Sat nite

[thumper]

I know people have something to say so do it.Thats what this forum is all about.Communication is the key to success.Now its time to voice opinions.Anything can be fixed.

[HiTech]

I know people have something to say so do it.Thats what this forum is all about.Communication is the key to success.Now its time to voice opinions.Anything can be fixed.

did i miss something ..

[thumper]

Hard racing,hot tempers and politics.

[HiTech]

Hard racing,hot tempers and politics.

in other words not a happy night ..

[BJ34]

you could say that

[Michael & Mitzi]

I would like to put a promoters perspective on this topic. With a great crowd sat nite I picked a tech item that should have been easy to pass so we could get to the fans for interaction. The ballast painted white and numbered for the super streets and thunder class and the white painted driveshaft for the true stockclass. I was very surprised at the lack of compliance with this rule in the ss class although the thunders went through without a hitch. Then came the true stocks and again shock at the non compliance. These rules are in place not only for the other competitors on the track but for the fans, white ballast and driveshafts can be seen on the track and flying towards the crowd when painted white. As mitzi and I cruise down this learning curve we also learn from other tracks operators. We,until now, have tried to call races with the person causing the caution to be placed at the rear of the field and the victim being restarted where they were in the field. We are right on for one and explitives for the other. So now we have addoped the all envolved stance for the remainder of the year. Other rules addopted have been restarts after caution with lapped cars to the rear and ending the race with a green white checker. Ther has now been circulating a rumor that we picked this tech item to DQ a bunch of cars because we are broke and could not make payout,a malisous lie at best as the payout was made to the compliant cars and the lower teir does not save much cash.We reopened corpus christi speedway with our eyes wide open and looking at this year to show consistancy. We have not cancelled any event and have paid in cash all drivers at the end of the nite while keeping our eye on next year not this one. We had no idea that the non compliance was so widespread, but rules are rules and something as simple as this should have been addressed with the initial build. We will continue to strive for cc speedway to be a place where drivers can come to for a fair race and enjoyable evening for the fans.

[ps 72]

THE DRIVESHAFT AND THE WEIGHTS BEING PAINTED WHITE IS A SAFTY ITEM FOR EVERBODY, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A PRE RACE INSPECTION FOR NEW CARS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ON THE TRACK, THAT SHOULD OF BEEN CHECKED MY THE TECH MAN AT THAT TIME. IF YOU GOING TO BE THIS HARD ON A RULE THEN THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE ON THE TRACK FROM THE START..JMO

[Flyin34]

I agree with PS72, these are not rules that will give somebody a competitive edge, they are safety rules. Every week cars are to go through a "Safety Tech". If they weren't deemed safe because the drive shaft or ballast weren't painted, then the safety tech man should have addressed that issue before the car was allowed on the track. 2 cents worth.

[Michael & Mitzi]

If we took the time to flea comb every car before every race we would never get to the race. These Items have been talked to death for the 1st half of the season therefore plenty of time to comply. At what point does it become the responsability of the driver and crew?

[Flyin34]

Then why have a safety tech every single week? The driver's should be responsible enough to have their cars in safety compliance, so why waste the time. Right?

 

How many weeks has there been Safety Tech. Under weight, illegal motor, illegal suspension, whatever............you took cars that passed safety tech week in and week out, with no mention of a "Safety Violation" and then disqualified them for a safety violation. Obviously this is a serious infraction, because it resulted in cars being disqualified. So I wouldn't call it nit picking. It is pretty easy to look to see if a drive shaft or lead weights are painted.

 

Hey, you do it whatever way you want to. It's your track. Just an opinion.

[thumper]

Thank you Michael for explaining the tracks view and thank you PS72 and flying 34 for expressing the views of drivers.The question is how can we resolve this to make everyone satisfied?We must remember we need each other.Without a track the racers can plant flowers in our cars.Without cars the track can plant corn(worth more than flowers to make fuel)And dirt is not an option or we would be there already.I know this was not a money thing as the purse was paid.I do believe theres a less agressive way to get cars in compliance.I dont feel theres a single driver that wants to cheat or be dangerious but the enforcement over the years has been less than agressive and some of us including me are guilty of not paying attention to what we consider minor details.I dont know what the answer is.In the past Freddy or one of the fire crew would come to the cars and look over the safty items.I dont agree respectfully with wholesale DQs.

The only reason I passed was my car is all white inside where the lead is and all my weights have numbers from when I used them on my modified.All dirt tracks look closley at weights for white paint and car numbers.Otherwise I probably would not have the car number.Just glad my mod had the same number.I dont think the other Thunders carry weights.There already overweight.

I started this thread hoping to open dialoug and thats good.Question is,now what?Thanks for listening.

l

[ratdaddy]

I have been keeping quiet on all this, well not just this but kinda staying away from racing in general, but I would like to put in my thoughts.

First, read the freaking rules, if it says paint the driveshaft white then do it. If it says paint the ballast white and attatch it however then do it. It is not like these rules were inpleminted yesterday people, I understand about getting DQed and nobody likes it and it just plain sux. But come on, what would happen if a ballast fell off a car and you ran over it and it just ruined that brand new engine you put in because you didn't see it because it blended in with the track, or better yet ended up in the car with you and really messing up your day and don't think it can't happen. Safety tech or not the drivers & crews are responsible for meeting the rules and tech to make sure they do.

This is the way I see it, maybe, just maybe this has saved someone a lot of grief and possibly someones life to race another day.

 

One last thing, please don't call me at work, you can pm, e-mail, or call me on my cell if you like but I cannot change anything.

[NickHolt]

One of the reasons that track owners/promoters get on here is because they know that I will not allow bashing and encourage folks to take their complaints, derserved or not deserved alike, somewhere else.

 

I congratulate Thumper, a few drivers and the various track officials, both current and prior, for getting on here to explain how things work from the "other" perspective.

 

As long as this discussion remains a discussion and not a bitch session it will be allowed to continue.

 

But I have already removed a post or two that were designed to cause trouble rather than be constructive or helpful. And no, I am not going to discuss my editing in public. If anyone has a problem with the way the site is moderated, I am always ready and available to hear you out, but in private, please.

 

Thanks.

 

Nick

[txtwister]

In my short racing career i can name a half a dozen times i was making my car" SAFE" (painting the driveshaft, putting my number on it, placing a tether strap on my fuel cap, etc etc,) and while doing so came across an item that may have kept me from "finishing" a race. These rules can be a benefit to us all because they make us look at our car. If we choose to bend them, or in this case break them then we put ourselves at the mercy of the track officials. When i point my finger at someone i see 3 pointing back at me. Personally Nick i dont think we should be allowed to bitch or even vent about what happened as a result of a broken rule on this site at all. Cars CAN be 100% legal. I know the people this happened to and i hope they will fix the problem and continue to participate in our local racing. You guys are fun to watch, just ask the children, they generally dont lie.

[j.j.&s.racing]

the supers dont get there 60 lap feature.the week before they had us put a nut on our lead that was silver.

[redd35]

How many got DQd

[ThunderWife]

1st 2nd 3rd in the super street

[Mike Riley]

This is the first time I have ever heard of anyone being DQ'ed for a non-performance item. I, however, heard of many recommendations and warnings by track officials regarding safety items. I don't agree that because an official passes your car in safety inspection deems it "safety legal". They can't catch everything. On the other hand, if the safety of the drivers and crowd are a big concern of the track, then the track should have addressed this safety issue before now. DQing a guy for non-painted lead is chickenshit! And I hope this post will not be considered bashing, but constructive or helpful.

[ratdaddy]

This is the first time I have ever heard of anyone being DQ'ed for a non-performance item. I, however, heard of many recommendations and warnings by track officials regarding safety items. I don't agree that because an official passes your car in safety inspection deems it "safety legal". They can't catch everything. On the other hand, if the safety of the drivers and crowd are a big concern of the track, then the track should have addressed this safety issue before now. DQing a guy for non-painted lead is chickenshit! And I hope this post will not be considered bashing, but constructive or helpful.

 

Mike, from what I gather from reading all the posts, this very issue has been brought up before and more that once. I am basing this on what is posted in this forum. If this simple rule cannot be followed then whats next? Cages not fully welded, fuel cells not properly secured, tattered saftey belts on and on and on. I agree it does seem kinda harsh, but it seems the track needed to put its foot down and get some attention that the rules are going to be enforced. That is the way I see it from an unbiased standpoint.

[Flagman]

Safty issue rather than dq perhaps cars should not have been allowed on track after being told numerous times.

a little less upseting than after burning fuel and using tires getting dq'ed my 2c

[txtwister]

the supers dont get there 60 lap feature.the week before they had us put a nut on our lead that was silver.

 

GOOD GRIEF! THE TRACK OFFICIALS HAD TO TELL YOU YOUR LEAD WASN'T BOLTED IN?

 

DID YOU THANK THEM FOR CATCHING IT?

 

FAR AS I KNOW THE NUTS HOLDING PARTS ON A CAR DONT HAVE TO BE PAINTED, JUST THE LEAD.

[thumper]

I think one thing that would be helpful is going back to handing out written rules instead of relying on internet posting.I know I cannot get the rules downloaded for some reason,Im still a computer dummy.And some might not have access to a computer.I believe its really important for teck to have a cpoy of the rules in writing also.You would be surprised how many people are misinformed sometimes.

I can see how the track could get upset at so many people ignoring the basic rules,it looks like a conspiaricy.And I can see how so many overlooked this thing because I also did not treat it seriously.But we are racing under the ASA sanction now so we are no longer a backyard operation.ASA is one of the largest asphalt sanctioning bodies across the US.We all want to be that NASCAR driver but believe me their rules will give you a headache reading them all.And they do enforce them to the letter.Without a written set of regulated rules you get outlaw racing that leads to favoritism and mistrust.CC Speedway has done everything they said they would do this year so should they expect us to do our part and follow straight foreward rules?What do other tracks do?Has anyone been DQed at any other track?

I hope no one takes this personally and quits.Sat nite was the best attendance I have seen all year.The wresteling on Friday was a fun event for the spectators.The Dwarf cars on Sat were fun to watch and I think they should be a regular class.The track is made for them.I hope the guy that hit the wall so hard is OK.The Thunders raced hard for every position.The True Stocks had a tremendous race,looked like the old days.And the Super Streets raced all out with the intensity they are famous for.In short,there was something for everyone.It was good to see the 71 SS back with a truly beautiful car.I hope Matt K gets back soon,he is kind of the underdog.Also I hope 81 and 01 can fix their cars,they are both hard chargers.And Im glad the "BIG FIGHT" was not really a fight.

In closing,I just want to remind all us racers that the fans are whats important.Our job is to give them a break from the daily drudgery that is life.Every racer,actor,musician,and even wrestlers know that to go home knowing you put a smile on someones face is the greatest reward.Its not about us,its about them.Without fans,we might as well race in our backyards.So lets treat them to a "SHOW "

[sprintsrule]

I can see and understand the points raised by the racers as well as the track.

 

From my racer's point of view, it would be very diificult to accept being disqualified after the race for a safety issue. I just used up a lot of money in fuel and tires to help put on a show and after the race is when you are concerned with the safety. Now I leave with no money. That is hard to digest.

 

From my promoter's point of view, I have to do something to get these driver's attention and get the cars in line with the rules.

 

I think a better solution for all parties would have been to have two or three people standing at the gate as the cars came in. Have white spray paint and markers available. Check the drive shafts and weights while the cars are still on the trailer at the gate. If they are not painted or marked properly, sell them the paint and markers and make them correct the problems before the cars are allowed on the track. I know it is not the track's responsibilty to do that much extra work but sometimes in life we have to go above and beyond what is required. I know the track can not flea bomb the entire car but if that is the topic of the week then that could be done before the races.

 

I hope this does not hurt all the positives the new owners have accomplished. Everybody learns as they get more experience in new areas of life and it is obvious these new owners are working hard. Good luck to all of you.

[HiTech]

I can see and understand the points raised by the racers as well as the track.

 

From my racer's point of view, it would be very diificult to accept being disqualified after the race for a safety issue. I just used up a lot of money in fuel and tires to help put on a show and after the race is when you are concerned with the safety. Now I leave with no money. That is hard to digest.

 

From my promoter's point of view, I have to do something to get these driver's attention and get the cars in line with the rules.

 

I think a better solution for all parties would have been to have two or three people standing at the gate as the cars came in. Have white spray paint and markers available. Check the drive shafts and weights while the cars are still on the trailer at the gate. If they are not painted or marked properly, sell them the paint and markers and make them correct the problems before the cars are allowed on the track. I know it is not the track's responsibilty to do that much extra work but sometimes in life we have to go above and beyond what is required. I know the track can not flea bomb the entire car but if that is the topic of the week then that could be done before the races.

 

I hope this does not hurt all the positives the new owners have accomplished. Everybody learns as they get more experience in new areas of life and it is obvious these new owners are working hard. Good luck to all of you.

new owners are learning to ..id bet eveyone is painting those parts now .and checking every nut and bolt to make sure they are in compliance ....and i agree with thumper .print the rules out ... but . hand everyone a new set as they enter the pits ..that is what a track should do ..if your going to have rules ..make sure every one has them .then if they dont read them and do what is exspected .then they get what the pinalty is ...symple logic .. if its a non perfomance parts there should be a warning given .unless its really unsafe shouldbe given a one week warning ...jack with tps wanted a better strap on one of our cars for the battery ,he wasnt happy with it .and wanted it fixed by the next race ...we fixed it and he inspected it .we didnt go to him to show him ..he wrote it into his little book i suppose .and checked off when he checked it .....symple .fix .and both were happy ..no dq ..

[racingnut]

I guess the track should have painted everything themselves. I mean it sounds like they have talked about these safety issues again and again. It probably feels real bad to get a DQ for what is conceived as a non-issue by some. Imagine how it would feel to get a drive shaft or a chunk of lead in the face, or having to replace an oil pan, radiator, tie rod etc. Painting something white does not always guarantee someone or something won't get hurt, BUT! At least you may have a chance to avoid these things.