INDIANAPOLIS – During the early 1990s, things seemed to be rolling along sweetly in the USAC midget ranks. The tour had Copenhagen/Skoal as a series sponsor and the fan base had expanded dramatically thanks to nationwide coverage courtesy of ESPN.
As valuable as this type of exposure is, many soon learned it never comes free of charge. When television is involved in nearly any event, a tug of war for control is sure to follow. There are elements of short-track, open-wheel racing that are simply antithetical to live commercial television. You don’t use a road grader to smooth out a diamond in the middle of a baseball game or delay the action to repair a fence.
Nor do you spend time untangling equipment in football or basketball. As annoying as some of the quirks of short-track racing can be to an outsider, even the grouchiest television producer could grudgingly acknowledge that stoppages in action are often beyond anyone’s control.
However, when it came to the USAC National Midget Series, one facet of event presentation went under the microscope.
More importantly, it was an element that seemed amendable to change. Time is money everywhere, but in television it drives everything. It all seemed simple enough. One little rule change had the potential to save precious minutes of airtime and because of this, and other factors, it seemed like a worthy endeavor.
When and where critical conversations occurred is not clear, but the message widely delivered in the July 29, 1992, issue of National Speed Sport News and the Aug. 3, 1992, edition of USAC News was not well received. “Midget Starters Mandatory in 1993” screamed the headline, and over the course of the remainder of the season, and well beyond that, USAC brass worked to justify the rule.
“Increased technology in the sport of midget racing makes this move a common-sense next step to improve the breed,” said USAC midget supervisor Gary Sokola in the USAC newsletter. “It’ll eliminate delays and allow us to present a more efficient program of events. We also anticipate this upgrading to create new venues for this extremely exciting form of motorsports.”
USAC’s highly respected Roger McCluskey threw his weight behind the idea noting, “It’s time we provide a more streamlined program for numerous reasons.”
To begin the process of selling this idea to the rank-and- file member, USAC called on Indianapolis Speedrome standout Michael Lang for support. Lang reported he installed a starter in 1991 and added, “It’s nice not to have to rely on anyone to push start your car.”
In subsequent issues of USAC’s in-house publication and other communications, progress on this new initiative was reported, including the manufacturers involved and the number of units produced.
“It’s gratifying to see the support of the manufacturers and our participant members for this vital new step forward for our midget racing series,” said USAC competition director John Capels. “We anticipate continued growth for midget racing nationwide and take pride in being able to offer our race organizers this new concept in 1993.”
Yet, it was clear that participants were balking and race organizers had concerns. As the popular Copper World Classic at Phoenix Int’l Raceway was slated for February 1993, PIR President Buddy Jobe acknowledged the hubbub around this new rule.
“We know the self-starting rule has been controversial,” he said, “We have spent considerable time talking with drivers, car owners and mechanics. We are confident the self-starting rule will have some very positive effects on the series involved, and that’s why we have embraced and endorsed USAC’s mandate.”
During the mid-1990s there was no single midget team more in the public eye than the famed “9” cars fielded by owner Steve Lewis and builder/mechanic Bob East.
“The big problem was that USAC said if there were no starters, there was no television,” East recalled.
To say this was a huge threat is a vast understatement. Nonetheless, the pushback was nearly instantaneous. East feels one of the reasons why this became a sticking point among midget participants is that for some unknown reason the starter rule did not pertain to sprint cars as well.
Ron Green, who has a distinguished career in motorsports, was a member of the USAC News Bureau during this tumultuous period. He saw the issue as one of basic dollars and cents.
“It was about cost,” Green said. “If something didn’t make their car go faster, they didn’t want to pay for it. Heck, they had that same attitude about safety features for years also.”
The question of who was right or wrong suddenly didn’t matter. For televised events, the fields were relatively strong, but when USAC strayed from the home base the car count often plummeted. In a worst-case scenario some shows were staged with as few as 14 cars. USAC officials continued to try and make it work.
At the end of the 1993 season, an attempt was made to credit starters with improving the competition. USAC’s director of communication Dick Jordan was always the club’s greatest booster, so he can be excused for a bit of hyperbole when he wrote, “The debut of mandatory starters and clutches had a profound impact on the series in several areas and the competition was astounding. Seven different drivers scored their first wins of the season in the final seven races.”
Needless to say, other than impacting participation it was hard to fathom how an onboard starter was responsible for parity among winners.
It was a battle USAC would not win. Adding to the discomfort, it appeared many fans were nostalgic about the use of push trucks and were as vocal in their distaste for the self-starter rule.
Then, in a Sept. 26, 1996, meeting, the starter mandate was abandoned. Was this the right choice? Many certainly thought so. One dissenter was Bob East.
“I believe I installed about 20 or 25 of those units in midgets,” he said. “We almost had it and they (USAC) gave in.”
Asked directly if he would have stuck with the rule East said, “Yes. Can you imagine USAC races with no push trucks in all three divisions?”
This story appeared in the March 29, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
