I will respond to Ziggy-- No hard feelings man, having raced in the mods for quite a few years now, our team is established and is a proven contender on most weeks. As for your comments on the Late Models- I would agree with hesitation. Everyone comes to the races for different reasons and different classes. Even if i had no relation to Anyone in the Mods, they would still be my Favourite class. Sure there was only a couple cars that were weekly front runners in this division BUT there was no run away victories. And once a fast car got out in front the races weren't over, The mods seemed to be able to have better side by side clean racing. I'm not going to sit here and bash the Late models though, they are great drivers, it just seems like some of them think oh my i have full fenders- lets use them!! So they go ahead and use the fenders, but most times get a little over anxious and end up wrecking a car or 2or half the field. But back to the Mods- obviously it was not what was hot at Delaware right now. Some great people have stepped up for us and gave us another shot at it, maybe we will try some different stuff here. Good Luck to ALL racers this summer and i hope we can continue this class.
Matt
Well, unfortunately it comes down to who is paying the bills. The short answer of course is the "the fans", but we also have to consider which fans.
The part that flies in the face of most of us here, is that we hardcores who know racing and go to Delaware (or anywhere else) on a regular basis, provide only a small percentage of a track's revenues. Believe it or not, its the casual fans that keep the rent paid, not us. (generally speaking) In fact youd be surprised to find out just how many people on the hill on a given night are once-a-week regular...its not that big a number....I seem to recall 20 or 30 percent in a conversation I once had with someone in the know. Thats why those King of the Hill nights are so huge for the speedway...lots of casuals buying lots of beer, popcorn and hotdogs.
The modified division, for whatever reason, just doesn't resonate with the average fan. I don't know if its model identifiability or what...the reasons are unclear...but the OWMs exist in this weird twilight zone between a sprint car and a Late Model. This could be combatted for the masses with a high excitement/car count, but it hasn't.
OWMs are a division for race fans who know the score. For that reason, you won't find many people here with anything bad to say about the division....because there really isn't anything to say bad about it. Ask a casual fan though, and they'll say something like "oh yeah...that's those guys that only had 8 cars" It sucks but that's the way it goes. The coupes went for the same reason back in the 70s.
On the other hand, Late Models are the premier division here. They're plentiful, cool looking, lots of contact, and is where most of the track's star power is. (the last one is subliminal, but its there - Late Models are simply presented as "the main event", as they have been for the last 30 years...and if you think Delaware is still open wheel country, you better review your history.)
If race fans as a whole were representative of the sort that comes here (educated race fans) then the mod division wouldn't have any problems. As it stands, and in the eyes of the once in a while casual fan, they just aren't all that.
But the good news is that, unlike the coupes in the 70's, the mods arent gone yet. There's still a chance. And we still have the chance to support them. I'd suggest we do. Some of those boys have been running here a long time, and if there was ever a chance for the hardcore fans to step up to the plate and educate people and support the division, its now.
Shadow hit that nail square on the head. As far as the track spending money.....they don't have any unless the butts are in the seats and the 'Summer Showdown' will have a lot of butts!. I would consider myself a pretty knowledgeable race fan, even though I can't get to the track more then a few times a year, and I do like watching the modifieds but......The car count needs to get bigger and they need something that the other divisions don't. Noise! As long as the counts are down I think if the track could ease up on the mufflers for the OWM then the casual fan might come away with a WOW. Think about the first time you went to a Cup race and the impression that left you with. My wife hated racing until I took her to Michigan then she was hooked. Sometimes watching the OWM is like watching slot cars only quieter. Not trying to diss anybody here as I have a ton of respect for anyone who puts in the time, effort and cash to race but if you look at the crowd sometimes when the OWM take the track you would think it was intermission at a hockey game.
Ernie i like the way you're thinkin, the muffler thing is right on, these things need to bark and bark hard so the fans can feel it while they are standing in line for a beer wondering what there missing. The Mods should be aloud to live up to there name, MODIFIED, they are by no means a stock car. I really like the look of the Troyer tour type mod, 2.5" off the ground 40" to the top of the roof, 13" wide sneakers, make em reasonably sticky so you can grow a set an get to outside an get the job done. carb sticking way outa the hood , an some 3.5" pipes sticking out both sides to announce its presence. ALL WE NEED IS SOME REAL MEN TO NUT UP DRIVE. To many pussys scared of the open front wheels thinkin they need fenders and a full front bumper so when they can't pass they don't have to be all that accurate when they run into the car in front of them to move em. If you have been around long enough you might notice the car counts started to taper off around the time the mufflers were mandated.
Just took a quick look at the 2010 rules, looks the the prices are going up again, a coupler is aloud in place of the toque converter on the automatic, this will have the guys with the standards squealing. THATS a huge advantage with that much less rotating weight, Gonna have to find a glide, thats gonna wake up the deadist of engines an make them look like a killer. thats like 30 pounds of the back of the crank. Are the standard guys going to be able to install the ram coupler so they can keep up? Man those people that wright the rules are nice an smart. The only paved track in Ont. to allow couplers on the weekly cars.