JohnyC

Sometimes you win the lottery and sometimes you go from north east modified racing to nascar. It isn’t impossible but the odds are clearly against it happening. I think any dad can share the learnings outlined above. I consider that a basic responsibility that accompanies parenting. But I digress. I think what some, scratch that, let’s just say me, find hard in these examples to relate to is the money. I’m not a poor person by any stretch but even as a regular joe it’s hard to comprehend setting a 12 year old up in a modified program. I hear colleagues of mine from work talk about having their kids in AA hockey and travelling for tournaments, etc all year round and that’s a big deal. In some cases I have heard from some that they have spent $10,000 in one winter. And that’s a big damn number. But this is like 20 times that amount. So for a regular guy dishing out 200k on a 12 year old for a hobby is tough to wrap my head around. Lastly I suppose at the end of the day I hope it works and I mean that in all seriousness. The sport can’t afford not to have new faces and it is not cheap so people with money are what’s needed.

That’s a good point. If he’s old enough to race then he is old enough to be accountable for his actions. So long as everyone knows that going in it should be fine

Forget the age thing for a second. How the heck does anyone regard this as a springboard to the next level of racing? Although, as noted, I don’t agree with a 12 year old racing at this level, I guess I could kinda understand it if they had some exceptional results in a lower class. But this is not the case. In any event I don’t think the BB class can afford to turn anyone away. And honestly, some parents are crazy so all this leads me to believe that it’s a 12 year old this year and sometime in the not too distant future it will be a 10 year old.

So wait, he was racing at 11 in a sportsman? I trust he was winning races and finishing inside the top 5 consistently which is why he is moving up. And Bob, this isn’t tennis or golf. Operating a race car at 11 or 12 years of age is a not remotely comparable to ball sports.

I’m debating buying a new dirt bike for our oldest (he’s 8). I guess this is a sobering reminder of how much money others have. I’m struggling to come to grips with $1,500 on a bike, while these guys are likely dropping somewhere north of $200,000. Yeah, I guess I’m just a little jealous.

I can’t imagine many, if any, making money.

So Matt is in the $370,000 to $380,000 range. Dang that’s a big year and yet it still feels like he left a lot on the table. Was he not light on the scales in Fonda (maybe I’m misremembering) which would have been a $25,000 second place finish? I think those SDS rainouts that weren’t rescheduled hurt him more than they hurt MW. Either way those events, If run, could have pushed him above the $400,000 mark

Will be interesting to see how others who followed last year respond; whether they recommit or move in a new direction.

Interesting article on Ryan Godown on the main page. Paraphrasing here but in short the team owner has no plans to follow the SDS tour again. Simply too expensive. Hoping another offer comes but nothing as of yet. It sucks too because he is a great racer who finished 7th in the series but as the article mentions they just don’t have the $$$ to compete against the bigger and better funded teams.

I’ve advocated for limits, not in the form of caps but as others have raised make the rules so that a $5,000 crate is on the same playing field as an open motor. If a guy wants to spend $60,000 on an engine let him. But adjust the rules in the form of weight breaks, tires, etc so that the Engine performance advantage is offset. Sure there might not be a huge problem right now with attendance, but you need to think 5-10 years ahead if you want to keep this sport going. And decisions today will have consequences down the road. But I worry that people just aren’t listening. It’s like the 358 super dirt car tour. multiple competitors on this very forum said they wouldn’t do it again and provided reasons. Did anyone take note or did their voices ring hollow?

So if they race every Saturday and start April 4th, the 16 race schedule would be done by the end of July. Is this something new? I guess I’m just not used to tracks ending their season so early

Oh I agree. Sad but true. I know I am seeing the world through rose coloured glasses but I just wish there was the ability to put a cap on the spending to level the field. Then we get to see who’s best, not who has the most money or the time to devout entirely to the sport and not try and get things ready on the side while working and balancing family. In any event I’m just a fan and trying to hang on. It’s certainly not what it used to be, but it’s better then other sports to watch which are even more extreme.

It sucks that money is the difference and sadly we are seeing this is many sports, not just auto racing. Barriers exist where ones weren’t previously present. Unless your parents have the time and money, things like hockey aren’t as easily accessible and it’s frustrating. I wish every kid was on the same footing but that’s just not has it is. And same with racing. Everyone has a budget and at the end of the day there will always be some that can leverage their war chest where others cannot. I do think it’s a bit strange how much some teams are willing to sink into racing with little to no chance of ROI but who am I to question how others are spending their hard earned money

It’s what I’ve said for a long time that the rich teams like Halmar, Wight, HBR, etc are both the best and worst thing that could happen to the sport.

I hope they are listening Lance. I love that you are speaking up and I hope they take action to improve the series based on the recommendations that you and Kyle have provided. Not every decision should be based on what works for the Wight’s of the world. It would be a pretty small tour if the only followers were the super well funded teams.