2013 Texana Street Stocks

[lg27]

We are rarely given an oppurtunity to be heard by track owner on the Questions Concerns Comments we have about our class... lets not waste this oppurtunity..

The intent of this post is for positive feedback and responses and an opportunity for any Texana/SOS Street Stock driver to make suggestions for the 2013 season..

 

Let me start off by saying I have not raced at Texana since 2008, but I am far from being a stranger to the dirt track scene. I have a Street Stock that will be returning to Texana next Season. I have been attending Texana since 2005-2008, took a few years off and will be back in action next season

 

Texana Street stocks has proved to be a great class. As of right now it is by far the best in between class for the Houston Hobbys and the i-37, STS, and Cotton Bowl Street Stocks. i do not see a reason to change the current rules (other than a thorough inspection at Tech so we dont have knives at gun fights. and changing over to G60s, since nearly every Street stock class in Texas is running them, and it would only HELP the cost over the Dirt Bozz),( i totally agree with a year grace period on the change over, heck i have 15 or so dirt bozz i need to kill first) This year, as a spectator, I saw the class work WELL! If you changing the rules up too much, it might eliminate the possibility of out of town cars(East and West of Edna).

 

Also I would highly recommend revising/writing a set of rules that go more in depth, a set of rules that takes all the gray areas OUT, that straight up tells the car owners what we can and can't do... A good set of rules leave no room for assumptions! Example : https://imca.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05...-stock-cars.pdf

http://www.houstonmotorsportspark.com/12RU...RSTOCKRULES.pdf

 

Once again this class should think carefully before it adapts another tracks rules. From what I see Its working! Regardless of what decisions are made about rules, i will be there next year and i will support Texana Raceway Park in any way i can...

 

Congrats to Ken on the new ownership... Wish you and the track nothing but the best of racing in the future!

[AFifthTonOfFun]

Fat tires or skinny tires will that hartthrob King and that stud in the #11 be at Edna next year? If they are, you can count on me and the kids to be their few times. I like them S&M team cars.

[Danielsen Motorsports]

So far the shootout has had 4 races this year. 70 different drivers have participated in the 4 races so far. That number will grow close to 85 after the 5th race. This is your base of street stock drivers and should be your primary area to draw from. Houston is a huge area but its never been an area that has traveled south. Houston already has several tracks and when you include Beaumont and Lufkin that keeps most of them pretty satisified. I would not add another set of rules to the picture. This is the only chance this region will have to unifying the street stock rules or at least get pretty close! Never has this region had so many tracks up and running at the same time. To put yourself on an island with your own rules even if it includes teaming up with SOS in my opinion isnt taking full advantage of using your customer base. You are already doing it with limiteds for the most part. TRP and SOS have proven even working with each other its hard build large car counts when racing every other weekend at one or the other. So in my opinion drawing cars from the outside region has got to be a major priority. Work out deals with part and tire vendors to help guys get deals to convert. Save them as much money as possible now and over the offseason. If everyone agrees its best for the long term then why wait to do it. Only a couple people actually run for points championship anyway so at least get two rule packages from the get go. Just my opinion.

[KING31]

Well since you asked, here is my full opinion on this whole deal. This is NOT just a tire thing for us guys. I don’t think any of us really have a problem going to g-60’s. But if we go to g60’s, then I want the rest of the bells and whistles that i-37/STS/CBS cars have. After looking over the rules, I feel like we are miles apart. To be specific, im talking about

• Relocated Shocks

• Weight jacks

• 6’’ rods

• No vacuum rule

• Taller intake manifold

• 3-link suspension

• Flat top pistons or 2 valve relief

 

 

And then on top of this change add the cost of a gear change and buying a new set of tires and rims. So yes, there is alot of cost that will go into this transformation. And that is why i recommended pushing it back to 2014, to give all teams more than enough time.

 

Lg27, it seems your opposed to this change. I will quote you“This year, as a spectator, I saw the class work WELL! If you changing the rules up too much, it might eliminate the possibility of out of town cars(East and West of Edna).”

 

I don’t see how changing the rules where a total of 5 tracks will be under the same rule package, instead of putting ourselves on an island with 2 tracks under the same package , could hurt Texana’s car count. Plus, these rules give us a more competitive car, so if the Houston hobbys want to compete it shouldn’t be such a issue. And on top of that, the other 3 tracks can come race heads up, no changes. The reason we need to work with these tracks and these rules is for pretty much all the reasons Danielson listed above. It will help street stock racing in this region and all around.

 

A lot of us race for different reasons. I for one, will (and have) race at Texana one weekend then Shady Oaks the next weekend. If the opportunity knocks I would like to race at STS, i-37 and maybe even cotton bowl. I would be more likely to do so if the rules matched and I felt like the playing field was even. Same with cars coming from the outside area. I feel like Texana would have a better chance at drawing in the outside area cars if they knew the rules matched.

 

The Street Stock Shootout is a great series that we have going right now and I would like to see it continue to grow. There is no question that the product on the race track will be much better if all cars on the track are under the same rule package. Each shootout race sees a big turn out for each track as far as fan attendance, cars competing in other classes, etc and I can imagine the tracks involved gets a much better pay day out of it then their weekly racing shows. So its important to me to continue this working relationship to work with these 5 tracks. I understand that some of the street stocks drivers have no interest in that. I know some of the drivers want to drive there home track and that’s it. But for the few of us that want to do the things like the shootout and travel, I feel like this is the best direction we can go.

[KING31]

Fat tires or skinny tires will that hartthrob King and that stud in the #11 be at Edna next year? If they are, you can count on me and the kids to be their few times. I like them S&M team cars.

I will be in Edna next year. Im sure Shawn "the stud" Kline will be too lol

Let me know when your coming to edna and we will have some nachos waiting for you in the S&K pits

[Danielsen Motorsports]

Corpus was probably the hardest track to jump from pure stocks to street stocks last offseason. They were true pure stocks that were basicially given g60's and headers last year. They didnt convert completely but they made a huge step toward street stocks over the offseason. My last two visits to STS I spent alot of time with Owen, his tech man and some of the local drivers showing them my car. Nobody was convinced you could run as fast as I do with stock mounted items in stock positions. Obviously CBS and I37 allow many options but that doesnt mean everyone takes full advantage of them nor does it mean those options are the best. Because the rule book says it doesnt mean you will be faster. The 149 car runs the stock 4 link trailing arms in the backend. Stock mounted shock locations. I run adjustable front weight buckets but it is to get my original ride height after using racing springs but I still run stock mounted front shocks. I dont own weight scales but I have checked my numbers at Swensons when I have fab work done on it from time to time. I do run stock length rods and 4 valve pistons because I run at other tracks that demand it. 6inch rods dont make any more power on our small tracks then 5.7 rods. We dont turn up enough rpm nor long enough for 6 inch rods to make extra power. They may make the engine last longer but thats the only advantage I see if your using them. I think its imperative that if rules are changed it cant simply be a tire change only. The total package needs to be considered for long term success.

 

 

With all that being said I am definetely not the fastest in the series but I am happy enough to not spend alot more money.

[KING31]

I understand that not everybody takes full advantage of the rule book they have. I understand that just because the rule book says one thing doesn't mean its guaranteeing speed/performance on the race track. Do I think if I had these rules that i can make my car faster? Hell yeah! Maybe shed a few tenths off my lap times? Absolutely. And thats the difference between a 1st place car and a 5th place car.

 

Lets just picture this, if you had all the money to build a car to run strictly in the shootout that would give you the best chance to win, then what track rules would you build your car under?

[dy97]

I thnk we should drop the vacuum rule too. All it does is cost us more money to get a custom ground cam that will pull the vacuum and be competitve. I also agree with the intake rule. Should be a basic performer style dual plane aluminum. Also i think we should go to full roller rockers. A good set of rockers like we run is more expensive then a set of full rollers like the proform. And we all know you cant run a stock style rocker on these engines. With that being said i personally think the street stocks should look like a REAL car.. i hate seeing a street stock that looks like a llm.. it says in the rules STOCK appearing.. how do the fans know what they are watching.. just my opinion. I disagree with weight jacks relocated shocks and 3 links though.. i personally dont think these cars need to be any faster.. there needs to be a crutch

 

No matter how it goes i have no plans on changing class.. i will change what i have to to better the class in the long run and continue running

[KING31]

I thnk we should drop the vacuum rule too. All it does is cost us more money to get a custom ground cam that will pull the vacuum and be competitve. I also agree with the intake rule. Should be a basic performer style dual plane aluminum. Also i think we should go to full roller rockers. A good set of rockers like we run is more expensive then a set of full rollers like the proform. And we all know you cant run a stock style rocker on these engines. With that being said i personally think the street stocks should look like a REAL car.. i hate seeing a street stock that looks like a llm.. it says in the rules STOCK appearing.. how do the fans know what they are watching.. just my opinion.

I agree.

 

Sounds like we need to gather the troops and have a street-stock drivers meeting.

Maybe Halloween Havoc? Id imagine alot of the regulars attending that race. I want everybody to have their opinion heard that will be racing street stocks at TRP and SOS for 2013

[Danielsen Motorsports]

If I was to build a car directly for the shootout knowing what I know now I would actually start with the tires. G60's, dirt boss or asphalt takeoff? Remember I was a SOS driver on big tires and won alot like you guys. I had no problem with the big tires at that point. We decided to take on the next challenge and that was Wade Jones at i37, two years later as you know I am still chasing that goal. I had to change tires and wheels to do it. I didnt know what I was getting into exactly. I left my SOS motor in except for roller rockers. Make no mistake about it there is a learning curve and I had to go through it on the g60's. I still learn on these tires every race and if I do my job as a driver and crew chief then they have never let me down and I have been impressed with them. I sat in my car chasing Wade and trying to hold off Mickey this last week abusing the hell out of the rr tire. After the race upon inspection the three race old rr tire was still ok to run after I grind it alittle bit and service it some. So know after a couple years alittle wiser you beat I would run any track rule in the shootout that had g60's in it. I personally didnt see the need to do all the chassis upgrades with 3 links and what not but I do try to make enough horsepower to get me out of the jaws of trouble that lurks behind me.

[Danielsen Motorsports]

I guess my point is if there is change even the guys that cant afford all the changes they see others going through shouldnt be scared to do it. I think leaning on the experience of others that have done it might surprise you how fast you will be right out of the shute. Good luck everyone.

[lg27]

As I stated before I dont care either way the rules go.... For Texana /Shady oaks there are 2 parts to this deal, a weekly series and a traveling series which races once or twice a year.. when you change one part it will change the other...

 

Currently Texana AND SOS are the only 2 tracks out of the 5 tracks that are running the same rules in the Street Stock class.... the other 3 tracks as of right NOW allow different things. meaning they aren't the same.. So it isn't just as easy as adopting another tracks rules, one would think it would have to be all 5 tracks adopting the EXACT SAME RULES in order for it to be a success (has there been any talk to the other 3 tracks about unifying their rules to form one set of Street Stock Rules?)

 

I can see small modifications to our rules but remember we are 2 tracks, not one. so a rule change effects a larger number of drivers. I would hate to see it hurt our car count for weekly series racing. That’s all.

 

why dont we do some modifications to the rules like weight reduction, ITS FREE, 200 pounds is alot of added weight... that would get them running faster with no expense

 

Danielsen Motorsports – Well Spoken, the idea of uniting the Street Stock class for 5 tracks would be a GREAT accomplishment,

KING31 – A drivers meeting would be GREAT…

dy97 - I agree, very good input

 

 

Look, i stand behind what ever decision Ken makes for the Texana Street Stock class, if merging the rules is whats best then lets do it, but lets do it for the right reasons.