When Jeff took it over from us a couple years ago, attendance was on it's way down. We had an Olds only race. There were other brands also racing, but not with us. We had the biggest payout for an Olds race ever. Jeff took it over and he went BOP, thinking he would get a bigger turnout. Never really happened. He has stated he will not do it again. It takes a bunch of time and I know I invested about $1500 of my own money into the race both years I was involved with putting it on . Got zero back.

Jerr, you do know we caught alot of crap for letting you use the giggle gas for qualifying and not during eliminations........LOL.

 

Let's hope they can make it happen this year . All we can do is hope there was rumor going around that bernard mondello and one of the pontiac vendors was gonna do it this next year. I remember my first year there was 2007 i went with jay yeager who i used to work with and all the rocket racing guys before i got my car done and the place was packed with olds from all across the country. I have been there the last two years with my car and the turnouts arent even close to that 2007 race . I think jerr took one from the street racers and hustled them lol.

 

You are confusing track attendance with Olds racing competition. The track schedules 3-4 different factions to make money. They won't do a track rental to any one group/person. In 2007 there were us along with some midwest super street (?) association. Which included mainly Stangs & Camaros. Russell Hunt of ROP fame drove my car that year so I could try to keep the choas under control.......LOL.

 

I know the diffrence between track attendance and olds racers but I hope byron isn't in this race for big money it can still go on but they payouts won't be as much unless the sponsors are what keeps the race going.

 

This year we will have a race at Eddyville raceway in Iowa for the OCA Nationals; in 2013, it will be somewhere around Springfield, IL. We aren't trying to "replace" a big time race, but if the same people want to come, that will be great.

 

Byron is for Byron, plain and simple. The track got $25 per car that was there......period! Olds, Ford, Chevy and yes the motorcycles too. Olds guys who TNTed did absolutly nothing for us. The track had nothing to do with the payout amounts, except divvy out the payouts. OK here goes.........say we charged $40 to enter Pro. That means we had a whopping $15 towards payouts per entry. Winner, runner-up & round money. Byron would NOT do a track rental to any one group but it was affordable.

 

I agree with Nick. The idea was to come support an all OLDS race. Just because it is great to see, even if you lose.
1/2 of the people that bothered to show, didn't even race.

Yeah.... we beat up on each other and take each other's money once a year, but that's the FUN of it.

We already had the whole racing season to beat on imports/fords/chevys.

Time to get back to the roots and wrestle around with your little/big brothers in the back yard.

 

Joe, Eddyville is a very nice 1/8 mile track, real decent pits, nice people running the place too. I assume they won't let a non OCA member run his Olds with you guys?

 

Same here always nice to put faces with names and cars.

 

It will be our call. I have talked with Gerald several times at Eddyville and he is good with us renting the track, or with having an event with non-OCA members, even one with other brands there at our discretion. If turnout is good, we won't have to pay rental. We were thinking about letting Buick, Pontiac, etc. clubs participate if they want. I agree that all-Olds is good, but only if we get a good number of cars. We had 13 at Fallon, and never know what the turnout will be. It also would be cool to have 60s and 70s BOP cars compete--how about a 66 W30 vs. a 66 ram air GTO, or a 70 W30 against a Buick Stage 1? We want to include show cars to get people out of their lawn chairs

 

Now i like the idea of a show/ drag show all in one. Kind of like the dick miller olds powerd nationals in norwalk. I also like the idea of getting all the clubs of the b.o.p together having a show and a race all in the same day. I think an event like that will attract very diffrent crowds show going folk and hardcore racers and bring in a good crowd. That's just me talking though i have never tried to organize an event so my 2 cents are 2 cents lol. If you bring it closer to the northeastern illinois area that would be great lol .

 

Nick and Milan had garenteed purses that were craazy money for a Olds race,WAY more than Norwalk or ANY OTHER OLDS RACE OUT there! And nobody showed up! The same group of 20 or so Olds racers who hit all the Oldsmobile races were the core group.....Sad to say Olds only racing is dead or dying just like the brand........this coming from a diehard race guy......

 

I have seen attendance trickle at byron this past year. The pits arent as packed as a few years ago. I didnt see any of the east coast guys either., not that i know any of them but it just seems like every year it is dwindeling down. I know the pay out is one thing but i would love to see a big crowd like the first few years i was up at byron for the bop. Id hate to jump on the economy blaming wagon but maybe it's to blame time are tough.

 

I have two comments on payout at races: (1) how many people get the money, whereas all paid for gas, hotels, etc. (2) if you race for money, state and federal DOT's consider you a business--log books, commercial driver's license, stop at all weigh stations, yadda yadda.
At the OCA race, we plan to give out stuff on a random drawing basis. Even if you figure you aren't as good as Bob Glidden, Dan Fletcher, Pete Biondo, etc. you have an equal chance to win something. Oh, if I should use Olds racers as examples, Warren Johnson, Dave Smith, Sam Murray, Jim Kaekel etc.

 

Hmmm so it's just gonna be a tnt and throw our name in a hat for a drawing? Sorry, I don't call that racing. I guess I'll pass even if I'm let in.

 

It's better than going home empty handed. I guess if i had race specific vehicle i would see it your way. Im sure there is alot of people who have entered races and left home broke like i did at byron last year. I spent 25 for the test n tune plus 30 i think for the race i redlit first round on a run i would have won ., let me tell you a nice give away would have been nice to go with the 15 bucks i had in my wallet for the ride home.

 

If you are a business, and have a lot of practice racing, I guess you want a chance to win bucks. If a sponsor offers a purse to attract such guys, then we will offer that option for those who want it. At this point, we expect that most of the racers will be there for fun, and won't be semi-professionals.

Do you have sponsors lined up to provide the kind of purse you expect, or do you expect us to charge a high admission to pay the couple racers who win?

It won't be just a test n tune; there will be eliminations and most likely Chris Dreiling's CNC machined solid aluminum plaques as prizes for winner and runner up in each class.

 

I look at the investment I have in the car, the $8.00 a gallon for race fuel, $3.00 + a gal for tow fuel (3 1/2 hrs away). We try to win money every time the car is winched out of the trailer. Not a business, but at the same token I have over $40,000 invested. I guess my frame of mind is much different than a show guy.

 

My car aint a show car by all means . I just like to go out and have fun and try to out do my best e.t.

 

Joe, Milan and I tried to get the OCA to come pay out $$ to some of their member winners and sign new members up. Would not do that. We had plenty of sponsors too. Needless to say I dropped out of the OCA.

 

When was that, 380racer? The OCA has changed a lot regarding racing. Just last year, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to hold a race at the Nationals every year.

 

That was 4 yrs ago.

 

stop spraying that motor !!!!

 

Why?

 

I don't do drugs; neither does my car

 

I personally have enjoyed my nitrous adventures......
learned alot,Went fast.......Its all good!

 

Because your 1966 400 was rebuilt by a reputable builder using the original reconditioned rods. I have had issues with spun bearings due to what has been diagnosed as timing issues.

46 year old cast pistons and rods, you heard that old saying, it's not if, it's when and I think those puppies have past their safe range by now.

It's cheaper to make improvements to an engine than it is to start from scratch again, that's if you didn't surf on hot oil as you slid upside down through the lights on the top end.

 

Thats a better answer.

Thanks