Anyone remember the old UMP Econo LM class?

Doug

Doug

Announcer
I was looking through some of my old videotapes over the weekend, and brought back some really cool memories. The Seets brothers, Jim Durbin, Randy Korte, Gary Archambault, Rick Bayer. The list could go on and on. Then I found a press release from 1989 concerning the class (yes, I am a pack-rat) and found the following paragraph to be very interesting:

"We are trying to develop a low-buck econo-late model set of rules that gives these drivers an enormous economical source of supply of used parts, chassis and tires from the U.M.P. Super Late Models. If the driver moves up to the econo class from the street stock, is successful, and enjoys it, he can utilize the econo late model racer and the parts he has, and move on to the U.M.P. Super late Models by replacing his engine. And with the uniformity of rules from track to track, he can race wherever he wants and be legal and competitive. In too many divisions today, if you want to move up to the super late models, you must throw away what you've invested."

Now, isn't that exactly what happened when they killed off the class in favor of the modifieds?
 
What I remember more than anything about the econos was how loosely the body rules were enforced. What resulted was a class that was far more akin to today's sportsman than it was to a limited LM class.
 
Yes..you had late model bodies..stock bodies..bodies done at 3 in the am with couple of 12 packs under them..lol. Crazy class..and yea Doug..they killed that class to go with the open mods.
 
Doug said:
We are trying to develop a low-buck econo-late model set of rules
QUOTE]

PLAIN AND SIMPLE, IT HAS JUST GOTTEN OUTTA HAND. THE SUPERS WERE FOR THE BIG DOLLAR BOYS. BUT, THEY BROUGHT THEM LOCALLY.

MAKES YOU WONDER WHERE WILL IT STOP? THE MONEY IT TAKES TO RACE THESE DAYS IS CRAZY. I DON'T MEAN JUST RACE. I MEAN RACE AND RACE COMPETITIVE. I'M NOT TALKING JUST LATE MODELS. I'M TALKING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SPORTSMAN. IF PEOPLE DON'T THINK ITS A REAL PROBLEM, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AROUND. THEY NEED TO LOOK AT TRACKS AND CAR COUNTS NOW AND HOW THEY WERE BACK IN THE DAY. I CAN REMEMBER A TIME WHEN TRACKS WEREN'T BEGGING FOR CARS. THE FUTURE OF TRACKS DIDN'T HAVE SO MUCH GLOOM AND DOOM HANGING OVER HEAD.

YOUR AVERAGE GUY IS PRICED OUT OF RACING THESE DAYS. I'VE SEEN SO MANY GUYS QUIT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE RISING COST.

I LOVE RACING. I SURE HOPE THESE TRACK PROMOTERS WILL SEE THE DIRECTION THINGS ARE HEADING AND DO SOMETHING TO REVIVE THINGS.

LOCAL RACING IS FOR THE EVERYDAY JOE BLOWS. IF YOU HAVE AND WANT TO SPEND THE BIG BUCKS GO RACE WITH THE OTHER GUYS WHO DO. INSTEAD OF FEEDING YOUR EGO BEING A BIG FISH IN THE LITTLE POND. SHOW US WHAT YOU'RE REALLY MADE OF!!! J/M/O HOPE NOT TO OFFEND!
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The thing that klilled the Econo class (in my opinion) was the lack of enforcement of the rules. Seemed to be a decent rules package, getting the various sportsman rules together under the same umbrella, but not much in the way of enforcement by the tracks. I remember one night at Godfrey (when they still pitted in the infield), a UMP inspector was seen signing in, and almost every ELM team had at least one guy go to their trailer (they unloaded and parked the tow-rigs outside). Within minutes, you saw the same guys coming back with as much lead as they could carry.
 
I remember racing that class Its the most fun I ever had racing we won some and it wasnt as high dollar as some of the mods. I wish they wouldnt have switched to the mods. as for car counts racing around here has grown ten times more.Ihave a tape of godfrey races where there was maybe thirty cars total in the place.It paid the same then as It does now
 
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