The latest edition of the Turn 2 Blog is presented by the American Crate All-Star Series.
*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
Richard: The topic of what exactly constitutes a Sportsman Late Model, or perhaps more specifically a Sportsman Late Model driver, has become somewhat of a hot button issue recently here in the east Tennessee area. Last week, 411 Motor Speedway owner Mitch McCarter posted on Facebook that drivers could only compete in one Late Model class per event at his track and that the Sportsman class is open to any driver with a Sportsman legal car.
For some tracks, this might not represent much of a change but at others it would.
The initial idea behind the creation of the Sportsman class was to give drivers who wanted to race a Late Model but might not be able to afford racing in a Limited or Crate Late Model a more cost effective alternative. Regulations on engines, shocks, and other aspects of the car were meant to keep costs under control. But as we know, the terms racing and cost control don’t always mesh. There are always a few who will spend whatever it takes to win, no matter what the class and the payout.
Besides the regulations on those factors that cause costs to rise, some tracks also added the caveat that drivers participating in the Sportsman division had to be those with less experience or who had not won races in the other Late Model classes. Some tracks did not follow this mandate.
So the question is, what should be the purpose of this class? Is it for inexperienced drivers or just for particular cars?
Jed Emert is one of the top Sportsman drivers in east Tennessee
Michael: The Sportsman class has been around in many variations over the years. Under the current circumstances, the Sportsman class should be for inexperienced drivers or drivers running an older chassis. Most younger drivers aren’t interested in starting out in Mini Stock or Street Stock, so give them a place to learn in a Late Model-type car.
What has happened today is the Limited Late Model class has gotten out of hand regarding the engine rules. The rules are very liberal for a “limited” class. Drivers that don’t have deep pockets that still want to race are using the Sportsman class as their way to still compete. In some cases, there are drivers that feel like they can’t compete with the top limited drivers, so they “drop down” in class in a search for easier wins.
Obviously, tracks don’t want to make certain drivers run in their Limited Late Model class for fear of losing drivers to other tracks or dropping out of the sport all together. So nothing really changes.
Richard: My view has always been that the Sportsman division is more about the car than the driver. If a class is limited to only inexperienced racers or if tracks tell drivers they can’t compete because of too many wins the class will eventually run out of competitors.
My bigger concern is that tracks might start making rule changes that will eventually create what amounts to a slightly different version of the Limited Late Model class only with smaller purses. If rules are opened up to allow more expensive shocks and springs or more expensive engines it will defeat the original purpose of the class.
It seems as if many racers want to drive some version of a Late Model. The key is giving them a place to do so at as an affordable price as possible.
Do you see the potential for the Sportsman division growing beyond its original intent?
Michael: No, I do not. Seems like whenever the Sportsman class makes a comeback it’s because the promoter can’t afford to run Limited Late Models. Limited Late Models were all but gone 12-13 years ago because promoters ditched the class in favor of Sportsman. As Sportsman drivers starting spending more money, the Limited class came back. The Sportsman class will always be a fall back for promoters to run a cheaper Late Model class.
Richard: To completely change the subject, over the past couple of weeks we have witnessed the return of Scott Bloomquist to the race track following an extended absence resulting from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident back in March.
To say the least, the results have been less than spectacular. The Hall of Fame driver failed to make the feature for the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora after getting caught up in a heat race incident that very nearly involved the entire field. Team Zero then entered the three Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races held this past weekend. Bloomquist was late getting to the starting grid at Fayetteville Motor Speedway on Thursday night then had to take a provisional starting position at Cherokee Speedway on Friday. Finally, he had to start from mid pack at Smoky Mountain Speedway on Saturday. All of these features ended for Bloomquist with finishes deep in the field.
Add to that the fact that the No. 0 machine was light at the scales at both Eldora and Cherokee.
While it’s not really for us to say whether or not Bloomquist came back too early following his injuries, it is apparent from the paragraph above that there were numerous issues regarding preparation and execution.
How much of this is related to the fact that Bloomquist himself is limited in the direct roll he can play in the preparation phase and on race day?
Scott Bloomquist has experienced his share of struggles since returning from a long absence
Michael: Some of it is due to his current limitations, physically. Some of it is due to lack of crew help. Since he wasn’t racing for so long, he had to let some people go. My guess is that’s a big part of it.
I don’t know if he plans to race every week or not. But knowing he is racing, that may help attract some additional help. I don’t know how much help can be brought on until additional income starts coming into the operation.
Richard: This is one of if not the biggest challenge he has faced in his racing career. But he has proven throughout that Hall of Fame career that he should never be counted out. I think we will be seeing Scott Bloomquist back in victory lane at some point after he gets back to racing in a regular rhythm.
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