Naming Races...

[Doug Carter]

Soapbox Editorial:

Has anyone else noticed that most, if not all one-off races (usually the "big" race for any given track) is now dubiously titled "Nationals?" What exactly does this mean anymore? Isn't there a better way to name your local track's big race?

When there was one or two sanctioning bodies for DO, there was ONE National race per year in any given organization (ROAR, NORCCA), and it was the BIG one for everyone in the nation. Now, every race from California to Maine seems to have the word "Nationals" in the title. Are the winners of these races considered National Champions? Off-hand, I can only think of two or three current races that could be considered the one big race for those dirt oval classes, and the rest seem to be trying to capitalize with the title of their race.

Maybe I'm all alone on an island on this one, but there certainly seems to be a need for track owners to be a little bit more creative in naming their big local races. What do you think?

[antilley]

This should be an interesting thread .....

I know what I consider as 'big races' .... and in no particular order I consider Coopers , July Monee race, and the Winter race in Arizona as the 3 big events on my calander. (WOOT.... able to mark Monee off the list after this weekend. With any of those 3 races you could call them the dirtoval mudslinging national and I would still hold them on my list as 'must do's'

That doesn't mean they have the same weight with other folks --- but, it is what it is.

[pumpkinfish]

I also think this applies to more than dirt oval. It seems whenever I pick up the latest rc rag, they have the results to some "Nationals" event. I would like to see a clear heirarchy like Regionals then one National race once a year. There is only one Indy 500 and only one Super Bowl, why doesn't rc do this? I think it has to do with them making a name for tehmselves.


I'd really like to see a true rc national/world champion crowned after a series of events that include touring cars, 2wd buggy, 1/8 buggy, oval pan car and dirt oval. Now that would be a fun series!

[smitty]

Speaking of Nationals, Doug are you comming this year?

[Doug Carter]

I'll be there... no car to drive yet, but I'll be there with camera in hand. :D

[smitty]

Should I shave or just clean my car?

[Doug Carter]

Peach fuzz doesn't really show up in photos, so I'd say if you have to choose between the two, the car should be clean first.

:p

[apurplez28]

Chad with a clean car.. it might not run right. I mean the whole weight ballast would be thrown off. Like chad told me before, if he cleans his cars he sees what needs fixing and he doesnt have time to work on his own stuff.


chris

[Bulldog_Wally14]

Interesting that the biggest DO race is called "Championships".

Although I did not coin the title "Summernationals" for the WDRA's biggest race of the year, I think it is evolving into a race that is worthy of the name. Off the top of my head, I think 4 states were represented this year. I feel that we are in the top 5 DO events in the whole country.

That reminds me...I have some information that should solidify the WDRA Summernationals as a "major" DO race...I just can't say yet....

[g_rod22x]

my fav...is "classic"
thats been used a few times.
...non of those other races can sniff the talent level found at the WDRA event and the open wheel race.
period.
i like it also.....when a state champs race is called a national race.

[johnnywhopper]

Interesting that the biggest DO race is called "Championships".

i know what ya mean. the biggest carpet (on-road) race of the year is also called "Championships", and there does seem to be a whole lot more "nationals" races popping up lately too.

[Mason]

Johnny, are you talking about the Snowbird Nationals International Championship?

Let us not forget our bretheren over at NHRA... http://www.nhra.com/apcm/templates/general.asp?articleid=3305&zoneid=60 where almost "every" event is a national.

[johnnywhopper]

nope, hence Snowbird "Nationals".

talking about the US Indoor Champs in Cleveland on Thanksgiving. Biggest carpet on-road race in the world as far as prestige and entries. I know the 'birds has more entries, but that's with oval too.

[kipp]

how about names like "challenge" or "showdown" as long as its a good race who cares what ya call it. if i ever have a race i think i will call it the kipps hobbies national showdown summer scorcher challenge race. 100.00 entry fee, winner takes all. all fist fights te be held behind the wood shed!!!

[rythemchaos04]

Lmao............. I Got Money ON The Wood Shed Fights!!!

[races65]

Hey Kipp-
You could call it the

Kipps Hobbies "Wood Shed 100" National Showdown Summer Scorcher Challenge Race

[boatanchor48]

how about just the "Wood Shed 100; brought to you by Kipps Hobbies" and make it sound like a nascar race

[johnnywhopper]

I could be up for a trip to NC. How could anyone miss the wood shed 100? lol.

[Mongo]

Rumor has it the Dash for Cash could be changed to the Pemperpile 250.

[apurplez28]

I would go to the wood shed 100 but it doesnt say if its a national event. I was always under the impression that if it was a national event the trophies were bigger!:p


chris

[ImGoinRCn]

Wouldn't the woodshed 100 be for those unruly children under 13?

Would the trophies are drilled out so they don't catch so much air?:eek:

[boatanchor48]

and all the writing on the trophies would be backwords so that they read correctly on the skin and leave a cool mark

[johnnywhopper]

Rumor has it the Dash for Cash could be changed to the Pemperpile 250.


lol.

[ImGoinRCn]

and all the writing on the trophies would be backwords so that they read correctly on the skin and leave a cool mark

That was wrong...LOL:p

[rythemchaos04]

001 DEHS DOOW
SEIBBOH SPPIK YB DEROCNOPS

i LIKE THE TATTOO effect

how about the timber 250

[Night Flight]

I think someone should start the Infinity Outlaw Race. Open to anyone in the milkyway or anyother galactic racer that thinks he can compete. We must make some rules though. Any ideas are welcome. What ever you do make the rules fair so we can get as many galatic racers as possible. Then we need a track that can support all the parking of those Battle Star Ships. And then I woke up and found out I was at my local R/C track.lol

[Night Flight]

Sorry Doug just sounded like things were getting pretty far out there. The original question was a simple one but I don't really think that there is a simple answer. At least not one that will make everybody happy. The naming of the races is the domain of the promoter of said race. It is easier to use a buzz word that is already known in racing circles rather than think of a new one and make it a buzz word. Case in point World series. Every baseball league uses World series for the final tounament from Little League to Women's soft ball. If you really want to get technical Nationals is a drag racing buzz word that for some reason unknown to me has found it's way to R/C racing go figure.

[-==MMackey27==-]

Sorry Doug just sounded like things were getting pretty far out there. The original question was a simple one but I don't really think that there is a simple answer. At least not one that will make everybody happy. The naming of the races is the domain of the promoter of said race. It is easier to use a buzz word that is already known in racing circles rather than think of a new one and make it a buzz word. Case in point World series. Every baseball league uses World series for the final tounament from Little League to Women's soft ball. If you really want to get technical Nationals is a drag racing buzz word that for some reason unknown to me has found it's way to R/C racing go figure.

Actually the "Nationals" naming convention isn't strictly just drag racing, many events predate the overused "Nationals" in drag racing by quite a # of years. Some cases in point:

The Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville, IA.

The Knoxville Lucas Oil Nationals at Knoxville, IA (former called the Knoxville Stacker 2 XTreme Nationals in 2004). This event is actually the restarting of a traditional event that existed in the 1970's at the famed Marion Co. Fairgrounds facility.

The Firemen Nationals at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI.

The Belleville Midget Nationals at the Belleville Highbanks, Belleville, KS.

For Asphalt... Slinger, WI even has their own "Nationals" event held every year.

I do agree though, if every event is throwing "Nationals" after their event prefix, it's going to get old quick. Try Classic (i.e. Copper World Classic, Prairie Dirt Classic, Hoosier Dirt Classic) or Shootout (Dixie Shootout, Knoxville Shootout) or Showdown instead at the very least. I think most of this owes itself to Knoxville's "Nationals" more than anything because the most popular dirt oval car in RC nationally is probably the sprint car. With Knoxville's Nationals being the most prestigious and desirable event for winged sprints, it tends to be the one that everyone wants to associate themselves with. You'd think though as much as Eldora's King's Royal or Historical Big Ones are received, that they'd be another duo of events getting some replication in RC. Maybe because the King's Royal is sort of homage to "King" Kinser, and the Historical Big One is due to it paying $100k to the winner... maybe that has something to do with the "Nationals" of Knoxville getting more of the draw.

Many popular full scale events hinge their names to lap counts. So throwing 50, 99, 66, 100, etc. behind an event title works. In RC where lap counts aren't the norm, it just doesn't work quite as well. The Monee 5 Minute just sounds sort of... heh? Leaves you asking "Where's the beef?" Like it's missing something. The Monee 100 though sounds like a race name. Just like the Inaugural KLMS 99. The World 50. The La Salle 66. The World 100. The Jackson 100. The National Clay Track 200 (R.I.P.).

I prefer stuff like "The Rumble by the River" held at Pecatonica, IL a few years ago or something like "The Battle of the Borders" held a few years ago at Danville, IL and promoted by Bob Pierce and Bill Marietta. Freeport, IL has a pretzel for their H.S. mascot (no joke, LoL) and runs a race every year called "The Pretzel City Showdown" which kind of uses the tagline idea but is definitely one that is worth a chuckle everytime they run it. The same can be said for "The Possum Town Grand Prix" which is a real dirt oval event. The more creative names tend to sound less hokey, or at the very least are more creative or worth a laugh. You can add anything before any of the above tag/catch words and make it sound like a special event. It takes quite a bit of creativity to come up with something more catchy though.

If all else fails and you want to sound like the biggest of the big... forget the overrated "Nationals", go with something like what Carl Short penned: "The Dirt Track World Championship". You can't get much bigger than that unless you start bringing the solar system into it. I'm not sure we're ready for little green men with their 7000 mah zinc-plutonium dry cells and unobtanium-carbide DC motors whipping up on us yet though. ::chuckling::

[-==MMackey27==-]

Dunno about a Wood Shed 100 but I've heard of a Wood Tick 100. I think I'd rather have the shed myself. LoL

[Rob Cutman]

To my knowledge the first R/C Dirt Oval racing "Nationals" was the ROAR Dirt Oval Nationals held in Orlando FL in 1988. Both ROAR and NORRCA hosted "National" events through the mid 90's where the winners were considered "National Champions" for that year. This was obviously an offshoot of ROAR and NORRCA's systems for other types of racing ie: off-road, On-Road, 1/8 On-Road etc. ROAR held Regional Championships, that in some cases qualified the highest finishers to be eligible to enter the Nationals which were intended to be made up of the best qualified drivers from different parts of the Country. By this method a true "National Champion" could be crowned based on the format of beating the best drivers from different regions of the country. In the more popular types of racing such as off-road and On-road racing the highest finishers in the Nationals were then qualified for the IFMAR World Championships for that division.

I know a lot of you allready know this I am just trying to give some specific history to RC dirt oval for those who are newer to the sport. In my personal opinion the name Nationals should be reserved for races that attract competitors from around the country and are sanctioned by a National Organization as their own National Championship. That is the only way that any credibility can be given to the name or that the winner can claim any type of national championship. The closest thing we have to that right now in Dirt Oval racing is the Nitro Tour. For the most part a nationwide series that tracks points and encourages racers to travel to other National level events where points are earned to determine a National Champion. Obviously the US Open Wheel Championships is the largest dirt oval race in the country and is probably the one race that could justify the name nationals based on # of entries alone. However this race was first established in 1991 when Roar and Norrca both had National events that did not include Open Wheel Racing for Sprint cars and dirt modifieds. The idea was to showcase Open Wheel racing and to try to build it up to a higher standing within dirt oval which has obviously happened in the latter years. I beleive the first US Open Wheel Champs held at the Sugar Bowl had just over 100 entries.

Bottom line is the word nationals is probably overused but any promoter can call his race whatever he wants, and until there is an organization that has a true National Championship Race the racers will be determining the validity of the name or results of the particular race. A race that includes people from 4 different counties just doesnt cut it.

[Doug Carter]

In my personal opinion the name Nationals should be reserved for races that attract competitors from around the country and are sanctioned by a National Organization as their own National Championship. That is the only way that any credibility can be given to the name or that the winner can claim any type of national championship


Bingo.


:D

[David Butts]

001 DEHS DOOW
SEIBBOH SPPIK YB DEROCNOPS

i LIKE THE TATTOO effect

how about the timber 250


That took some thought, Worse yet I can read it.