To Crate or not to Crate - By: Phil Milosh

Posted Jody Shannon on November 13th, 2007 | Filed under Articles, Phil Milosh, The DRC

 

Let me start by saying everything you are about to read are my opinions and my opinions only.First off… Crate Late Models. Anybody else sick of hearing how great these heard of turtles races are? I’ve been to several crate late model races and I can honestly say I hope I never see another one. The whole thought of putting a slightly modified street motor into a DLM is wrong. Dirt Late Models are suppose to be loud, raw, and obnoxious. Crates are more like quite, cooked, and proper.

The other problem with crate LM’s is that one single mega company controls everything. Do we really want GM, and GM alone to control any faction of dirt late model racing? Do we want only certified (by GM of course) engine builders to be able to control who does and who doesn’t get their motors back in a timely fashion? Do we want to cost a majority of the racers being targeted more money in engine repairs? The answer is simple… HELL NO!

On another website I have been recently in a discussion about whether Crate cars should be allowed to run canister style shocks. Some of the series officials are dead against canister shocks and some believe they should be able to run them. I think that DLM’s are at the top of innovation in the dirt racing world, and should run parts that are representative of that. Simply saying “You can’t run them because they cost to much” is ludicrous. While these same series let competitors run $1,500 carburetor, ultra lightweight and ultra expensive driveline components. Also in these same series there is constant talk of “tricked out” crate motors. Where an engine builder will sort through parts just to build a motor that may make 10 extra horsepower for “preferred” customers and nothing is done about it. Then you hear horror stories of racers taking their motor to a certified engine builders and being disqualified the very next weekend because the engine guy didn’t use GM stamped parts. Now how mad would you be? That’s what I thought.

All in all I think when the people came up with the idea of making a spec motored LM class their heart was in the right place just not their brain. I truthfully believe that they would have had much better luck had they thought this out more before they went all out. Now with the rumors coming out of GM about the lack luster sales of these crate engines one has to wonder how much longer will GM offer these engines? What is going to happen to the racers who have spent their hard earned money when GM pulls the plug? I guess only time will tell.

That’s all for now,

Phil Milosh

The opinions stated in this article are strictly opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of www.thedrc.net. If you would like to write an article for The Dirt Racing Connection please contact us!