Godfre..Why can't they get it done on time?

T

Tuff-E-Nuff

New Member
Took kids to Godfrey..thought they would enjoy the "meet & greet" after the event.

Night started great ... 7:45 1st race hit track

Thought it would be an early night and get chance to go in pits ... 11:15 last kid feel asleep and still 10 laps to go in final feature.

It was NOT due to car count.

NO time trials
Only 2 heats per class (LM, Mod-A, Mod-B, SS, Sportsman) = 10 heats
2 Dashes (LM Mod)
NO Semi's
Intermission WAY TOO LONG IF there is a curfew.
First 2 features 30 minutes (B Mods & Sportsman)
Modifieds (2 yellows) quick race
Late Models (Green to Checker)
SS .. don't know when they got done.

Cars come out of pits in line, but they still have to run them around the track 3 to 4 times before starting the race!?!?

Tow Truck guys have to be told to get in their truck EVERY time there is a yellow?!?! They have 2 trucks that can push or tow ... should be quick to clear up wrecks, but it was anything but quick.

Some of the fault I will blame on the rain the prior night, a few cars had to be pulled out after they got stuck, but come on!!!!

If they couldn't make curfew last night, they NEVER will. Something has got to be done. Crowd down, car count down. Could have been due to heat.

Anyone else have any ideas because the track could be a fun one to watch. Loved seeing Dixon "running the rim", but getting to that feature was shear torture.
 
Tuff e Nuff basically just repeated everything I've ever been saying about Godfrey.:) I didn't go last night because I knew it would be awful given the 100 degree heat index.

Most of the problems he lists have been going on out there FOR YEARS under umpteen different promoters. If something doesn't change, though, you can bet that track will be SHUT DOWN when more neighbors move out there when the I-255 extension is finished.
 
This Is From The Owner Of The Tow Trucks And He Said He Does His Job And If You You Think It Is That Easy Come Ride In The Trucks With Him And Here Is The Number Of His Shop 372-3428 Call I Am Sure He Would Love To Have You Come Ride Along. His Name Is Ricky Plumb . I Think The Guys Did A Good Job Lastnight.and I Think Chad And The Crew Are Doing A Good Job At The Races .every Time We Are There It Is Always Crowed And That Has To Be Saying Something Is Being Done Right.keep Up The Good Work Chad
 
Naylor and his crew are doing a great job. Every night the track gets better. those guys work harder than most to get the track better. Remember a few weeks ago, every other track cancelled because of a week of heavy rain, they dug damn near to China to find dry dirt. It ended up being a very fast and exciting racing. Give these guys some time, its getting better all the time. I don't know what else the tow truck guys can do? We wreck 'em they tow 'em . They have no problem filling the stands,or getting a car count most weeks. They will finish on time sooner or later.
 
It's really funnny how some posts/threads remind me of a guy I knew in the military, he was just THE expert on music, he could tell you which bands were the best, which players knew exactly what they were doing, who the talented member(s) in any band were, what songs were good, all the ones that stunk, what each song would need to make it a hit, what the band should do to be successful, what the band was not doing that was a big mistake blah blah all the usual I know it all stuff all the time. And hey, give the guy his due, he really knew bands and music inside out. And one day, after yet another lecture from him concerning this that and the other in music, I finally turned and said to him "Wow, you sure know a lot about music, what instrument do you play?" And he looks at me and says 'I'm not a musician; I'm a critic." I laughed my butt off at him, and never took much of what he said too seriously after that.

When you make the music, you'll know what it takes to make music. Until then, you're not a musician, you're just a critic.
 
Well the critics have a point here. Belleville can have as many or more cars, have 45 mintues of jr. fan club/ bike races and still beat Godfrey on getting done. There is obviously a way to solve the problem and it looks like Allied has the answers. Music is an art being a race promotor follows a pretty set it stone formula. If you get lazy and deviate from it then you get what happens at Godfrey. I mean they are late nearly every week and there is always some excuse. I really like the way they've improved their track preperation over what it was a couple of years ago, but you have to keep moving on.
 
The towing company that Godfrey uses is terrible. Bob Kaiser with
his one little ole ford wrecker can run circles around that crew
anytime.
 
godfrey starts late and has 5 classes of cars, belleville doesn't and two laps around belleville is one lap around godfrey lol
 
RUDY PU RACING said:
godfrey starts late and has 5 classes of cars, belleville doesn't and two laps around belleville is one lap around godfrey lol
Click to expand...

Now that makes some sense. My point with my previous post was that anyone can be a critic, not everyone can make music. It is very easy to sit and pick apart everything you think the staff at the track are doing wrong, but you dont have the whole picture, only what you can figure out sitting in the stands/pits or wherever, and that is only part of what is happening. There is more to any event than just what you see on the track in front of you. I have never had to tow a car, so I have no clue what the best way to hook up a hot racecar sitting up against a wall is. I trust the man in the towtruck, after all, he is the one doing the job. I have never flagged a race, so I figure if the guy in the stand wants to see the field 3-4 times before he lets the green fly, he has a good reason to. It is not a perfect world, and not every night goes smoothly. I just think its funny that some people take one night's racing, and use that to judge the entire operation. I have been to Godfrey a few times this year, and the show went very smooth, none of the stuff you're complaining about occured. Too bad, guess you just went on a night when it didnt go as planned.
 
Most of the problems are due to running 5 classes..not their fault. Also..qualifying both late models..and a-mods take up some time too. Especially when dirt gets the timing eye. And dont bash a tow truck driver..please..i was 1 for six years..and it aint no cake walk..trust me. The deal is..when cars get together..and all torn up..everyone is wondering..hmm..how i get these here vehicles apart withouts causin more damage? Lol. Especially when one is flipped over..several times..total junk. I seen his work..and he did a good job. they put up with angry drivers..hot weather..hard work...little sleep..and plummer's butt. Lol. Ever deal with plummer's butt? Everyone tries to put pencils in their as you hook cars up(im joking..kinda)
 
We burn alot of time in hotlaps as well. Chad announced at the drivers meeting Friday that starting this week, only 2 classes would hotlap per night. Late models would be one of the classes, and the other class would be rotated weekly. I personally feel it would be helpful to qualify Late Models only.
 
Here's an idea--perhaps you guys could drop time trials altogether. I've not made it out there every night, but the times I have been out there the first heat rarely rolls out much before 8:00. When you START racing that late, aren't you already behind the 8-ball?

The 18-20 minute intermissions don't help the matter either. I'm not singling out Godfrey on the issue of long intermissions--they seem to be a plague at most tracks.
 
We could start a new question and answer forum on here call: "Ask Brandon."

You can have all your racing problems solved in one place when you just "Ask Brandon." Everyday Brandon will be on here to make your life easier while at the same time streamlining every track issue across the Midwest. That's "Ask Brandon," each and every day right here on STLRACING.COM!!!!!!!
 
First of all let's establish that I didn't even start this thread.

Second of all Millsey--and everyone else for that matter--I don't claim to have all the answers. I merely make suggestions, and instead of commenting on the issues, you all comment on ME. Yeah, that accomplishes a lot. :rolleyes:
 
Brandon Paul said:
First of all let's establish that I didn't even start this thread.

Second of all Millsey--and everyone else for that matter--I don't claim to have all the answers. I merely make suggestions, and instead of commenting on the issues, you all comment on ME. Yeah, that accomplishes a lot. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

And all of your wise old sage wisdom spread all over the internet accomplishes even less. Here's a "suggestion" for you: talk to the promoter, I am sure every promoter would just love to get advice for free from Stl Racing dot com's newest resident expert on everything. Please, call Charlie, I am sure he would just love to spend his afternoon on the phone receiving all of your expert knowledge. Take a Friday afternoon off, and go see Chad up at Godfrey, tell him all of your "suggestions" that would resolve the "issues" you seem to think exist. Go see Mel out at MCS, have a nice cup of coffee and a long chat with him, I bet he would just love to spend an afternoon maybe educating you on what it takes to run a racetrack. Hell, go see Bob Wente, and let him know everything you have been saying here, all about your knowledge of track prep, racing schedules, etc... All of these guys ARE promoters, and as such, maybe they know a little something about promoting and managing a track. You, on the other hand, have a ticket to the grandstands, a limited view of the whole operation, and no experience at anything other than being a critic.

Millsey...lol "Ask Brandon" lol, thats a good one....
 
I think Chad has been doing the best he can, but has been getting bad brakes because of all the accidents in the features. Cutting down the hot laps to save time is a start, but i agree with Doug, don't qualify the Modifieds and you save alot more time. Also, if Doug would get a new watch and keep track of intermission time , it might help to!!:)
 
JMO but here goes nothin...

KTI Towing does an excellent job. The reason they dont roll immediately for every spin out is because for the most part the trucks would be doing laps in the infield... they roll out, the spun car takes off, then they roll back without ever making it onto the track. When it comes to their services, why dont you ask a few drivers what they think of them. As far as Mel Kaiser and the 1 man show running circles around them, (no offense to Mel), but he would NEVER be able to patrol 5 classes in a timely manner. 1 truck just cant do the job, hell lately it would help to have 3 trucks.

As far as the timely racing goes, 2 features going to a 30 minute time limit will put you overtime immediately when you have 5 classes to run. Chad has done a hell of a job in his first year promoting and shows alot of promise. He knows the situation and im confident it will be addressed.

The racing environment at Godfrey is the best its been in quite a few years, give the guy a little time, lord knows he has improved Godfrey a bunch in only 1/2 a season.

Oh yeah and one last thing... Tuff maybe you should get a babysitter for the kids, you missed out on some free weenies friday night lol.
 
Millsey said:
We could start a new question and answer forum on here call: "Ask Brandon."

You can have all your racing problems solved in one place when you just "Ask Brandon." Everyday Brandon will be on here to make your life easier while at the same time streamlining every track issue across the Midwest. That's "Ask Brandon," each and every day right here on STLRACING.COM!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
LMMFAO good sh1t
 
And i think chad is doing a great job. The only thing wrong is the grand canyon in turn 3. But that has been there for as long as i can think of. It might not of been as bad but it has been there for awhile. He's done alot of stuff to try to fix it but it just dont work. Keep up the good work Chad.
 
Reread my first post, didn't think I was being a "critic", sorry anyone took it that way. Was opening up to discuss the situation.

My only concern is with what I read happened at Belleville will soon happen at Godfrey if they don't get more concerned with time.

Sorry the kids fell asleep, would have liked to have had some free "wienies". But you missed my point, I took the kids so they could go into the pits after the races to meet some of the drivers, finishing racing after 11:00 does not allow for this to happen. Maybe they played too hard on the swings?!?

If 5 classes are the problem then that might need to be addressed for next year. Had they time trialed and ANY class had 3 heats and a semi like they had in the past when I went, NO feature would have been started before 11:00. 30 Minute or more intermission is uncalled for.

I, as a fan, do NOT like it when a track messes around in the early part of the evening and then cuts the features short because they are pushing their limit on a curfew that they knew was in force before the night started.

JMO
 
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