If Delaware is smart they'll keep the cap on the bones stocks and not let people ruin it by pushing the rules and turning it into the '4 Cylinder Enduro' class where it takes $1000's to compete. Win a race, add 200lbs, etc & don't start on the 'the guy who worked deserved it, etc'. There will be some cars that have stock gear ratios and power bands that are going to work way better than others, and some with way better suspensions. Just my 2 cents to keep the bonestock car count growing with cars that aren't race cars.
From a long time fans standpoint I will simply say what I would like to see. It might be a good idea or bad idea but after Saturday, I don't think there is any bad ideas out there.
To me it is as simple as turning the Enduros into a full time V8 Stock weekly series, sort of like they are doing now. Turn them into a permanent series similar to the Super Stocks. Eliminate the current Enduro series as it is today and go the other direction. They then need to keep the bone stocks as they are now! That series is great, don't touch anything but the lap counts. 50+ laps for them would be great.
Since you can not have a standalone bone stock saturday the track needs to run a double header like they do now once a month or a few times a month. Only difference being the friday and saturday will both have the weekly classes. Also throw the touring series in like they have now and you get more exciting racing back to back days! They obviously still want that saturday to bring in more money and I am 100% sure the attendance will be much higher if there is something worth watching on both nights.
For example they could run:
Friday night:
Trucks (35 lap feature)
v8 Stocks (35 lap feature)
Super Stocks (50 lap feature)
Saturday Afternoon (or night)
Bone Stocks (50 lap feature)
Late Models (Twin 40's or something)
King of The Hill
I am a huge fan of the Enduro series... but it's not an Enduro series anymore. I feel this would create a lot more excitement for the track, a lot more revenue for the track, and bring in a lot more people. Of course with my example of a weekend above they would change it around weekly and some weeks run just Fridays but that to me would bring me out more. Again as I mentioned above, with that above and touring series running at least once a month... you have yourself one of the best programs around.
agree with the v8 stock, sad but the old enduros are dead the race wass 100 laps to long, Im only going to run friday nights, just because a decent "enduro" now is not a disposable car, 1000 for the car, 2500 for a good used crate, an other 1500 for safety, and other little stuff and im at 5000 already, no cautions no thanks!, but that being said i do really like the v8 stock class. I also agree that the bone stock was the best race on Sat. I just hope they tech the quick cars HARD, and dont let the division get away, because damn that looks fun! If anyone needs a bone stock I have one, PM for details its the old snuggy, and i'll let it go real cheap! seriously CHEAP
Well its definitely apparent that there are changes on the horizon....and that horizon just got a lot closer to the boat.
I think we all know that full size V8 car endurance style races are on the way out. Its just not sustainable, just because there's a shortage of donor cars anymore. I ask you this: among the guys who are, and have been, hyper competitive at these things....are any of them driving stuff that's been built just recently? I can't say for sure, but I'm betting the answer is no.
A senior track official (who is no longer at the speedway) once pointed out to me a truth that not too many consider, and that's that the price of scrap metal has gone up in recent years, to a point where, If I have an old junker sitting in my driveway, I make more money taking it to Zubick's (or whatever), than I would ever get for it from someone considering building an enduro car. And that poses a huge problem for our sport, with regards to building stock cars out of old cars.
Its just the way of the world. Its no one's fault. No one screwed up. The fast guys didn't cause it. Think about this: even in the glory days of endurance racing when you had 140 cars on the track, there were STILL dominant guys, and everyone knew who they were. Enduro did not dwindle because the little guy couldn't keep up.
Rewind to 1990 for a second and walk through the pits. How many guys in the enduro pits were there because they thought they could win? I'd bet you 90 percent of them were there just because it was a good time and didn't really expect to win anything.
THAT is what they have to get back, no matter what kinds of cars they run. Its easy to blame the fast guys, but they are only guilty of taking it seriously and doing well at it.
It will happen in bone stock too. It will be great for a while...there's still lots of fruit on the 4/6 cylinder tree. But they have to take lessons from the past and police the heck out of it. (and I'd also bet dollars to doughnuts, that policing bone stocks is an even more monumental task than policing the regular divisions.)
If one type of car comes in and dominates..which has happened in mini stock divisions elsewhere..it needs to be addressed with either weight or just say "no those cars aren't legal" right off the get go. Guys who are good drivers and do their homework will still win, but you don't want it to be because they happened to luck into the "magic car" either.
Also, and it pains me to say it, they really have to use a format that doesn't use up so many cars. I think they're on the right track with this. Old enduro was fun, but it was a format meant to foster destruction, and I don't think it'll work any more.
So having said all this...what about Saturday night racing? I bet these guys are sitting here now trying to figure out how they can pack the place one Sat per month like they used to , so they don't lose that revenue that they always got from endurance racing.
Any ideas? Demolition derbies are great but they suffer the same donor car issues as V8 enduro. Chaos cars? (I actually believe there's still a place for something like that....its got too much kid appeal to abandon IMO)
Curious to hear what everyone thinks.
Your right on the mark Trevor. Give a few more laps to the Bone Stock guys next race, and see how well it goes. Most of the field loved the race, and are eager for more.