Tri-City Speedway HUMPY'S STATEMENT!!!

Revin

Moderator
Humpy Wheeler

PRI show -- a gastronomical feast for those into high performance racing parts is now history and we have chewed through the entire midway at the host city of Indianapolis.
What we saw there was both interesting and alarming.

While Speedway Benefits was hosting 70 top small track operators (both oval and drag folks) on Friday and hearing that the biggest problem for them was the exorbitant costs of race cars down below were the exhibitors showing all how much they can spend to go faster!

After all, if the tracks can't make it….can you sell parts to racers?
That is the problem and it was brought to light up there in a very lucid way.
Doesn't make since does it?

So, what does this mean to the race fan? Plenty.
We have all these race tracks and they are saying the purses are to high because of the cost of equipment and they cannot continue without relief from high purses caused by the cost of equipment.

So, what is the answer?
The answer is cutting costs. For instance, I saw race shocks there that
were as high as $5,000 apiece. I also saw shocks that could serve the racer as
well for $62. Something wrong here? Yep, and it is ridiculous. We must get back to
what works at a cheaper price and get rid of this stuff that is just slamming the racers.
I have always contended that racing was entertainment first, second, third and fourth. These ridiculous high dollar shocks and springs are killing the sport we need and we simply need to OUTLAW them. Because some sanctioning bodies are afraid to outlaw them we suggest the track operators simply take control and stop this. Same goes for soft tires, expensive tires and costly engines.
Racing is one thing that can go backwards and make forward progress.

While carbon fiber, titanium and magnesium are wonderful advances they have
no place in weekly racing.
So I ask all those manufacturers at PRI to take your great brains and help us reduce the cost of racing so that we can increase the number of racers by 10,000 and reopen 500 closed tracks
.
Because….if I am a young hot shot with little money with both Foyt/Andretti-type talent I need a place to race. Today a front line late model stock or sprint car is at least $75,000. That cat simply doesn't have that money. So, we need HIM because he could become there superstar we need tomorrow.
So, we need to even the tables up for this young talent so that he can counter the "rich kids" that have connections, father, uncles, etc. that can OUTSPEND him.

Why?
So, when that flag drops for the Daytona 500 or the Indy 500 the BEST
talent is in that field not five really good talents and five so so guys. We need the 10 BEST.

That is what makes Major League!
 
Hmm Ive been saying this for years and no one listens...maybe they will when the next 500 tracks close
I have said that Schrader and other greats of Nascar should push Federated,Oreilly's and Autozone etc etc.. To offer kits that could be put together in the family garage, the kits could be ordered piece by piece or the whole kit....but it must be cheap.That way the whole family can take part in putting it together and competing on race nights and have a point system that would declare driver champions and advertise parts stores to boot making it a win win situation......think about it because something like this could work and bring back the fun...family fun !
 
So come on track owners I know it shouldn't be all on your shoulders. The sanctioning bodies should step up. Let's be pro active and let's go to a 40 only rule in area. Must pass duramater test.. Atleast.. Let work together to fix what the sanctioning bodies wont
 
So when is Tri-City going to step up and do anything about it?

Tri-City's B-Mod class allows for $15,000 engines and $1,000 shocks.. and this is supposed to be the real economical class.

Late Models should be on 40's only..No grooving or siping..

A-Mods, well those are so out of control that they will pretty much die off as most all of them end up in a B-Mod division somewhere.
 
Also don't buy into the 5000$ shock. It's a bunch of smoke and mirrors.. The normal car has a 500 to 700$ shock on it doing same thing.. Now yes that's still high. I bought a used set. Had same set for 9 years now. They have been updated etc.. Now I inderstand there are cheaper throw away shocks.. This set used saved me money in long run.. I have one set to do multiple things and conditions. Vs having 3 sets of standard ones. Plus through years I've updated these. Not just had to go out and buy new..

There is a problem in our sport. But 5000$ shock isn't really on top of list.. But it is on there and there are overspending problems..
 
With tri city's bmod rules you can win with a $3200 crate motor too.

I agree the rules need tightening and TCS is a stand alone with their rules...that's a problem in the long run. But TCS should also get credit for having the big shows and higher payouts.

Kg, any chance there will be a big bmod show this year?
 
Someone needs to rethink the whole thing, top to bottom and reinvent local short track dirt racing in a way that would be affordable to the many, not just the few.

4 cylinder FWD class, no modifications, knock out the glass, strip it down, put a cage in, seat, harness and go racing. NOTHING can be modified for any reason. Great starter car for under $1200.

Stock V8 class, same thing, strip it, put a cage in, racing fuel cell, seat, belts etc, with NO performance modifications whatsoever. No lead, no shocks, no racing wheels, maybe a right rear headlock and that's it. Get in a RWD V8 car for less than $1500.

Do a superbomber, allow freshened engines, some valve work, added lead, change the rear end to a Ford 9", maybe racing wheels and shocks. Let a few things in, but keep it under control. Put one of these on the track for under $4500.00.

Sportsmans to the rules that made the sportsman class the way to go 10 years ago.

B mods are the modifieds.

Forget Super LMs and A mods. Let the big money tracks run the big money classes.

People keep complaining about cost, the only way to cut cost is to start over with some new ideas, somewhere, somehow. You won't put the genie back in the bottle on all the classes that exist now, so someone has to be willing to reinvent the wheel here. My guess is the first promoter that does a huge overhaul at some small track is going to have more business and racers than they know what to do with. I bet there are over a hundred to 300 guys out there just itching to race SOMETHING, ANYTHING, they just can't afford to go race in what's available now.

Maybe KG should buy Montgomery and start experimenting with the next generation of racing that could bring people back into the sport. Or, use TCS on Saturday nights to run these kinds of classes just to see what the turnout would be and how much interest there is in having a budget racers night. Don't bother with track prep, just let them run on the dry slick leftovers from Friday night and save some cash. And don't pay any purse to the two starter classes, let them run for trophies, and maybe do a small purse for sportsman and B mods.

At least then you give some guys a chance to race who can't afford it otherwise, and get some more use out of your track without competing with all the other tracks for the A mods and Supers, etc. Invent your own classes and do your own thing but keep your focus totally on low cost for the racers, and cut every corner you can for yourself.
 
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Heya T.nie.I think if you lose the Lates, and A mods, you wont have any fans, and the tracks couldn't survive .As far as the bomber class, what performance mods are they allowing? Supposed to be stock crank( no aftermarket eagles, scat etc).Stock rods, again not aftermarket.Stock un ported heads.Sure you can add a cam,and springs, but that's not a big expense.Racing wheels and lead are cheap.Sure guys are gonna deck it and run lightweight pistons, etc, but thats still not a huge expense.I cant see anyone taking an engine out of a car and just running it. That will not happen in this day and age.
 
I think what you mean is no one who is currently racing will just pull a junkyard engine and race it.

That's the whole point, it's not about changing the way the current crop of racers go racing, read my remarks about "putting the genie back in the bottle" with the existing racers and classes. It's about reinventing short track dirt racing so that someone who doesn't know what "decking it" or "lightweight crank, pistons" or "balancing the rotating assembly" even means, but they still look at racing like it's something they want to do.

The one thing that is guaranteed is unless someone, somewhere, decides to promote a program solely aimed at novices with little money to invest and no clue about what they are doing apart from a desire to simply strap into SOMETHING and race, short track racing will continue it's slow march to oblivion.

The focus has to be on doing something new that will get people back into it at the entry levels, and progress to something that doesn't cost $5000-$20000 a year to participate in.

Take it from me, I bought a used 4 cylinder hornet for $300 back in 2001 simply because I wanted to race and it was all I could afford and while I didn't know much, I knew enough to change the oil, plugs, check the tire pressures and start learning. That same class these days is no longer affordable for people with no experience and little money.

People can keep complaining about the death of short track racing, or they can start up something new to get people who aren't doing it now interested in doing it for the first time. If I had a track (hint hint) I wouldn't want it sitting idle when I could be running SOME type of racing on the dry slick track leftover from the night before. And that SOMETHING would be cheap cars, cheap trophies and new folks who were trying it out, bringing along their friends and family to buy some hotdogs and soda sitting in the grandstands.

And I will correct you on one other presumption. If you lose the lates and mods, you will lose the late model and modified fans, not anyone else. And what I am suggesting is an effort to build a whole new "model" for a racing program that doesn't include ANY class that is going to price the majority of people out before you even start plus cost a huge purse. Let the new program build it's own fan base, and let the LM and Mod folks go watch when those classes are running.

Again, I wouldn't want my track sitting idle any more than it needed to, I would be looking at anything that might put more money in my bottom line and put this major asset to some use as much as possible.
 
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I understand what you are saying, but u will never see UMP make a class that requires a stock un touched engine out a yard or car, etc in my opinion.Even back in the early 90's, you could run hoosiers and a 400 engine in the bombers. I think the tracks around here will stay UMP for years to come, and i dont see UMP making a guy run a junkyard engine.Do you think a local track could make it without running A mods, and Lates??? I wouldn't think so, but i dont have any idea what the Lates and A mods bring in dollar wise.I think you are right on what you are saying, but i dont think you will ever see it happen.
 
HUMPY doesn't care about the locals he wants to push his legends etc guess he is losing a promotor and carbon fiber drive shafts makes racing a lil safer
 
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HOUND--I could fart n knock that roller skate over---I would have a hard time getting in-how bout you??
 
And you need UMP for what? What I outlined above doesn't need a sanction. If I am running the classes and program described above, I would be doing everything I could to cut costs, not add to them. The classes I outlined above are solely to make a single track successful at drawing a decent crowd on budget racer day, not create traveling series, points championships, all that stuff.

I agree, UMP would never get involved in it. And if it was my track and I was doing this for real, I would make sure they never got a nickel from it. Every nickel you pay UMP is one less for you.
 
And as far as "losing" the Lates and Mods, I would be more than happy to say goodbye to the purse those guys cost. Promoters who get rid of those two classes and replace them with classes that encourage large participation at a fraction of the cost are going to come out dollars ahead. The myth that you have to have Late Models and Modifieds to run a successful track has past it's sell by date by years.

A good promoter with some ingenuity will figure out the income to cost ratio on those classes is more cost than income. I would be way happier with 50 4 cylinder guys getting a trophy out of me for a $15 pit pass per person than having to shell out $5000++ for 25 Late Models to show up at $25 a pit pass. To me it's a no brainer, the business is to make money running a track, and that means getting rid of outdated, overly expensive classes in favor of something more affordable and less costly to me, the promoter.

Sure, the big picture for something like TCS also includes the huge crowds for WoO and Lucas, Summernats, but if it were me, I would also be looking to run a budget program at least one day a week for local guys who want to race and can't afford much more than a cheap 4 cylinder. But those "trophy only" classes can be money makers every week, whereas the only time promoters make any dough on the LMs and Mods is the big shows, and the Mods probably don't even break even then.
 
Racers will spend what they can no matter the rules. Go to a gokart race and see the guys with semi haulers saving money is a great idea but we will find something to spend it on to go faster.
 
And as far as "losing" the Lates and Mods, I would be more than happy to say goodbye to the purse those guys cost. Promoters who get rid of those two classes and replace them with classes that encourage large participation at a fraction of the cost are going to come out dollars ahead. The myth that you have to have Late Models and Modifieds to run a successful track has past it's sell by date by years.

A good promoter with some ingenuity will figure out the income to cost ratio on those classes is more cost than income. I would be way happier with 50 4 cylinder guys getting a trophy out of me for a $15 pit pass per person than having to shell out $5000++ for 25 Late Models to show up at $25 a pit pass. To me it's a no brainer, the business is to make money running a track, and that means getting rid of outdated, overly expensive classes in favor of something more affordable and less costly to me, the promoter.

Sure, the big picture for something like TCS also includes the huge crowds for WoO and Lucas, Summernats, but if it were me, I would also be looking to run a budget program at least one day a week for local guys who want to race and can't afford much more than a cheap 4 cylinder. But those "trophy only" classes can be money makers every week, whereas the only time promoters make any dough on the LMs and Mods is the big shows, and the Mods probably don't even break even then.
and you will have a club race with no fans congrats
 
t.nie go lease Benton, or mmsp and charge 15 bucks and give the winner a trophy. I don't think you will get 50 cars, maybe 5? The people in the stands is what is lacking and that's what is closing tracks. Put on a good show and lower the general admission prices, that will help every track. Pevely had a 5$ fan night, the place was pack full, they sold out beer,and food at intermission. Late models are running for the same purse they did 10 yrs ago,so don't blame them for cost. People don't want to pay 12$ to see a Dog and Pony show,they want to see RACING>
 




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