The Feature

[Speedster41]

Who is for the way the features are being lined up? I think that the feature races should be lined up by the fininshing order of the heat races. I think by putting the cars that fininsh in the back of the heats up front causes wrecks. I may be wrong but it just seems like the heat race is worthless, since your going to start the feature by points. The slower cars up front are going to bottle neck up the field and cause wrecks. Just my opionion. Sorry if I affend anybody.

[MadRacing19]

If you start the "Fast" cars up front there is not going to be much of a race for the fans to see. One of the things that's fun to see is who is going to make it to the front first, Will or GB. I also thik it teaches you to drive . If you can go from the back and get to the front in 20 laps you have worked hard and drove your butt off.

[Racetrack14]

The problem you have with the Texas Thunders is that there is such a large margin between the fastest and the slowest, almost 4 seconds. That's what is causing most of the wrecks on the start and the large field of cars. You don't have that margin in the other classes. Not anyones fault but somebody generally gets run over during the start until the field can level out. One solution that might work out good would be to start by points but invert the first 6 - 10 cars by random pick each week. That would cut down on the wrecks and still put on a good show for the fans. It's not good for the class when you keep having the "Big One" on the start of the race.

[Speedster41]

I agree with Racetrack14. There is a big difference in speed between the fast and slower cars. Also, if cars keep getting torn up most aren't going to want to come back.

[top_shelf_12]

From the stands the disparity of speed is obvious in the TX Thunder class. You have maybe a group of about five that are really fast, then you have about ten or so that are getting there, and then the rest who can't keep up for whatever reason. Racetrack is absolutely right about this disparity and the lack of it in the other classes. As we saw last weekend, the fastest car in the Super Street didn't win, Perry just didn't make a mistake and kept Stevens behind him. Stevens did everything but take him out and it was an enjoyable race to watch. The Bombers, uh umm... Pure Stock, you never know who's going to win, although Bobby Jack has been running extremely well this season. But most of the Pure Stocks are relatively equal and stay in one or two groups. TX Thunder is basically GB, Will, and Todd Evans without EJ there now. I also agree with Sam's point about coming through the back though, meaning these guys earn the victory rather than starting on the front row and lapping half the field by lap 5.

[MadRacing19]

Starting the faster cars up front can cause just as many wrecks as starting them in the back. Watch the other classes or series that run at any track. We race on a 1/4 mile track pile ups happen no matter where you start or if slow cars or "fast" cars are up front. If you make all the slower cars start in the back then they have no chance to win at all, not saying they do anyway but, if the driver feels he has no chance to win then maybe he or she does not come back then your class gets smaller and smaller till you have only a few cars(the faster ones) and maybe not enough to make a good race then you don't have a class to race in. All classes have slower cars but without them car count would be nothing .Don't penalize the guys for not having enough money or smarts to make their cars faster ,help them and maybe they won't be in your way the next time .A little help goes along ways. Just something to think about.There are drivers in the TT class that could really help the other guys out. A good example of getting good help is the #10 car. He is a young guy that has good help. Not everyone starts out as good as that with out help.I know GB and Will could help get some of the slower guys atleast handeling better and that might keep them out of your way.

[racerx]

If you make all the slower cars start in the back then they have no chance to win at all, not saying they do anyway but, if the driver feels he has no chance to win then maybe he or she does not come back then your class gets smaller and smaller

 

 

Maybe we could just do like they do in little kids sports and just give everyone a trophy

 

 

Don't penalize the guys for not having enough smarts to make their cars faster

 

What is this, "no child left behind" for auto racing???

[MadRacing19]

Ok maybe the fast cars should slow down so the turds can keep up .It that better?

[racerx]

LOL...My mom once told me turds were a fact of life!

[Rookie49]

When I was growing up there was a guy named Mike Wofford that ran a 67 mustang at Crawford County speedway that started at the back of every race and was our weekly and season champion for years. They didn't wreck it every time they started the race. Same goes for Don Schoenfeld and Larry Phillips. They used to start at the back at Razorback Speedway and they would work their way to the front and battle it out for the win every time. Not too many wrecks. The point is the reason thaat you have more wrecks like that now is that the fast guys are in too big a hurry to get to the front and the slow guys in the front are driving cars that 37 feet wide. I don't think there is a fix, until people decide to change the way they race.

[neon14]

That's right Rookie49, we are in too big of a hurry to get to the front. There are two races, the one to get to the front and then the feature race. If you don't beat GB to the front you have pretty much lost the race. The Texas Thunder class is kind of like racing down the freeway during rush hour traffic, it's fun but it can a little stressful at times. There is alot of traffic out there and it is going all different speeds. As long as we start the fast cars in the back it is always going to be that way. It would be nice to try something different, I like Racetrack14's idea about the top 6 or 10. That could make for a great race from the start.

Neon Will

[MadRacing19]

You know some of the crash's are caused by faster cars trying to use the infield as the track and slidding up in to others. I saw that again last week.

[slysnake]

Last week's wreck fest didn't really involve the slow cars in TT. If you look at it, the faster cars lost a little patience. The inversion though might be a good thing like racetrack said...it would make things interesting...

[Crewcheif21,73]

If wall goes well the 21 car will be making its return and we will have anther fast car just hope i can drive as good as ej or learn to really quick

[poorboy]

So from what I understand by all this is that in the Thunder class we should make it easier for the veterans to win by putting the slow guys to the back . Just doesn't make any sense.

[MadRacing19]

Poorboy, that's basically what I got out of it too. Nobody wants to race any more they want to start up front and make it easy. If you look at the TT class the same cars normally win anyway no matter where they start.

[Crewcheif21,73]

Thats true.

[neon14]

This is not about making races easy to win, this is about wrecking cars for no reason at all. Last year we had several big wrecks before we even took the green flag. I know because I was in one of them. Each one took out five or six cars and some did not return the next weekend. The fans got to see a big wreck.

[neon14]

Three wide, three or four deep, sometimes four wide if GB dips down in the grass is a product of these starts and is a Texas Thunder trademark. Most of the time we make it sometimes we don't.

[MadRacing19]

Will , I understand not wanting to tear up your car ,you work hard to have a nice car and it really shows. You have the best looking car in the TT class and it hauls a$$ too. Wrecks are part of short track racing....As for GB going thru the grass it's not right and I would black flag him every time he did it untill it stopped.I have nothing against GB but if he wanted to race in the dirt he could stay closer to home and do that!

[slysnake]

Sam,

I don't think any of us want the fast cars up front to start, not even the fast guys, but needless, senseless tearing up of cars does keep people out and car counts low. Guess you said it well, there is going to be wrecks on short track racing, just wish there was a happy medium in there for all...

[Crewcheif21,73]

Well , this is off the subject but the 21 car is running.I dont know makin some weird noise just have to wait and see tomm morin when i fire it back up again. Ask Will he was there did sound to good huh Will.

[Definitive]

And to think I always wondered why all of the big time racers came out of the midwest,california,or the southeast.Guys,learn how to pass.Learn how to race,not just build the best car and run out front,where you pass nobody until the lapped cars are flagged out of the way.They do this way too much in Texas,and it's no wonder,when they finally do real inverts,the fast guys only wreck into the slow guys instead of passing them.A good example of this was the Southeastern Elite series race at HMP.At the beggining of the race,the Texas guys were all over the racetrack.pass,pass,pass,without wrecking yourself or others,takes practice.

 

Keep up the inversion,afterall,it's a show for the fans,not the drivers.

[top_shelf_12]

Like what was said earlier, the same two or three guys are winning every week, no matter where they start. I don't know about punishing or rewarding anyone as far as starting position, at least my main point is there is a very large disparity between the top guys and the lower end guys for whatever reason, be it money, experience, car, etc. Until that gets fixed, GB, Will, Evins, and the top four or five in that class will win every week. Of course, every one out there are weekend warriors, no one's backed by multi-million dollar sponsors and have crews of twenty constantly working on their cars. The affordability of the TT class is a big draw for those lesser guys. I don't have a problem with them starting up front and yes those faster guys need to learn patience, especially if they decide to move up to other classes and touring series. Sam, I get aggravated watching GB use the infield to go from last row to lead before they get into turn one, but we all know him and Will will be up front in a matter of five laps anyways, and Sullivan or Owen, someone caught him and warned him. The second restart he didn't do that and he ended up winning anyways. But you guys are right about not putting the slow guys in the back, otherwise it will be Very Boring watching GB and/or Will string out on the first lap from the first row. Again, it's only the TT that have that big gap in speed for the most part, the Pure Stocks are a little more even and the Super Streets are very even. But I don't have the answer, but will agree about not putting those fast cars on the front row. Maybe they can adopt the TSRS rule about rolling the dice to decide inversion and "qualifying" would be based on the heat races, i.e. first heat race is the inside rows, second heat outside (providing there are only two heats) and the two winners roll for inversion. But what do I know? Also reminds me of when Jason Oates was dominating SA and his class started offering bonuses from starting dead last and winning the feature, I think it was Oates they did that for.

[Racerpix]

They did that to Jason Oates on the April 30 race and had his tire not come off he probably would have won. I think he was already in third when the wheel came off.