BIG BEAR CITY, California -- The latest trip to Orange Show Speedway was a pleasant one for the Conklin Brothers Racing team.
"Conklin said the class began to lose its identity three seasons ago when cars with 3-link rear ends were allowed to race. "
Jim Conklin said he and brother Cliff and their team members had a good time, they like what promoters Mark and Bonnie Brinksma are doing to try to keep racing alive at the historic quarter-mile oval, and they had decent results in their Sept. 10 races – a third for Jim in the Late Model main and a fifth for Cliff in the Super Stock feature.
Jim was particularly satisfied with his third-place showing because “I’m old, I’m driving an old car and I got third because I drove harder” than many of his rivals in a class he said no longer fits the Late Model framework.
The class was conceived as a production-based alternative to the Super Late Models, but this season Conklin’s MyIrishPride.com/Alpine Slide Chevrolet Monte Carlo is the only car in the class at Orange Show Speedway using leaf springs and stock front end geometry, and one of the few with a 108-inch wheelbase.
Conklin said the class began to lose its identity three seasons ago when cars with 3-link rear ends were allowed to race. He said the easily-adjustable 3-link is built solely for racing and isn’t found on any production car. The 3-link was followed by a reduction in the wheelbase, to 105 inches, and other changes that have moved the class closer to the Super Late Models and made it a must to have a new or completely-updated car every season. That, in turn, split the fields into the haves and the have-nots, and most of the have-nots have parked their cars.
“My car works better than it ever has, but it still won’t compete for the win,” said Conklin, a two-time class champion. “It will never be as good as the new cars with the 3-link rear ends and the shorter wheelbases and the new (front end) geometry. That’s Super Late Model stuff, and to me that’s ruined the class.
“They gave us a one percent break on the weight (distribution), but I think the officials need to do more to help the older cars. There are a lot of those cars out there just sitting because the drivers know they can’t be competitive.
“I don’t know what the answer is. They’re running what are basically Super Late Models in the Late Model class so they’re killing both classes (in terms of entries). Do you put the two together and have one big class and have a big weight difference for the older cars? I think they need to clearly define the differences in the two classes and I think they need a class for the leaf spring cars, like Pro Stock Late Model used to be.”
There are statistics that support Conklin’s premise. There were 40 drivers who took part in at least one race in 2009, when the average was 14.1 starters per race for 12 events, and 378 in 2010, when the class averaged 14.2 starters for 14 main events. For this year’s eight races there have been 19 drivers total and an average of 9.4 starters.
The economy has played some role in the decline. So, probably, did the uncertainty surrounding Orange Show Speedway until California Event Management became the promoter in February. But the fact that many of the cars missing were among the best in the class until three years ago gives Conklin more credence. That’s why he feels so strongly about doing whatever can be done to bring them back.
“I’m stubborn. I’ll keep racing it even though I don’t have a shot at winning, so I’m not asking for anything for me,” he said. “I’m asking for some help for all the other guys so they’ll come back and race with us.”
The next races for the team at Orange Show Speedway are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 1, when both Jim and Cliff will be in action.
Conklin Racing is sponsored by MyIrishPride.com, Alpine Slide, Timberline Spas, Conklin Hot Rods, Azteca Grill and Restaurant, Conklin Paints, Domino’s Pizza, VoMar Starfire, Mark Dolan Realty Executives and SND Construction.
