11400095670278

An article too....

https://racingnews.co/2019/04/02/ind...osier-hundred/

[broadrun96]

Yeah, Robin Miller was beating the drum to get everyone out for the last running at the fairgrounds. It apparently was a cost of maintenance thing and they are tearing out the dirt. The last I'd heard they still hadn't confirmed a venue yet. The temp dirt track at Indy was proposed but it's usually Indy weekend and that's not gonna fly.

[fieldodreams79]

Not the way I'd like give this a bump, but 9 Time NASCAR Touring Series champ Mike Stefanik was killed in a ultra light plane crash.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mot...ash/ar-AAHlhTa