Bob/Ray...
I agree,back in the day watching the people you mentioned start in the back & work their way to the front was as good as it gets from a fans perspective.
Friday nights, sprints...Buddy Taylor, Larry Demaree, Dan Appel,Roy Hicks assuming their weekly position@the back of the field & charging to the front...that was awesome.
Here's the dilemma...tho,
Fans perspective=invokes great racing.
Racers perspective (at least in X mod), you go to the back..chances of survival in making it to the front are miniscule.
It's like walking blindfolded thru a mine field...ask Skimmer, his GRT got destroyed Saturday night.Start trailering people for driving out of control & maybe it becomes feasible...you're not taking your life in your hands then.
Hat's off to Bonesteel for doing it last year...it aged him & he doesn't do it anymore.
I have no idea how they do the feature line up @Sandia.
I think it's a combination of voodoo, incantation's, blind fold & dart board.
I do know this...
if you put the fast guys at the back every week, then the heat races become a non factor.
As it stands, you have to hustle it to the front in your heat, in order to stay out of the kill zone in the back in the feature.
People would start sand bagging.
I don't have a solution to the problem.Wish I did.
But...tell you what, the racing this season has been damn good every Saturday night.
The tracks been crazy fast, some outstanding racing.
IMO, best this city has had in years.
...standing @the pay window Saturday night behind all the Southern 305 guys that came to race & listening to them rant & rave about the track reinforces my point.
Lastly...
Appreciate all that the Ingrams do to promote local racing...you guys are great & we're lucky too have you.

Rant over, carry on.