Introducing a new way of looking at sprint car points.

Hello and welcome to the new Central PA Racing Scene yeah I know it looks just like to old one) but it now has 1 major difference, and that's the web address. Starting from here on out Central PA Racing Scene actually has it's own actual web name. Instead of that horrible name boogermac.blogspot.whatever the hell it was, I have now created Centralparacingscene.com. Easier for everyone to keep track of and hopefully gives the site a little bit more legitimacy.

First things first I want to say Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my article last week An Interesting Conversation. Lots of great feedback from the fans, as well as from other drivers, car owners, and crew members on the thoughts of 1 driver after the opener at Lincoln Speedway. It was also one of the most read articles I have posted since starting this site back in 2009, and re-launching it in late 2013.

 I also hope you all enjoyed the trip back in time with some of the old pictures I posted Saturday. I spent two weeks going through old programs and scanning some great pictures from the old days, to post on here. I tried to keep the captions on each picture, as well as the names of who took the pictures so the photographers could be recognized for their hard work. I hope to post a few each week just to give an idea what we as fans might have forgotten all those years ago. I really hope you all enjoy them. Make sure you leave comments if you have any stories to share about drivers you see in them.

Now onto this weeks topic....

The Central PA Racing area has a shit ton of sprint car drivers, whether it's in the 410, 360, or 358 division. The 410's have the SPEEDWAY MOTORS/CHAMPION RACING OIL CENTRAL PA SPRINT CARS Presented by HOSEHEADS series, the 358's have the Central PA 358 Point Series presented by Capitol Renegade, and with Selinsgrove running 360's along with special shows, that gives us a lot of drivers to keep track of. I look at each point series every week (yeah I know I run 1 of them so I have to right?). The 410 division keeps points for every single race they run in our area, and pays big money to the drivers who run most if not all the races. The 358 series started out as a carbon copy of the 410 series but changed last season to a more "fair" system where the race teams that only race 1 time a weekend where not penalized for not racing 50 times a season. That got me thinking How fair is the 410 series? Yeah I know Greg Hodnett was the most dominate driver in Central PA last season, as he killed everyone in the 410 series points. But is that because he was that much better then everyone else, or was it because he just raced more races then everyone else? I tend to think it's because he ran more races. I wanted to know what kind of a season long points chase  we could have if we had the same rules as the 358 series. To make it more interesting I also didn't want to have a separate series for each division. That's to much to follow even for a fan like myself.

So I'm here to introduce the Central PA Racing Scene Sprint Car Standings.(Yeah I know just what we need another point series to keep track of.). Well don't worry my fellow race fans, this one is not only different, its also not real or official in any way. It's just something for me to keep track of and just see who is the best drivers at each race track, in all 3 divisions, and see how each of them stack up. Now I know the 410 drivers will have the advantage since they race 2 or 3 times every weekend, where the 358's and 360's don't. That where this will be different!!! I am going to follow the model I started last season with the 358 point series, and each driver will only get their best finish of the weekend. The points will be scored just like the 410 and 358 series. You can check out the point breakdown at www.centralparacing.com I will only be keeping points for our Central PA weekly race tracks, Williams Grove, Trail Way, Port Royal, Selinsgrove, Lincoln, and Susquehanna Speedway's. I wont be counting Speedweek races except for their normal weekly race. Helps keep every driver involved in this. 

To explain this a little more, if say Brian Montieth wins Friday night at Williams Grove, and finishes 5th at Lincoln, Brian will get 50 points. I sweetened the pot a little and gave the heat winners 5 points for each heat win, so a driver could score a maximum of 60 points every weekend, 65 on the weekends the race at Susky. I want to see guys at Port who only run at Port, or some of the guys at Lincoln get some recognition for how well they do all season. I added the 358's and 360's just to make it a little bit more fun, and a whole lot more challenging for myself.

After the first 3 races here is how the points look in the UNOFFICIAL Central PA Racing Scene Sprint Car Standings....

 1. Greg Hodnett - 85 Pts. (1 win)
2. Danny Dietrich - 67 Pts.
3. Brian Montieth - 66 Pts. (1 win)
4. Brent Marks - 50 Pts.
5. Gerard McIntyre - 44 Pts.
6. Kyle Moody - 35 Pts.
7. Robbie Kendall - 35 Pts.
8. Steve Buckwalter - 35 Pts.
9. Austin Hogue - 30 Pts.
10.Mark Smith - 25 Pts.
11.Alan Krimes - 23 Pts.
12.Cory Haas - 20 Pts.
13.Lance Dewease - 18 Pts.
14.Freddie Rahmer - 18 Pts.
15.Lucas Wolf - 17 Pts.
16.Jim Siegel - 16 Pts.
17.Cory Haas - 15 Pts.
18.Niki Young - 14 Pts.
19.Cole Duncan - 10 Pts.
20.Mike Bittinger - 5 Pts.
21.Chris Knopp - 5 Pts.
22.Bill Dietrich - 5 Pts.

I will be keeping track of each race weekend and hope to post updates every so often since this is not real, and I dont have to keep everyone updated as soon as the races are completed. This is all for fun, and just a way to spur conversation between different divisions and race fans. Lets just see at the end of 2015 who really was the best SPRINT CAR DRIVER in Central PA.

Let me know what you all think, good or bad. You can hit me up on twitter @BillMcIntyreIII or send me an email at boogermac420@inbox.com. You can also leave a message here in the comment section but leave your real name, dont hide because I sure don't. Stand behind how you feel. Thanks for reading and I will see you all next week at the races, if it doesn't snow.

Flash Back Saturday

Well folks I decided to take a trip up to my fathers attic this past weekend and stumbled upon his collection of old racing programs from the late 70's and early 80's. I have started to scan the pictures out of them and will be posting them on here from time to time. Here are just a few of the great pictures that I have found. Just remember they are old programs and not the best quality, but it will be fun to relive some of the old days with all of you. Hope you all enjoy the trip back in time as I have.

An Interesting Conversation.....

Well the first race of the season is officially in the books. Lincoln Speedway after falling to the elements the past 3 weeks finally where able to top mother nature and get the Ice Breaker 30 completed on March 15th. Lincoln battled almost a foot of snow which feel last week, and more then an inch of rain this week. While all of us fans have been clamoring to see our favorite hero's strap into those 900 horsepower beast for the first time in Central PA, one has to wonder after yesterday's race if it was worth it. The fans saw a lot of torn up equipment as it took over an hour to complete the first 13 laps of the scheduled 30 lap feature. As the race was winding down I received a text from a good friend of mine who asked if it was really worth all of these torn up race cars just so we the fans could see a race? After talking about that same thing with the group of friends I was sitting with in the stands, I decided to make this post on social media...

Hope all the race fans that just had to see a race today enjoyed what they saw. Lots if torn up equipment and $ wasted for no reason. We all could have waited 1 more week for better track conditions to race under. Now teams are going to scramble all season to have the money to race. Hope it was worth it. I know i damn sure didn't think it was.

My God the reaction from fans was down right hostile. First excuse fans claimed was all the wrecked equipment came from driver error and drivers being to aggressive. Now there is a lot of truth to that statement. Chase Dietz and Freddie Rhamer where involved in a lap 1 wreck that saw Dietz and Adam Wilt both exit the track for the day. Tim Gladfelter was a flip victim after getting together with Chris Knopp.

The track conditions played a big part in what we saw yesterday. The track was very wet, heavy and tacky the entire afternoon. Lance Deweese parked the Dietz 14 after his heat race because of the conditions. Jim Seigel decided to just tag the rear and run 2 laps before pulling into the pits because he did not want to tear anything up because of the track as well. Other drivers voiced their displeasure with the racing conditions on twitter after the race as well.

But you couldn't stop the fans from seeing it in an entirely different way. Here are just a few of the responses I received on twitter yesterday...

"Most of it was drivers being too aggressive just like they have been on every other opening day."
" it's to the point where it's expected."
" Well then don't go, you bitched about it all week on Facebook and Twitter and still went. #StayHomeNextTime"
" then stop complaining and don't go ever a game weird how all the what we consider class A drivers didn't have a problem"
" wait. You said "we" didn't need to race? Did you wreck your car too?"
In regards to Lance not racing because of track conditions... " lance needs to learn to stay in the groove in his heat race"
" I understand ur frustration Bill but if Lance didn't wanna race then why even show up? It was to be expected"
" Go back and watch the past few openers, they've all been like that. You act like this was a surprise to you"
" Here's a tip, skip the 2016 IceBreaker30 because you probably won't like it."
" he always but he's about tracks, it's always something...don't like it, stay home or go somewhere else"
"They all know that that is a risk they take on an Icebreaker. It sucks that a lot of equipment got tore up, but they could have stayed home and waited until conditions were more suitable."

Now I don't know about any of you but a few of them are good points, but some are just down right sad. As all of this was going down I had a winning 410 driver contact me with his thoughts on what people where saying on social media. As we where winding down our conversation I asked him if I could print this and use it on here he said he was cool with it. So take a few minutes and see what a 410 driver thought about the fans response to the demolition derby yesterday...

ME - Have you been seeing the reaction from the fans about today's race? They are actually arguing with me..
Driver - Imagine that. "Me" society, all about what I want" Screw the race teams, I want to see a race right now"

Me - It should be expected because it's what happens every year.
Driver - To me that supports your point. Happens every year yet nobody cares to change it. Nobody learns or cares from their mistakes, This is why by August there are 24 cars left.  People have to argue with you. To not argue would be a validation that they have a selfish view, aren't they "experts" on the sport? They think they are, and most importantly to not argue would be missing a chance to demonstrate how supremely "passionate" they are compared to everyone else. Can't risk loosing the all important superficial imaginary passion contest. It's just stupidity. Maybe next time Lincoln can agree to pay for all the damaged equipment and pass the bill along to the fans through ticket prices...wonder how "passionate" they would be then."
 "I think it comes down to that. People create these online persona's and it becomes a contest. God forbid someone else care more about sprint cars then "I" do. Can't have that. Screw the teams and everyone else....I need to fill my super fan niche. Great you are so passionate....buy a low buck team a tire, go to their race shop and lend a hand, hell start a point series and raise money to help. THAT'S PASSION!!!! Sitting at home arguing on social media isn't passion, it's lazy and convenient without having to actually do something."
"It's also public so you get attention. Helping Jay Galloway until midnight doesn't get attention....so in some warped way isn't  as "Passionate" a display of love for the sport. It's warped. Need less voices and more"action. Do you agree?"

Me - 100% brother. People arguing with me right now are the ones who do nothing for this sport but sit in the stand and post updates, yet hey think they do so much for this sport. I'm being told I should have just stayed home because all I did all week was bitch because I didn't think we should race.
Driver - "Exactly they post updates....woop de doo, join the club. Anybody with a cell phone can do that....which limits us to what....90% of society over the age of 12? Years ago Deb Rice on the WG message board got a little extra money, she split it up and gave it to Todd Zinn, Scott Geesey, and a 3rd team. That's passion!!! That's useful. That's something that helps the sport. You should have stayed home. What we saw today validated your point all week and they don't want to be reminded of it through first hand accounts. "

"You should have stayed home because You complained all week....what does your complaint have to do with that "Survival race" we watched? Hodnett's words....not mine. Guess he should have stayed home to....Whiner. How dare they...guess Seigel and Dewease just aren't as passionate. I'll have to look at their Face Book pages to verify. Just think about that....the audacity of these fans. the winner said he was trying to survive. Two drivers tweet they wouldn't run due to track conditions. Half the cars don't finish the race.....yet these people will not accept that maybe another week may have helped. Just think about that....It's absurd." "

"Again you going is not the point. You going doesn't suddenly make it a caution free race. That's simply an attempt to deflect and avoid the point you where trying to make. My response to the complaining is simple.....Deflection. I heard the track was great, 3 lanes.....Greg was only one that used them. This whole thing is ridiculous. Again....Just think about that....the audacity of these fans. the winner said he was trying to survive. Two drivers tweet they wouldn't run due to track conditions. Half the cars don't finish the race.....yet these people will not accept that maybe another week may have helped. Just think about that....It's absurd....That needs to be repeated lol."

Me - Nah I'm just a cry baby who loves to bitch about everything. Was told by quite a few fans to just stay home next year since I wont enjoy the race anyway.

Driver - "So it's better if you stayed home and complained? Still would have happened with the same results. Not about you....That's the problem when you argue with stupid people. They refuse to see the reality of what we watched, which was not good racing, and instead of admitting that and jeopardizing their #1 fan status they choose to deflect and focus on You. YOU being a lesser fan. While I do not always agree with what you have to say or how you say it, in this case YOU have absolutely nothing to do with what we watched today and should not be the center point of the discussion."

Me - But it's easier to do that.
DRIVER - That's whats important. Easy and convenient and risk free. "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups!!!"

With that we shared a few laughs and got off the phone to take care of our family's. I didn't share this with you to try and make me look good, because anyone that knows me knows that's impossible. I asked if I could share this so that maybe next time we have a heated discussion about the sport we all love, maybe we can leave the name calling on the sidelines, and actually focus on the issue at hand. Only thing that pisses me off worse is the idiots who bash Trail Way Speedway thinking it's going to offend me. Guess what it's not, but 1 thing to think about , and this might be another column for another day......Why they hell would you wish for any race track to close? Think about that for a few days.

With that I want to say Thank you to everyone who choose to take a few minutes out of your day and read this. I do this for fun, and it's just a way to expand on my twitter post a little bit more. 140 characters is hard to get a point across sometimes. Please feel free to leave your feeling on this subject in the comment section of this post, just don't be a chick and leave your real name. You can also hit me up on twitter @BillMcIntyreIII or even send me an email at boogermac420@inbox.com

Until next Saturday when we are all back at Lincoln Speedway, Hope you all have a great week.
C-YA