Modifieds: THIS is the way to end a season!

[Hook's RPM]

You might want to keep Nov 27th, 2009 (Friday after Thanksgiving) through Dec 5, 2009 open for some racing dates. You'll be kept busy for about 7 of those 9 days.

 

The USMTS sanctioned Texas Winter Nationals were held at the Houston Raceway Park dirt track for Open Wheel Modifieds (USRA/IMCA/UMP-type) on December 4th, 5th and 6th. It was the final 3 points races in the 2008 USMTS Southern Series season. The USMTS Modified count on Thursday was 82, Friday was 85 and Saturday was 80 with 95 different Mods participating over the 3 nights. Limited Modifieds (full-framed, SIMS/So. Sport Mod types) counts were 55, 62 and 62 with 76 different Limiteds over the 3-days. USMTS format each night was 7 heat races ran with the top 12 in passing points locking in and the top 8 redrawing for the first 4 rows. The rest went to one of 4 B-mains with the top 3 from each one transferring to the A. 2 Southern Series provisionals were then added to make 26-car fields each night. The Limited Modifieds raced 6 heats each night. Top 2 from each heat transfered with those 12 redrawing for the first 6 rows. 3 B-mains were then run with the top 4 from each transferring to make 24 car fields each night. Each night's show was an independent one-night show with it's own payout paid that night in both classes.

 

Houston Raceway Park's Season Ending Texas Winter Nationals is an Annual Must-Do!

 

No doubt now! The annual USMTS Southern Series season-ending event at HRP in Baytown, Texas on the first weekend of December is the way to end any serious Modified racer's year. This year was even bigger than last and now boasts the second largest car count of any USMTS event. Only the Featherlite Fall Jamboree at Deer Creek Raceway in Minnesota has attracted a better count.

 

-- In 2008, the pay went up from $1000, $2000 and $3000 to win in '07 to $2000, $3000 and $4000 to win over the three nights -- the biggest paying weekend for Modifieds in the state of Texas all year and one of the top ten or maybe even top 5 paying shows in the country. The late date of this show -- first weekend in December -- meant the Texas Winter Nationals and the Soup Bowl in Mississippi were the only two places between central Florida, southern Arizona and the north pole where you could even race a Modified on that weekend. That means the Texas Winter Nationals & The Soup Bowl are the closest December Modified races to you guys in states like Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, etc. See if you can join us next year. Maybe fuel prices will still be as low as they were this year.

 

-- The show in Deer Creek, Minnesota pays $2000, $4000 and $6000 plus a $2000 to win non-qualifiers feature on the final day. What the Texas Winter Nationals needs next is a "Featherlite", a big sponsor, to help bring the purses up to the Fall Jamboree levels. IMO, this year should serve as a big step in helping achieve that goal.

 

-- The other thing the Texas Winter Nationals needs is attendance. While the pits were packed, the stands were empty. The Baytown area is still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Ike and the cooler than normal weather hurt too. Hopefully, this will change in '09. If you are a Modified fan, it doesn't get any better than this. Even a Late Model, Sprint Car or any kind of racing fan period can appreciate the driving talent that attended this year's show. They would also enjoy the USMTS organization that ran the Texas Winter Nats show at a rapid pace for the 2nd year in-a-row and the facility and staff of Houston Raceway Park who really worked hard to make this year's Texas Winter Nationals a successful event even with all the Hurricane Ike devastation around them just 3 months earlier. The track conditions were a lot better on Thursday and Friday this year than last and most of Saturday -- especially the heats -- was spectatcular once again. I can tell you that the HRP staff wants to add a tiller machine in 2009 like the one they use at Deer Creek and like Lanny Edwards has for State Fair, Devil's Bowl and the Chili Bowl to help break the rubber up and rework the track between races. This year, they immediately went to work right after the races, grating and preparing the track for the next night. There were around 140 cars racing per night (171 different cars over the whole weekend with just 2 classes racing!) for 3 straight nights on the wide, 1/4-mile oval and overall, the HRP track surface performed real well. Each night featured hot laps, 13 heats, 7 B mains and 2 A mains. Modified As went for 30, 35 and then 40 laps on the final night.

 

-- Facilty-wise, HRP is as good as it gets with all-paved pits, a huge grandstand, great lighting, awesome suites and it's located in a geographical area that on the first weekend of December, averages mid 60s for highs, mid 40s for lows and pretty much 50s during race hours. That's warmer than some of the Deer Creek shows have had in those Minnesota falls! Sometimes it's even better than that, last Tuesday in Baytown (Dec 9th) it was 77 for a high and today's forecast, Dec 14th? High 74, low 62 and just a 10% chance of rain. Wouldn't that have felt good last Saturday night! For this year's Texas Winter Nats though, we got highs of 56, 51 and 65 and lows of 44, 39 and 39. Although quite a bit cooler this year, for the second year in a row, no rain! I bet the folks at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth are hoping for at least that and would take it too come February 27th and 28th for the Texas World Dirt Track Championships featuring many of these same Modifieds and Limited Modifieds PLUS the SUPR Late Models on Saturday!

 

-- The 3 shows at both HRP and Deer Creek all feature independent one-night shows. The three HRP shows had a payout that included non-qualifier tow money each night. This means that while some finished their weekend early on Thursday night and left with their pay for that night, others who couldn't make it sooner, didn't even show-up until Friday or Saturday night and they start out even with everyone else that night as far as qualifying goes. While the car counts were 82, 85 and 80 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the 9 new arrivals on Friday and the 4 new arrivals on Saturday added up to 95 different Modified teams in all pulling through the gates over the 3-day period.

 

I have a lot more notes and posts to make about this show. It'll me give somethng to do on the slower days during this holiday season!