Originally Posted by
HoosierDaddy1
It is really sad the course this race has taken over the last few years. However, I don't blame the venue. Nobody picked up the ball and ran with it after it went to Caraway. From what I can see since it went there, it appears it could have used more promotion up and down the eastern seaboard. Also, numbers were down at the last race at Concord in 2010 (however, still quite strong). The car numbers were really strong in the first seven years. And the majority (high percentage) were cars that had NASCAR tour legal engines. In other words the NASCAR modified teams can be given credit for being the major supporter of this race. Now, toward the end of the time at Concord, more and more of the cars from the ROC and other non NASCAR venues (where engine rules and tech are pretty much non-existant) start showing up. So the engines with the hogged out cylinders, bloated compression ratios, and gutted carbs would dominate (hence one ROC driver winning so many). Now this year, making the NASCAR tour engine rules the only option, I say a little too late to put this rule in place. After the first four or five of the North-South Shootouts, and seeing who the majority of your teams came from (NASCAR), they should have instituted the NASCAR engine rule right then. Why do you think the ROC has all but died, to the point that Harpell has to let two barrel carb sportsman cars run (no tech, and no significant engine rules). Could you imagine the car counts at the NASCAR tour races if SKs were allowed? Nope, I am a firm believer that allowing anything but NASCAR tour legal engines were a big reason for the demise of this race, along with little or no promotion. The closest thing to a North South Shootout now, is the race at Bristol in August.
JMO
J.R. "Jim" McG