Save midget racing in Denver...

[VintageBuzz]

The RMMRA needs to implement rules that will encourage...
- EcoTec engines
- Ford Focus engines
- Older chassis and engines
- Drastically reduced costs.
I think you could come up with a package that could accommodate all of these things. Maybe the Focus cars could run a better tire so they could compete?
The young lions are having an interesting discussion about the future of midget racing over at the BWR site:
Click here for 'Save midget racing in Denver' (http://www.bigwestracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23831)
It might be fun if we geezers share our thoughts here on the ARM site. ~VB

[webby]

That BWR webmaster sure is a trouble maker. :noid:

It was great to see Keith from Revolution Racing make a post in that thread.

The winds of change are in the air!!!

[VintageBuzz]

That BWR webmaster sure is a trouble maker. :noid:
It was great to see Keith from Revolution Racing make a post in that thread.
The winds of change are in the air!!!
Great thread to start, webbie! And, it is gaining traction faster than that tacky clay surface over at Ventura Raceway in CA.
Having grown up in Cheyenne, WY, I was cool to warm up to the non-traditional midget race cars over here at Rocky Mountain Raceways (RMR) in SLC, UT. But, the Ford Focus Midgets are way better than no midget race cars at all. And when the CA teams come to RMR, it is one hell of a great show with 20+ cars starting the main event. Attached are some photos of the RMR points leader: Kipp Posey and his #37 Ford Focus midget. ~VB

[webby]

Great thread to start, webbie! And, it is gaining traction faster than that tacky clay surface over at Ventura Raceway in CA.
Having grown up in Cheyenne, WY, I was cool to warm up to the non-traditional midget race cars over here at Rocky Mountain Raceways (RMR) in SLC, UT. But, the Ford Focus Midgets are way better than no midget race cars at all. And when the CA teams come to RMR, it is one hell of a great show with 20+ cars starting the main event. Attached are some photos of the RMR points leader: Kipp Posey and his #37 Ford Focus midget. ~VBVB I think Keith from Revolution Racing is also the guy who started the Ford Focus program. Mitch please correct me if I am wrong.

And while the Focus thing is really cool many guys didn't want to go that route because they are just a tad too slow. Don't get me wrong the Focus program is a good deal if you can get the cars. But since they are dramatically slower it's tough to find a way to combine them with existing midgets.

The ECOTec thing changes all of that.

Not only can they run with normal midgets but they have an on-board computer that has a "sportsman" setting so you can run them with Ford Focus cars.

Is that cool or what???

[VintageBuzz]

webbie-- I totally agree with your recent post over at BWR. ~VB
"Instead.... make rules that accommodate 1. ASCS midgets, 2. older midgets that are collecting dust in garages, as well as 3. newer state-of-the-art midgets. Rules that will accommodate all these types of cars are attainable, it can be done.... and if we do that we will offer the most flexible, inexpensive, competitive midget division in the country.":applaud:

[lakeside #29]

Webbie, I certailly fit the Geezer discription. Midgets have such a long history I for one would hate to see them vanish, it almost happened to the coupes. Being a former racing club president, I know how hard it is to talk to some of the old guard. When you do something the same way for years it's a tough sell. That being said you are positively correct in advocating change in the interest of survival. A 10K engine seems very affordable. But change is possible, the Chevy II engine was one big change, the VW another, Sescos and Cosworths were still more. I hope you are able to suceed. It is a worthy cause.

Chris Ertler-"professor coupe"

[webby]

Webbie, I certailly fit the Geezer discription. Midgets have such a long history I for one would hate to see them vanish, it almost happened to the coupes. Being a former racing club president, I know how hard it is to talk to some of the old guard. When you do something the same way for years it's a tough sell. That being said you are positively correct in advocating change in the interest of survival. A 10K engine seems very affordable. But change is possible, the Chevy II engine was one big change, the VW another, Sescos and Cosworths were still more. I hope you are able to suceed. It is a worthy cause.

Chris Ertler-"professor coupe"Thanks Chris, I appreciate your kind words.

I am not out to change the old guard.

As far as I am concerned they have been poor stewards of midget racing and it's their stubbornness that has us where we are today. My goal is to energize the new generation! It's the new generation that has a chance to "right this ship". If these young guys don't realize that change is due then midget racing is a lost cause. Heck it's already a fossil. Did you see 7 cars started the last main event and only 5 finished?

Are you kidding me???

That's not even a heat race.

It breaks my heart to see what these people have done to midget racing. With their fancy-schmancy cockpit controls and their high tech engines and their unwillingness to restrict expenses they have driven the sport into oblivion.

Midget racing's only hope will rise from the ashes that the old guard leaves behind.

[carc7]

We built the CARC from the small group of 5-10 cars that came back to race at Second Creek to where we are today with patience, and most importantly, building the car count so that we could race at Colorado National Speedway. I'm not fond of racing at CNS since it's a horsepower track and I have no horsepower (to speak of), but there is room for error and it's easy to stay out of the way. I've not, and probably never will, win a race, but I provide "traffic" and car count. We encouraged old members to come back out and guys in other classes that they could compete with us for less money than they were spending in others. While we are quite successful at CNS, when we travel to Pueblo or Cheyenne, the car count drops off. Lots of guys refuse to tow that far for less money. What we do is pay everybody the same at those two tracks, which encourages most of the guys to come out, but many of the guys who win consistently want the higher pay of winning. Paying everybody the same helps cover the expenses and encourages the lower-level grass-roots guys like me and Bill Kolb to come out and fluff up the car count. We do it for the love of the sport and to continue the existence of the CARC. Escalating costs help to reduce car costs. I know it's the sound of an old man dribbling in his beer, but if I called the shots, we'd all ditch the wings and run stock 350's with intake manifolds. The crowds don't care about the speeds, which are all relative anyway, but about competition. Look at the Super Stocks at CNS, which now have 35 cars a night! I go out of my way to watch their main events because the results are pretty much wide open each Saturday. Watching one car streak away from the field sucks. Since the SS's are all close, it doesn't matter to me that they are going slower than the Late Models. They are very entertaining. I would recommend something similar for the midgets. I love watching the midgets, but 9 cars at CNS, with one streaking away from the rest, isn't very exciting or entertaining. I appreciate the RMMRA's good drivers, and they have many, but they should learn from winners like Rich Bubak and Bob Land that they should care more about success of the club than their own success. Not God's Truth, just my opinion. Paul Bredenberg

[TPF]

Guys, back up the trailor just a bit here. I have loved the midgets forever. But they are very expensive to run upkeep is premium on those racecars. always have been. In this day and age who can drop 10 grand in a engine. Tires , Fuel. and if you really think abought it were is not a really good track for these guys to run without having to travel 75 or a hundred miles to show there stuff. Racing is not what it used to be "a hobby" Now Its business. Midgets have always been a premere part of this sport of oval track racing . But like I said before Its a biz not a hobbie anymore. Just my two cents TIM

[Mitch G.]

Paul, excellent points all RMMRA members should read your post. Tim, 5 to 7 midgets is not a business, it's merely an exhibition, running a World of Outlaws sprint car is a business, running a top fuel dragster is a business. Showing up at CNS, 1-25, or BCS with 8 cars is not a business. Running a late model at CNS is a business, and probably cheaper than a top of the line midget, and they race for more money for sure. The days of the RMMRA not wanting to "hurt the feelings of such and such long time owner" have got to come to an end. Lakeside is gone, Fort Morgan is 90 miles from Denver, and 15 midgets at I-76 speedway is nothing to brag about, sorry. The midgets can race on a regular basis in front of 6 to 8,000 screaming fans, overhaul the rule book, get the cost under control. If 6 high dollar midget owners are mad, so what, they can go race with USAC, you want to see 20+ midgets duke it out at CNS, it's time to rewrite the rule book, get new blood, time for a revolution. Tailor the rule book so CNS is a good track for midgets, slow em down, make em cheaper, get more of them, the fans will still love them if they are running high 16 second laps instead of high 15 second laps.

[webby]

Paul, great post thanks!

I couldn't agree with you more.

[VintageBuzz]

VB I think Keith from Revolution Racing is also the guy who started the Ford Focus program. Mitch please correct me if I am wrong.
And while the Focus thing is really cool many guys didn't want to go that route because they are just a tad too slow. Don't get me wrong the Focus program is a good deal if you can get the cars. But since they are dramatically slower it's tough to find a way to combine them with existing midgets.
The ECOTec thing changes all of that.
Not only can they run with normal midgets but they have an on-board computer that has a "sportsman" setting so you can run them with Ford Focus cars.
Is that cool or what???

Can anyone provide additional information on the SCREAM "SuperFocus" engine? I like the Ford vs. Chevy engine concept. ~VB
Click here for SCREAM "SuperFocus" (http://www.revolutionracingengines.com/News/News_files/3-09%20nwsltr.pdf)

[webby]

Can anyone provide additional information on the SCREAM "SuperFocus" engine? I like the Ford vs. Chevy engine concept. ~VB
Click here for SCREAM "SuperFocus" (http://www.revolutionracingengines.com/News/News_files/3-09%20nwsltr.pdf)
Keith Iaia from Revolution Racing Engines is posting on that BWR thread.

And since he created both the Focus and the ECOTec engine program you should ask that question on that BWR thread and see what answer you get.

It's a good question. :up:

[thpracing]

Myself, also, would not like see the midgets fade away because of the almighty dollar--its killed to many classes already---back at Lakeside, we had more classes than the club has now, and at 1 time we had your basic cut the top off and stuff a rollcage in it class----and every year we would complain to the club we wanted to go faster---so over 4 or 5 years this class expenced itself out of racing and we went back to the basic cut your roof off car---midgets---don't let it happen to you---aloso, paul---rite on the money---jmo--kt

[webby]

Myself, also, would not like see the midgets fade away because of the almighty dollar--its killed to many classes already---back at Lakeside, we had more classes than the club has now, and at 1 time we had your basic cut the top off and stuff a rollcage in it class----and every year we would complain to the club we wanted to go faster---so over 4 or 5 years this class expenced itself out of racing and we went back to the basic cut your roof off car---midgets---don't let it happen to you---aloso, paul---rite on the money---jmo--ktIt's too late that already happened to the club for the last 20 years. That's why they show up to race with 7 cars.

If you noticed the RMMRA President posted in that thread and it's rather obvious he feels that restricting costs via a engine program is out of the question...

We’re a Midget club, not a junior series
There ya have it!

[VintageBuzz]

TRACK RECORDS:
Track: 3/8-mile paved
From the Colorado National Speedway (Erie, CO) webpage:
DIVISION DRIVER TIME MPH DATE
RMMRA Midget Russ Harper 15.465 86.132 6/25/05

Track: 3/8-mile paved
From the Rocky Mountain Raceways (SLC, UT) webpage:
FOCUS MIDGETS Kipp Posey 15.268 July 5, 2008

July 25, 2009 at Rocky Mountain Raceways
Pos No. Name Laps Total time Best time In lap Best speed
1 37 Kipp Posey 25 15:18.393 15.493 17 87.136

I was really surprised by this comparison! ~VB

[VintageBuzz]

TRACK RECORDS:
Track: 3/8-mile paved
From the Colorado National Speedway (Erie, CO) webpage:
DIVISION DRIVER TIME MPH DATE
RMMRA Midget Russ Harper 15.465 86.132 6/25/05

Track: 3/8-mile paved
From the Rocky Mountain Raceways (SLC, UT) webpage:
FOCUS MIDGETS Kipp Posey 15.268 July 5, 2008

July 25, 2009 at Rocky Mountain Raceways
Pos No. Name Laps Total time Best time In lap Best speed
1 37 Kipp Posey 25 15:18.393 15.493 17 87.136

I was really surprised by this comparison! ~VB
Date: Jul 18, 2009 7:40:00 PM
Track: MADERA SPEEDWAY (0.333 miles) a bit shorter than either CNS or RMR tracks.
USAC/BCRA Midgets
Car count: 7
Cars completing 90% or more of main event: 5
Pos No. Name Laps Total time Diff Best time In lap Best speed
1 17N Chad Nichols 40 15:56.660 14.016 16 85.531
2 88 Tanner Swanson 40 15:57.228 0.568 13.964 12 85.849

USAC Ford Focus Midgets
Car count: 10
Cars completing 90% or more of main event: 10
Pos No. Name Laps Total time Diff Best time In lap Best speed
1 60 Louis Ramos 25 14:24.741 14.861 17 80.668
2 40 Cody Gerhardt 25 14:25.036 0.295 14.756 9 81.242

This is the comparison that I was expecting between CNS and RMR. But since CNS and RMR don't race both midget divisions, we'd need a "midget shootout" one night at CNS followed by a second night at RMR to see how close both divisions run against each other at altitude vs. Madera Speedway in California. ~VB