MRC'S Kevin Ramsell shares his thoughts on big changes for the Midwest Tour
It’s More Than Just a Carburetor
By: Kevin Ramsell
With the recent announcement that the newly named CARS Midwest Tour is adapting to the ULRA (United Late Model Rules Alliance) Super Late Model rules package next year, it didn’t take long for social media to blow up with different thoughts and comments.
Basically, it is putting the Midwest Tour under the same rules package as many other Super Late Model series, namely the STARS National Tour.
The biggest change is that the Midwest Tour has been running under a 2bbl carburetor to a 4bbl carburetor package.
With this change, many on social media started making comments that this is going to hurt super late model racing in the Midwest, because a majority of tracks and series ran on a 2bbl carburetor, which made it easier for locals to compete with the Midwest Tour if it came to their area. Many are already saying this won’t be the case moving on, that the tour will be on its own island because cost will be a big factor.
In the announcement, Marty Melo, who owns the Midwest Tour and recently announced a new partnership with Kevin Harvick and Tim Huddleston, recently shared the reason for the change.
“One of our primary objectives with the unification of these series is to bring greater consistency to short-track racing across the country,” said Marty Melo. “For too long, competitors have faced different rules depending on where they race. Moving the Midwest Tour to the ULRA rules package is a significant step toward eliminating those barriers and creating a more unified approach to Super Late Model racing.
“The Midwest has a rich history of unique engine combinations that are an important part of the region’s competitive identity,” Melo continued. “We are committed to working with competitors to ensure these combinations continue to have a place in our series, while maintaining a fair and competitive racing environment.”
It is my understanding, going back to when Mike “Lumpy” Lemke was the tech director for the Midwest Tour until his passing in 2018, that it was a way to save costs for the racing teams.
Back then, he told me the story that when he, along with other tech directors, met with various engine builders, the engine builders told them how a motor using a 2bbl carburetor only had to be freshened once a year, and sometimes that is an “if” it was needed, while a 4bbl motor needed to have an engine refresh once during the season and another after the season. Because the 4bbl caused more wear and tear.
Now looking at social media today, many are also stating that same reason today and going to a 4bbl carburetor will be a costly deal. Which now leaves many wondering what to do next year.
The Midwest Tour announced that their payoff next year will be $10,000 to win and $2,000 to start, with marquee events getting a higher purse.
But will this solve the issue with unification for super late model rules? On paper, it would appear to be the best solution, but there are other factors that need to be thought out in order to make this work.
First, will the current majority of Midwest Tour competitors be on board with the change and continue to compete in the Tour in 2027?
Some would say this will be an easy call because with the announcement coming this early, it allows teams to get the sponsorship needed for the cost.
Who will be responsible for the purse? Will the series be responsible by bringing in high-dollar sponsors for the series or will the tracks hosting events?
The reason for this question is simple: who will take the risk of having the event? With the suggested purse, someone will have to pay the race teams in order to keep it going and growing. Some racetrack promoters may not want to take the risk and do something on their own.
The series will need to help the track/promoter, especially when it comes to advance promotion of the event. There should be mutual coordination in advertising, advance press releases, contacting local media, etc., that a big event is coming into town. There should not be the idea of “ we will bring in our show, you do all of the advance work, and we will show up.”
The series will need a solid core of drivers to commit to every event, especially when it comes to advance promotion. This was something that Tim Olson and Steve Einhaus did well when they created the Midwest Tour in 2007, and I feel it’s a major reason why the series is still around today.
“Our goal is to make it easier for teams to compete, easier for partners to participate, and ultimately strengthen Super Late Model racing nationwide,” Melo concluded. “This is another important step in building a unified and sustainable future for short track racing.”
The key thing with all of this is patience, as this may have some growing pains; along with that, we should not be quick to judge as this moves along.
Yes, car counts may not be what we expect or hope for, but look at the quality and not the quantity. Many of us have seen where 15–20 quality cars can put on a good show. Heck, Formula One only has 22 cars per event, and yet they still sell out. On the flip side, we have seen series push to get a higher count only to have a good portion pull off just after the green flag or go down a lap within the first 10 laps of a race. Beggars can’t be choosers in some cases.
Finally, yes, many of us have been around in the past to see things like this fail, and we can put out the evidence to make a solid case for our reason as to why or why not this will work. But if the ownership group can make the changes and keep the costs effective to what they pay out—i.e., no need for four sets of tires for a 100-lap race—let’s see how this plays out, take notes, and if that one Jenga piece causes the tower to tumble, we will build it again and make better choices on which tiles to move.
Patience and common sense will definitely be factors for this to work and succeed.