Knock On Wood - Volume 16 #3.
By Matt Prieur

Ovid, Michigan (Monday, July 28, 2008): If I were a rich man, (Ask my Wife Elaine, I'm not!) I’d like to start a regional traveling series for Outlaw Bodied Limited Late Models and Open-Wheeled Modifieds in the Central / Eastern Region of Michigan.

The concept would be simple, the top drivers from every facility in the state going head to head all over the region under a common set of rules and a good purse and let’s find out once and for all, who are the top dogs in the region.

Take a look at the Top 10 in points at the three tracks I have in mind, Dixie Motor Speedway, Owosso Speedway, and Whittemore Speedway. Up and down those lists are some of the best the state has to offer. They are all the local heroes of today!

Who wouldn’t want to go to say, Owosso and watch the top drivers from the Big “O” go head to head against the top stars in the premiere divisions from Dixie and Whittemore and wherever else on their home turf and then a few weeks later, do it all again only this time at Dixie, and then a couple of weeks later at Whittemore and then repeat the process until September?

Who wouldn’t pay good money to watch Mark Welch, Dave Bigos, John Buckner Jr., Ryan Ostrander, Cale Wiltse, Melvin Hottois, Chad Bennett, Ed Doutre Jr., Mark Klein, and about 20-25 more drivers going head to head at each drivers home track in a series of thrilling 50-lap (75-lap Features at Whittemore) Features.

Let’s not forget the Modifieds, how about Bill Luckhurst, John Forsythe II, Laci Donnert, Travis Eddy, Buck Harsen, Todd Matheson, Chuck Silva, Dave Christensen, Nick Clemens and about 25-30 more of the top Modified drivers in the region going at it all season long in the same format as Late Models; 50-lap Features at Dixie and Owosso, and 75 lappers at Whittemore.

Then after traveling at the three tracks mentioned during the season for the first Nine (9) shows, we end the season by crowning two champions and two rookies of the year in September in Twin 100-lap Season Championship races at one of the three facilities to close out the inaugural season for both divisions over a “Championship Weekend.”

Starting on a smaller scale would be the key to getting this off the ground. You don’t want to involve too many tracks and too many rules. Looking at the three tracks mentioned, the rules for the Pro Late Models / Limited Late Models are almost identical.

Same with the Modifieds at the three tracks mentioned. Subtle changes to meet in the middle for all three could be done! Both divisions’ at all three tracks run the Hoosier 970 tires, so that part is already complete!

We’d know going in that those are the tires we’d use and they’re readily available at all three places. Institute a Two-Tire rule for the proposed series only while not changing a thing to run the series and at the same time, run your local track weekly when the series is not racing.

A Saturday Morning / Afternoon Meeting in November at a neutral site within the geographical area of the three tracks mentioned would clear up any differences in the rules for the betterment of the sport and for the betterment of this proposed series.

This meeting would also establish those rules and procedures for those three tracks early enough to where drivers and teams could get everything in line to run at their home track as well as in this new 10-race series.

For the sake of this discussion, here are some basic rules for a proposed “Yet to be Named” regional traveling series featuring Limited Late Models and Modifieds in the Central / Eastern Region of Michigan;

1. 50-Lap Features (Except for the Championship Race, we’ll make that 100 laps)

2. $800 to win - $200 to start for both divisions! (Except for the Championship Race(s), let’s go with $1,500 to Win and $400 to Start) This is a minimum to get this off the ground. You have to make it worthwhile for the visiting teams to travel to the other tracks!

3. Basic Rules combining the three tracks together under one alliance. (The Michigan Late Model Alliance (MLMA) and the Michigan Modified Racing Alliance - MMRA) (Just some names for the sake of this column)

4. A Two-Tire Rule for these races only. All three tracks run on Hoosier 970s, so everyone would have plenty of those at their disposal and would only have to buy Two (2) tires at each MLMA / MMRA Event.

5. A "Winners Circle" Program for teams who appear at all 10 events and a limited Winners Circle Program for those who miss a race or two. (Say a $1,000 bonus in addition to the Points Fund at the end of the year for those with Perfect Attendance)

Weekly schedules at all three tracks would have to be worked out to accomodate the two divisions. If say Owosso were running MLMA and MMRA races on a particular Saturday, then Dixie and Whittmore would give those two weekly divisions the night off. Same thing with Whittmore, the same idea applies by replacing Owosso with Whittemore.

Owosso and Whittemore already have an agreement in place to alternate the Late Models and Modifieds throughout the season. Dixie could still run both on Friday nights, but if Owosso or Whittemore are hosting the MMRA and MLMA series' on a particular Saturday, then Dixie would give those divisions the night off the night before and run their Dixie Cup Series or something else so the MLMA and MMRA guys can have that extra day to prepare.

Same thing if Dixie is hosting the MLMA and MMRA Series' on their regular Friday night time slot! If Dixie is running the two series' on a Friday night, Owosso and Whittemore could give those two divisions the night off the next day to run specials or continue with their alternating schedules with the two divisions.

Only after the series is off the ground and running would you then consider adding another track or two. Auto City was not included in this because they don’t run the Outlaw Bodied Limited Late Models. Spartan and Springport weren’t considered in this either because they don’t run Limited Late Models of any type!

As for the Auto City Super Stocks or any Template Bodied / Crate Engine Late Models for that matter, of course they would be invited to come out and race, providing they followed the rules set forth by the three tracks with regards to the established Template / Crate rules and regulations within the agreed upon rule book.

A Board of Directors would be established. Since this would be the first season for this new series, the first Board of Directors would consist of the 2008 Track Champions and Rookies of the Year at all three tracks!

Once a season has been completed, the 2009 Track Champs and Rookies from each member track would then serve as the new Board of Directors along-with the 2009 MMRA and MLMA Champions and Rookies.

These are just a few ideas and of course all of this wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation and support of the three tracks mentioned and of course financially, it would take a pretty big investment to even begin to think about building this from the ground up

Could something like this work? Would this even be possible? Would the tracks mentioned work together to make this a reality? There are a lot of questions that would need to be answered in order to make these concepts and ideas a reality.

Any comments, questions, suggestions, etc., can go to: mprieur@mph-promotions.com
Thanks for reading.

Good luck, most tracks want CONTROL of the rules at their track. They WANT to protect homies at all costs.This is their lifeline they think. Of all the tracks I could have went to SAturday night I chose Angola because they have the best rules package. It was a hard choice between K-Zoo but taking off all my tires off the wheels in the hot humid weather and rolling them to tech and wasting all the nitrogen reinstalling them sealed that deal. I don't have to add weight for al heads or cut my spoiler down or off or narrow this or that up or anything,just race. There were no pet peeves to deal with while ignoring the important competitive advantage parts and pieces. If i went to A-C I would have had to cut off 1 inch on my spoiler,add weight(100 #) and in the hot sticky weather that wasn't gonna happen. Going to Dixie was completely out of the question because of more protectionist rules than anyone in this state.

So what make you think you can change these tracks? They aren't going to pay more money to have the home boys run against al heads,coil overs and tires they don't sell. We would need many local track rules to keep them happy. Maybe adding 500 # to visitors will make em happy.

Our locals drivers won't get behind the simple things so I don't think making them register at every track they may run in the series at $50 a track will fly either. People are crying about having to have a raceceiver like the rest of the world does now. We get invited to come race our slower tire against a faster one is the best offer we get to help travelers.

What is the reason you are wanting to attempt to do this? My car will be parked on nights when the rules do not allow me to easily travel. The costs are so outrageous it will probably be parked much more and I will only race where start pay is equal to more than one tire.

now if u had rules like imca where it keeps the cost of motors down and all ran on one tire i think i might get my mod back out but when i dont have thousands and thousands of dollars in my motor i guess ill keep going to crystal where the racing is copetive and not just follow the leader they pass there

I have been saying that for about 5 years now. I think with he new owners at Owosso it could happen if they looked and tried it.

There's a need for tracks to work together in order to survive. I've taken that one step further by seeing if there really is interest in this type of traveling series.

Teams could run the full 10-race schedule and hit any of the three tracks on their regular nights without missing a night or changing a thing.

Plus, weekly drivers can run one, two, or all three tracks for a track championship and maybe hit a couple of series events whenever they feel like it and again, not miss a single night at their weekly track.

Either way, the whole point is too not have to change a thing on your car and be able to have options on where you can run on a given weekend.

While ideas like this may be good for the racers who benefit, the actual bottom-line difference for the tracks involved is likely to be minimal at best.

Under the best of circumstances, I see this as a "zero-sum-game" for the promoters. Losing cars and crowd on the nights this series runs somewhere else, in the hopes of GAINING on the nights you play host...but...you also bring in a higher purse...which makes that even more dicey.

Bottom line...this kind of thing is a "shell game" as far a survival of the track go. Just largely shifting existing cars and fans from one place to another.

NEW FANS...that's the key to survival!

All the new rules and new series in the world won't change the lack of new people through EITHER gate...it's aggressive new promoting of the facilities that will determine who lives...and who becomes a "club racing" track where the pits pay ALL the purse.

Always remember...Kalamazoo (and, remember again...I DON'T WORK THERE ANYMORE) makes more money and draws almost the SAME crowd for their Enduro's..as they do for the "Klash."

PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE!!!!

(ok...I'm going back to "exile island" with Ed now...)

Promote, Promote, Promote, you're exactly right Mr. Koorsen.

Nowadays that seems to be a lost art. Promoting the Local Weekly Stars that support you every single weekend.

The two S.T.A.R.S. divisions would do that and take it about 2-3-4 steps farther. The Local Heroes against the outside invaders from the other two tracks.

The feel and look of a traveling series without the added expense and the utilization of the already established weekly stars.

It will / would take a ton of work to get off the ground and make it successful.