This would actually be fun to try, especially with a lot of FWD V6 cars also having EFI, ABS, Traction Control, and so on. Strip one of these down to a lightweight and they will compete with V8 RWD Street Stocks any time. Best of all, they are cheap and plentiful.

So you are saying that a track should blindly follow other tracks  in order to ensure the sport will prosper, at the expense of ignoring the problems/solutions in their own back yard. Ya, that will sure work :D. Varney tried working with other tracks and what happened? The deep pockets in Innisfil basically screwed them over.

Varney is in a very different area than most tracks,with no large population center to draw from, a very low dollar blue collar area. There is a very loyal,good sized fan base and a decent core group of racers. At present, Varney needs to do what is best for Varney, period. If that means 6 cyl fwd then so be it.

Personally, I would love to see province wide common rules. However even if that happened there could still be viable niche classes at any and every track.

If you are going to count all those asphalt tracks, you would need to count all the dirt tracks within the same distance. Cornwall, Brockville, Brighton, Merrittville, Oshweken, Humberstone all get well over 100 cars in the pits every week. Then if you go a short drive over the border there are lots more dirt tracks to race on with very good car counts.

Racers have never changed. They always want more and more. Leave the rules up to the racers and in no time a street stock will be a super late model. The cycle happens over and over.

The best tracks I have seen with solid car counts are those tracks that do not let the racers vote on the rules packages. The track has the rules or uses a sanctioning bodies rule set.

Every racer has his/her own agenda and ideas of what they think is best. This just causes the situation that the asphalt tracks are facing now.

For example, a basic Street Stock Class. Every track has them. The drivers at track “A” vote to allow racing tires on the premise that they can buy “used” tires from the (insert higher class here) thus reducing tire costs and everybody will save money. But because the tires have so much more traction axles, ball joints, and control arms are bending and breaking. So for safety reasons they vote to allow 9” rears, aftermarket control arms, etc. Now these cars are not on parity with any other Street Stock classes in the area.

Meanwhile, at track “B” the racers have voted to allow cams and headers because OEM cams and manifolds are not any good and too expensive. Aftermarket parts are much cheaper.
Whatever the reasons are, every different racer has his or her own agenda and his or her own justification.

Sometimes the promoters make their tracks rules different to discourage their racers from traveling. If a racer from track A wrecks at track B, the car may not be fixed on time for track A’s next race.

There was a time in Ontario that you could run 1 car almost anywhere. Then even into the 80’s when the promoters started with protectionism, there were still 70 to 80 cars show up to qualify for a 24 car feature at the Beach, Varney, Barrie, etc. I haven’t seen that at any asphalt tracks in Ontario since 86 or so, but the dirt tracks still get some pretty big car counts.

Some people will say that there are lots of cars sitting around in back fields, barns, etc., but where can they meet the rules without a major rebuild? Maybe that is why they are sitting around, cheaper/easier to build new? Can’t sell because there is no market?
If you would look at a DIRTcar Modified or Sportsman, you could race that car anywhere from the NE including Ontario and Quebec, down to Florida. Do you have a used car you want to sell? There is a big market. IMCA Modifieds are raced all over the USA and western provinces.  This is another big market.

It just doesn’t make sense to build a car for say….. Delaware, when the only place it can be raced is at Delaware, or possibly some invitational races. When I want to stop racing, the only market I have to sell the car is a handful of people around Delaware.

I'm wondering how many didn't quit racing but just moved on to some of the touring series (oss, cvm, can am midgets, etc ...) so they didn't have to put up with home track politics?

ALL tracks need a strong beginners class This is where new racers get a start and new fans come to watch family or friends. Cars for this kind of racing need to be easy to find and cheap to fix. The parts have to be part store or wrecking yard NO RACE PARTS AT ALL. Very basic rules and safety equipment. Then you dedicate 2 or 3 people to make sure the cars are solid the safety items are used properly. You keep them on minimum b wear rated tire with absolutely no high performance stock or after market parts. The easiest way to do this is to run hockey mom front wheel drive retired rides. Everybody has one and they are cheap compared to all the choices. These are the new street stocks. They are what street stocks have always been. Cars that people know and understand.

Varney has always had the most success by being a local racer local fan style of track. JP at Peterborough works alot the same way. That is why it is fun to visit over there.

We have spent the last ten years or so with racers telling the tracks what the rules should be. It has not worked. It drove away some really dedicated racers and scared away people who really wanted to try it. Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch. They made their choice. Local tracks dont need big time racing. It has been strange watching track after track try be the center of the racing world (spending money) then have to sell to keep from loosing everything. The sad thing is it hurts the racers that spent that much trying to keep up.

The dirt versus pavement thing is simple. The builders make the rules in the upper classes of dirt car racing. This makes road shows easier to put on. But the local tracks adjust rules as needed. Pavement tracks tend to work with a local builder. They will sell what ever they can make the most money on. The strange thing is when you talk to them they cant believe how out of hand the cost of racing is. Racers are funny bunch. They keep spending until they are broke. Then complain that promotors need to pay better. The seem to forget that either fans or the racers themselves have to put up more money. To a promotor fans are the most important thing. Racers tend to forget the fans pay the bills. If it cost to much to bring your family to the track you wont go. This means the racer will pay for a higher pay out. The idea that sponsors pay for it all has never worked at any level. Sponsers have been cleaned out and really are struggling like everbody else.

Varneys joke classes bring fans. If we have fans we all have place to race. Local rules and classes will work here or at any track. Let a racer find a track and class that he or she can afford they will be there every week. Bring in the travelling shows (they have one set of rules sort of) see if the fans like it. The big thing is there is to be careful with your gate costs. Fans are getting harder fool. They go to a track wanting their moneys worth. Paying for somebodys 40 thousand dollar race car is not everybodys idea of fun.

Varney has a great fan base. I have had  people talk to me about races or cars that i or other drivers have driven over the years and i dont mean 1 or 2. They supported the track as much or more as any race team there.  If the fans want train races and demolition king of the hill then lets help it happen.

Yes some classes are trouble but not just at Varney. Rear wheel drive v8 as a so called stock class is done. The only way to have that would be trucks. Now that somebody has actualy said it can we let go of the past and start to work on the present. Trucks will work. There enough upset thunder (late model lites) teams to create a class that is the only real choice there is. Talk to one another if you are willing to give it try. If you put together 12 or 14 teams with rules that are affordable and simple and stock you might be suprised how welcome you will be.

One last thought. Buying a used race car is like buying a used hockey stick.You know how it has been used and you never pay new price. But if it is a good enough piece it might make you into a hero before it breaks