Purse And Format Alterations Coming For Stafford's Next Modified Tour Event

[ShawnCourchesne]

Purse And Format Alterations Coming For Stafford's Next Modified Tour Event; Drivers Angered By Changes ( http://blogs.courant.com/autoracing/2009/04/purse-and-format-alterations-c.html)

[BigMac]

Shawn C. burning the midnight oil to get to the bottom of this. I like it.

[MJProcko]

Gee didn't see this one coming.....

I gave Shaun crap for his speedweeks coverage so time to give him props for his WMT coverage as of late.

[kja819]

Arute must need more work done on his house he built with Stafford's money a few years ago. I've had my share of run in with them over the years but this is only one race.

NASCAR has allowed this to happen to the series. You need a Series director who has a passion for Modifieds not a former Cup driver. It may be time for the owners to get together and look at options for the Mod's. ASA maybe, anyway you look at it the Mod's need a big time PR person who can bring in sponsorship for the series and the races nad put that money into the owners pocket not the tracks.

I dare Mark Arute to show his take on a tour night to prove what he does or doesn't make. Ok what ever he shows will be a fairy tail but there will be a little truth in it also.

[gomodsgo]

Arute must need more work done on his house he built with Stafford's money a few years ago. I've had my share of run in with them over the years but this is only one race.

NASCAR has allowed this to happen to the series. You need a Series director who has a passion for Modifieds not a former Cup driver. It may be time for the owners to get together and look at options for the Mod's. ASA maybe, anyway you look at it the Mod's need a big time PR person who can bring in sponsorship for the series and the races nad put that money into the owners pocket not the tracks.

I dare Mark Arute to show his take on a tour night to prove what he does or doesn't make. Ok what ever he shows will be a fairy tail but there will be a little truth in it also.



Why is it that no one wants to see a race track make money????
Hello.... if the track doesn't make money, then there are no tracks to race on. No money = no improvemenets. No money = no employees. No money = no racing.

No one seems to have a problem with self employee people building a nice home, or going on vacations, or owning a modified, or sponsoring a modified.
Why is it that the bottom line of a race track pisses everyone off and it should be public knowledge??? I don't see anyone giving up their IRS paperwork so you can prove why you charge what you do for your services.

Piss an moan all you want about these flash races, or reduced purses...... pretty soon it will be all history and then you will have NOTHING to ***** about.

I'd be the first one to tell the track to go get a major sponsor for the night for say $30,000 to support paying the WMT, but coming from personal experience, the Major sponsors are dropping out of sign like flies. Go ask Home Depot for some sponsor money. Or what about Blockbuster or Circuit City.... yeah. How's that working for you.

I'll end my ramblings cause I know I'm going to get bashed on here... but give the tracks a break, they are just a BUSINESS trying to stay afloat too.
We, TSS, lost out asses on the WMT show because off all the *****ing about the flash race. Those that showed up put on a hell of a show and saw some great racing. If the BS *****ing wasn't in the forfront of the community, the crowd would have been much better and who knows, might have worked into an open mod show the following year there.

Support THE SPORT, or it wont be around any more.

[bud]

The show at TSS was awesome. But it wasn't all about the *****ing either........admit it the weather sucked that night. I live right in town and almost didn't go.

[kja819]

I wasn't talking about TSS was I. Maybe you should read flash in disguise. Strange I don't see a reply on what is being said there. Mark Arute pretty much stated to the fans show up or we will just schedule something else next year. Sounds like a threat to me. No?

I was a supporter of Stafford on a weekly basis since 1978. I have since moved to NC and to be quite honest miss going to Stafford. My point is after all the years of support on both sides of the fence I have watched the crowd dwindle year after year. The racing has suffered in my opinon also.

In my opinon if the tracks lowered the price at the front gate and doubled there crowd the tracks would in the long run make more money. With the extra food & drink the tracks would sell. That in turn would make for better racing with more excitement.

I go to South Boston for $10 a night 20 if it's a special night. The place is packed kids are everywhere and the lines to get anything to eat or drink are always long.

I think you will find that everyone here is looking for the answer I know I am, I love the mods and do not want to see them go but I can't stand to see them be overlooked the way thay have been the last few years.

[bud]

HEY I KNOW WHATS GOING ON! NO ONE EVEN SEES IT COMING. DIDN'T STAFFORD ORIGINALLY SELL OUT THE MODS. NOW STAFFORD WANTS THE WHELEN SK MOD TOUR. NO REAL MODS AND THEY CAN SELL AND PROMOTE THERE TRADEMARKED WANNA BE SERIES. DON'T GET ME WRONG I LOVE WATCHING TED KICK BUTT THERE ON A FRIDAY NIGHT BUT...... WASN'T THIS SK THING THE ORIGINAL DEMISE OF THE WEEKLY MODS? NOW HE WANTS TO REPLACE TOUR RACES WITH THEM........LOL. WONDER WHAT THE 200 SK RACE BROUGHT IN FOR FANS LAST YR?????? I SEE IT THIS WAY HE SEES A WEAKNESS AND IS GOING FOR IT. I LIKE THE IDEA OF RUNNING A SHORT RACE. GIVE HIM WHAT HE PAID FOR 25 LAPS THEN PARK THEM OR DON'T EVEN SHOW. MAYBE EVEN BETTER RUN AT THUNDER ROAD THAT WEEKEND WITH THE TVMS. MAY NOT PAY THE BILLS BUT IT WILL SEND A STATMENT.:applause:GREAT WAY TO TREAT THE TOUR ON THIS SPECIAL SEASON CHAD!

[uticamike]

Its really heating up out there as the economic realities of fielding a NASCAR Tour
Mod, turn a profit as a track owner and the fan trying to find a way to bring the family to the show comes to head as we move into the 09' season. This past week on the Speedway Line Report illustrated a convergence of these interests.
Listen to the show if you have time to see what I mean. A caller to the show ,
John from Naugatuck, called to vent on his feelings about NASCAR, Don Hoenig
and the Arutes. Greedy,crooks and "robbing you for years" were some of the sentiments on display from this guy. These comments are the type that must have
prompted Phil Kurze from Whelen Engineering to "pen" his email to Gary Danko.
I find it interesting that neither, Gary Danko,"Bear" Calicchio or Shawn Courchesne
called out this John with regards to his slanderous remarks. The best comments came from Art Barry , a guest on the phone to the show, with his thoughts about switching to the TVMS. If he were joined by the Stefaniks, the Flemkes
and some other high profile teams it would do more to get NASCARS attention than any protest, *****fest and threats that are the norm now. What an irony that the TVMS was born to give the "lessor" teams a chance to compete in some good racing for much less money and now is likely a sanctuary for teams looking to get away from the " Big Show". If you don't like what's happening with the up coming WMT show at Stafford find a TV show to support. Hey!!, they're worth driving from Utica for.

[bud]

Mike is right............very good shows. Good hard racing and the drivers are respectfull of eachother. There are yellows but most is good hard racing not the driving over your head to get to the front mindset.

[limodmaniac]

Wasn't the True Value series born because basically there was no track that wished to run modifieds as a weekly division??? From a small series that I think only raced in New Hampshire after Claremont and the mods parted ways? That's actually become something bigger than what it was first meant to actually be.

[bud]

yes li man. you know there must be a reason it has become bigger than what it was meant to be. the thing that sets them apart is the fact it is almost a club racing together.......kinda like a kart track.

[Lovesracing070]

Guys, This is horrible.

Why do you care what the purse is? Are you entering a car? Are you getting any of the money thats being paid out?

My Guess.... No

So, With that said, why dont you start saying things positive. Cause if you call keep being nitpickers, then the modifieds will probley lose Whelen as a Sponsor all together and there will be no TOUR. SO WHY DOESNT EVERYONE BE QUIET and start supporting instead of TEARING IT APART! :mad:

I come on here and read some interesting things. Are you any Car Owners on here? NO. So everyone. Start posting things about What cars you like, What tracks you like, How Whelen has put up GREAT WATCHES for the WINNERS of each race this year. did they have to? NO, did they? Yes. Stop knocking Whelen. Mr. Kurze is doing something great for the Tour.

You just all need to realize it.

[stoningtonmodmania]

in my opinon a mod race is a mod race wether its true value whelen or roc for that matter i love the rumble the history of mod cars and i like a 100 lapper once in a while it makes you think on the setup diffrently . money wise not the best only complant

[Lovesracing070]

but is it your place to complain or anyone here to complain?

[bud]

funny loves racing decided to become a member today to post on the messageboard about how no one here is a car owner........lets see if ted and mike are complaining acording to newspaper stories I think its ok to talk here about it..........hmmmm wonder if loves racing is the stafford pr guy.
AND NO ONE EVER SAID WE DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE WHENENS. I LIVE NOT 10 MILES FROM THEIR NH PLANT. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE UP AN NAME WAY BACK A COUPLE YRS AGO WHEN THEY CAME TO TWINSTATE TO RACE ONLY ABOUT 11 MILES FROM THERE PLANT................

[RGeeProductions]

funny loves racing decided to become a member today to post on the messageboard about how no one here is a car owner........lets see if ted and mike are complaining acording to newspaper stories I think its ok to talk here about it..........hmmmm wonder if loves racing is the stafford pr guy.
AND NO ONE EVER SAID WE DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE WHENENS. I LIVE NOT 10 MILES FROM THEIR NH PLANT. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE UP AN NAME WAY BACK A COUPLE YRS AGO WHEN THEY CAME TO TWINSTATE TO RACE ONLY ABOUT 11 MILES FROM THERE PLANT................

Oh, so you are saying that since he decided to join today, he doesn't get to say his view?
But it is ok for you to bash Stafford for supposedly, only your view mind you, selling out the modifieds for the SK's...
And although I don't agree on how he stated it, I do agree that putting down everything with the tour is not the solution....as per the other thead I posted in...
And really not sure what you even meant in your last 2 sentences....

[bud]

Well lets see......I do not put everything about the tour down and I love the racing at Stafford. I was at the Twinstate race when others on this board were bashing the flash format. That was one of the best races I have ever seen. And if you knew anything about Whelen you would know thier plant is in Charlestown NH just down the road from Twinstate. Thats what my last 2 sentences were about. Being afraid to state an opinion and do it under your own screen name makes me wonder what the person has to hide? My only beef with Stafford was when they bashed the TVMS last yr with the only one true tour. Nice now you seem to feel that because they are hmmmm, lets see easy pickins, because of the economy its ok to cut the purse compared to past purses?
I am not the one to start this thread. Maybe Shaun and I need hide behind the keyboard screen names too.......not. Like I said before it was Stafford that put the knife in the touring type modifieds back all those yrs ago with there sk modifieds.I drove 2 1/2 hrs each way for 5 yrs to see the races at Stafford......that came to a halt when the sk's took over. I was at all the races when Brian Ross was king and when Sacks and Bugs ran wheel to wheel. Evans and his carb........Geoff Bodine spinning out infront of the field at modified madness and Joe Howard hitting him head on and flipping his car then getting hit in the drivers window upside down by kenny. Not like I haven't been there you know. Heck my sister even went out with Mark Garrow.I guess if you really wanted to go far fetched maybe I'm lovsracing070 and I'm just giving both views.......lol.
A bit of a comparison.........I love my kid but if I see her headed down the wrong road is standing there and saying nothing the right thing to do???? You know what I am not afraid to admit I'm not perfect either.

[RGeeProductions]

Well lets see......I do not put everything about the tour down and I love the racing at Stafford. I was at the Twinstate race when others on this board were bashing the flash format. That was one of the best races I have ever seen. And if you knew anything about Whelen you would know thier plant is in Charlestown NH just down the road from Twinstate. Thats what my last 2 sentences were about. Being afraid to state an opinion and do it under your own screen name makes me wonder what the person has to hide? My only beef with Stafford was when they bashed the TVMS last yr with the only one true tour. Nice now you seem to feel that because they are hmmmm, lets see easy pickins, because of the economy its ok to cut the purse compared to past purses?
I am not the one to start this thread. Maybe Shaun and I need hide behind the keyboard screen names too.......not. Like I said before it was Stafford that put the knife in the touring type modifieds back all those yrs ago with there sk modifieds.I drove 2 1/2 hrs each way for 5 yrs to see the races at Stafford......that came to a halt when the sk's took over. I was at all the races when Brian Ross was king and when Sacks and Bugs ran wheel to wheel. Evans and his carb........Geoff Bodine spinning out infront of the field at modified madness and Joe Howard hitting him head on and flipping his car then getting hit in the drivers window upside down by kenny. Not like I haven't been there you know. Heck my sister even went out with Mark Garrow.I guess if you really wanted to go far fetched maybe I'm lovsracing070 and I'm just giving both views.......lol.
A bit of a comparison.........I love my kid but if I see her headed down the wrong road is standing there and saying nothing the right thing to do???? You know what I am not afraid to admit I'm not perfect either.

Again, not sure what Whelen's plant being there had anything to do with this thread, thats all.
Please explain how Stafford put a knife into the tour. I seem to remember the weekly full modified divisions car numbers were dropping all over the northeast. Jack came up with an affordable way to race modifieds. If there were no SK's now, guess what, CT would have no weekly modifieds of any kind. The 3 CT tracks would have had Pro Stocks as the elite division like Seekonk and Modnadnock did!!! Remember back then there was no True Value Mods...I know Jack didn't know the SK's would take off like they did at the time.
As for money and tracks, say Stafford, IT IS A BUSINESS. They are in business to make money. NASCAR started the flash races and lower purses, so why shouldn't any track jump on a profit from that? That is not Stafford fault.
My point was 2 fold. You picked on Stafford then picked on a new member who has a right to voice his opinion as you do. And second, I am just so tired of the negativity toward the tour, sponsors, the tracks and NASCAR. Instead of banter, how about a solution like I mentioned in the "Renaming The Tour" thread. As I said in that thread, WE WILL LOSE!!!!!!!!

[Kevin]

I've said it before and I'm saying it again. The tour itself is what caused NASCAR modified racing to become nearly extinct. Go back far enough and there was a NASCAR modified division running weekly at tracks like Riverside, Stafford, Thompson, Riverhead, All over the northeast. It was a long list of tracks you could run a NASCAR tour type modified at. Three maybe four, five nights a week. The national modified championship was scored by points earned at every race in a NASCAR modified at a NASCAR sanctioned track. If you could run someplace in the afternoon and load up and get someplace for a race that night, you got points for both races that day. You had guys like Richie Evans, Jerry Cook going where ever they could as often as they could to score points. Tracks like Stafford had allstar fields EVERY week. When a "touring modified series" came along, the way you won a national championship was go to the 'tour" race. That took guys like Reggie, Mike Stefanik, the local favorites at the weekly tracks that fans came to see, away from the home tracks to run up and down the east coast on the tour.

Eventually there were nights tracks didn't have full fields of modifieds because of the tour. Fans wouldn't come to the track to cheer for Reggie if he wasn't going to be there. Tracks started looking for other ways to fill the pits and the stands when everyone was away at a tour race in some other part of the country. Pro Stocks, SKs, what ever. Gradually the tracks had such diverse divisions, you couldn't run the same car 3 nights a week. Tracks like Stafford stopped running NASCAR tour type modifieds because there wasn't a full field of cars every week. You will never see 100 tour modifieds in one pit like the old Sizzler days, or at the Thompson 300.

What hurt NASCAR modifieds, tour type cars, was the NASCAR Modied Tour itself. It drew cars away from the weekly tracks, changed the points system for a national championship. Some tracks started dropping NASCAR sanctioning, NASCAR did the same to others. And this is where we are now.

Maybe if tracks had gotten together and come up with a set of rules for SK type cars, ROC, TVMS, what ever, just a set of rules across the northeast that would allow a guy to run the same car at 20 tracks, something where a team could bolt on a few parts and run a tour race when it came to town. Or if it was raining in CT but not in NY someplace, they could load up and run there.

We will never have the good old days back. This is where NASCAR Modified racing is now. Like or love or not. Touring killed the NASCAR modified.

[RGeeProductions]

Yeah Kevin, that's what I was aiming at....thank you...

[bud]

I agree with Kevin also and I believe Stafford was behind the tour in the first place. It was a way to bring their brain child to the for-front and still look like they were still tour type mod friendly. Well guess what? Purse reductions lead to car count reductions which lead to fan reductions.........and so on. Funny but paying Reggie and Mighty Mike to run sk's didn't lure the great drivers back to Stafford in those cars.
My point about Whelens plant being just down the road was it would have been great instead of bickering about the flash purse if the tour or some of the drivers would have been on the ball enough to have come there for their employees......without being asked or bickering about a race right up the road from their plant. Seems the tour does a great job of shooting itself in the foot without lil ol me. I am not being negative but sometimes I don't understand the logic. You say Stafford is a business.....yes I agree but have you ever been to Twinstate? The stands might hold 3000 people so those guys taking a chance on a tour race was close to suicide.....lol. With a packed house they would have been lucky to have covered the purse. They only charged 18bucks to get in for that hundred lapper. What is Stafford charging to get into a place that seats maybe 12000? How many other tracks like Claremont will stick their necks out? I would give up a yr of my life if Monadnock would! And I don't have many left lol. Never happen because its too much money for a small track like that right up front. Now because NASCAR tries to generate more interest from other small tracks to have a "real tour" with more than a half dozen tracks a Greedy place like Stafford or Thompson tries to cash in on it? Are they really your friend? Maybe they see the end of a cash cow and are ready to cash in. R-G I respect your opinion and am 100% for the love of modified racing. You guys pick on the TVMS but the rules are set up so most of the cars around NE are competitive. Purses are lower but they are spread out to make it fair for everyone......1st to last. In a bad economy how is it the right thing to do to have the cars go to Bristol for a race that is basiclly a charity event for Nascar and the track. We are in a lose lose situation there too. They build it up like the race of the century and it might well be.....but if you can't make the next 2 races because Bristol cost you too much how does that help the tour???? If they decide you ran for that this year then it will be good enough for next yr. Then Stafford sees....wow they drove all the way to Bristol for that purse so we can cut ours again.. You know what? The only thing to save this situation is to get rid of Chad Little and get somebody like Ben Dodge running the series. He loves the sport with his entire heart and soul! If the series is to go on it will be someone like him that will do it. Not someone that is only in it for the all mighty dollar and being a puppet for NASCAR. I know I know your attitude is something is better than nothing....but that is what will destroy the tour in the long run. Like I said I'll be at Thunder Road this weekend where my girlfriend and myself will be able to get in for about 10 bucks more that it will cost just me to go to Stafford for the same length race. Hope to see some of you on bud hill! I'm done with this thread.

[catfish]

Simply amazing:*-(