Ok well I was going to start into a 4cyl preview for this week but something has appeared on the Barrie website of late that just has me completely baffled!! I'm a bit suprised there hasnt been any discussion about this on here, but apparently BSW will be running double features for the LLM division this year with no purse increase but rather the $$ from the 2008 features split in half for each of these double features. I have some major questions on how this is going to work in 2009 and just who it will benefit, so I will try and break it down as I see it. Now I understand why this was done (to give a BSW car a better shot at the 25 000 dollar Nascar Whelen top prize) but that being said I really think this idea could be destined to fail miserably, and drivers, fans, and owners could really suffer for what I see as a very poor decision in the end. Now I dont pretend to know all this details on this, so if you were at the LLM drivers meeting and can shed some light on this PLEASE DO!!LOL
Questions I have::: How many laps will each feature consist of??? I'm hearing they will possibly be 20-25 laps each, and if true that doesnt add up to much on track action as we all know passing at Barrie is at a premimum due to the tightness of the track. This could really turn fans away if they see no passing, and for the drivers basically in 20 or 25 laps you wont have a chance at a win unless you start in the first couple rows.
Will the formula to determine the starting grid be changed??? The dreaded handicapping system!!!!LOL If it remains unchanged from last year it will be really tough for the cars starting at the rear to even enter the top 5 let alone get a win. If its true these new features are in the 20-25 lap duration I would like to see the fast cars to the front so you at least have some good battles to watch!! Now this is really unfair for the mid pack to back markers as they will basically have no chance to win or place well because of it and could leave the track for greener pastures and a shot at a bit of glory. This again is not good for fans or owners at BSW. Now that being said, some of the cars in the top 6 or 7 at the track MIGHT benefit as if there lucky enough to hold on for a feature win or two and it would increase there nightly winnings from what they were accustomed to in 2008. But I'm really not even sure that will happen either??
Does this mean the end of heat races for the division??? I cant really see how drivers can be expected to run two 12 lap heat races plus two 20-25 lap features in one night. I would expect it will be nightly time trials, which are good to view on occasion but WILL turn out to be very boring for the fans night after night as compared to the excitement heat races can create. And again for the drivers some guys might only get a shot at a checkered and a bit of glory in a heat race, so by time trialing nightly this moment in the sun will be taken away from them. Now with time trials I think you will see the same 3 or 4 cars qualifying at the top of the field each night so maybe they have some type of inversion planned with the top qualifier picking 'the pill" to see how many cars they might invert. This seems to me the only logical way to hold feature races under this format which might make my previous question about the handicapping system a moot point.
What about the carnage factor???? What happens if a guy wrecks in the first feature and cant make it out for the 2nd one??? Now sure if that car is in contention he can possible borrow a ride as McLeod did on a couple of occasions last season. This would again decrease the car count somewhat for certain features, perhaps another reason the fans might get turned off.
As you can see theres lots of unanswered questions as I have just scratched the surface here. I'm personally wondering if the drivers even had a say in this??? So again if you were at the meeting could you let us know if this was even discussed or was it put into place on a whim by the new owners??? It does explain why the CHARGER division was done away with though, and it wasnt really anything to do with length of the show at all, it was done to get this added LLM feature in, which is a real shame for some of the newer drivers in what was formerly the "starter division". Now the car count in 2008 for the Pure Stock A division I'm sure played a factor too and I agreed with their decision to emalgimate the classes until this latest decision concerning the LLM's came down.... No offence to the Thunder or 4 cyl drivers but I personally go to the races to watch Late Models as I think alot of race fans do, and all I can see coming out of this latest move is a vastly depleted LLM field which is a shame in what could of really been a make or break year for this division with a certain level of discontent amongst the LLM drivers at that track to the south. I really believe a few of there guys were set to run BSW in 09, and now cause of this move I really am questioning if that will happen now....... Me thinks I might just do a whole lot of fishing and golfing this year and forget racing altogether and I'm a BSW die hard so what does that tell ya????LOL Although theres always Kawartha, Sauble, and Oshweken that I like to attend as well so the race year might not be a total loss but I'm really failing to see how this latest move benefits anyone connected to BSW!!! There you have it................. FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
I was hoping to see more like Jongen and Lewis finishes this year. I guess I had better treasure the memory. Although the management team has had a full year under their belt, (with Dave Simpson's leadership) they seem to be making rookie mistakes. This one top's it!
They made it quite clear at the drivers meeting, that they wanted the racing over with by 10:00 pm. Now they have squashed one class, and put another in jeopardy. As business men, there shooting them selfs in the foot.
There has been a lot of talk, of this being the biggest year at BSW. With the unrest at a track down the street. and a descent purse, it may of been. I cant see it now....JMO
>:( so much for it being a time issue for killing the chargers, llm usually takes longer to run with more cautions than you can shake a stick at, 10:00 lmfao fans will be lucky to leave by 12:00 i'll be gone after the thunders IF i even go out this year but thats another story.
Personally Davey, they are turning 5-10 more laps than normal...shld the purse be increased? maybe a bit, but we already had a damnn good purse from reading the other track's payouts....the carnage is an issue, but let us not forget that we only did the dbl features a few times and they were on big nights with their sponsors there...if it is a nightly thing I think it would calm down...plus if the front runners have some bad nights...they get thrown out for the Whelen deal...but man the track championship may be incredible this year....
I still think you will get full fields cause guys like racing, and Davey if you are as big a llm fan as u say, then why wld u not come u get more racing now!
I have a few comments to make on this topic The first is what a shame that racing has come to cutting a starter division of up and coming drivers for a second feature of llm and still plan on having everything done by 10pm. WORD TO BSW OWNERS RACING IS NOR WILL EVER BE A HOCKEY GAME! The only way to promote racing is to develop drivers and to do that they have to start somewhere. Secondly Dave I have to disagree with you about what fans come to watch. I know that if you asked every fan through the gate about 80% would say it was the llm that got them there but its the THUNDERS THAT KEEP THEM COMING BACK. THUNDERS MAKE THE SHOW! Last year they were unappreciated and not until Sunset took an interest in the Thunder division and inviting them to Sunset did BSW owners care. I just hope this year the THUNDERS GET THE ACCOLADES THEY DESERVE!