Is ROMCO an entry level class?

[tqj3]

Everyone starts at the entry level...

[txtom]

tq3,

This is not meant to argue, but I'm gonna disagree a little bit. While a majority of racers work their way through the ranks, our local racing history is littered with names that thought "I'll just buy a Howe or Dillon, and a good motor, and I can race ROMCO, or TIDA, or whatever late model thing was going on at that time. Out comes the checkbook, and we have all seen (and repaired) the results of this type of thinking.

 

Doug Hooks is a classic example of a victim of this type of thinking. A couple years ago at San Antonio, he tore up a car bad in the turn 1 fence after a new ROMCO driver with NO experience turned into him at the fastest part of the front stretch. Lucky Hooks wasn't badly hurt the way he hit. Chris Davidson ended up in the fence with a big fire last year in Corpus at the hands of a guy who probably shouldn't have been out there.

 

The unfortunate thing is after they find they can't drive, or they use all their resources fixing torn-up equipment, you never hear from them again. If they had run a few years in the entry level classes, they would have better knowledge of the expenditures required, both time and money. They might have decided that Late Model racing was realistically out of their reach, but they might still be racing and doing well in one of the lower classes.

[blueoval]

I agree, too many drivers out there that have too much money and not enough brains.

[tqj3]

Everyone starts at the entry level... don't confuse ROMCO or any regional series with a top series. For one thing, as is often pointed out on these forums, they don't have any minimum standards for drivers.

[meredith race engines]

r u calling romco an entry level class

[tqj3]

Well, let's see. A car-engine combination you can't race anywhere else, no driver standards and no promotion. What would you call it?

[blueoval]

Romco is definitely not an entry class. There are probably at least 10 different drivers in that class that can race competitively in any latemodel class around the US. I can think of one that almost won the Snowball Derby last year and the big shot two years ago running against guys like Wayne Anderson. Romco will only gain more and more in popularity among other latemodel classes as the years go on, especially with the gain of TMS and HMS. Remember this is a pretty new class. TIDA wouldnt count because the people who ran that class didnt put the effort in to making it a premier series like the Romco officials guys are today.

[meredith race engines]

i would def not call it an entry level class thr pure stocks r entry level

sas roadrunners r entry level ROMCO not an entry level class

you must have never had your 50000 $ car parked in the wall by a guy

who hasnever raced

romco is def NOT AN ENTRY LEVEL class

is asa an entry level class

[tqj3]

Depends on your definition. If all it takes is money to get into it, it's an entry-level class. ROMCO does have some excellent drivers, but as has been pointed out here several times, some of their drivers shouldn't be on the track.

Elsewhere it was pointed out that one way to judge a driver is how well he does running in other regions and in other series, and ROMCO drivers are only now beginning to show that they are competitive with other regions. (By that criterion, by the way, Bubba Naumann, with multiple wins against the southern hot shoes at Mobile and Pensacola, would rank as one of the top Texas drivers.)

That's not to say that ROMCO drivers aren't competitive, or even that the old TIDA drivers weren't. But from the Slick Yoeman and Labonte brothers days until the last few years, few of them have gone out and run against the best from other regions.

I'd like to see ROMCO go to a car-engine package that could be run nearly anywhere, but they probably won't do that any more than they will set up standards for drivers, because they are in the same boat with most of the short-track operators, looking for car count to succeed.

Of course, if they publicized and promoted, they might be able to attract enough spectators to begin to be selective about the drivers.

I don't want to see the good ROMCO runners, with top equipment and very good drivers, at the mercy of someone whose only qualfication for being on the track is a fat wallet. To me, that's an "entry level" series.

[NickHolt]

tqj,

 

You certainly can define "entry level" any way you like, but most of us wouldn't call ROMCO, or even TSRS, entry level.

 

Your point is well made though. Anyone who wants to can build a ROMCO car and bring it on out regardless of their experience level.

 

Nick Holt

[supertx]

ROMCO a premire series thats going a little far.Some of the drivers in romco are as good as any drivers in the country, to bad the officals and the promotion of the series are not as good.At alot of the races around the country that im at people wonder why guys like bubba,caseyand the others travel a thousand miles to race, until they come down here to race[the big shot ] then they understand.calls are made that shouldn't be and the promotion of the series is almost none , except the hard core racers in this area no one hardly even knows who romco is.Don't get me wrong im glad we have romco but i think as i have said before, romco needs to promote the series , step up to the plate and be more professional and promote the series like a big time race not a bunch of locals out playing with there hobby on a saturday nightThese cars are to expensive to be hobby cars they need big time sponsors and drivers and crew need professional car owners.That's not going to happen tell the romco officals promote the series to give the sponsors and car owners something for there dollar.

[gasman]

Call ROMCO an entry level class if you want, but what does that say for the Mobile and Pensicola "hot shoes" when the person beating them is not competitive in the ROMCO series.

[tqj3]

Neither Bubba nor Casey Smith have raced in ROMCO very much, but they're both competitive when they do. Bubba was the last TIDA rookie of the year in 1997 and posted a second place at THR in '99 and took third behind Donnie Wilson and John Kelly at SAS in '01. Casey got a win at THR around 2000 or so, I'd have to look it up. He also finished fourth in the first Big Shot.

The fact that neither chooses to run with ROMCO very often in itself says something about the series, but it doesn't mean they aren't competitive.

[fishracer]

As for ROMCO being a beginning class, absolutely not. From a rules standpoint, yes. Its a no brainer set of rules just like southern all stars. It's bascially a run watch you brung type set of rules, where the things that supposedly control the costs are not ever teched. Have you looked at southern all stars car count lately. There was even a rumor that when one of the top drivers was teched in ROMCO recently they p&G every cylinder until one was found that fit the rules. This kind of rumor be it true or false hurts the series and credibility of the drivers. The problem is that there is too much flexibilty within the rules and lack of teching which opens it up for anyone with the bucks to run. Just think about it, if the rules were tight enough and it took more engenuity to work with a tough set of rules these beginners would not even make the field because the did not have the experience to know what thay had to do make the field. The problem is lazy rules making and governing is what is causing the problem in these series. Just look at who is moving up to the upper levels of racing now, Scott Wimmer(ASA), Johnny Sauter (ASA), Joey Clanton(ASA) Brian Vicker (Nacar Late Model Stock, Hooters Pro Cup. Stacey Compton (Nascar Late Model Stock), and if you look at the historical background of the drivers that are up and coming or have done well in the past they have all come from series where the rules were tough and the competition was tougher. What makes this happen? Good rules and even better rules enforcement. When was the last time you saw a large number of super late model guys go directly to the big leagues? Yea some of our guys go to these open shows and do well against the other open show drivers. What do you get, a really good super late model driver. The challenge is to control the costs and control the creative engenuity as much as possible. Then the driver and crew will shine, not their wallet. This is all possible if the track/sanctioning body is looking to the future not just today and not for a social venue where the officials are there just to hob nob with the racers.

[8racefan]

Romco is not a entry level class but the guys running it will let anybody run in it all you have to do is have enough money. To go out and buy the car and motor that will fit the rule.Which isnt much,because if they dont want to tech it they will put it in the rule book u can run it.... SO TO WHAT I SAID A WHILE BACK ROMCO IS A MONEY SERIES.

[Tim]

Call ROMCO an entry level class if you want, but what does that say for the Mobile and Pensicola "hot shoes" when the person beating them is not competitive in the ROMCO series.

Unfortunately, that is a statistics game. I think we just have more tracks over here on the east coast, which brings in more drivers, both good and bad.

 

Anyone ever taken a statistics class? Crazy how everything is just a "statistic".

 

Tim

[matt5858]

Hobby stocks is a great entry level class. Thats were people need to start. Its cheap enough to try to see if racing is for you.

[fishracer]

Hey gasman, FYI the guy thats beating those mobile and pensacola guys could run with the front runners in ROMCO, but even with the lax tech he was caught illegal several times. Kind of looks like the mobile and pensacola teching is even more lacking.

[sfrebel]

on the national level of racing, romco is pretty close to an entry class, on the regional/Texas level romco is one of the top classes

[HoosierDaddy]

Casey Smith is a decent driver, but he never really impressed me much when he ran Romco. He had some good runs, but I remember one time in '01 he didnt even qualify in the 18's at SAS. However, I do hope he does well in ASA, just to help get texas racing on the map a little more. And by the way, Tqj3, casey's only romco win was on father's day in 2001.

[Guest Justaracefan]

Casey Smith won a ROMCO race in 2001? I believe he would have been about 16 years old at that time. I don't know of any other 16 year old that has won a super late model event in Texas. According to his website he did not run ROMCO in 2002.

[meredith race engines]

good point gasman

if i am right it looks like 8 no 2 yes

[HORSEPOWER]

I think everyone has disagreed with tq3 about ROMCO being an entry level class. I'm not sure about the purses for these other series, but I know if the payout for drivers finishing fifth through last place was better, ROMCO can attract some out of town drivers. If ROMCO can expand a few races out of state it can really gain some exposure. A lot of our drivers can race with the out of towners, but it takes a good sponsor that can back them up. From the local level up to NASCAR there is always cars in the back of the pack that are always there, wondering why are they out there, I think just trying to gain some experience with a new team, track, learning the race car perhaps? As far as some guys going out and racing in bigger series, who's going to pay the bills and support the family and ask every other weekend off to go out of state and race at some track they've never been to, while the other guys have raced there several times? Does anyone have some statistics on the super latemodel events at Thunderhill, how many times has the inside pole starter won the race?(Another topic)

[8racefan]

Good ? dont know JAY WATSON won at least 3 times but dont if he was always on the pole.

[8racefan]

Dont know if he was always on the pole. Wrong track guys sorry