Crazy TJ Idea: Michigan State Sprint Car Championship

[tjslideways]

A few years ago we talked about doing this, but it never came to fruition.  I was talking to Alan Holland about the points deal he is helping with in Pennsylvania and thought we should try something like that in Michigan.  We have such a wide range of sprint car racing (winged, non-winged, pavement, dirt, 360, 410, etc) that we should see who does the best during the year.  Here is the concept.

Every sprint car race in Michigan counts for points.  If 18 to 20 cars show up (I haven't set the number yet) 10 points for a win, 9 for second, 1 for 10th.  If fewer than 18-20 cars show up 5 points for a win, 1 for fifth.  

Tally up all the points at the end of the year, and we have our champion.  I think it could be surprising who wins with the number or races.  Here is the composite schedule of all of the Michigan sprint car races to date.  

29-Apr   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
30-Apr   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
30-Apr   Crystal Motor Speedway   Crystal   SOD
7-May   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
13-May   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
14-May   I-96 Speedway   Lake Odessa   SOD
21-May   I-96 Speedway   Lake Odessa   WoO
27-May   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
28-May   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
29-May   Crystal Motor Speedway   Crystal   MTS
4-Jun   Berlin Raceway   Marne   Must-See Racing
4-Jun   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
10-Jun   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
11-Jun   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
11-Jun   M40 Speedway   Jones   AVSS
11-Jun   Merritt Speedway   Merritt   MTS
17-Jun   Cherry Raceway   Fife Lake   SOD
18-Jun   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
18-Jun   I-96 Speedway   Lake Odessa   SOD
24-Jun   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
25-Jun   Auto City Speedway   Clio   Must-See Racing
25-Jun   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
1-Jul   Dixie Motor Speedway   Birch Run   AVSS
2-Jul   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
2-Jul   Flat Rock Speedway   Flat Rock   Buckeye 305's
2-Jul   Owosso Speedway   Ovid   AVSS
3-Jul   Cherry Raceway   Fife Lake   MTS
8-Jul   Mt. Pleasant Speedway   Mt. Pleasant   SOD
8-Jul   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
9-Jul   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
9-Jul   Owendale Speedway   Owendale   SOD
16-Jul   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   MTS
16-Jul   Crystal Motor Speedway   Crystal   SOD
16-Jul   Kalamazoo Speedway   Kalamazoo   Must-See Racing
22-Jul   Ionia Fairgrounds   Ionia   SOD
22-Jul   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
23-Jul   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
29-Jul   Winston Motor Speedway   Rothbury   SOD
30-Jul   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
5-Aug   Dixie Motor Speedway   Birch Run   AVSS
5-Aug   Merritt Speedway   Merritt   MTS
6-Aug   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
6-Aug   Merritt Speedway   Merritt   MTS
12-Aug   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
13-Aug   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
13-Aug   I-96 Speedway   Lake Odessa   SOD
13-Aug   Owosso Speedway   Ovid   AVSS
19-Aug   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
20-Aug   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   ASCoC
26-Aug   Tri-City Speedway   Auburn   SOD
27-Aug   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
27-Aug   Owendale Speedway   Owendale   SOD
2-Sep   Dixie Motor Speedway   Birch Run   AVSS
2-Sep   Winston Motor Speedway   Rothbury   SOD
3-Sep   Crystal Motor Speedway   Crystal   SOD
3-Sep   Berlin Raceway   Marne   AVSS
3-Sep   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
4-Sep   Cherry Raceway   Fife Lake   MTS
4-Sep   Spartan Speedway   Mason   nw410
9-Sep   Hartford Motor Speedway   Hartford   SOD
10-Sep   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410
10-Sep   Owendale Speedway   Owendale   MTS
17-Sep   Crystal Motor Speedway   Crystal   MTS
21-Sep   Hartford Motor Speedway   Hartford   WoO
24-Sep   I-96 Speedway   Lake Odessa   SOD
25-Sep   Butler Motor Speedway   Quincy   w410



Thoughts?

[Stevensville Mike]

I think it would be great.  Balancing the points across the various tracks and series might be a little tough, but hey - whoever said racing was fair?

I can see the guys who run Butler weekly racking them up.  Spartan is going to run sprints again, but Butler runs them probably twice as much - if not more.

Other than Butler and Spartan, no one is running them weekly, are they?  The rest would be left to the touring series gangs.

Great concept, though.  What would you think would be a good prize for winning?  $1,000?  More?

On a sidebar, thanks for that schedule you put in your post.  A nice, "quick reference".

[tjslideways]

Just added another date to that schedule Mike.

[Stevensville Mike]

Just added another date to that schedule Mike.

I saw that - WoO at Hartford on 9/21.  Good for Hartford Motor Speedway.  I am sure they will pack them in that night.

How about the Renegade Sprints?  Did we overlook them?  Also, have you got any word on a HOSS schedule yet?  I wonder if they are still going to be around now that the Xtreme Sprints are taking off.

Back to the topic at hand - Still a great idea, TJ.  It'll be fun, and interesting, to see how it plays out in 2011.  It might even create more interest in some events that might otherwise go under the radar screen.

[tjslideways]

I believe all of the Renegade shows are now sod sanctioned, but I'll double check for that at some point this week. 

The holiday weekend shows with MTS at Cherry are interesting as well.   I'm curious to see how this plays out.

[fish]

Sounds like a great idea to me.

[14fan]

Sounds like a great idea.

Maybe you could get some kind of trophy for the winner.