When does someone look at something and decide it’s time for a change?
In the world of national late model racing, it happens quite frequently. Teams are faced with the challenges of tire prices and shortages, gasoline and diesel prices as well as a plethora of other things. Throw in the normal costs they face as well. Parts costs, crew costs and so many things we don’t see.
We are seeing high-profile drivers, fall off the national series for one reason or another.
Big names like Brandon Sheppard, Ricky Weiss, and Tyler Bruening have elected to run open schedules rather than the World of Outlaws Case Late Models on a regular basis.
Those two decided to go down different paths. Sheppard, the three-time and defending WoO champ is running for Lucas Oil points. Weiss, a winner with the Outlaws at Bristol, is running an open schedule and chasing money. There are many others not chasing points in one series or another. Is there a reason for this?
Certainly the costs, as I previously mentioned, play a factor. In fact, the expenses of travel may be the number one reason for it. Drivers are choosing the Lucas Oil Late Model Series that runs less often over Outlaws races. Others are choosing RaceXR events because the prize fund is outrageous and the series recently changed an event date to better match up with the Lucas Dirt schedule.
The amount of money being given in race purses is massive this season, and less drivers are running tours.
There’s a cost for the fans here as well. The four major, national late model touring series (FloRacing Night in America, Race XR, World of Outlaws, & Lucas Dirt) are on four different streaming platforms (FloRacing, RaceXR, DirtVision, & MAV TV Plus) with four separate subscription rates.
A diehard fan could average close to or above $100 per month just for racing streams. With all of the costs in racing for both teams and fans alike, it’s time for a change. In my opinion, limit the ‘national touring series’ to one.
One Touring Series, Regional Racing Added
Give me one national touring series for Late Models with regional events under that banner – here is why I say this; It helps alleviate the cost of travel for many of the drivers. You wouldn’t have the daunting travel of one circuit and less travel but more pay on the same weekend as another.
I come from the world of drag racing. In the NHRA they have their professional touring series and they also have a touring series known as the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series (LODRS). This runs mainly sportsman drivers but also their Top Alcohol series’ as well.
The LODRS runs a national schedule that lines up with the Camping World Drag Racing Series professional tour. Then throughout the year there are divisional or regional races held as well. Drivers accumulate points at both the national event and the regional event that go to determine the National Champion at the end of the year. Also they crown each regional champion as well based on the points accumulated at the regional only events.
In the LODRS they have four regions across North America. At the beginning of the year, you claim what region you would be a part of and would compete for points in that region. Plus you are able to attend any of the national events and accumulate national points as well. The caveat to all of this is that teams are limited to how many regional and national races you can attend and get points for.
The LODRS teams are allowed to take points at their first 6 regional races and first 10 national events. At the end of the year, they take the best four regional points days and best six national event finishes to determine the LODRS championship points for a national champion. Plus the points you accumulate at the regional events will go to determine the regional champion at the end of the year.
How does this translate to Dirt Racing?
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m rambling about drag racing in an article about dirt. I feel that if it’s done correctly dirt racing, in particular Late Models, can follow suit. Obviously, it would take a lot of logistical changes and challenges to overcome, but I’m passionate about this.
One national touring series follows a schedule slicing all over the country like they currently do. However, drivers who are located on the east coast aren’t required to run the races on the west coast, unless they so choose and vise versa. Each driver would declare a region at the beginning of the year that they would race for points in.
How this could work is already how they currently do things. It seems as if, the Lucas Oil Late Models run in the midwest, the World of Outlaws are on the east coast. When the Outlaws go west, RaceXR has a big money event in the south. Those type of things wouldn’t change necessarily.
For instance. The hypothetical national series is racing at Port Royal Speedway on a Friday night like the World of Outlaws are. That same night, 34-Raceway in Iowa and Smokey Mountain Speedway in Tennessee could be hosting regional events.
Drivers in the midwest and south can stay local and not haul up to Pennsylvania since there is money to be had close to town. Plus they still can get points that go to their national champion.
Next week there is a national race at Pevely, MO and regional events are held out west and east. Drivers would be able to get regional points or have the opportunity to get national points. Now you can award points to so many races so you don’t have someone traveling all over running every race possible to get more points than another. Limit it to so many regional races and so many national races go to your points total.
If someone has reached their total number of races but still wants to be in the show, they can do that and just run for money that night as long as they declare beforehand. When you have a major race on the national schedule, then there would be no regional races that week.
At the end of the year, drivers would take their regional points and add them to the national points they accumulated over the year to determine their national finishing order. Teams with most regional points are then declared regional champs as well.
What a system like this does, it helps drivers still get points but also saves them some money in the long run. Nothing is saying they can’t go all over the country and still follow the national touring series, because they can. However, it also helps eliminate the stress it puts on teams. Drivers aren’t able to run for points in the series they planned because the cost to go is too much.
Obviously, there would be a lot logistically to work through. I feel a system like this can work at this level. Late Model racing in particular could benefit from it in my eyes. It definitely muddies up the streaming situation and who would get what event or royalties.
We all love our racing all over the country. But with teams having to spend more than they make to attend events, dirt racing as we know it will fail.
It’s time to make a change.
