We need a New Smyrna payback clearification

[Boneman]

On October 31, I watched a driver chase down another on the cool down lap after the checkered. He finally caught up on the pit road, and promptly ran into the other car, causing the pit road official to jump for safety.

Doesn't the rule book address a situation like this? Was any penalty given out? I had heard second hand that the driver was suspended, but then I saw he ran in two features last night.

I am referring of course to Cody Blair and his actions at the end of the Super Stock race on the 31'st. The fact that Cody and the other driver tangled at the end of the race is of no consequence. Crashing after the flag, on pit road, and in the area where an official was standing should require a penalty.

Was there any penalty for this?

This was exactly the type of response that I was hoping NSS would not do. It has the appearance of letting one of the tracks golden boys getting away with something that would have gotten anyone else thrown out for a few weeks. If I have this wrong, please straighten me out, I'd like some first hand information.

[flraceguy]

Hey Rex... This is one of the things that I was fearing as well... Fine I understand that racing is racing and one might bump from time to time on the track, but I find it difficult to understand that when something is done that was clearly wrong and not on the track but on Pit Road and against an official and not another racer why an appropriate something or other wasn't done to make sure that the driver CLEARLY understands that that was an incorrect and wrong thing too do...

I also understand that if this was a brand new rookie driver a little allowance might be made as maybe he/she wasn't aware or understanding of that... BUT this was not involving a Rookie driver....

[ocalasp76]

Last Year...

We had a driver at Ocala Speedway try to hit another driver out of his car during a yellow. He then tried to hit the flagman showing him the black flag, then me at the pit entrance. He was REMOVED from the car by 3 Deputies on the front stretch,handcuffed and put in the squad car. No longer allowed to drive at Ocala and a few other tracks in Florida.
Racing is dangerous enough,but these actions can not be tolerated. JMO
-JIM-

[flraceguy]

Hmm it seems as if everyone is avoiding this one like the plague.. Me wonders why... Has everyone lost their tenacity to bitch and argue and complain and whine...

[georgep]

In the words of my father "Throw the Bum out" There are enough volunteers with broken bones from stupid people doing stupid things at a race without someone doing stupid things on purpose.

[Todd McCreary]

Hmm it seems as if everyone is avoiding this one like the plague.. Me wonders why... Has everyone lost their tenacity to bitch and argue and complain and whine...



*shrugs*

i don't think i've been to New Smyrna yet this year. so i don't actually know anything about the specifics of this situation. all i "know" is what Rex just told us.

i should think that it would be the same as the Jessica Murphy deal last year. if they aren't going to honor their own rule book about suspending Jessica for doing pretty much the same thing i don't see why we should expect them to suspend a guy.

[MIKE TRIPP]

Either they dont read the website or they dont want to comment because you are calling them out. What do you want them to say? (yep thats one of our boys) or they are ignoring you. The silence is kind of deadning.

[Cara]

There was a post months ago that stated that the officials for FASCAR does not normally check the message board. If you want to find out anything you are to call the FASCAR office or email them. Good luck!

[Todd McCreary]

Mike and Cara

i actually took that as Duane calling the board regulars out. i mean, we are the ones that "bitch and argue and complain and whine" all the time, right?

personally, i think Duane is just jealous of all the attention OJ got with that thread last week.

[flraceguy]

There was a post months ago that stated that the officials for FASCAR does not normally check the message board. If you want to find out anything you are to call the FASCAR office or email them. Good luck!

Cara.. I am familiar with that post... The reason for this post was to get more attention to this little subject... You know as well as anyone that what happens on the track stays on the track, it doesn't come down on pit road, and it should not involve almost hitting officials... I would bet a fortune that if it would have been just about anybody else, they would have been bounced hard for at least a minimum of two weeks and possibly longer...

Again, the more the interest, the more the "Director" will take an interest in keeping things fair and straightforward...

[Cara]

I know what happens on the track is suppose to stay on the track but it doesn't all the time. The driver should of been suspended for their actions no matter who they are. From what I have read so far nothing was done. I have even heard of tracks calling the police on drivers and having them arrested for such actions and being banned from the track either for a year or indefinitely.

[Darren]

wait a minute,

I haven't been to NSS in years, don't know the driver in question, don't know his friendship with NSS. However, I did watch Brighthouse 47 Race Report last week. If I was NSS I wouldn't want to be on the show. Looked like no one in the stands, when they showed racing, low car count in each feature. Why would someone want to go if they see no one there, no cars. Could be they need every car for car count, which is no excuse.

[Boneman]

Hey Darren, lets stay on the subject. The crowds and car counts at NSS have been consistent, and I am sure an improvement over 2008. There has been some excellent racing too. Maybe you saw the show from Halloween night which was a slow night, no doubt.

Cara, they all read the board.

I can just hear the race director telling me, "if you have a question, just call me." He is a good guy and I know he would give me an answer; maybe I should have done it that way. I am completely not used to calling and complaining, I've only done it one time, but it is my first reaction is to get on a board like this and stir a little.

[Andy S]

Maybe you saw the show from Halloween night which was a slow night, no doubt.

The stands were pretty empty that night - so much so that they had to cancel the kids event on the front stretch as there were so few kids there to take part - but that night seemed to be the exception this year from what I've seen.

If I remember correctly, what made the offence that Rex is talking about here worse is that the other car involved had been pulled over into a staging area by the first gap in the pit wall until the #15 had been waved past just so no incident could take place in the pits. The other cars were being waved past by an official but the #15 shot around them and swerved to hit the stopped car, forcing the official stood with it to jump out of the way to avoid being trapped against the wall.

[oldyeller]

To purposely hit a car on cooldown, unless it's the most benign little tap, and it sounds like this was not, demands a penalty. there is no way to lose racers' respect more quickly than not responding to a situation that everyone saw. mark? kim? at least give us a general sense of how you handle this, if not the specifics on this instance. to ignore it, both at the track and on this board, is the worst thing you can do.