Insurance Company Changes Age Requirement at FASCAR Tracks

[Jane]

INSURANCE COMPANY CHANGES AGE REQUIRMENT

Effective Immediately Minimum Age To Race FASCAR 14 years old

New Smyrna Beach, FL (December 6, 2007), Effective immediately the minimum age requirement to race or be a race participant at a FASCAR track( New Smyrna Speedway, Orlando SpeedWorld and Columbia Motorsports Park) is 14 years old. This also applies to all FASCAR Tours.

FASCAR was notified today by its insurance carrier the minimum age to be a race participant will be 14 years old. All minors require a completed parental consent, release and waiver of liability, assumption of risk and indemnity agreement by parent(s) or guardian together with a “certified” copy of the birth certificate and medical release information.

FASCAR wishes to thank all participants for their co-operation in this matter. For additional information contact Liz Roberts at 386.427.4129 ext 301.

[Boneman]

They must have been reading this board. Bring out the next problem for us to solve!

[Frasson118]

Fiinally someone had the guts to do what's morally right. Even though I think 16 is the right age, at least they are avoiding the liabilities of 8-10 year olds.

THANK YOU to anyone/everyone that made this rule come to fruition. Surely a step in the right direction, before bad policies ruin things for all of us.

[Osmosis Jones]

In other news....

Featherlite Trailers reported a drop in third quarter earnings due to stringent, new age limitations instituted by a conservative insurance industry. The new ruling, which hinders parents from strapping their offspring into a high-powered, 2800 lb vehicle before they reach puberty, calls for a minimum age to be reached before entrance into a close quartered, sometimes volatile and extremely dangerous "pitting area" (commonly referred to as "the pits").
While insurance officials claim this is a neccessary restriction in order to provide more affordable coverage for the majority of other racers and track personnel, the anomosity remains from the growing faction of underage drivers and their Daddies who are crying foul and calling the ruling unjust.

"It's just not fair", exclaimed one frustrated, deep-pocketed Sugar Daddy. "What the h--- am I supposed to do with this '40 double stacker and the 4 Super Late Models and the retired racing guru we have on payroll to give us the illusion of legitamacy?" he asked as his 12 year old son sped off with his friends in a jacked up, 4wd golf cart.

This reporter had no comment.


More to come.........

[Rick Williamson]

Again this IS the wave of the future. And long over due. We may lose some families (because they wanted to be together in the pits). But it's the safe thing to do.

[Frasson118]

My first 16 years, I was not allowed in the pits, and as far as I know, not ONE family was lost because of it. Actually, it made more families close, as the wives/girlfiends wound up getting to know each other as FRIENDS, and the kids did the exact same thing. I was messing around under the exact same stands as Todd Bodine when we were both kids, because he wasn't old enough to hang with Geoff or Brett. Didn't know it at the time, but I'm sure it happened.
Where?
In the grandstands... which just by coincidence it was cheaper for them to gather... and possibly made it more affordable to bring the racecar out more often.

Overall good move... but think about this point. How much harder will they hit the existing teams when the track loses that income base? I think the sport just got more expensive for the "over" 16 race teans!

[racing7]

Kids in Racing

Well I think this is a good move by Fascar. I know it will be hard on some parent's but if they think about it they might see why they went that way. My daughter started at 15 and had many hour's on the track with no one else. I don't agree with these parent's that build there 13 year old a car and take him Saturday night put him in a field of cars and say go race.

[HaudFan]

Oooooops, somebody didn't get the memo last night. There was a 12 year old in a legend car at OSW.

[fred23]

Does this mean that there will be no more bandelero/jr stock/legends racing on Saturdays at OSW? Just asking, not bashing.

[Cara]

Does "race participant" mean driving a race car or a spectator? You list as the minimum age to race is 14 but then it says all minors must do the following of paper work.

[mr south 59]

Any race participant that is a minor must complete the paper work. That is anybody participating. Crew members, spotters. the team chief. The insurance forms you fill out do not allow spectators in the pits. You are not suppose to put "spectator" on the back gate form. If someone put "spectator" and got hurt in the pits it could be negligence on the tracks part.

[Cara]

Thanks, that is what we thought.

[john tenney]

... and yet there were TONS of kids in the pits today - young kids, WELL under 12

[Frasson118]

I guess I msunderstood. I thought the rule was nobody under 14 allowed in the pits.. I guess it just means under 14 not allowed to COMPETE.

Well, it's one step in the right direction. They need to take the second step also. Apparently it's still okay if your 4 year old is considered a mechanic, just as long as Mom and Dad don't say "spectator".

[Cara]

So were all the kids that raced tonight older than 14 and had all the paperwork that was needed, signed forms and a certified copy of their birth cerificate? Or is this rule change not until the regular season starts? It does say "effective immediately".

I am only asking and not trying to cause trouble. I have a 16 year old who does not race but does work on the car and video tapes my races.