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The 2007 GASCAR Points Series was one of the most competitive ever, with Jimmy Simmons winning the points championship just 49 points ahead of Scott Harper. Scott was just one point ahead of third place finisher, Tim Smith. Just 50 points seperated the first three positions. Thats pretty amazing over a grueling, 6 race schedule. The 2008 Season looks to be just as competitive, if not better. Interest is running high for the upcoming season, with several drivers swapping teams. South Carolina's Roger Douglass, Brian Ragsdale, and Casey Ragsdale all swithed to Team KSG. Let's see what "Team Blue" has in store for the rest of us in the upcoming season. Team Coyote made giant strides in the 2007 season, winning the first five places in the GASCAR Points Championship Series. The season finale, GASCAR 500, proved to be an indication of things to come as Team Coyote's Scott Harper, swithed the lead with "Team KSG's" Roger Douglass, for the better part of 400 laps. The lead only seemed to change during pit stops. Finally, Roger pulled away as Scott's tires gave up and slowed him down. The entire 500 lap race was close, and proved once again, that long races, with green flag pit stops, is the best format for 1/10 nitro oval racing. The rules will remain virtually the same for the 2008 season, but 2009 brings major changes to GASCAR. Since the OS12CV is no longer in production, GASCAR members voted on running the OS15CV engine next year. The OS1CV5 and OS12CV, both use the same case, clutch, muffler and carburetor......with the only difference being the bore. Even the con rod and crank are identical. The OS15CV produces .67 HP, so more power is available, but its the most economical conversion we can make. OS states that the OS15CV will be available for some time, so availability should not be a problem. The OS15 comes only with a pull start, so the pull start will have to be removed, the pin on the crank cut off, and a stock (OS12CV) back plate attached. Members also voted to keep the OS12CVs as long as we have parts for them and can rebuild them. It will be interesting to see the differences the HP makes on our short tracks. Both Bandit Racing and KSG are working on a new aluminum 2-shoe clutch setup for the 12 engines. All updates will be posted on this website, so stay tuned for new developments on the clutches. Until both have their new clutches ready for retail distribution, current GASCAR clutch rules apply. Also, look at the rules on the new Associated fuel tank that is legal for 2008. Its the only fuel tank legal for GASCAR in 2008. Total capacity is 72cc, but everyone will be running the same tank, so it shouldnt make any difference in competition, except a little less capacity for shorter runs. Thanks for all your support during the 2007 season, and I am looking forward to 2008 and then on to 2009. Without you, GASCAR would not be where it is today. We are still a racers' organization, so keep your input and ideas coming. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Sincerely, Tim Smith, President GASCAR  After four races into the GASCAR season, we need to step back and take a look at what we are doing. The GASCAR Nitro Oval Points Series is fun, competitive, and is about as equal as it can be, from car to car. But herein lies a problem, and we need to take some steps to correct them. Our qualifers are 50 laps in length, and our mains are anywhere from 150 - 250 laps, depending on the program. But our cars are getting much faster, and our lap times are dropping, so the time it takes to run 250 laps is less than it was just a year ago. The attrition rate in our mains is horrible, as sometimes half the cars are taken out in the first crash. This leaves only 4-5 cars running at the finish. I don't know exactly what to offer at this point, but I do have some ideas on the subject. Lets take one at a time. I think us racers are approaching the main in the same manner as we do our 50 lap qualifiers............ the main is at least 250 laps...... not a 50 lap sprint. The idea of making longer mains, was to keep the cars spread out, leaving the drivers time to maneuver and pick his best spots to pass... leaving more cars running at the end. But I think the cars are going much faster now, and when you get behind in a 250 lap race, its hard to catch up. So, maybe we as drivers are pushing a little too hard, and causing more crashes. The answer may be in running longer mains, giving drivers more time to pace themselves, and set themselves up for the finish. And, maybe we should award bonus points for finishing a main, if you finish at least 50% of the total laps. This might make it more important to finish a race, than try to push hard to run up front. The second idea, is to break the "A" main into two, 5 car races. The car with the best overall time wins, and second overall time places second, and so on down. This would spread out the field, and make for fewer wrecks. Points would be awarded for the finish, depending on the overall time. If more than 10 cars are entered, then a "B" main is run starting with the 11th overall qualifier. The "A" main would consist of the best 10 qualifiers. The "B" main would be a 150 Lap race, with the "A" main remaining at 250 Laps. Turn marshalling has become a problem, not so much with the .12 drivers, but with other classes running. We had problems with the .09 racers turn marshalling our .12 main in Easley last weekend. And,electric racers are not very comfortable with marshalling nitro cars. The 1/4 scale racers are not excited about marshalling our races, either. The correct procedure for races, is first you race, then you turn marshall, then you are allowed to go work on your car. In a GASCAR sanctioned race, if you dont corner marshall, or have a substitute, at the correct time, maybe the racer who failed to do his part in marshalling should be docked 5 laps off his main. These are all just ideas of mine, and I am certainly up to suggestions. And, since the cost of gasoline and travel has skyrocketed, maybe we should look at a better way to race and keep the travel cost down. I am not sure of the SugarBowls futrue, which would be a track in the middle of most of our racers, but maybe we should have a northern division and southern division of GASCAR, run two concurrent series, and then meet at the end of the year for the GASCAR 500 and duke it out for the overall championship. The locations of the 500 would of course change each year. LIke I said, these are just ideas in my head, and I do need your ideas and input. Not making changes here, just throwing out ideas to make GASCAR racing better. Let me hear from you. Sincerely, Tim | CURRENT 2008 GASCAR POINTS TOTALS | Editorials & Comments | | Return Home | GASCAR News | Racing Schedule | GASCAR Rules | Great Links | FAQ Page | Contact Us | Download Page | |
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