ITP BlOG SPOT

In my last blog I left open a question, where do you see our sport in three years, five years, and ten years from now? Thank you to everyone who commented.

So where are we headed? In this next decade (2010-2019) it appears we will be moving into electronic fuel injection, which hopefully will return us to the junk yards but require more track participation in controlling the electronics. Crate motors will be an option and RPM limitations will also be included in the rules.

History tells us racing will continue to evolve. After all how much Stock Car is left in NASCAR? Look at racing safety and how items have improved from seat belts, to window nets, to aluminum seats, to racing helmets, to fuel cells, to full face helmets, to head and neck restraint systems. This past decade we have seen technology like never before, especially in our street vehicles. How much (or little) street technology has transferred to our racecars?

Technology cost money. In the current economy money is tight. This past ten years we have seen crate motors become a reality with cost being the determining factor. We have seen and are seeing RPM restrictions used to save the racer money. We have seen Chinese products enter the market to save the racer money. Everyone is searching for a solution to contain racing cost.

To lower the cost of racing engines we must look at all options, crates, spec rules, RPM Limitations, and fuel injection. Quite possibly a rule book will include several engine options, crate engine with a specific carburetor, spec engine with an RPM limitation, and eventually a fuel injected engine with an electronic RPM limit. Weight rules may have to be adapted for engine configurations especially as more and more series are allowing aluminum.

How quickly we get to any of these options would and could be anyone’s guess. RPM limitations have already entered the sport through IMCA and I-80 Speedway. I-80 Speedway has racers competing with the same engine from four years ago because of the use of crate motors and RPM limitations. Quite a savings for the racer but yet the track owners advise these rules are a help but not the complete answer.

Various series are trying different methods all with the same goal in mind to reduce the cost to race. Midgets have an electronically fuel injected motor available. The National All Star Racing Association is allowing the CT525 crate motor, with a weight break, to compete with the open motors in a late model series. Several tracks are instituting RPM limits. With all these different ways of reducing cost we must to learn to communicate, to ask questions, and more importantly to openly share the information. Our sport has been very good at keeping secrets, it is time we all work together to develop solutions.

Chassis is another area where change needs to occur no matter what the class maybe. Currently we have run out of American frames and instead we are buying and welding Chinese copies of the American frame. Again do we look to the junkyard and allow the use of any frame? Troy Harrison responded to my last blog recommending “any frame with any body; make the engine and body match in terms of make. He has been advocating for the S-10/Dakota frame for years, plentiful, simple, and easy to work with, as well as being cheap as dirt”.

Locally we have to take these ideas and work to establish a common set of rules for the Street Stock Class. By locally I mean all the tracks in the Midwest not IMCA sanctioned. Some of this work has begun. Within three years this should become a reality. We could all slap a set of rules down today that would look the same but to get there we have to be fiscally responsible. We must work toward common engine rules, even if it includes options. We must be willing to explore a more readily available chassis. We must also be willing to accept change and work to ensure equality. This should all be accomplished within three years. Within five years there will be a standard engine option package which will probably include a fuel injection option. Ten years from now we should be racing the street vehicles of today in Street Stock class.

These same ideas will also carry over into the other divisions. The Grand National class is poised to grow and could explode if an engine option is provided that allows a crate motor to compete with engine builders. Competition in the engine world will create competition for the racers hard earned money. Quite possibly, a crate motor option with a four barrel carburetor versus the current two barrel option within the next three years and a fuel injected option a couple of years later.

Modifieds need engine control as soon as possible, even in the IMCA ranks (ever seen a claim war). Modifieds are the premier class at several tracks. As the premier class, A Mod rules have followed closely a national touring series rules. This is leading to the A Mod going the way of the Late Models and Sprint Cars. Tracks and Touring series need to work together to develop engine packages. There should be a crate option, an open option, and yes even an electronically controlled fuel injected option. It will require work, to allow all three motor types to have some equality, but it is a challenge whose time has arrived.

We need real input from the majority, from those who put the sport ahead of themselves. The truth is we are at a crossroads and we need positive thinking people to help move this sport forward, people that are not afraid to lead, people with innovation, people with an open mind, people who look beyond their own agenda, people who will share.

Several have asked how the Border War rules came about for the Stock Car/Factory Stock Class. Hopefully, this will answer some questions.

In March 2009 the infamous Modified Cut Frame Rail was the talk of the racing community. What happened during this discovery created communication between the tech officials. Tech Officials from several race tracks began talking and working together. What one tech would find, discover, or create was shared with other techs and sanctioning bodies creating a loose association of tech officials.

In the street stock/factory stock classes a few racers decided to travel. Michael Mullins came to Lakeside with a car outside the rules for the Factory Stocks. He raced with the Grand National class and it was an obvious mismatch. His car more closely matched a Factory Stock than a Grand National. Valley Speedway established a rule allowing other competitors to come race at their track for four weeks following their home track rules. When Jason Ryun competed at Valley Speedway on June 20, 2009 and won with his Lakeside Factory Stock, he was asked not to bring his car back in that configuration after one race. Jason also raced at I-35 Speedway and State Fair Speedway simply removing his quadrajet carburetor and replacing it with a 4412 Holley carburetor. He finished fifth at I-35 and eighth at State Fair. The previous October at Lakeside we witnessed a Lakeside Factory Stock and the IMCA Stock Car Champion compete in one of the best races of the year with Brett Heeter pulling out a late win over Mike Nichols. So how different are these cars?

These instances of other cars competing at other tracks caused the officials to join together and attempt to create a unified set of rules for the stock car/factory stock class. Officials from Valley, CMS, Lakeside, I-35, and Thunderhill met. Jerry Hoffman heard about the meetings from the Heartland Park staff and called and added his two cents. At these meetings we discovered there were several differences from track to track, no two tracks had the same rules. In fact the group expanded the search in the Midwest to 26 different tracks to determine if anyone had the same set of rules.

Mike Johnson, I-35 Speedway owner, attended the last meeting of the officials. He left the meeting with a “what can we do to allow the Stock Classes to compete with each other”. Sometimes we just need a different set of eyes looking at the issues, instead of comparing all the differences (and the “whoa is me attitude” that goes with those set of eyes), Johnson challenged the officials to come up with something to equalize the differences. His relationship with Lakeside owner Marc Olson provided the opportunity to create a challenge in these classes with the Border War. Both owners want to see the sport grow and agreed on the format for the Border War. However, the next challenge lies with the mandate not to increase the cost for the Factory Stocks, after all we are still a recovering economy.

The rules for the Border War were determined based on the disparity between a Lakeside Factory Stock and an IMCA Stock Car. The rules were developed restricting all except Lakeside regulars with the caveat that further restrictions would be implemented in efforts to level the playing field. No one is asking Lakeside regulars to compete with the IMCA Stock Car. Lakeside is requiring the Stock Car to compete with the Lakeside regulars. Comments are quick to point out the disadvantaged Lakeside Regulars, however, it’s “the other guys” that have the increased financial obligations. The cost to compete at Lakeside lies with those not conforming to the Factory Stock rules, i.e. a required rev limiter, meeting the non waiver able Lakeside safety rules, and obviously with the rpm limitation a gear. All this while knowing that further changes are imminent should existing restrictions not level the playing field. Please be assured we are committed to making prompt and appropriate adjustments to ensure a level playing field.
No one benefits if we cannot work together to find equality.

We are fortunate in the racing community to have two owners accepting the challenges created over the last several years and working to give everyone a place to race. They are working to bring us all together to allow us to race whenever and where ever we choose all while attempting to keep cost in check as much as possible. We are one racing family and hopefully everyone will embrace the changes and work together to ensure fair and equitable competition. Together we grow, divided we all lose.

My next blog is more of question to the racers – where do you see our sport in three years, five years, and ten years? Be thinking about the future as we work to grow our sport.

In the Central Auto Racing Boosters we have several awards which include a description known as the “Betterment of Auto Racing”. Just what is the Betterment of Auto Racing?

The betterment of auto racing means the person displays characteristics of unselfishness that everything he or she does is to promote our great sport. That they would do their special event, not to win some award not to get recognition, but because they love the sport of auto racing. The betterment of auto racing is quite simply “putting the sport before yourself.”

The opposite of “betterment of auto racing” is selfishness. There is a ton of selfishness in racing. Someone comes across the hot racing ticket they like to keep it to themselves. Someone feels they deserve an award is selfishness. Someone trying to penalize someone else that indirectly hurts another group of individuals is selfishness.

Some of the things I see as betterment of auto racing currently ongoing:
Inthepits – John and Junior providing this website, even having to make the changes they recently made they have created a site for folks to raise issues, get things off their chest, and get questions answered.
C.A.R.B. – (I know I am part of this and proud of it but don’t hold things against me for what this organization and group of volunteers have accomplished and continue to accomplish). Accomplishments – Hall of Fame, Bowlathon (17 year running), Golf Tournament (16 years and counting), donations to the American Cancer Society and $10,000 this past year to Victory Junction, Old Timers Picnic, Ride for the Victory, C.A.R.B. Nights, and of course the season ending banquet. It takes a successful team to accomplish these events. A team that works together for the Betterment of Auto Racing.

We also have owners starting to work together for the Betterment of Auto Racing. The Border War is a classic example, what if that expands to a region wide set of rules for all classes – my guess is that is for the betterment of auto racing.

My challenge to everyone is to look ahead and continue to improve our sport for the betterment of auto racing and if you see individuals fulfilling these roles for the betterment of auto racing get on this website and let us know. Positive news is so much better than “negative news”.