Central Indiana motorsports ad Anderson Speedway!

I have some inside knowledge of one multi team owner who has reduced head count.  The reduction was related directly to the fact that they had no sponsor for a particular car/team, so that entire group of workers assigned to that car were let go.  The others all do the same.  While they could probably support an extra un-sponsored car out of pocket, they won't.  It's not about racing, it's about business.

Congratulations, 442. You just pushed one of my hot buttons.

The NASCAR I followed for years is gone. It's been replaced by a weekly entertainment event, where racing actually has little to do with it. They have given us a product comprising vanilla drivers in cookie-cutter car driving around cookie-cutter tracks, not in search of a win, but rather in search of "a good points day."

Drivers no longer get rides based primarily on driving talent. They get them based on personality, photogenic ability and whether they can promote their sponsor's product profitably. Having the Cup championship on your resume, no matter how long ago, doesn't hurt a bit either.

The people who follow the sport can be broken into two categories:

• Race fans who have a genuine love of racing and cars. They have favourite drivers but the focus of their interest is on the competition. They routinely go to the local track and cheer on their local heroes.  This group is becoming a dying breed.
• Driver fans who have bought into the glitz, glamor and media hype of the sport, mostly since the major networks began carrying the races.  The primary interest they have in the sport is "their driver." If he wouldn't make a given race, they probably wouldn't even bother to tune in because the race itself would hold no interest. They're attracted to NASCAR because of the popularity and when that popularity wains, they'll move on to the next trendy sport the media has chosen to make popular. They seldom, if ever, attend their local track because, "I've never heard of any of the drivers, so why should I go?"

NASCAR has sold out good competitive racing in the Cup and Cup Lite Series with a product aimed toward a short term profit and now, with the economy going down a bit, it's coming back to bite them on their considerable sized butts.

 Sorry, but it felt good to get all that off my chest. Mea culpa, mea culpa. Maxima mea culpa.

Good explanation John!

That second group also bought disco clothes in the 70's, and later purchased motorcycles they never get out of town on.  They follow whatever fad is the latest and greatest.  I'll be glad when they get away from racing, and go on to something I don't care about.  Then racing might be able to heal up a bit.

NASCAR won't until Brian France, who totally lacks the leadership ability to supervise a major racing sanctioning body to insure that it provides creditable automobile racing, leaves.  Until then NASCAR will continue to function as though it is being run by people with the mentality of Tickle Me Elmo.

Yeah, I know... Go on, John. Tell us how you REALLY feel!

All of this cold weather made me think of going to Ft. Wayne and watching the USAC midgets race in the coliseum every winter.  Dad and I used to go up every year for many years, sometimes we would have company and other it was just him and I.  You always got a snoot full of fumes from those alky burning midgets, as the ventilation in there was dismal at best.  The cars ran on a small oval, which was laid out over the floor of the hockey rink, less the ice.  I think the entire length was 1/10 of a mile or so.  It was a tight track and the action was wild.  Last time we went up was in 1973 or 74.  Those were some good times.

That reminds me of Thunder in the Dome.  Midgets and I think Sprints in the Hoosier Dome....Tony Stewart, Kasey Cane, Kenny Schrader, etc. 

Chili Bowl field biggest yet

SURE LIKE TO BE THERE. THIS BE RACIN

I was crew chief for a friend of mine at the Ft.Wayne Rumble the weekend between Christmas & New Years a coupl of weeks ago.It was pretty good.Tony Stewart won Fri.Night & Liquid Lou Cicconi won Sat.Night. I have some photos,but my pics are on Picasa & I dont know how to post them on here,but I can email them if someone wants some.I also seen Sarah Fisher walking around there Fri.& Sat.,but I didnt get any pics of her,but got a few of Tony Stewart.

Check this out !! Action from Anderson Speedway .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFZjW5lju8A

My Mom and Grandpa used to attend races here . If you could post some stories here about Armscamp it would be appreciated . Armscamp was before my time so anything you could post would help me connect to what they might have expierenced .