THANK YOU BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY

I want to thank everyone for their quick response to the #55 car last night. Thank you Scott, Officials and everyone else that responded so quickly and made sure Matthew was okay. I also want to thank Bubba Bilt Chassis for building such a safe car. Thanks again everyone!

What happened to the car last night? i could't really tell

I looks like the bearings in the right front wheel gave out as he was turning causing the front bumper to dig and he flipped. The car only has some sheetmetal damage, no wheel bearings, and a bent spindle.

Hope that car is good to go, points leader and all. Matt is doing a fantastic job of man handeling the #55 Beast week in and week out. Persistence pays off boy!!! Hang in there.

Oh it will be got both of my cars battling for the championship and want to keep them there. Good job Matt Lewis #55 and Fast Lane #26 Bubba Bilt Chassis drivers. (for alot less then $5600.00 turn key)

DUNCAN #19, I wouldn't be so fast to brag about building a cheap car. You see what that does for your kids! PUT HIM ON HIS LID! For your information $5600 will buy you a PROFESIONALLY built racecar with every upgrade available. A HIGH quality car can be built by someone that REALLY KNOWS what they are doing for less. The trouble is EVERYBODY seems to think they are racecar builders. I have been building highend racecars for many years and trust me there are very few people building racecars on the west coast that I would trust to build one for me. You need to take notice of the #75 car that has been the dominant car this season. That car has nothing fancy to it but is up front every week without breaking and that car was built for considerably less than $5600. If it weren't for him being DQed for missing the scales (while his dad was helping one of his competitors with their broken homebuilt car) he would be way out in front of the points and I bet he takes it anyway. The LAST thing I want to see is one of these kids getting hurt because they are put in a homegrown car that is poorly constructed. If you can build a better car, BUILD IT! I have seen all of the cars that race at this track and to be perfectly honest with you some of them scare me. If I were to put MY child in a racecar it would be the best available reguardless of cost. That's why you will NOT find a better built car than the ones I build. There is only ONE priority in building racecars, KEEP THE DRIVERS SAFE!!! I have built and repaired hundreds of racecars in my life and NOBODY has EVER been hurt in any of my cars and some of them have been involved in crashes in excess of 170 MPH. Good luck to ALL of the kids driving these cars!!!!
Building the best cars available!
Deuces Wild Custom Fabrication
Steve Pounds

Steve,
I agree that you build a very nice and safe car it was never my intention to offend,or disrespect you, and yes some of the cars are not the safest ive seen. I to have been around race cars all my life. My grandfather Roy Earnshaw and Uncle Bob Earnshaw raced or were invovled in racing for years and taught me alot. My cars are safety minded first. I was just saying you can build one cheaper if you have the ability, knowledge, or help from other experienced racers. Matt Lewis was not injured because when I built his car I built it with his safety in mind as well as my son #26. I am a racer as well so I know, understand, and appreciate your concerns with the safety of our kids. I also agree Brandon has a great car, but the kid is also an awsome driver!

Roy Duncan #19 SS
Bubba Built Chassis

Roy,
I'm glad you have a background in racing, that makes me feel a little better. I have known your Uncle Bob for many years and he knows my work well. The point I'm trying to make is if the parents want to put their kids in one of these cars they had better have the ability to do it right or pay the price of having it built by someone that is an expert or they run a VERY real risk of hurting these kids. Trying to build something like this for a child should NEVER be an experiment in their ability or knowledge and trying to do-it-yourself in order to save a dollar should not even be considered. It all comes down to "You Get What You Pay For". If you can't afford to do it right then you shouldn't do it at all. I have been building racecars for more than 35 years, quite a few of those cars cost well in excess of $100,000 dollars. I don't believe anyone would pay that kind of money for me to build them a car if I didn't know EXACTLY what I was doing. Scott S. asked me to get involved with building these cars because he was concerned about the quality of cars that were coming from other sources and is looking at expanding this class. That is what I'm here for. I have stated elsewhere on this site that, yes you can build one considerably cheaper if you build it yourself and to have one professionally built, the price varies depending on what you want. I am NOT going to try and mislead any one on the true cost and I don't believe anyone else should either. In addition I think it should be brought up that another VERY important aspect of this class is the maintenance that must be performed on these cars on a weekly basis. I honestly believe that if proper maintenance had been performed Matt's car would have never had a wheel bearing issue. This is another example of trying to do it as cheaply as possible because the wheels that most of these cars are running on the front are not meant for racing and if they are going to be used you have to keep a VERY close eye on them. I agree with you that Brandon is a hell of a driver and if he sticks with it he can go a long ways in racing.
Good Luck and Good Racing,
Steve Pounds
Deuces Wild Custom Fabrication

Steve,
I have never heard anythhing but good things about your ability to build high end race cars. I would like to clear something up about the maintenance on Matt's car. His Dad spends several hrs a week doing nut and bolt checks, lubing heims, inspecting bearings, the chain and everyother component on the car. I believe it was a bearing failure, but the failure came after contact was made during the first start in turn one. Yes you are correct in saying that maintenance has to happen Robert (Matt's Dad) and I treat our kids cars as if they were a cup car. I'm not interested in getting in to a heated debate over this issue on the forum, but if you want to come and talk to me during the races and check out our setup we could do that and maybe share some ideas. I'm think you will find that our cars are pretty darn safe. I dont think Scott S. would have given me a compliment on Matt's car after the wreck if it wasn't safe. Again no disrespect to you or your cars, but there are other people who can build these just as safe if they are all looking at safety first! JMO.

Roy Duncan #19 SS
Bubba Built Chassis

I would also like to Thank Bakersfield Speedway, Hall Ambulance and everyone who worried about Matt when this happened. That includes our fellow competitors and parents who asked after Matt. Thanks for all your concern. The safety of everything done on our car shows from Matt only having soreness where the seat belts and arm restraints worked. I love the kids racing and saw it the first time when Kevin Harvick was here and thought it was wonderful family entertainment. We went out to the races just to see the kids race before Matt even said he wanted to do this. THANKS again for giving families an opportunity to do something they love together!

In response to our family putting Matt in an unsafe car. I find it sad that you would walk the pits and see a kid in an unsafe car and not bring it to an officials attention. You are missing a great opportunity to sell your products. Instead of accusing someone elses product of being inferior you should be marketing yours. You took an innocent Mothers thank you and positive comment and changed it into a who has the better car and accusation of us putting our loved one in jeopardy. These are kids NOT PROFESSIONALS!It is everyones job to look out for their best interest as they are our future. As for the maintenance on our car you have no idea what is done to it from the time it leaves the track to the next race. We have a safe car as shown by Matt not being injured. As a parent and now grandparent I would NEVER jeopardize any childs safety. Just because we chose to utilize our years of racing knowledge instead of spending our money with you does not make our car unsafe. You may want to reread what happened to the car as something broke during the crash and that is what made it flip.

Hello Julie,
I'm glad to see that you are concerned enough about this subject to speak your mind. You have to understand that this situation came up because of a remark that was made by Roy Duncan about the price of my cars. As far as me not bringing "unsafe cars" to the attention of the officials, that is not intirely the case. The track is well aware of the quality of these cars. The fact of the matter is, Scott S. was actively looking for a local builder that could provide cars of better quality for about the same cost. I have done that! I, however, can't build them for free! As far as talking to the parents about the cars, that I also have tried to do but it is a situation where they take the attitude that I am only trying to get in their wallet and that they know better. I will say that one of the biggest safety issues in my opinion are the cars with opening doors and flip top roll cages. These cars are inherintly dangerous and that is why I refuse to build them. People build them because they're cute but I would never put my child in one or anybody else's child. I don't know if you are aware of it, but I have had my cars on display at the race track several times showing every aspect of them and tried to educate anybody that is willing to talk about the subject whether they buy my cars or not. Have you ever tried to tell someone that has just spent something between 3 and 5 thousand dollars on something for their child that they should have taken a different aproach? They have a VERY hard time with that and get angry, cuss, tell you how they know what they are doing, etc. As far as me saying that Matt's car is unsafe, I never said that. What I said is that I have seen the cars that are racing at this track and some of them scare me. Roy also stated that he has seen the same thing. Like I stated earlier, there is only ONE priority in building racecars, "SAFETY"!! Everything else is secondary. Unfortunately, we can't force other people to see things our way. As far as what caused the car to flip, there are only a couple of reasons that would happen, 1. Poor maintenance, 2. Inferior product, or as you stated 3. Damage. If the contact was severe enough to cause that kind of damage the car should have been pulled off the track at that time and not allowed to continue. Any way you look at it, someone dropped the ball in looking out for the kid's safety. That's my professional opinion and if that offends you I am truely sorry. You're right about it being EVERYBODY'S responsibility to look out for the safety of these kids. That is the only reason I got involved. If you would rather go with your own racing experience to build your cars, GREAT! Trust me, I am not in this for money! I never have been. Whether you want to believe it or not, I make very little money on these cars for the time, effort and expence that it takes to build them. I am here to try and help and to provide a service to the peolpe who are willing to accept it. However, it has been my experience that there are very few people that are willing to admit that someone might have a better idea or information on the subject that could be of help to them. Everyone seems to know everything they think they should know on the subject. One thing that I learned a very long time ago is that if you truely want to be the best at what you do you have to be open minded enough to listen to the peolpe that have participated at a higher level than you, a higher level of experience, a higher level of training and a higher level of competition and emulate what they do and you would be amazed at how much you can learn. I have made my living in the racing industry for a very long time and have a lot to offer if this place if people can get past the fact that they can learn from someone else if they admit that they don't know it all. I am VERY happy that no kids have been hurt in these cars so far, but I can't help but think that luck has played a large part in that. Some of these cars were built by people who have no business trying to build racecars, but you try telling them that and see what happens. Racing is a VERY serious business and we all have to be aware of the fact that these kids are learning from us and if we fail to teach them that they CAN'T comprimise on safety then we are flirting with dissaster. I sincerely hope that this explains where I am coming from. I am not interested in turning this into something that it is not and I would have stayed out of it if Roy would not have made the remark he made, it was uncalled for. If you or anyone else are truely interested in what someone with my background has to offer I am more than happy to be of assistance, just send me a private message and I will be in touch, otherwise, good luck to everybody.
Thanks for listening.
Steve Pounds
Deuces Wild Custom Fabrication

I think it's arrogant that u take a mother's simple thank you and make an arrogant statement about how perfect your cars are and put other builders down for theirs. Duncan simply stated that Matt's car was safely built and taken care of for less than what you charge. And it's wonderful that your cars are perfectly safe as every car should be. It's just sad that you have to put other people down for building awesome cars that are just as good. I would like to say Good Job Matt! And awesome job Bubba Bilt Chassis for a car that keeps those little guy's safe.

Hello Love My Racers,
You obviously don't understand where I am coming from! It is in NO way arrogant to be concerned about the safety of these kids! You're response is a perfect example of the attitude that I have run into with the parents that believe they know everything about racecars and don't need any advise from anybody. As far as my cars go, they are the BEST available, not bragging, just stating a fact. On the other hand, I don't really worry about whether my cars sell because they are only available if someone wants one, I don't rely on selling these cars. As far as what Roy said, there was obsolutely NO reason to ever bring me or my cars into this whole thing and it was totally out of line. However, since he did, I will defend myself and my product. He also made the statement that he treats his cars like cup cars, that is obviously not the case, if it were this whole sinario would have never happened. I am in no way perfect, but I know what I am talking about when it comes to racecars. I have been in this business a VERY long time and have seen things that are totally unbelievable and my goal is not to PISS people off but to try and teach these kids better ways of doing things so that they DON'T GET HURT! The arrogant ones in this whole thing are the ones that think they know more than they do and are more than willing to risk not only their child's safety but other's as well. You need to "WISE UP" and learn to listen to someone that can help you instead of taking offense to constructive criticism. Have A Nice Day.

I am not a parent who thinks I know everything I just said that Roy has built a completely safe car or else Matt would have been seriously injured. And I totally agree with your goal to try and make things better and safer and I am all ears for you to tell me how Roy can make my son's car safer. Becuase I'm sure that you have probably checked it out and can tell us how it is unsafe. Roy nor I have never stated we know everything, all he said was he built safe cars and I'm sure he would appreciate any insight you could give him on how to make them safer. I am very proud of our 26 and our 55 cars and the way they are built and taken care of and i am so glad that none of your cars has ever been in a situation like that. And i hope they never do. Thanks for your concern

It seems there are alot of people out there with great amounts of race car knowledge - Let's turn this in to a positive for the kids.

Maybe some of the MINI DWARF builders/Car owners can put on a FREE CAR MAINTENANCE - CAR SAFETY SEMINAR on an OFF Saturday. This would be beneficial for those car owners/parents that do accept the fact that they could learn something new - They could actually learn some NEW things about these MINI DWARF cars that would make this an overall safer division for the parents and the kids.

While the parents are learning how to keep the car safe - the kids could be learning DRIVING TECHNIQUES from adult drivers. They could teach the kids about entering/exiting the corners, using the brake and gas pedals to steer the car, what tight and loose mean. how to pass slower cars, what to do when someone is trying to pass you, etc...

It could be a "REQUIRED" class for Rookie Drivers/Rookie Owners so there is atleast a BASE KNOWLEDGE of what is need with these cars to keep them SAFE FOR THE KIDS.

Ric Garofalo
Mini #25

[b]Ric,
I think that is a very good idea and hopefully something like that can happen.

Ric, that sounds like a good idea!

I'm not trying to get in the middle but that class happens every Saturday that you guys race! That is for the most part what we mean when we talk about "supporting" your division, its not always done with money, the advise or "constructive criticism" is acually priceless in all of our divisions. Yes they are kids and they are having fun but they are drivers in racecars and Im thankful that the driver walks away with only being sore. Everyone have a great day and help each other not only biuld good race cars but great racecar drivers!!!

Thanks,
Ivan

Just drop the age of the mini stock class to 8 years old and turn them loose!!!

Ric wrote:

It seems there are alot of people out there with great amounts of race car knowledge - Let's turn this in to a positive for the kids.

Maybe some of the MINI DWARF builders/Car owners can put on a FREE CAR MAINTENANCE - CAR SAFETY SEMINAR on an OFF Saturday. This would be beneficial for those car owners/parents that do accept the fact that they could learn something new - They could actually learn some NEW things about these MINI DWARF cars that would make this an overall safer division for the parents and the kids.

While the parents are learning how to keep the car safe - the kids could be learning DRIVING TECHNIQUES from adult drivers. They could teach the kids about entering/exiting the corners, using the brake and gas pedals to steer the car, what tight and loose mean. how to pass slower cars, what to do when someone is trying to pass you, etc...

It could be a "REQUIRED" class for Rookie Drivers/Rookie Owners so there is atleast a BASE KNOWLEDGE of what is need with these cars to keep them SAFE FOR THE KIDS.

Ric Garofalo
Mini #25

Ric,
I think you are on the right track but I think if there is to be any real improvement in these cars Scott S. is going to have to get involved and be willing to mandate certain rule changes and empliment strict inforcement of those rules. If people are serious about making these cars as safe as possible it is going to require more than a seminar, it is going to require some fundimental changes in the rules that govern the cars construction. Unfortunately, that will result in the owners having to invest time, money and effort. The owners in this class need to decide if that is indeed what they want to happen and make it known to Scott so that everyone involved can get together and discuss the options. If that is what happens, I would be more than happy to get involved and make some recommendations.

great idea dojo
look at ethan dotson
tony lamas
brandon philips
those kids could wheel a ministock just as good as anybody in that class. look how great brock crawfford has dun

These people are concerned about the dwarf cars, wait till they move up to the mini's, whew!!! 14, 15 year old babies out there runnin almost 60MPH. With alot of cars that are questionable?? But hey, what a kick in the ass!! Would'nt have it any other way, ball's of fun!! And I will tell them, at tech, they are most concerned about SAFETY. Good stuff.