KilKare Crash Festival

[schlossmtrsports]

We couldn't race this weekend but I wanted to go watch some of the best Quarter Midget Racers in the country battle it out. We came out Sunday and as a spectator the racing was HORRIBLE. The drivers didn't show any patience and instead of setting up the pass they just drove threw and over other cars. I saw a car with four uprights on his front bumper....Really? Beating your way to the front isn't racing. This isn't tolerated at club level so why is this happening at "big" races. Do you think the passing point deal is making these kids rush instead of letting the best cars make their way to the front by racing. The HVY A heat race had I think 6 cars and the checkered flag was flown early to the winner (last car running). Animal C main I thought they were gonna need to refuel....more of the same. I couldn't take it anymore and drove to work early. Don't get me wrong James and his crew have done a wonderful job but I think USAC and James need to curb this before it bleeds off into our club racing. Rubbing is racing I understand somtimes when several cars run the same lap times on such a small track your gonna touch. There is a difference between rubbing and beating your way to the front. I love watching these kids progress and I am amazed with what they do. This weekend was out of control. 

Tommy Schloss

[Walker23]

I have been noticing the same. In the past 2 events we attended it really stood out to me. Yes, competition is much more intense than at a local level. The bump and run move is now the standard and not an exception. If both cars spin they are both penalized. What I cannot understand is how a child without any knowledge of a car behind them can get a strike when another car deliberatly hits them in the LR and rearward.

[clouse55]

Tommy, this is actually a problem thats in every racing organization no matter the type of format, it all begins at home. You actually stated the beginning of the problem in your post, Rubbing is racing. RUBBING IS NOT RACING!!!! Good race car drivers dont need to touch one another, especially in open wheel racing!! No doubt there is always going to be contact but the crap being tought to these drivers is now an accepted practice. The antics in NASCAR has fueled this a ton and most dont realize it.

There is only one way for an organization to fix the problem and thats to go back and run races like it was years ago, if you go dead or involved your done!! Clean things up really quick but would go over like a turd in a punch bowl.

Good topic Tommy.       

[actireman]

Tough subject, good luck guys. All I can say is a lot of parents have a hard time accepting that thier kid screwed up and drove over the guy in front of them. Maybe don't let the parents watch and tell them the results afterwards. LOL

Mike Clancy

[ctaylor]

Mike you are right. Maybe we should build a bar in the middle of the pits for the parents then the kids can go race with out them. I think the kids would race hard then get out and play football or something.

OK not too sure I want to start this here but..... really what would fix it? how can we get this undercontrol??? and remember no one wants to "Judge" and things happen so fast it is hard to see what really happened. This past weekend someone stated "I know what happened to my car because I am just watching my car" True the cheif steward has to watch all the cars it is hard to see it all.
Chuck Taylor

[Ezone]

Well -- I wasnt there on Sunday.  We just raced the Hondas.  We got punted once.  My driver got position back and offender was put to the rear.  It was pretty blatant.  However, it was 1/2 my fault for trying to run unlocked on a track we had never been to and a bad set-up.  But the other driver could have cut us some slack.  As an FYI -- the other dad had some some emotional issues as well.  So it was in the blood.

[cdr4d]

sprint car driver Todd Kane " back in the day, one wreck or one dot and you were done. now that made a driver out of you "....

[schlossmtrsports]

I don't have the answers but some good points have been brought up. Clouse was right on target with this does start at home. Teach the kids to drive clean and take care of their equipment. Ezone said the other driver could have cut us some slack. What drives me crazy is most these kids know all this but don't practice at "big" races. We race with most of these kids at local events. They race each other hard but give each other room. How do we fix this duno....but we could start with rough driving calls. True its a tuff call but if a driver gets runover from behind they should get their spot back and the one at fault gets black flagged. When they dont give each other room and cause a caution they both go to the tail...shame on them. USAC has everything in place but the calls are not made this way. Yes, things happen fast but most everyone sees when one car runs over another. kinda hard to miss just make the call. Only way to clean things up.

Tommy 

[Walker23]

Tommy makes a good point. The rules are there to allow for a call to be made with 100% fault. It is far to easy to send both to the tail with strikes and call it a racing incident. While there are those and should be called as such, I think the majority of the incidents I have been seeing, 100% can be determined very easily.

I have to constnantly remind my son that if the other driver cant see you, they don't think you are there. Since they cant see you anything that happens is YOUR fault.

[sprintcar39]

He is my 2 cents.... In my opinion the way to fix this is to make a slight rule change. As the rule is now "for rough or aggressive driving you black flag the offender and he is DQ'd from that race and the innocent driver gets his spot back".  I say that we should change this to " for rough or aggressive driving you black flag the offender and he is moved to the tail and gets a strike and the innocent driver gets his spot back"

The whole problem with using the black flag and DQ'ing a racer is that it is very hard to do as a race director.....trust me...been there done that.

I found that when I used the black flag while race directing the Columbus Indoor events early on in the year that set the tone that I was not going to allow that kind of driving while I was race directing and the kids seemed to have gotten the point and things went very smooth the rest of the indoor season in my opinion. It all starts with the race director and flagman being in control of the races not the kids.

[schlossmtrsports]

That's spot on Eric. Not to harsh but the point is made. I think the call would be used more and the racing would clean up.

Tommy

[Griffin Brown Racing]

I agree 100% with Eric!! That needs to be done and done now and consistantly!
Use that black flag and everyone will be more happy in the end,cleaner better racing,less tore up cars!!

[Torgesen Motorsports]

I also agree with Eric. It would penalize the rough drivers yet still allowing them to race while not penalizing the innocent driver for just being on the same track. (Other than the damage they incure). Some times they push the limits when they drive as I think they should so its hard to dq them but, its not hard to send them to the tail. Its much easier to dq after 3 incidents. We all want to keep the kids on the track.

[Offset]

Black flagging / DQ’s are very effective setting the tone of an event.  It’s no fun to watch others race.  We made proactive changes to assure we would not be used by the Buckeye indoor race director to set the event tone.