0Your thoughs on UMP Good/Bad?? - Belle-Clair Speedway not so sure from a Facebook post I just read.

I believe the biggest problem with just about every track is a poor set of rules that are truly enforced. I believe Ump should make every track enforce the rules or if they don't drop their sanction.
westlingracing said:
Just sayin rules are not to enter someones pits. There should be a penalty. Been in the same position a few times over my 25 year career. Never went there but seen a few others get hurt. I think the rough driving should be looked at a lot more often. My kid has a broken arm/wrist right now because of someone with a reputation. I could have entered his pits. But didnt.
Click to expand...

Anyone that goes to another drivers pits looking for trouble should be suspended for a year from that day period. Until you start having severe penalty's for some of this stuff nothing is going to change. Yes I know it won't stop everyone but, what it will do is get that person off the track for a year.

As far as dropping UMP if Don does not feel is getting a good bang for his buck then he should drop them. One thing I would be leery of is racers really doing what they say they are going to do. I've seen it before where they say they would do something and then when it comes time to do it they don't. I will give you a example so, you don't think I'm just making it up. Spoon River Speedway had a drivers meeting and wanted to get the SS class back at Spoon and there were guys there that said yes they would race at spoon and you guessed it it never happened. There were only about 3 or 4 cars that showed up and they had to drop the class. Another example guys wanted lincoln to start a B-mod class so, they did only to have to drop it because guys did not show up so, Don be leery of what drivers tell you.
 
Like I said in an earlier post, the ONLY way USRA would work for Bellville is if another Saturday night track close by went with them. Check out USRA's rules for all classes. They have a nice set of rules for them and they ENFORCE these rules as well. It is a tough decision though, so I wish Bellville the best is whichever direction they go.
 
Usra is a great organization. So is nascar who used to be in the area and would like to come back only if others would follow suit. I agree with both sides of the discussion. Personally i never gave thoughts to points i just ran when i could and was happy to do so. Whatever happens i wish belle claire the best. They have really busted arses to turn that track around and have done so!
 
The drivers for the most part that race belleville are regulars,if you lose harrison,griffaw,kloos,the two littles if they are there for ump points is it that big of a deal? Most of the other drivers dont do it for ump points chasing look at their total nights it lists them on the point page.kimmons is way short on nights schulte is also some other guys only run belleville period.throw voigt in there too.
 
20rocks said:
The drivers for the most part that race belleville are regulars,if you lose harrison,griffaw,kloos,the two littles if they are there for ump points is it that big of a deal? Most of the other drivers dont do it for ump points chasing look at their total nights it lists them on the point page.kimmons is way short on nights schulte is also some other guys only run belleville period.throw voigt in there too.
Click to expand...

I think there could also be an increase in weekly non UMP points chasers at your track if the well funded, UMP points chasers had to go elsewhere to keep getting the points. I know if I have the choice of racing against the big dogs of UMP or racing against a bunch of other guys that aren't, I would choose the latter. I think a track that doesn't offer UMP points would be very attractive to a lot of guys who could care less about UMP. Some might even not bother to buy the UMP membership and just race where its not required.
 
You said it the other guys people in the stands don't come to watch the other guys one day those guys will be headliners but not today with out headliners you don't have a show to sell no different than UFC boxing wrestling or any other sport no disrespect to anyone that straps in an goes racing but the truth is you need exciting drivers to watch or all that will be in the stands is a few family members kinda like a kids go kart race
 
I agree with Rusty. You have to get some of those guys or you have no show. UMP for top two classes and non sanction the others
 
I think having UMP points in the lower divisions is neat, guys can see where they stack up against other guys in the 'nation'. It is not UMP's fault that these race tracks have bad schedules and quit racing too early. The rules in the lower divisions really isnt UMP's fault either. The sportsman class, for example, was never going to be made the same nationwide. Allied would have AT LEAST allowed berts and brinns and stub cars with no penalty.They probably would have had to open up the cubic inch rule. I am not saying right or wrong but it would have been an impossible task and gave a lot of local sportsman guys a lot of extra money over the last 10 years..............

Also, UMP cant really be expected to supply tech people every week at every single track. I think a lot of tracks around here need to look at things that have become common or accepted. Things like ramming cars under caution, drivers punching drivers in other cars on the race track, fights in the pits, going to other drivers pit area to cause problems, pit crews fighting, cheating, changing rules mid season, rough driving............ I could probably go on. Things are out of control and a lot of tracks dont seem to care or dont do much about it. UMP cant police all of this either. I think some of the local tracks need to step up. Just my opinion.
 
So what the "star of the show" is saying is that there is no "show" unless he shows up? I guess I have to ask you Rusty, just what did you think people were paying to see before you came along? And what do you think people will pay to see when you are gone? If anything, the crowds were bigger before you became one of the "Stars of the Show."

The stars of the show don't have to be certain people. The stars of the show will rise out of whomever shows up. Ask any promoter, they rather have the top 5 not show up, as lose the other 20.

"Star Power" doesn't translate to Dirt racing. Just look at the Nascar night of stars races, the last one I was at the stands were half full and there were all these big name Nascar guys there. All the fans I spoke to said if Tony Stewart was there, or Dale Earnhardt Jr, the stands would have been packed. Other than that, even a run of the mill Nascar guy won't draw more people to the stands.

I'm not taking anything away from Rusty Griffaw, Ray Walsh, Mike Harrison, Kloos, Korte, any of the big "names" in local racing. But racing would be better served with 20 more backmarkers who have family and friends who love seeing someone they know on the track rather than having one more "star" driver with a big name.

I spoke to a promoter out in MO a number of years ago, who related the story that this one young guy with more money than God showed up every week and won a particular division by half a lap. Sure, in that kid's mind, he was the "Star of the Show" because he won all the time. In his mind, why would anyone show up to watch people lose to him? The promoter told me straight up he'd rather the kid go race somewhere else, he was stinking up the show. He even told him why don't you go race with a touring series or something, where you will be challenged and give everyone else locally a chance to have some glory.

The whole star thing just doesn't do much for a local promoter. More cars, an evenly spread field and everyone has a chance at winning will keep people interested. Just watching the same 4 guys trade wins every week is probably doing more harm than good for the promoter.
 
The other answer would be drivers flat refuse to buy membership and not budge on it it will put hoener in a bad spot to dump ump or the other tracks.if all but the 4 local drivers that get something out of it dont do it they cant put a show on with 4 cars.The promoters need to demand the old point structure,it would help a track like quincy that races sunday
 
Before Don makes a decision have a drivers meeting an ask the drivers to vote what they think of the idea of no UMP . ( If they will stay or go ) It would give him a good idea what he is up against
 
Personally i think if you ran a good clean show and provided tight close racing you can draw an awesome crowd without some of the big guys there. Not disrespecting anyone. But if you could increase the pay and lower admission to draw more people in the stands heck yea youll have a win win situation. But it does take recognition for people to like a class so that being said big names help out there. Ive been waiting for year for a track to go out on a limb and do their own thing. Run a and b mods and street stocks only. Tone the street stocks down a little and make everything more affordable. You would have mods their either way. Alot do run just to do it and not for points especially b mods. Could get interesting.
 
I have not disagreed more with a statement in this site than, you don't need the star of the show. The star of the show who is people show up to see not the big name unless that's there star. Every driver is the star of the show to someone. Myself is a prime example. Couple years ago I raced a modified I SUCKED and probably made life harder for those on the track but. I was the star of the 5 or so fans I brought. I won every night I lived through the race to show up the next week. Did I ever win hell no but I did to those fans. I don't race now and guess what those 5 people don't come anymore because their "star" isn't there. Now I understand my 5 people isn't really a big deal but I would bet the 30 people or so who show up to see Rusty race or the 30 people who show up to see Harrison race would matter if they stop coming. Sorry for my rant my point is EVERY DRIVER that shows up is someone's star so don't say we don't need them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Back
Top