Today's Feature

Public Works Meeting.

The City Council Public Works Committee met Tuesday evening in a regular session. Public Works Director Chad Wampler reported to the committee that the date has been set for the 2006 citywide cleanup. According to Wampler the cleanup will be held April 29. The Carthage Recycling Drop-Off Center will participate again this year by accepting tires and white goods. Wampler told the committee that the Hazardous Waste collection grant has been submitted as well for the weekend.

City Administrator Tom Short reported to the committee that the City had applied for a grant from Region M for a leaf collection system for the City. The grant would provide for a dump truck attachment that would vacuum leaves off the street. If the grant is approved the committee will look at the details of a system for collection across the City.

This committee’s previous meeting was cancelled due to a lack of business. At this meeting Wampler presented the committee with the month end report for November. The report shows total construction costs for November at over $14 million.

Stench Report:
Wednesday,
12/21/05

No Stench Reported

This sparsely muscled portion of the fowl has been a point of contention ‘round many a dinner table throughout history no doubt. It is usually passed on to the least particular or most appreciative, the child with the oversized appetite or the family pet.

The problem with acceptin’ the task of disposing with the least appealing portion is that it becomes assumed that you relish the responsibility. ‘Fore long all the neighbors are bringin’ ya the leftovers.

‘Course, folks always seem ta think someone will appreciate what they themselves don’t want. I’m just glad I never tried pigs feet.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’ve been having a debate with my boyfriend about the possible defects in parts salvaged from cars that have been totaled. We were thinking of buying front-end parts (tie rods, idler arm) from an old, rear-ended Firebird. The car had rear-frame damage, and I thought it might be better to buy new parts since these could have been damaged from the accident, or might at least have endured a lot of stress. He says this could not be possible. Who’s right? - Joley

RAY: Well, it’s unlikely that a rear-end accident would damage front-end components, Joley. Those parts in the front are pretty tough.

TOM: Even if the car was hit from behind and got spun around so that the car pivoted around the front wheels, those front-end parts wouldn’t necessarily be damaged by that.

RAY: On the other hand, if the car was pushed from behind over a curb, or pushed up over the hood of a Good Humor truck, then stuff up front could have been bent. So, it’s important to check the specific parts.

TOM: In general, deciding which parts are OK to buy used is a complex calculation - factoring in the amount of money you’d save, how easy it is to access the used parts before you buy them, and the amount of labor involved in replacing them AGAIN if they fail. We’ve done the calculations on a number of parts, and have posted the Savings-Risk Matrix on our Web Site (www.cartalk.com).

RAY: On some cars the control arms and ball joints are expensive, one piece units. You can save a considerable amount of money if you can find a good used one. So, despite the fact that this idea came from your boyfriend, Joley, it’s actually not a terrible one.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Sprint-Car Wars

Q: Greg, you mentioned the new National Sprint Car League that will run against the World Of Outlaws next season. How are things going in this situation, and do you feel the National Sprint Car League will be the better of the two? — Roy, Pennsylvania

A: Roy, if the roster of drivers stays as it is now, especially with Steve Kinser running full time with the National Sprint Car League, I look for the new "league" to have the better attraction. However, with that said, I do feel it is not in the best interest of sprint-car racing to have two touring organizations battling each other in what can only be looked at as a "take over" bid by the National Sprint Car League.

This situation is similar to a breakaway NASCAR league forming and taking Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart with it. Bottom line is that the shows will be less exciting because the group is split. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but as far as Outlaw sprint-car racing is concerned, it’s a move backward for at least the immediate future.

And, like I’ve said before, it will be similar in nature to the Champ Car (CART) and IRL split that, to this day, is still not resolved. The result is a two-league format and a respective two-fold diluted roster of about 38-40 good Indy car teams.

Q: Greg, what would you do if you were the World Of Outlaws and the new National Sprint Car League threatened your livelihood? — Ester, Minnesota

A: Well, Ester, first I’d face the fact that the big, expensive 410 cubic-inch engines that are being run by these Outlaw teams could ruin the show in a big way. Since both of these touring sprint-car organizations will be coming in to town with fewer cars than before, it will force the "field fillers," made up of local teams in the respective regions, to fill the starting grid of usually 24 cars.

The first organization that takes a big chance and announces a new 383 cubic-inch engine limit, or perhaps even a 355 limit, will probably do better in the long run, but suffer big in the initial growing years. (At present, most tracks in the U.S. run 355 cubic-inch sprint cars.) However, to me, a real Outlaw sprint car is a 410-incher, not a 355 or even my proposed 383. Will fans pay to see a 383 Outlaw? Or better yet, will they pay to see a field made up of 12 410-inchers and 12 355-inchers? I’m not so sure. And to top this off, I’m also not so sure they’d pay a substantial increase in ticket price to see 24 355-inch Outlaws, either.

Thus, there are lots of concerns as to the quality of the Outlaw show coming your way in 2006. I’m glad I’m not a race promoter, as in the end, it will be the fans who have the final say as to what they perceive as Outlaw sprint-car racing. They’ll either buy a ticket or not.