By Jonathon Masters

After visiting the concept of a drivers council in dirt racing last week, we learned that many drivers are in favor of a council or union to give voice to the decision process of things such as purse structure and new rules.

This week, we reached out to more drivers to get further perspective on a concept that has been gaining more steam as of late.

Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Indiana, expressed the need for cooperation while at the same time not causing grief to any promoter or sanctioning body.

“I don’t think we need to be out there making anyone’s life more difficult,” Casebolt said. “But it would be nice to have a say on some things. These tire rules and top-heavy purses are killing us. We went to some races this year and the only people that left happy were the people who finished first and the promoters. I’m not saying the winner shouldn’t take the lion’s share home, but we have to pad those purses through the field a little bit more.”

And while Casebolt sees the need for a collective voice, he knows the difficulty of getting a group of highly competitive drivers to speak as one.

“The biggest problem I see in a formal council is that no driver is going to agree on everything with another driver, but there are some things that we can all get together on,” Casebolt added.

In fact, the topic of top-heavy purse structures was the main source of contention with a majority of drivers we spoke to this week.

It was voiced again we when talked to 2017 standout driver Brandon Overton.

“When the races are top heavy and you know you aren’t going to make any money, it’s not fun for anyone,” Overton said. “It would be nice to have a say on that!”

Overton’s feelings on rules were a bit more distinct: “I think we should just focus on enforcing the rules we have. I can see people wanting to have a say as drivers, but in the end it’s the guys working hard on what they have within the confines of existing rules that are the ones winning races. People want to cause a big fuss over the aero on the cars and saying we need to do something to get the series and manufacturers come our way on these things, but in the end it will just end up with more rules that people will break. I’m just saying to enforce what we have, and I’ll be happy.”

Perhaps one of the most vocal drivers lately in regard to the direction of the sport is Hall of Fame racer Steve Francis. While Francis realizes the need for drivers to have a voice, he believes it should come from a single representative or at least a small collective.

“I think there needs to be a designated representative that has seen the sport from every angle and has been on all sides of the fence that can speak for the drivers,” Francis said. “I do not believe a council of 100 drivers with different opinions and agendas could do as much good as a single driver offering an educated voice. Take a guy like Dale McDowell who has seen life as a driver from the top, a driver from the bottom, and everywhere in between who can push the conversation where it needs to go.”

Unlike Overton, Francis thinks the existing rules set and any new rule decisions absolutely need a driver’s opinion.

“Every rules change put to paper is costing somebody money somewhere,” Francis added. “I want this sport to be around for a long time and want Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, Josh Richards, and Bobby Pierce to have the ability to have a 35-year career like I’ve had. If we don’t look at everything from the rules and cost associated, then the car counts are going to continue to go down because people just can’t afford it.

On the topic of purse structures Francis echoed the thoughts of other drivers.

“We have to make races a little more profitable for the entire field,” Francis said. “We started these Dolly Parton purses in the '90s, and every promoter felt like it was what we had to go with. I don’t know why we advertise how much a race is to win instead of advertising the purse size anyway.”

It’s a lesson that can be learned from one of the other dirt disciplines.

“Sprint car promoters usually promote total purse instead of how much is on top,” Francis added. “What sounds better in the media: $100,000 to win or a $250,000 purse? I don’t care if its $100K to win or $12K to win, advertise the total purse instead and it will make the event sound bigger. That would give promoters an incentive to pad the purse down the field.”

Beefing up the purse deeper in the field also has the added incentive of creating better racing.

“Why should a race pay the same from eighth to 24th? Every spot should pay more, or everyone running eighth on back should just pull off,” Francis said. “I think fans would much rather see 20 cars running for position than eight cars and 12 start-and-parks.”

- Jonathon Masters has a lifelong connection with dirt racing. His family has owned and operated MasterSbilt Race Cars manufacturing dirt late model chassis for 35 years. He attended college in North Carolina for motor sports management and has written for various industry publications. Jonathon was an account executive at The International Motorsports Industry Show, founder of the Heartland Auto Racing Show, and has been a racing industry professional for over a decade.

Weekly Columns by Jonathon Masters

Has The Time Come For A Driver’s Council? 
What Do Drivers Make? | What Should Drivers Make? 
Aggressive Driving Equals Big Wins 
What the World 100 Will Cost You 
Getting Beyond The Hype 
How Dirt Track Racing Gets Sponsorship Wrong, Part 1: Tracks & Series | Part 2: Drivers & Teams 
Drivers Weigh In About The Scales