"We pay retail price for a tire, and the only people who are making any money on it are the tracks themselves," he said. "They claim they put it in their point fund, but that hasn't gone up either."
Therefore, Dietrich is hoping to clear the air with a meeting at his Aspers business, Racers' Used Car Parts Warehouse, on Monday, Nov. 2. At that time, Dietrich is hoping the attending race drivers, car owners, track owners and tire manufacturers can reach consensus on what tires to use in 2010.
On paper, it might make sense for all teams to use one brand of tire at every track, but that is hardly the case. Dietrich, a two-time super sprint track champion at Lincoln Speedway, remembers when certain tire companies signed deals with certain race teams.
He said that changed about 20 years ago when speedways signed their own deals to require racers to use a specific brand of tire in a move which he says benefits the tracks much more than the racers themselves.
So far in the region, Port Royal and Selinsgrove speedways have signed deals with Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic for the 2010 season.
The situation is complicated further by the recent contracts between the World of Outlaws and Goodyear. A separate deal was signed between Goodyear and Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, which hosts the Outlaws tour several times, including the Knoxville Nationals. That means the Nationals' entrants must use a Goodyear right rear tire on their
In addition to those brands, American Racer, whose tires adorn the United Racing Company sprints, are an option, according to Dietrich.
On the other hand, officials at Williams Grove and Lincoln speedways have yet to sign tire contracts for 2010.
With that in mind, Dietrich is hoping the meeting will bring uniformity to an issue which may dictate which teams, both 358 and super sprint, race where in 2010. Already, Dietrich said, some teams were unable to finish the 2009 season because of the tire bills, so he figures the problem has reached a breaking point.
"The longer this stretch carries on, the more effect it's going to have on these guys," Dietrich said of race teams. "It's not going to turn around overnight."
The meeting will tell him whether others share his concern.
"I don't know how they'll respond," he said. "But I'll say that, as the days go along, I'm becoming more hopeful."
Wise move: For the car owners for Thomasville driver Greg Hodnett, a decision in August will pay off at season's end.
Jim and Sandy Kline decided to field a second car while Hodnett was racing the primary car at the Knoxville Nationals. The Klines put Lincoln's 358 sprint track champion, Dale Hammaker, in that car to race at Williams Grove Speedway.
Hammaker drove to 16th place that night, but that produced enough points to give the Klines the car owners' championship at the Mechanicsburg-area oval by 40 points over Gary and Patty Beam, car owners of track champion Todd Shaffer's No. 88.
The Klines will join three-time track champion Shaffer and 358 sprint champion Cory Haas in receiving their awards at the track's season dinner.
Busy weekend: Last weekend's rainouts will force some super sprint teams into a hectic schedule this week.
Lincoln rescheduled its season-ending program to Friday night so it would not conflict with Hagerstown Speedway's own season-ending show, the Octobertfest 350, scheduled Saturday and Sunday at the Maryland oval.
The 22nd annual event is scheduled to attract more than 150 race teams in four divisions. Following more than 25 expected qualifying races on Saturday, the super late models, small-block modifieds and big-block modifieds will race 100-lap features each on Sunday. The super sprints will race 50 laps in their feature.
One super sprint driver, former New Oxford resident Stevie Smith, won the Keystone Cup race at Hagerstown to secure an automatic starting spot in the Octoberfest feature. However, he stated after his victory in Lincoln's Kenny Weld Memorial that that race was the Zemco Motorsports team's final feature of the season.
Other drivers with guaranteed spots in the Octoberfest program are Josh Richards in super late models, Richie Pratt in big-block modifieds and Matt Sheppard in small-block modifieds.
Notes: Lincoln Speedway will conduct its annual race car flea market from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, on the speedway grounds. The track will hold its awards dinner one week later at the Holiday Inn in York. ...
On Nov. 14, Trail-Way Speedway will hold its season-ending awards dinner at the new Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services hall near Brushtown. ...
Path Valley Speedway Park's owners are denying an item published on the Internet that the Spring Run oval is for sale. ...
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and occasional super sprint competitor Kasey Kahne will sign autographs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22, during the Motorsports 2010 Show on Jan. 22-24 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
Font Resize
