Too many Touring Series?

[Truck99]

3.) Pro Sedans- no 4 bangers except on dirt

 

Why get rid of a touring class that does not compete with the late model classes? If nothing else the the pro sedans give the crowd a measure by which they can gauge the speed and competition of the "big cars". Most people in the stands come to see racing, the closer the better. The pro sedans give them that and something else! They look like the cars they see on the streets and can relate to.

I don't think he was recommending that the Pro Sedans go away. He was pointing out that they don't compete with any of the local classes at the paved tracks.

 

However, CC does have a weekly 4 cylinder class.

[Jason]

For the record.... I really like TSRS now. Their show has greatly improved with good hard racing and they know how to party!

[Whitey741]

Houston runs local shows but not every week. 13 races this year with no consecutive weeks. I love to race but have enjoyed the extra time to prepare my car. It has also been alot less stressful around the house with family commitments and all.

I have often wondered about the benefit of common rules among tracks and alternating schedules that would allow some to travel if they choose and not have to make changes to cars to comply with rules. That may encourage some to travel and also allow those who choose to stay close to home to do so.

 

Any thoughts on that?

[KahneFan]

3.) Pro Sedans- no 4 bangers except on dirt

 

Why get rid of a touring class that does not compete with the late model classes?

I think fishracer was saying these classes are good. As long as a class is not the same as a local class it is good.

 

 

I agree with SS99. As a fan, I have much more fun when I got to see TAMS one weekend, ARTS the next, USRA the next, TPS the next, TSRS the next... you get the idea. (almost) All while still spending the $12 entry. From my own personal observation, TAMS, USRA, TSRS and Derby's brought the biggest "followings". Not to say the others didn't have decent crowds, these just had the largest followings. So, why not keep these all seperate and try to have almost one every-other weekend or so?

[Budman]

Whitey741,

 

I've thought the same thing for a long time. Guess that would just be way too easy wouldn't it. Four tracks with a common set of rules for say four classes.

[SWitzsche]

I posted before that the touring series were born of either a cancellation of a class or a class getting peeved at the local track they raced at.I truly believe that we should support our local tracks first and foremost and if a racer chooses to join a series it should be of their own conscience decision to do so,not born out of anger or frustration.If a driver and crew chooses to join a series it should be to "try their luck" in a different venue of racing, and yes i do think there are to many touring series and to few tracks to race them at. Also at this time it getting close to being noneconomicaly feasable to race out of town because the winnings are not sufficient to help support a car in all the series,or to even get the car to the track.

[ProTree]

HMP doesnt have to run circle track every week-his money maker is the DRAG STRIP behind the back straight away-they have some of the biggest heads up drag races in the state-they have one coming up sept 17th and 18th that is paying the winner $20,000-(total payout in excess of $70,000)do you see this kind of payout in local circle track-i'll answer it for you "HELL NO"-and for these races they draw 10x's the crowd the circle track does-it's ole school "RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG" drag racing-people are into it,and come to see in mass #'s-even when the BIGDOGS come to test and tune during the week-they make $$$-people come to see the Grudge racing on who's quicker than who and they only run an 1/8 of a mile-they even got a bonus to the 1st one to run a 3 sec pass- you dont believe me-go to www.hotrodgossip.com and see for yourself-like i warned before,this is a NO HOLDs BAR'D WEBSITE-people tell it like it is.They cuss.Nakked girls at the track.They have a pic of a friend of mine from this past weekend with a chic in their pits in a thong and no top on trying to get their attention-and she looks good-believe me-he said so too-if you go looking for the girl ,scroll down to the bottom of the page.if she's gone,go to page 2,it's a busy site.And the thing about these races,they have several a month,of the big $$$ one's-people like seeing the unusal,the wheel standing,bumper dragging,hi horsepowered, side by side,who's faster than who,out of control racing and they have their wagers going just like at the horse track.The problem with the racing spectator today is they get bored in about 4 minutes or less.Why do you think a nascar race is like a circus with their midway of other stuff to do.You got to keep their ATTENTION/ENTERTAIN or they wont come back.With the paying public today,(which is spoiled)bore em once,they mark you off their to do list.

Edited September 15, 2005 by Tommy33

[tsrsfan]

what does the drag racing have to do with a touring series? Was this meant to be in the press release section for an upcoming event? To answer your question about a payout at a circle track, In a month or so in Ft. Worth, they will have a payout in the Millions of dollars and 160,000 fans. SO YES, I DO SEE TEN TIMES THOSE PAYOUTS AND FANS AT A CIRLCE TRACK. How many drag races bring in 160,000 fans?

Edited September 15, 2005 by tsrsfan

[PhotoSHO]

Tommy33 hit the nail on the head. If it weren't for the dragstrip at HMP there probably woundn't be a HMP at this time. Personally I'm not much for drag racing but drag racing and SCCA autoccrossing are the only avenues left where you can run down a race track, compete against others without having a trailered race car. I would hate to see one of the touring series in Texas go out of business, however I wonder how they stay in business, except for the fact that their owners continue to pour lots of their own resources into their series. I've been hearing the rumor of the HMP late model series touring next year. Bad idea. They barely have enough cars to make a race as it is.

[rebelracewriter]

tsrsfan, I would be willing to bet that over the course of several three-day NHRA shows that they have nearly that many walk through the gates. Like IRP for instance.

[ProTree]

tsrs fan-i was just answering uhcougs ? about houston and why they dont run weekly circle track races every week-and we're talking about local racers running for these purses at a local track and the fans it draws on the local level-last time a circle track around here paid anything like that was the "bigshot races"-i've raced at the circle track at hmp-and when i did ,it was "want a purse paid,bring your own"-we're not talking nextel cup,who can compete with a multi billion dollar gorilla

Edited September 15, 2005 by Tommy33

[ford_race_fan 88]

TSRS should get out of the picture. Ever since TSRS became a series, the local tracks car count went down, and if you dont have any cars at the track, then you dont have a good crowd. i remember a long time ago when i used to go to SAS there used to be alot of late models and there would be some bad ass racin (not to say theres not now). But if TSRS went away it would help the local tracks in car counts and crowds. We should just have the SLM, Trucks, Modifieds, Allisons, and Pro-Sedans.

[uhcougs]

Why tour the legacy's? They should be a local show only... My opinon.

 

Personally My Opinon

 

Tour:

 

 

These two tour together:

SLM - current super late model

Trucks - Leave the rules untouched

 

These wo tour together

Late Model (TSRS Style LM) - same as super late model body with TSRS style engine (less horsepower than SLM)

Mods - same rules

 

 

Local

 

LLM (HMP style LM - crate engine on super late model body.... can sell the body, take the engine and go truck racing. OR keep the body - upgrade the engine and go Super Late Model or LM racing) Identical at all tracks to encourage inter-track racing. Have a show down between Thunder Hill and SAS - or SAS and HMP kinna like the TSRS and SAS Twin Races...

 

Your late model classes are all cost dependent... Same bodies - but the most expensive part is the engine is interchangable depending on how much money you want to spend. The Late Model class (current TSRS) would be a higher horsepower crate type motor (not a Crate, but comparable)

 

I think you'd start to see better racing at the late model level.

 

Have Local Classes include:

Street Stocks

Hobby Stocks

Legacys

Legends

Bandos

Edited September 15, 2005 by uhcougs

[Crazyhorse]

the truck crate motor and the l.m. crate are different.

[jp17]

Ford Race Fan: You are right about one thing. SAS car counts dropped when TSRS started, largely because SAS management told the guys that owned those cars that they couldn't race them at SAS anymore. jp

[fishracer]

JP is right about the sas street stocks being killed, but what the guys who left went out and did was end up building cars which in most cases were more exotic than the sas latemodels and in most cases more expensive. The sas management at that time was trying to find ways to cut costs and the street stocks or super stocks what ever you want to call them were getting close to the late models but the big killer was the lack of purse and poor rules. By poor I mean allowing aftermarket bodies tubular rear clips etc. The only thing stock was the front clip and they allowed quite a bit of modifications. Its not that you needed those items to competitive, it was percieved by the guys at the back of the pack that if one guy had that and won that was it you had to have it. This is probabably the biggest problem with the rules governing bodies. They are trying to statisfy a few teams at the cost of the majority.

 

My point excatly about the "latemodels" in Texas. JP your team is a perfect example of class latemodel team who, because they do not have to spend huge dollars on motors can afford other support equipment, a nice body on their car and nice crew uniforms,trailer etc. If the same crowd who came to the USRA races came and saw a large contingent of your class of car they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Unfortunately several slm teams have made the rules for that series for several years and the entry fee to their club does not allow alot very good talent to be show cased. What a waste.

 

Unfortunately several older slm teams have a following of people who assume that if these certain names show up for a race that they are insured of seeing a good show. That hasn't really happened consistently for a very long time.

 

How many young guys have you seen in the last bunch of years that have some talent, burn up some local sponsors dollars only to use up those funds on some exotic equipment and then their gone from the seen. What a waste of talent and dollars.

 

There are alot of good drivers in arts,tsrs, sas lm, tams,thr lm, hmp lm, etc that would give any of the current slm are run for their money but yet will never get the notority because of the cost of entry, so sad.

[direct-flo]

uh

 

what track should the Legacys be a local show at?

[jp17]

As I recall they were intended to be a non-purse local class at HMP.

[jp17]

Fishracer: Do you honestly think that taking two of the top drawing series and telling one that they can’t use their engines and the other that they can’t competitively use their chassis will increase car counts?

[Guest The_Greek]

[edited out by Nick Holt, 9/16/05]

i do agree with some of the posters here that the SLM series should run some sort of restrictions on the motors, for expense purposes.

 

and last but not least, we dont have alot of racing venues in south texas, so just cause some touring series is not running at your local track that night doesnt mean you dont have to go. get out there you might be suprised that the locals might just put on a better show anyways.

[direct-flo]

HMP is a non purse track.....as I recall

 

The Legacys got there start in Houston, then spread to our area. Now they are also racing in north Texas.

[uhcougs]

Allison Legacy's should Local Class at thier respective tracks closes to them....

 

Or tour ALL of the legacys... I mean Houston Legacy's put on a great show with all 8 - 12 of em sometimes... but seems like when Lonestar runs with our Legacys and the field jumps to say 19 or so - they put on an even better show. THR runs the legacy's locally and I think theres a lot of drivers who alternate between THR and HMP (i'm assuming on that one) I personally love watching the legacy's run and I think a field of 20+ would put on one helluva of a show!

 

And houston is a non-purse track. Unless the LM are sanctioned by USRA.

Edited September 16, 2005 by uhcougs

[direct-flo]

don't quote me on this but...

 

I think the Lonestar Legacys have 14+ registered cars

Houston Legacys have 16+ registered cars

Texoma Legacys have 4+ registered cars

 

 

That would make for a great show.

[uhcougs]

All of them Together?

 

Shoot no kidding . Houston only runs on Touring Dates... and if other tracks could cooridnate there schedules it'd allow some of those legacy's to travel more... Can you imagine combining ALL of those legacy's for a 125 lap race? Thats what - 30 cars?

[direct-flo]

would be a wild race....34 plus cars...

 

hell if 10 did not show ,,,that still leaves 24