Full fields? At what price? (1 Viewer)

[kegs]

Jim Dunn once said he spends the same today as 20 years ago. All he's got! So I assume the small teams spend the same as the big. All they got.
Personally I get a huge kick out of watching Lagana beat Bernstein. I'll take underfunded, small or filler teams anyday. Until you work on a lesser funded team you will never realize what it takes to get out there and try and be competitive.

 

[BaldyLochs]

Thats a great post, John. I knew 2 families from Michigan who gave up everything to do what they love and raced right along side of the Skoal, Castrol, Motorcraft and Valvoline empires - Della Woods and Wayne Bailey, and there were and are lots of others just like them. If you've ever seen that public service TV commercial where they show a Mother with hungry kids having to decide to pay the heat bill or buy groceries.... that's not too far off, let me tell you!
Only it's, let them repo the wife's car - she can drive the dually. No summer vacation - we're going to Columbus, no Christmas presents kids, but when it warms up in the Spring we'll take the race car out one night.

 

[kegs]

Chris

I met Wayne at Tulsa at an IHRA deal. What a neat guy. He ran parts that the low buck guys threw away. He had a triple axle trailer that he removed the center axle out of so it would pull smoother. Remember at Indy when the throttle stuck on the burnout and he spun the car around to stay out of the sand trap? Great driving job. He was the epitome of low buck but still managed to make in the 4 second zone.

 

[mw6789]

As an aside, I have a couple of friends who run NHRA Sportsman cars (Stock Eliminator) and they both tell me that there is a $40.00 "surcharge" tacked onto their entry fee that is designated as a payment for insurance for the Pros, not themselves.

I've never heard what the Pros actually pay, if anything.

This sounds unconsicionable to me, but my friends who race are adamant... they have to pay it every national event that they race. $40.00. Not a lot of money, but, come ON..... the Pros get in free and can't pay their OWN INSURANCE???

Give me a break!

One of many reasons I gave up on NHRA sportsman racing. My little K/SA car wasnt much of a risk--at least not like a leaker and squeaker top fueler or funny car. As for the low buck guys in the fuel classes, more power to them. I just hope one of them can luck out and win. Look at the last winner at Talledega and the Kentucky Derby. How would you like to have had a coupe of grand on those two to win.

 

[Bill]

Mike Walker said, "at least not like a leaker and squeaker top fueler"...

Better watch it, Mike, somebody will accuse you of being "insulting," with language like that!!! lol!

Sorry to hear that you felt it necessary to abandon your Stocker, but I fully understand. NHRA has consistently raised the tab to enter Stock and Super Stock for probably, at least, the last 20 years, with no commensurate increase in payouts; it's been a one-way street seemingly, ever since Dallas Gardner took over at the top. Bean counters ruin everything, it seems.

Mike, send me an email to [email protected]. I have something to send you.

Thanks!!!

Bill

 

[BaldyLochs]

Yes Wayne was a great guy. Go ask Lee Beard about 1st round at Indy... back when he was tuning the Castrol GTX Top Fueler with Gary Ormsby driving. That one moment was the epitome of a low buck racer slaying a dragon... and it was one of Wayne's proudest moments. Everyone was like, "holy crap; tell me that didn't just happen"! Those moments are great... in any sport.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

A fan always prefers to see a side by side race at 11am Sunday instead of BYE.

It seems like if anyone in the free world wants to step up to the plate and fund a TF team now would be the time.

 

["Chuck"]

There will never be anything more amazing and breathtaking than a Fuel car in my opinion. And theres nothing better than watching the little guy come out and take out one of the big players. I think some of those guys live for that moment. I know i do.

 

[rocketman]

yeah well, a year ago we were *****ing that the independent had no place to go, Now he does so let it be.

 

[none]

Long live "PONTIAC JACK"
No thread on low dollar fuel racers should be complete without mentioning Jack Ostrander!

 

[Nunz]

Is Jack racing anymore?

 

[LT1performance]

Would be nice to see Espn give a little more tv time to the lower budget teams.
I was surprised to see they actually spoke of "The GreeK" this weekend.
Someone mentioned in this thread about the smaller teams being more accessible. Man if that isn't true. They're more receptive to the fans than the big teams any day. And I'm not just talking about the drivers. It's really cool to talk with the crew guys and check out the operation etc.
We've been invited inside their trailers, been invited to eat, among other things.

My hats off to the small teams like Ziz, Urbacher, Haddock, on and on.

 

[Nitrohelper]

Yes Wayne was a great guy. Go ask Lee Beard about 1st round at Indy... .....

Please don't ,
Lee didn't talk to me for two years after we whipped him first round. Amato sure was happy,because we helped Joe in the points chase.

 

[none]

Is Jack racing anymore?

As far as I know Jack pulled the plug a few years ago.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

It was nice while it lasted.