Live from the 40th annual "Pennsylvania Dutch Classic"

[X-TECH MAN]

I just want to thank Jack, Kenny, guys like Toby personally. Their pictures and reporting are 2nd to none. Love the incar videos. Many of my posts are mis read. The guys who do know me should realize how much of a fan of Stock and S/S racing I am. How many others would drive 19 1/2 hours to spectate at the Dutch like I did last year? When I was in Md. I would drive 3 1/2 hours every year. Races like the Dutch is THE BEST SHOW ON THE PLANET !!!! The purpose of the post is to try to get better minds than mine to figure out HOW in the hell can we get the average fan to come to these races. I dont mean guys like "Skills" and other hard core car types. But in the big picture this is what the tracks and IHRA/NHRA see and how long before they find something else to be the filler for the fuel cars? What are we/you doing wrong or is it the rules and the way the elimlnator is run? What can we do to improve the situation. I would say that better than 90% of the spectators there were friends, crew, family with a car . Not just people who love stock and S/S for what they are. When your at these national events do you really think the crowd is there too watch the .90 classes and class cars? Come on guys....put your thinking caps on before its to late.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

I just want to thank Jack, Kenny, guys like Toby personally. Their pictures and reporting are 2nd to none. Love the incar videos. Many of my posts are mis read. The guys who do know me should realize how much of a fan of Stock and S/S racing I am. How many others would drive 19 1/2 hours to spectate at the Dutch like I did last year? When I was in Md. I would drive 3 1/2 hours every year. Races like the Dutch is THE BEST SHOW ON THE PLANET !!!! The purpose of the post is to try to get better minds than mine to figure out HOW in the hell can we get the average fan to come to these races. I dont mean guys like "Skills" and other hard core car types. But in the big picture tracks and IHRA/NHRA see this and how long before they find something else to be the filler for the fuel cars? What are we/you doing wrong or is it the rules and the way the elimlnator is run? What can we do to improve the situation. I would say thaaty better than 90% of the spectators there were with a car or acting as crew. Not just people who love stock and S/S for what they are. When your at these national events do you really think the crowd is there too watch the .90 classes and class car? Come on guys....put your thinking caps on before its to late.

Terry,it seems it would be like getting a flock of drag racers to go the thr Metropolitan
Opera to see an opera.

[X-TECH MAN]

Yeah Ed.....your most likley correct . P.S. I forgot to mention Larry Hill as being one of the "ACE Reporters" on this forum along with the other guys.

[Tom Goldman]

Congratulations to Katie Sepanek Stock winner over a red lighting Don Heims.
And Super Stock winner Larry Jewell over Marty Reinhart Jr.

[Jack Matyas]

Well the afternoon flew by and now we can say congrats to the winners --

Stock ---- Katie Sepanik in her trusty I/SA Chevelle defeated Don Himes in Billy Nees' Q/SA LeMans


SuperStock was won by Larry Jewell in his familiar red Corvette when he defeated Marty Reinhart in his ageless '69 Camaro .

[boster]

Race heads up , that will bring in fans . The majority of fans dont like bracket racing thats why they leave the stands when we race.

Bo Kenney

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by boster

Race heads up , that will bring in fans . The majority of fans dont like bracket racing thats why they leave the stands when we race.

Bo Kenney

Yeah,right Bo.Then S/SS will be 20 car fields of guys with the loot to run $100K + cars.And they'll still be no spectators,just small fields.At least ther'll be less to bitch about as far as disparity between the combos runnoing.
What we do isn't perfect but it's better than giving the classes away to the "well
healed".

[bubski]

Originally Posted by boster

Race heads up , that will bring in fans . The majority of fans dont like bracket racing thats why they leave the stands when we race.

Bo Kenney

theres plenty of heads up associations out there to race at, no need to screw up stock and superstock, way too many combos to factor fairly, and you can use your light weight crank and modified throttle body there!

[MikeFicacci]

The American Muscle portion of the Dutch Classic turned out to be a great show. Granted it was only for the Mustangs/Challengers but it was heads-up racing and that is cool in any capacity. In the end, Fezell and Ficacci put up big numbers in qualifying with a set of mid-30 passes. Barton lead the pack of Challengers with a stout 9.51 but we all seemed to suspect there was more in the bag and that became evident when he unleashed a 9.41 pass on the brakes in the semi's to take out Fezell. The final looked promising as the supercharged Mustang was in the 30's all day Barton kept going faster and faster as the day went on. In the final match-up, both cars left the line with the wheels in the sky. Ficacci was pointed straight as an arrow and Barton was fading out of the groove. Untimately Barton was unable to keep the car on the track and nutted it into the wall twice as Ficacci passed the line with a 9.25 pass at over 140 mph.

P.S. Not trying to boast at all. Simply did not see any news from the crack news team as to the outcome of the shootout. Most of you know I only care about heads-up racing and being that few supported Top Stock with the old cars, its good to see at least someone is out there making it happen.

[SSDA Hemi]

Originally Posted by MikeFicacci

Most of you know I only care about heads-up racing and being that few supported Top Stock with the old cars, its good to see at least someone is out there making it happen.

AMEN! As much as everyone loves to bash the new cars, if it wasn't for them showing up with factory support and adding cars to the class, I think there there would be a dozen threads about the demise of class racing. At least we know SS and Stock aren't going anywhere for the next few years anyway.

And yes I had to race Anthony B's '08 stang for class at the Dutch. And I can tell you first hand being nose to nose with that car for the first two gears gave me some of the most satisfaction of the year! Unfortunately when that 'stang went into high gear...