It's time for some feedback and interaction here at Puttin' On A Show and the question I pose to you is simple: Has the prestige of winning a Late Model track championship lost some of its luster?
I'm honestly not sure, which is why I'm asking you. I think, in some of the lower divisions, winning a track title means the world to a lot of those guys. But, on the Dirt Late Model side of things, with the races themselves paying basically the same thing they did 20 years ago - and with five times as many regional series as there were then - I'm just not 100% convinced that winning a track championship still means as much as it did at one time.
Maybe I'm wrong in that thinking. I mean, after all, some tracks have really upped the ante when it comes to their Late Model title hunt. Oakshade Raceway, located just north of Wauseon, OH, pays a hefty $8,000 to its Late Model champ. Other tracks, however, simply pay out a standard feature purse for their drivers at the season-ending awards banquet. And, on the extreme low end, some tracks didn't even have a banquet last season to recognize the drivers who supported them all year long.
So, with all this in mind, I want your feedback to the question: Has the prestige of winning a Late Model track championship lost some of its luster?
Responses can be posted below.
I agree to an extent. I think a lot of it has to do with the number of cars that run at that track on a weekly basis too. Beating 4 regulars doesn't hold the same merit as beating 12 or 15 regulars.
ReplyDeleteI think it matters most of all on which track it was won it. No offense to anyone that's reading this, but I'd rather win a track championship at Lernerville or Fairbury over a random track in Idaho. Also, I think winning an asphalt championship in late models means a lot more. Since less asphalt series exist, most of the top guys run for a championship at the top tracks in their area.
ReplyDeleteIt has lost is appeal most places and most classes. Weekly purses can pay so good that staying at one track for a championship doesn't make financial sense. Things that keep people in the championship hunt are: local sponsors, local recognition, good point fund & if the team personally still believes in championships.
ReplyDeleteBeing a fan that regularly attends Oakshade Raceway I lean on the side of "it matters". Our guys beat each other up trying to get that big check at the end of the season. I feel it keeps things more competitive as a whole. Ask a guy like Aaron Scott or Jon Henry what a track championship at Eldora has done for their name value. Eldora doesn't run lates regularly but that championship means a whole lot to them. Links
ReplyDeleteAgreed to above.
DeleteSide note, when this blog want's you to prove your not a Robot I feel like one because I rarely can read the first code or so! lol