I was out at Delaware last Friday night. Good show, great crowd. The car counts for the late models were disappointing. This brings me to my point. I have been going to Delaware for years and watch Steve Robblee run and have a very impressive record and great fan support. Now I see he ran at Kawartha last Friday. Now, he and his team have a right to run anywhere they want, but in my opinon, he at least owes something to his fans. When Delaware went to the new late models, they had a new car built. For some reason, it doesn't want to run as good at Delaware as the other regulars. I have no idea why not. Now it seems instead of trying to make it better, they just go elsehwere, where maybe the competition isn't as great.I can see them running big races at other tracks, but to go to a regular night, when a track that is in your backyard is also running, is kind of a slap in the face. It's tough for a short track to survive these days and they need all the help they can get. This includes track owners and officials, fans and also drivers. They have a responsibility also. They are the attraction. What does that say to a fan when they travel elsewhere or just sit at home. Hmmm, maybe the fan should do the same. If enough of us think that way, then the track will be gone. As I say, every driver and car owner has a perfect right to run where they want and visit other tracks, but do some thinking before you do so. Some year down the road, you may not have that choice of where to go, you may have to go 3 hours to race, not in your backyard! Think of the fans also.
I dunno...Robblee's always marched to the beat of his own drummer.
I get what you're saying, but I actually disagree that its a slap in the face to anyone. When you shell out the kind of bread that it takes to run one of these things, you've bought the right to race wherever you're legal. There's a Londoner (who's name escapes me) that runs LM in Flamboro every week, not to mention the SIlverthornes in Thundercar. You can't tell thoise guys they owe it to us to race in London instead...it just doesn't work that way.
We don't know the whole deal with Robblee anyway. Him and Findlay probably have a good reason he's not running Delaware. Maybe its rules conflict. Maybe they just want a change of pace. Who knows.
I find it more disturbing that the tire rules between Flamboro and Delaware have been opened up, Delaware guys are participating at Flam, but Flammy guys still won't make the trip. I'd really like to know what the issue is there.
Gone are the days when we'll see a 28 car LM field on a friday night at Delaware, but you know, that's OK. In the old days, there was lots of cars, but not much competition for top spot except between 2 - 4 guys, Now we've got 16 or so car fields, but half of em' can win.
But its true. To fans that know, a 14 car field just doesn't look that impressive, no matter how you spin it. But we had a few regulars missing last Fiday night too. I didn't see Wild or Forth, and I don't think Fletcher was there either. Hope that was a fluke.
didn't Kennington run full time there last year too? Did he ecide not to this year?
As I mentioned in my original note, the drivers and owners have a perfect right to race where and when they want and yes it is expensive to run any race car these days. If it was a big race at Kawartha, then I would fully understand. If it's a rules conflict, then why was he racing earlier this season in one race? I'm not saying he has to run Delaware at all. My point is, if you don't support the local track, for whatever reason, then why, as a fan, should I ???? Maybe I should go to Kawartha also. It just seems odd they would go for a regular show instead of showing up at Delaware, but maybe, you are right and there are other reasons. When he was winning at Delaware in the old "Cascar Rules" days, he was always there every Friday night. As most fans, I am concerned about the future of short track racing and I think drivers and owners have a responsibilty also. But then, maybe the Grogan Ford team feels more responsibility to another track, instead of their local one. Delaware has lost a lot of drivers to Cascar / Nascar series. I'm looking for 28 late models a night, though it would be nice. bob
I get what you're saying, but I actually disagree that its a slap in the face to anyone. When you shell out the kind of bread that it takes to run one of these things, you've bought the right to race wherever you're legal. There's a Londoner (who's name escapes me) that runs LM in Flamboro every week, not to mention the SIlverthornes in Thundercar. You can't tell thoise guys they owe it to us to race in London instead...it just doesn't work that way.
I believe you're thinking of Chris Bladek in the 29.
Gone are the days when we'll see a 28 car LM field on a friday night at Delaware, but you know, that's OK. In the old days, there was lots of cars, but not much competition for top spot except between 2 - 4 guys, Now we've got 16 or so car fields, but half of em' can win.
I disagree. It'd be easier if there weren't so many different divisions in cars and rules, but I definitely think that
a) If the track pays its cards right (ie. rules, purse, race lengths, impartiality, infrastructure) and
b) Things with other tracks/series/chassis makers happen,
that 28-car weekly fields can be possible. I think you'd get more travelling cars to Delaware if the LM rules weren't so fast (ie. a movement back to 2005 specs) and if it weren't for the OSS, possibly you might've ended up with more Sportsman guys giving it a shot (ie. Robblee sticking it out longer with the ACT-spec car).
As far as Steve Robblee goes, I'm not sure why his car won't work well there. I don't know if its the weight penalty he has to run for the Ford engine or what, but when Sean Dupuis had the ACT-spec Chevy in 2005 it worked alright...
But its true. To fans that know, a 14 car field just doesn't look that impressive, no matter how you spin it. But we had a few regulars missing last Fiday night too. I didn't see Wild or Forth, and I don't think Fletcher was there either. Hope that was a fluke.