LM-RACER-20 Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I know it's early, but other tracks are already getting thier schedules posted for next year. I was wondering if there is going to be a real schedule for the sportmods or do I go dirt racing again. We are rebuilding the cars this winter and need to know pretty quick which way to lean then towards. Dirt or Asphalt. Either way I'll be running for the points and wont be track hopping very much unless theres an off weekend and the schedule allows it. I would like to see a good schedule for us next season. It might help get more cars too. 1 other small note about this class. They need to be called Limted Modifieds and not Sportmods. Because with the rules in place at THR we are not Sportmod legal. You either run 100% IMCA rules with no changes or you dont. Theres no middle ground or slack given by the IMCA. Plus we arent a santioned IMCA track anyway so it doesnt matter. All the close dirt tracks except I37 and HOT are not santioned. Still run the IMCA rules with small exceptions like a different tire and header, so they are limited modifieds. Example. We have an ANY muffler rule. THis is a good rule and an easy thing for guys to change to run the track if they want to. If you make small rule adjustments dont make it something thats hard to change. Like something in the motor, which a couple of dirt tracks did. I'll be bringing this up to them as well. They have a 4 valve piston rule, which IMCA allows any flat top. It should stay any flat top at all tracks. People cant change a piston to go run and be legal at these tracks so it hurts the car count for them. We want to go run these cars in Houston sometime. But we cant. Too many differences in the rules. So they lose car count. I know all of this will be gone over during the rules meeting which I know a lot of us sportmod guys will be there and even a crew cheif or two. I just wanted to get it out there so it can be thought out before hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer61 Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 I will say that I was suprised at the turnout and quality of racin in the sport mod race. It was awesome. Wish Swensen wouldnt of broke so soon cus he was workin in the outside groove. I hope this class catches on, its fun to watch, probably more fun to drive and by far one of the closest in competition and economical(as racing goes). I agree that the fewer rule changes from IMCA the better. The more cars that have a chance to run will. Maybe not every week but constantly pulling differant cars would help it grow. You guys keep puttin on those kind of shows and the "sport mods" will be the main events. Just a slow old pro mod racer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 i've raced alot of different things over a 15 year period. this class is by far - above and beyond the funnest i have racing. not knocking any of the others . i love the supers , i like the trucks (when we are not junk), late models (if we could have afforded to be competitive),,,,but this is a whole new kinda monster. with 10 to 15 mods. just wait and see how cool it will be. i HOPE like hell this class takes of like a barn burner. from an economic stand point idon't understand why it has not yet. 2010 though we either do away with sail panels or we run mirrors.this is not a 5 groove dirt track , everybody wants the same one , or two lines and it's gonna end up ugly in the future with more cars. i got spun low under a car in practice (maybe because he didn't see me down there. in the feature i would get a good run underneath but have to pull out because i knew they could not tell i was there. it trys my patiences. thanX to all the outta towners that made the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.j.&s.racing Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 now that yalls banquet moved hope a lot of yall can come down to c.c. on the 23,24. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 My season is over. The motor had a rattle in it somewhere before qualifing. I'm surprised that it lasted. So I'm done for the season. And of course Rusty is done when he blew up. And I do agree with Shaun Paul. These are a ton of fun to drive. A ton of fun on the dirt and like gokarts on the asphalt. Good and fast. I dont agree with getting mirrors. That will only end up with mirror driving and a lot more wrecks because the passing driver will get tired of being chopped down on and finally just punt the front car. I know I will. And the sail panels are fine. You can cut holes in them for a window. It's legal. You'll get used to them after more seat time. Trust me. After a bunch of races under my belt in this car this year, I dont even look to the side anymore. You get a feel for it. I can hear where the other car is. At least when the bumper gets near my rear tires or farther. And by the rules if they arent to your door then you have the line being in front. I am hoping for at least 8-10 cars next year. I can say with near certainty that if we have less than 8 cars, I'll probably run for points at Goliad on the dirt. 4-6 cars just isnt any fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilmodified Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 i'm sure that by now everyone knows my passion for these lil hot-rods....and, i do plan on doing everything i can to help grow this class on asphalt next season. i'm not knocking the dirt (i love watchin' these cars wherever they run) but it's just so exciting to watch y'all on the asphalt!! that being said...without a debate, i have a question: what is it about the asphalt (aside from $$$) that keeps the dirt guys only on the dirt? just need to understand this a lil better...maybe it will help in getting more cars to the track...again, i don't want to start a debate, or make anyone angry...just want some insight....thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Asphalt is great fun for an asphalt guy. But when I went to run the dirt the first time I was a bit nervous. But I caught on quick and had tons of fun. Asphalt is more of a follow the leader deal with these cars at THR. Mainly 1 groove and you wait for the guy in front to mess up so you can pass him. Thats if you drive clean. With dirt, your all over the place. High, low middle. I have passed 3 cars and made it 4 wide in 1 corner at goliad. I hit the breaks a couple hundred feet before the corner to get it sideways and then deck the gas when I get the car backed into the corner and it bites the cushion right before you think your going to go straight off the track sliding backwards. It's just a ton of fun to drive on dirt. The track changes a lot during a race. You can have all the traction for the first 5 laps, then slick like ice for the next 10 and then the moisture starts coming back up and it gets tacky for the last 5 laps. Aside from the fun of dirt. Asphalt does cost a bit more money to race. The dirt is more forgiving on the setup packages. You can be a little off the mark with the setup and still fly on the track if you can drive. Look at last saturday night. My car didnt have more power and I'm not any better a driver than the other guys running. I just hit the setup. I was about .10 a second or less per lap faster. That makes a big difference and a lot of dirt guys dont want to chase setups that hard or they dont know how. You have to be perfect on apshalt. On dirt you have to be close. With my asphalt experience I was able to be a top 3 car nearly every week within about 4-5 races against guys that have been racing dirt for many years. We take our time and put a lot of effort into the setups. Most of them dont. If I run dirt next year I will run for a championship which I really feel I can get. I was already top 5 in points at goliad and missed 1st half of thier season. I am telling you this so you can get a clue on the difference of the types of drivers for both. My personal opinion. Dirt is more fun. But I like THR and hope we get a car count and a full season. It's my home track. Hope this helps explain it. At least from my point of view. Since I have done both now and met both types of racers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilmodified Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 thanks for the help, johnny...it does help. anyone else have anything to add? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 I dont agree with getting mirrors. That will only end up with mirror driving and a lot more wrecks because the passing driver will get tired of being chopped down on and finally just punt the front car. I know I will. And the sail panels are fine. You can cut holes in them for a window. It's legal. You'll get used to them after more seat time. Trust me. After a bunch of races under my belt in this car this year, I dont even look to the side anymore. You get a feel for it. i got tired of being chopped down on the other night. .....i don't like doing it but i did start punting. how many races have you run this car on asphalt? your feel for were they are on dirt is alot different from asphalt. you had a cake walk saturday so you didn't have to worry about ability to pass. you yourself said in another post that you "did not want to run THR because it was follow the leader",,,,,,no passing. mirror driving is an excuse. without a mirror you are gonna get chopped.....atleast with mirrors i'll know if it was on purpose. the supers run mirrors at THR and not one time all season long was mirror driving an issue. -i'm sorry to say i won't be able to make the corpus race , my motor went south in qualifying saturday. i was racing a borrowed mod. . i feel bad and we most certainly owe it to the corpus guys to make their show, but i don't have the time or money to get it back together by the 24th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiTech Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 i found that racen no mirror on the dirt wasnt so bad ..heck your slidewaz most of the time ....i have run with no mirrors on asphault ..i dont like it .we have mirror.s and usualy dont look in em .but asphault tracks are hardly as wide as dirt tracks .so you realy need them at most tracks .this is an age old argument .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Theres no difference at all for the feel of other cars on the track in dirt or asphalt. I knew that when I tucked the car in behind the 82 that there was a car close to my left rear but not close enough so I went into the hole. Plus if a car is not to my door where I can see his bumper real easy then he doesnt have the line. I'm coming down. I dont need a mirror to see a bumber at my door. So we will agree to disagree. No problem there. I know of a couple of super drivers that want to do away with mirrors too. I raced Colt in late model 1 year and we had mirrors. I didnt have th motor he had and I kept the car low on the straights so he could only go to the outside to pass. Which he tried and couldnt get it done. So what happens next? He nails me going into 1 and nearly sends me right off the track. I drifted the entire corner with the gas pedal on the floor and way over drove into 3 without any breaking. Why? Because I was going to take the rear off his car. If I would have caught him that night he would have been done for the evening. Thats what mirrors will do. I wasnt blocking because I dont like to really mirror drive anyone. But I did keep it where he couldnt get around and he got mad and punted me, which in turn was going to get real ugly on the track. So I say no to mirrors. Oh, what did you guys find wrong with the motor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 not yet,,,,,the old man went to illinios and i've been busy work/work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilmodified Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 ok, guys...does anyone have anything to add to what johnny said about dirt-over-asphalt? from the stands they both look equally fun and exciting to drive, but i'm not behind the wheel, so i need some insight from the folks in the race seats...thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 Ok, here is something from Rusty. He's on the phone and I guess I do all his computer work. LOL Rusty says.... Shaun, You didnt have the line against me. Therefore you should have gone to the outside to pass me. Not try to beat the bumper off my car. When we hit turn 1 and you did get the line I let you go. I disagree with mirrors too. If I would have had a mirror you would not have had a chance to get under me. No harm no foul. Next year will be different. If we had mirrors this season you would not have gotten beneath me. I would have been blocking to the bottom and you would have only had the outside line to pass. Or crash me trying the inside. Ok, now from me now. 1 thing that will help get cars to the track, and not only for our class. The track shouldnt try to make the money at the back gate. THR is the only track I ran this season out of 4 tracks that charge the driver a pit pass and the car entry. The drivers only pay for the entry of the car. Also the payouts were setup so that even the last place car got it's entry back. I have asked about 5 times so far this week in emails what was our payout last weeekend. I have heard nothing. Not real happy about that. At least on the dirt I know what I'm paid before I run. ALSO, at the dirt tracks your payout is ready in cash at the gate within 30 minutes of the finish of each feature. No waiting 2 weeks or waiting for it to be mailed. Tis is a big deal for dirt guys. They want thier money every night. This is something to try and help get these dirt guys to THR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted October 17, 2009 Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 that's some funny shistuff......and it's shawn with a 'W'.... i wasn't talking about him chopping me , it was some one else. he told me , and i quote "they use to call me the hammer , if i get to your bumper i will take shots at it" end quote. granted he had never gotten the chance to put his method to use, but by making a statement like that you have already informed me of your driving style. and i drive people the way they drive me. sooooooo 'hammer' , i guess you can pay me back some shots for being to quick to judge. i was also in a car that i had never been in (not making excuses) just some of that bumping was me not knowing where my front end was and the car brakes dramatically different than the one i'm use to. -sorry rusty , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2009 It is funny. I told him so myself. And yea they called him the Hammer for that reason. We'll just have to see how good or bad he is at that when he gets the chance. And I know what you mean about the front bumper. Took me a while to get the feel for where mine was too this year. He's not angry, just wanted to make a point on mirrors. And sorry about the spelling Shawn.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 So is there even an IDEA of the sportmods having a schedule neat season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Hello? Any clues? I need to get my car ready for next season. We already started building them back up. Someone need to figure this out because I'm about to set it up for the dirt and not worry about it. I'll be raicing a full season at I37 I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyhorse Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 you are gonna race dirt anyway,,,,, chill out. their season schedule just ended last week. do what ya wanna do...... i'm saying this in the niciest way possible , because i guess we are somewhat friends , but you are getting annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Well the annoying thing is not getting any answers. Several tracks that are still in this years schedule already have next seasons schedule posted up. It's not rocket science. I'm not sorry for annoying anyone. I want an answer. And yes, were still friends. I just dont want to wait until March 1st to find out we have a set series starting 2 weeks later like this season was. Whats annoying is people tippy toeing around issues so that they dont hurt any feelings. Say what you think and get it over with. I will. All I am asking is for a answer to a simple question. HMP dumped the class due to low car car. JAck is the tech guy for this class there and has a little inside knowledge of that and the details maybe. So it helps makes a decision for THR, at least I think it would. More to come. I'm on the phone and cant talk and type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 ok. My question here will also help the class. It's not just for me. If we have enough cars we can have some fun with this. But the only way to get cars is to let them know they have a place to race. If they know for sure then they can spend thier money and get one built or bought ready to go. So the answer to this question is not just for me. I know I wouldnt buy a car for a class I couldnt race if I were an asphalt only person. So I'm sure there are several people waiting for this answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 LM-Racer-20 -- I have a feeling that the good folks at THR are aware of our need for information and are more than likely working towards producing a 2010 schedule. I'm with Crazyhorse on this one. You're more likely to obtain the information you are needing by contacting the track in person than by pressuring for answers in a public forum. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Debbie is reading this topic as I type. So they are aware of the question at hand now as well as the concerns. If they did not know previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debwill Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Yes, I am reading this thread as Johnny stated. I plan to post an official answer from Mary Ann about the 2010 racing season later today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM-RACER-20 Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Awsome Debbie. I want to thank you in advance for the answer to this question. I hope you guys understand why I want to clear it up quick for all the drivers that might want to join the class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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