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NASCAR ELITE SERIES


HORSEPOWER

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If this is true, time to start another auction. I think I heard someone say that NASCAR made their own set of rules and used one type of chassis for this series and that's when several driver's quit the All Pro Series and moved to other touring series that were formed because they needed another place to "race what they brung". That is another reason for lack of car count. I guess Robert Harmon's idea of bringing back the All Pro Super Series in 2007 might work out.

 

Got this from http://www.smokersracin.com/, nice site with up to date info on short track racing.

 

http://www.bigwestracing.com/showarticle.p...p?threadid=9276

Edited by HORSEPOWER
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Guest noclutch

It looks like racing is going to all cookie cutter cars. This should make it easy for Nabisco to come on board as a sponsor. The days of racing being a sport at the local level is gone. It has made the transition from a competitive sport to a recreational activity. In the short term, you may get some new blood because it is something new. The fans in the stand will not increase with the cookie cutter cars anyone can have for a few bucks. To me, it is no different that going to Malibu Grand Prix with your friends on Saturday night to see who is the lucky one to have the fastest lap. How proud can you be in something someone else built?

Edited by noclutch
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If it is true, the elite series was anything but a local series. To run that series you needed a TON of money and the purse wasn't very much more than USRA. I think this could actually help LM racing. At the Houston Elite race we saw how much NASCAR cared when their PR guys were having to use Kodak 1 disposable to take the "official" pictures. The NASCAR GN Division of cars (West and the now East Series) are going to spec motors that cost about $15,000 and composite bodies. This should bring costs down a lot so it would be reasonable for some of these guys to move to that. NASCAR doesn't care about local short track racing.....some of its sponsors do.

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It looks like racing is going to all cookie cutter cars.  This should make it easy for Nabisco to come on board as a sponsor.  The days of racing being a sport at the local level is gone.  It has made the transition from a competitive sport to a recreational activity.  In the short term, you may get some new blood because it is something new.  The fans in the stand will not increase with the cookie cutter cars anyone can have for a few bucks.  To me, it is no different that going to Malibu Grand Prix with your friends on Saturday night to see who is the lucky one to have the fastest lap.  How proud can you be in something someone else built?

For one, cookie cutter cars place the emphasis back on the driver’s skill and the crew’s preparation. Instead of having the focus on a car that you could put a halfway decent driver in and have him look like a superstar. Also, if you could get in one of these cookie cutter cars for a few bucks, you stand a better chance of having a new problem. Too many cars showing up, instead of too few!

 

For anyone who cares the fastest lap at Malibu Grand Prix in Houston is 48.19.

Edited by CommonSenseRacing
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I personally really like this series. There are some super talented drivers in this series. It takes "big bucks" to compete here. This is by far not a series for weekenders. I am a racing fan. I like all types of racing including open wheel. My personal preference is for stock cars, though.

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Guest noclutch

Nascar does care about its local and regional series. I believe the Weekly regional guys receive $40,000? The Elite series guys get probably 3 or 4 time as much as the local URSA. They have more than just a race purse. Noone can race with their purse money only, not even Jack Rousch. He sells sponsorships. So the purse is important, but not the livelyhood of racing. If you do not have the base of people with available resources to field a competitive field of cars, nothing will work, regardless of the effort or money spent by the promoters. They are probably just going to let the ASA deal die of slow death, after all, how well did the ASA deal work before with spec/crate motors? ASA is only diluting the sport with look a like cars. Why should Nascar spend money to compete with todays latest "great revolution of stock car racing'. What I do see them doing is combining/realigning and making a set of rules midway between the Elite and Busch North/West series. By the way, how many people care to watch spec racing on tape delay only on the discovery channel? A local marketing whiz informed me that it would take $3,600,000 in ASA sponsorship to get the same exposure as $100,000 in Nascar.

 

Sidenote: He was evaluating a sponsorship proposal that involved 9 different tracks, 5 of them here in Texas. In doing his due dilegence, he requested schedules for 2006 from the 9 tracks. He received 5 schedules, only one here in Texas, from TMS. That was the end of his due dilegence.

 

Rank Driver Points Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 Winnings

1 JEFF FULTZ 1843 12 4 7 9 $51,706

2 JASON HOGAN 1831 12 0 8 9 $34,506

3 GARY HELTON 1822 12 3 7 9 $37,338

4 DUSTY WILLIAMS 1776 12 1 5 9 $30,616

5 J R NORRIS 1744 12 3 7 7 $41,986

6 JUSTIN WAKEFIELD 1737 12 0 6 7 $26,850

7 KEVIN PRINCE 1709 12 0 5 7 $26,845

8 GREG POPE 1680 12 0 3 7 $23,185

9 ALLEN KARNES 1636 12 0 2 7 $20,855

10 ROBERT RICHARDSON, II 1459 11 0 1 8 $18,202

Edited by noclutch
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I doubt that any of these guys in the Elite series came close to breaking even. Better exposure and recognition, yes. Tougher competition, yes. You will spend a lot more money for this series. Think of the traveling, nothing compared to just touring in Texas. The guys who run the series regularly get paid more also than a guy who just shows up for a race or two. For example at Houston Michael Crofford finished 6th and Bumbera 7th. The guys who finished 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, and 18th made more money than them, only 19 cars started. They made their money at the big tracks, 1.5 miles. I bet if T.D. gets some better sponsorship for the series, the purse can be a little better through out the field. For the series to grow and expand out of Texas, the sponsorship money is needed, maybe 2 races, it will be good for the series and the drivers. How many of these guys will make the trip? Yeah I remember the old ROMCO series had post race awards, such as the hard charger, hard luck, fastest time, 5th place awards, not sure if the USRA has this. The USRA Super Late Models site needs to be updated more frequently. If you click on results, it only has the first race results and the drivers list was never updated. They need to keep track of that, I think it is very important for the series, hopefully next year it will be updated more often. I'm not sure who did the ROMCO site, but if you go to it, you can see they were on the right track, you can go back to as far as the year 2000, they did a great job.

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I think the only way you can attract outsiders to the USRA Super Late Model Series, might be if the purse paid $5,000 for first and $400 to start. You are looking at a $35,000 purse for the field and I don't know what other cost go into the whole racing deal as for putting on a show at any track and paying everyone else that wants a piece of the pie. If 3,000 people come through the gate at an average of $20 a piece, that's $60,000, not to mention what the racers and crews pay to enter the track. A big time name sponsor and maybe 2 or 3 races outside of Texas. A TV deal, of course that would draw attention for any series. JMO

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I agree completely about keeping things current on the websites. It is one thing that keeps people coming to the sites and staying involved. I know it is frustrating to go to websites and the same information will stay up for a month or more. Changing little things every day or two keeps people coming in to look around.

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I'm not sure who did the ROMCO site, but if you go to it, you can see they were on the right track, you can go back to as far as the year 2000, they did a great job.

[threadjack] It was me. I tried to keep it updated with the results and any of the info sent to me. Thanks. [/threadjack]

 

Kris Frost

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noclutch and reb you are both right I would rather go watch a good race where racers run side by side than a follow the leader race

 

common sense

I don't agree with your opinion but I hope your right on car count .How do you think that cookie cutter cars will show driver talent? It's pretty hard to show talent when there's no passing and the speed and power is the same as a good street car. It's a lot eaiser to set a slow car up than it is a fire breathing rip your ears off type car a good example is a hobby car or a SLM. There a lot of people that can drive slow, very few that have the capabillty driving SLM speed without knocking the wall down. Would like to here your opinion on this.

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Jason

 

Your right I am an engine builder.I am NOT against what T.D. and alot of folks are trying to do to get car counts up.I also believe that crate engines have a place in racing just not in all classes.For guys that are trying to move up ,crate engines in my opinion are the not the way to go. I also think that what makes a good driver is not just getting behind the wheel but how well a person knows a car as I posted earlier it is alot easier to get a slow car to handle than it is a fast car.To me cookie cutter cars are just like going to a go cart track where you rent carts there all the same speed it don't show talent just who gets the break that night.Yes my race engine bussiness that I've been in for 30 yrs. will change ,but it has changed in the past and we survived and we will adapt with time. JMO all that crate engines are doing is putting a band aid on a major wound and is NOT the place to start trying to get people back in the stands it's just going to run alot of racers out of bussiness all your going to do is swap cars not gain any, there's already people that have been in this sport for along time that has sold there car to go do some other type of racing just on rumors that crate engines are coming.Yes Im a little outspoken but I've raced all over this country for the last 50 yrs. I think that I have some experince to offer to the young guys and there teams, one of the things is the haves will always have more than the have nots,and the people that are fast will always be fast and the people that are slow will always be slow its not all about money.

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These cars should be less than a second off the Super Lates, so they are still fast. They race on radials, so handling and car set up, and driver talent should be the key. I've only seen one race with similar race cars at Five Flags and there was lots of passing, not sure of the tire rule. Then again, Five Flags eats up the tires pretty quick.

 

I've seen some of the guys who race in SLM's race with the slower cars(LM's, Mod's, Sportman, Legacy, etc.) and it's not like they dominated the race, just because they were a SLM driver. By the way, get rid of the muffler rule at San Antonio Speedway for the SLM's. I want to hear Thunder, like the guys who race in the SLM events I've been to at Nashville and Five Flags. Most of these cars you can only hear the wind.

 

If the guys against this are talking about this one race with crate engines, remember it's only one race. The weekly series has combined engines, not sure of the rules at the other tracks. If it bothers you that much, just stay home. Take the weekend off, go fishing, or something you might enjoy it more than a follow the leader race. Maybe you can watch a NASCAR event at home.

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common sense

 

I don't agree with your opinion but I hope your right on car count .How do you think that cookie cutter cars will show driver talent? It's pretty hard to show talent when there's no passing and the speed and power is the same as a good street car. It's a lot eaiser to set a slow car up than it is a fire breathing rip your ears off type car a good example is a hobby car or a SLM. There a lot of people that can drive slow, very few that have the capabillty driving SLM speed without knocking the wall down. Would like to here your opinion on this.

SUERTX,

 

400 HP is plenty of power to pass, granted it’s not 580 HP which as an engine builder I’m confident you are providing your guys. Horsepower answered the cookie cutter question for me, thanks HP. I have to disagree about the setting up of a hobby stock and a SLM, your comparing apple to oranges. Two totally different types of cars with very different adjustments and set ups. Also, driving a SLM takes a lot more money than talent, I’m not trying to take anything away from the drivers, but a fact is a fact. What do you need to start racing a SLM MONEY, MONEY and more MONEY. You don’t need to pass a test, if someone wants to take their kid who raced go-karts and has the money to buy and run a car the kid is now a SLM driver. There are no prerequisites to driving a race car other than buying one or having someone buy it for you.

 

As an engine builder, I feel you can’t be objective on the subject of crate engines. Crate engines are an engine builder's worst nightmare, there is no way you can compete with GM. You think I’m against engine builders, I’m not, I’m just for cost reduction in a sport that unfortunately has grown out of hand on the expense side. All your hatred of crate engines is misplaced, since I don’t believe they are effecting the SLM rule.

 

I don’t know if the car counts will go up with the introduction of crate engines, but I like the idea that you can run different tracks with minor changes. Also, I like the idea that the cars are more marketable.

 

These are just a few of the tracks that run the 400 HP crate:

Ace Speedway

Carway Speedway

Concord Motorsports Park

Greenville-Pickins Speedway

Motor Mile Speedway

Old Dominion Speedway

Ukiah Speedway

Edited by CommonSenseRacing
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NASCAR announced it will restructure its regional touring series divisions beginning in 2007. Citing declining support for the Elite Division style of racing at all levels, NASCAR said it will focus its resources and efforts on those Divisions that will help build and sustain a better developmental program for the future. Following the 2006 season, the four current Late Model Elite Division Tours will be discontinued. The Elite Division tours were formed nearly 20 years ago, in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and Northwest regions of the country. Beginning in 2006 and continuing in 2007, NASCAR will implement several Grand National Division changes in an effort to reduce the cost of competing in the Busch North Series (which will be re-named the Busch East Series) and the AutoZone West Series. These changes include a less-costly "spec" engine, as well as composite bodies.(NASCAR PR)

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Can't wait, they put on a great show in Houston and to see some of our own run against some of the best talents behind a wheel, should be cool. If any of our Texans choose to race the series full schedule, they should have a good chance of winning a championship with 2 events in Texas. Bringing them here might help with other potential future racing events, talking about the other NASCAR touring division, Auto Zone West Series. Just wonder how many teams will stick around and run the full series schedule. Only six races so far, no big tracks, but the money should still be there and a chance to make the Toyota All Star Showdown in October.

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