DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Thoughts on Bristol World of Outlaws events becoming invite-only | DIRTRACKR Daily 2/16/21
It is Tuesday, February 16th, two thousand and twenty one and you are tuned into DIRTRACKR Daily. I'm Justin Fiedler.
Today on the show we have some streaming news from FloRacing and Lincoln Speedway, event news from the USAC CRA sprint cars, and I wanted to dive into the news from yesterday about the Bristol events for the World of Outlaws becoming invite-only. I have some thoughts to share, so let's jump in.
If you missed it yesterday, World Racing Group and the World of Outlaws announced that the upcoming Bristol dirt events, the Bash and Throwdown, have become invite-only events for the four series participating. Series directors for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series, and UMP Modifieds will compile lists of eligible drivers and send invites for the two weekends in April. This announcement apparently struck a nerve with fans, as the comments on social media turned negative almost immediately. At last check the sprint car series tweet and Facebook posts alone were well over 300 combined comments. People seem to be upset that not everyone who wants to race will get the chance, which on some level is a valid complaint. One of the big tenets of these series and divisions in dirt racing is that anyone can show up at any track, at any time and race. That is certainly one of my favorite things about dirt racing, and I know I'm not alone in that feeling.
But along with this, I believe there are situations and circumstances where this can't be the case, and this is one of those times. We saw several times throughout 2020 events become invite-only due to COVID restrictions. Local municipalities put limits on how many people could be at some of these race tracks, which then forced promoters to limit teams. One big example was Eldora. Some teams were definitely left off that wanted to compete, and some fans complained, but tracks were left with no other choice. It was either follow the orders or don't race. We are probably seeing something similar here. It's been 20 years since there was dirt on Bristol, and over that span of time, race car technology has improved. There is no way to know how that will affect the speed and safety of cars that are competing. Bristol is like no other track in the country, so there aren't really any meaningful comparisons to be made. And because of that, an organization like World Racing Group must take steps to ensure a safe event. It's also possible they are under pressure from their insurance companies. Make the event safer, or we won't insure you. That's not different then a town issuing crowd limits. Without insurance, no event.
We don't yet know who will be invited for the four divisions, and we don't know how many. But what this move does allow for, is for the series and sanctioning body to make sure that the guys who do show up are equipped to handle the speeds and the danger to their best ability. That includes well built race cars, experienced drivers, and all the correct safety gear. Racing is inherently dangerous, there is no question about that. But the risks do drop, no matter how small, when the proper safety precautions are in place, and drivers are equipped properly. The series and event cannot afford to have someone show up to Bristol, in a car not up to snuff, who has never competed in any way, shape or form, with a series like the World of Outlaws. This is not the event to be a rookie at.
To give you some insight into the thought process, the Outlaws' series announcer Johnny Gibson tweeted out a list of a little more than 40 sprint car drivers he submitted to World of Outlaws Series Director Carlton Reimers. That list includes everyone you'd expect it to have including the 15 full time Outlaws, effectively the full All Star roster, and names like Rico Abreu, Jac Haudenschild, Greg Wilson, Dave Blaney, Brian Brown, Gio Scelzi, Spencer Bayston, Danny Dietrich, Tim Shaffer, and more. You can see the full list on Twitter at Gibvoice. In looking through Johnny's tweets, and some of the other reactions from competitors, I think it's important to understand that the big name drivers you want to see at these events will be invited. Nobody that has respect and good standing in the sport will be left out. This move to invite-only is much more about protecting the fringes from themselves. You don't have to worry about a driver in bad equipment with little or no experience getting themselves into a bad position if they aren't invited. For all involved, I think this is a good move, and it absolutely will not affect your enjoyment of the event. There will still be incredibly strong fields of cars for both weekends, including all your favorite drivers. Don't let social media complainers drag you down a hole of despair with complaints about an event that are a knee jerk reaction to an announcement they don't understand. Let me know in the comments on YouTube or Facebook, or on social media what your thoughts are about this announcement, as I'm curious where you guys stand.
FloRacing and Lincoln Speedway announced yesterday they have extended Flo's agreement to continue streaming racing at the Central Pennsylvania race track through 2025. Flo acquired the rights to Lincoln Speedway when they purchased Speed Shift TV last season, and this announcement extends that deal after what the track called a seamless transition. Flo will carry nearly every race at Lincoln this season, including the Weldon Sterner Memorial, two PA Speedweek shows, the Dirt Classic, and inaugural Barry Skelly Memorial. Racing is scheduled to start at Lincoln this weekend with the Icebreaker on Saturday, but stay tuned for event status through the week. The last photos of Lincoln I saw it was covered in snow. For more details on this announcement, check out the Lincoln Speedway Facebook page.
In some event news from yesterday, the USAC CRA Sprint Cars announced they are moving their season opening event from Canyon Speedway Park in Arizona to Kern County Raceway Park in California. COVID issues in Arizona forced officials to cancel the original opener, which left a hole in the schedule. The new event, scheduled for March 12th and 13th will be the first appearance for the non-wing series at the 1/3 mile race track. For more details on the announcement, check out usacracing.com.
Don't forget I put out a new DIRTRACKR Conversations episode yesterday, this one featuring Ashley Stremme of Winged Nation and Lethal Chassis. It's in this podcast feed and the DIRTRACKR YouTube channel. Also, a quick note about the YouTube channel, I've created different playlists for the Conversations episodes, depending on what car class you're interested in. There is still a playlist of all conversations, but now you can flip through sprint car and midget episodes, late model shows, modified conversations, and those featuring media people. I've now released 28 of those episodes, so there is plenty to pick through and watch and listen to, with plenty more to come. We might even have a bonus episode later in the week. If there is someone I haven't talked to that you would like to see, I'm always open to guest suggestions as well.
There is nothing on the streaming schedule today except Flo 24/7 over at FloRacing. To see the full daily streaming schedule with links to watch, visit dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
That's it for the show today, hope everyone has a good Tuesday.
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