GS Nationals Dying

What needs to be done to save it,And why am i saying this instead of the elusive Richard:spank: I Love it, but the numbers are going down economy or not. IMO One event would help

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

I think the October dates really suck. We used to always look forward all winter to the GS Nats in May as the beginning of the "car season". I've gone to the GS Nats 23 years in a row and always brought a Buick but not the past two years because unless you have an enclosed trailer, you have cold weather issues to contend with if you are coming from up north.

 

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I feel like the person who runs the show HAS to be a car person. If not what do you have ........Bennett.

 

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Personally, I like the October dates. :TU: October in KY is a good time of the year.

 

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Numbers this year were up compared to last... I would rather have it cold than hot so I prefer October too.

 

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AGREED much more enjoyable in October.

 

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I feel the people who put on the event have made quite a few people upset over the years. Many of these folks won't be coming back.

What would it take to get people to bring their cars out to the events?
Not only has the GSCA event had low attendance so has the BPG event.

Me personally, I still attend to see the friends I have made over the years.

So my question is: Why do you not attend either National event GSCA or BPG ? Be honest maybe something can be fixed.

I quit the GSCA due to the politics especially when the GSCA says they don't do the Nationals, Bennett does.
Excluding non members has turned away attendance.

I have been attending the BPG show and have made an effort to bring a car.

Dave

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

Honestly the wife could care less now that she has done it and been there. I still try to make it every year. I missed this year and 98-2000. This year because my Suncoupe did not get finished and I decided like the last few to come without a car. My truck had other ideas about 80 miles from home so I turned around and limped it home.
I understand the cost of making the trip is way too high for some. Some have kids that cannot come because of the dates. The NATS should be in the summer for that but never were.
Life changes and I have watched several get out of the car hobby because of the price of the cars. parts and services. Not long ago a nice restored Stage 1 could be had 20-30k and we all know what happened there. Now I am stuck defending the expendature of 50K for the Suncoupe resto when the value is probably somewhere south of that
Still next year the Suncoupe is 40 and it will be complete so I'll load it up and drag it to Ky (if I have something to drag it with) in my enclosed trailer. When I get there I will probably camp out with it so I don't wake up with no car:shock: BG has always been a great getaway for me and I hope it still is in the future.

 

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Keep em coming. I appreciate the honesty. Maybe the directors of the events will take this as constructive criticism and improve the event.

 

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I agree a few cool days ealier in the week beat flooding in May. And Friday was Beautiful weather.

DL

 

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With me is either May or Oct we can have snow. Two weeks ago we had snow, right now it is snowing here, with a forcast of 7-12 inches, in Laramie valley more in the surounding hills. I do not take my wagon out in the snow, period. My wagon isn't a trailer queen and never will be. I build them to drive.
Another problem with either time of year. I have school age kids and a wife that works for the school food service. My wife cannot take more than 3-4 days off from her job because lack of coverage. It is atleast 2 days drive there. So 4 days gone just traveling. People talk about getting the younger people involved in the old car sport. Some younger people have school age kids too. The BPG nationals are at the perfect time.
On thing that we Buick people need to remember that the GSCA along with Kenne-Bell where the first and the only game in town for a while. With Jim Bell jumping ship on Buicks is the GSCA looking to do it too.

Tim

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

How about they couldn't even get the timing tower to work properly. They either wouldn't give a run time,give the wrong run time,wrong mph,or only one side of the track timing would work. I even like how they F up the final round of qualifying for GSR. They where running a .500 pro tree class,even announced it over the pa system, but gave them a .500 standard tree. Their explanation: there's nothing we can do about it. These kind of things just don't happen at an event when the people running it actually care about it. With little things like these simply falling through the cracks year after year attendance is bound to suffer. Years of greed and wrong personal running it is finally catching up. It's sad to say but I do believe the flame is running out on this once GREAT event.

One more thing that chapped my ass this year. Why was it that right after that horrible wreak it took 3mins for the ambulance,which was sitting on the return road at the end of the track, to drive up to the scene? I would think it should have been there as soon as it happened? Who dropped the ball on that one?

 

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I have four GS Nationals under my belt, two in the spring and two in the fall. I prefer the fall as well. The weather is goregous with the leaves turning, and it rains at least one day spring or fall anyway so id rather be cool. I dont have all the baggage of who screwed who and all the politics from over the years because I wasnt around. Ive attended Mopar events in Ohio, no Buick events, but like the Bowling Green location much better. As far as it dieing, we really need more young folks. I commented while down there that a vast majority of the crowd was over 45. Thats cool, but what happens in another 10 years as peolpe go away and no one replaces them. Nothing can stay the same, it has to evolve or die. That doesnt mean we have to forget the past or the traditions and fun we had, but we have to make new traditions and memories. I will continue to come to Bowling Green to see great cars, racing, and most of all, the friends I've made........ and so will this guy, he loves Buicks and he and his friends are the future of our hobby.

 

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Never went and probably never will.

It's in October and school starts in September so no high school or college kid can go unless it's very local.

It's not a cheap trek in a car with a 455/th400 considering gas prices at the moment.

Very few people nowadays have the money to play with an old car. Far fewer have the ability to trailer it hundreds or thousands of miles to an event.

People who have the wrong car are generally not recieved well at events that have a specific car in their name. If people get avoided for having a Skylark than what happens to those who have an Electra?

Personally I'll keep it local and swing through the free events full of local car people who have a variety of cars. I enjoy looking at the mopars and orphan cars at shows. If I want to spend the afternoon looking at just Buicks I'll put a chair next to my car and look at it all day for free.

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

I have been going to BG for 15 years and the fall dates are way better. For racers in the north its hard to get any track time in the early spring so your car is not usually ready to race in early May. Not to mention the chance of rain in May is double what it is in October. As far as the club goes I have had run ins with them including having to pay twice in 2001 cause they lost me registration packet. Attendance suffers because there are other events and some people have to choose witch to attend.

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

1. My car is in pieces.
2. My car is in Utah.

But if I could go... I probably wouldn't, because my car isn't a GS. I would be more likely to go to an event where my car would be appreciated for what it is, not marginalized for what it isn't.

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

Doesn't matter to me. Some have a pristine car and can't do their own oil change. Ahh Buffy "Toodles" Bla bla bla. A car worked on by the owner gets my attention. If you have a 70 GSX, send it out for a frame off, never work on it so what? You have money, Big deal. I'd rather look at a car and and talk to who worked on a Skylark themself. Fixed the frame, floor, got on their back old school and put the time in, welded, grinded, did the work etc.. The way it rolled out of the factory means nothing to me.
Ray

 

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Well as for younger people attending. I go and I just turned 17. I'm planning on bringing my 69 Buick Special Deluxe with a Turbo Chevy 250 next year. While it may be in October, I've gone the past 2 years and the nationals happen to be during my fall break. I just hope that it'll be during my fall break in college!

but depending on what the rules are and how much it costs, I really want to maybe enter my car in the show and I definitely want to run it down the strip.

I did notice that the nationals weren't as "vibrant" as there were in 2010. I remember I had a pretty good time hanging out with some Buick guys in the parking lot of the Hampton with my dad. We talked for like hours and it was pretty cool. We stayed at the same Hampton and there were like 3 GNs, a Century GS, and a couple 70s GSs. No guys hanging out in the parking lot this year :-(

 

Re: GS Nationals dieing

Anyone that has been attending this event for the last 15-20 years will tell you some horror storys about weather in May. Absolute flood outs, multiple days lost to rain, etc. The weather in October is simply better.
I don't see how weather is a factor coming from the north. Not like its snowing here........yet.