I’ve said for seven years that RaceChaser blog is written from my perspective; the feature stories are generally pretty straight to the point with quotes from the driver but sometimes I write an editorial that is totally my opinion. My race reports are based on what I see. I don’t always see things the ways others do, but that’s fine. We in racing can see a lot of things differently.
Sometimes it’s ok to disagree. Our society has forgotten that. We have many “either or” folks – you either agree with a person 100 percent or there is no chance of working together or moving forward. Look at our politics. You are either on the left or right and if you venture to the middle, you’re viewed as compromising your principles and beliefs.
Racing has some of that either-or mentality and it isn’t good. It’s either IMCA or Wissota. It’s either this track or the other. It’s either this class or the other. You get the point.
This blog is written from the perspective of a fan, and not a driver or promoter. That doesn’t mean I don’t talk to drivers and promoters to get information or learn things I don’t know. But drivers and promoters may have a different view of things and different opinions on an issue than I do. For example, I am a proponent of a one-caution and in during heat races, which many Iowa tracks practice, but I know most drivers don’t favor that rule. Doesn’t make either of us wrong, it’s just two sides of looking at an issue. We can agree to disagree to move on.
I am not a mechanical person in the least and have very little technical rules knowledge. So I don’t intend to debate tech rules or dig deep into those discussions. Once in a while I’ll say something but it’s mostly after talking to drivers to get background information (the inferior rocker arms used by street stocks, for example, which many drivers have complained about in recent years). My guess is that if you asked 100 drivers in a class what a good set of rules is, you'd get about 60-70 different ideas there.
I’m sure not everybody likes every blog I write or how I see things. Maybe I see a call on the track different than someone else. I’m not right all the time. Maybe it’s a 50/50 call that is dang tough to make. Occasionally it is obvious. But when I do disagree with a call, it’s usually stated that way. I don’t call the officials incompetent or personally attack them or the track. There is a difference. That doesn’t mean I don’t think some officials are better than others, but I don’t think personally attacking them is good practice in the blog.
I’ve never driven a car, but I think I know rough/dirty driving when I see it. I’ve been to 54 tracks and seen a lot of stuff happen on a racetrack. I’ve seen some stuff that has left me so pissed off at the end of the night that it takes me a while to fall asleep. Yes, I get a little wound up.
I also think there are too many classes out there, and that isn't popular with everyone in racing, either. That's OK to disagree on that issue too.
Why I do this blog is for a couple of reasons. First, I needed an outlet for all of this racing information that jumps around in my head each night I go. Second, I wanted to do something, which is very small, to contribute to publicizing racing in this region. The bonus of this has been all of the people I’ve met and friends I’ve made. There are many, many good people in racing. There’s a few bad apples and jackasses, but most are great folks who love the sport as much as I do.
I don’t know if I will do the blog in 2024, or take a break next year, or give it up for good. All options are on the table. It’s a lot of work and travel and as the season wears on, it burns me out. In seven years, I’ve written exactly 861 blogs on racing. I’ve featured 242 drivers in feature stories in a dozen classes. That’s quite a list and I’m proud of it. But maybe the blog has run its course. I don’t know.
One thing I’ve tried to do is stay true to who I am as a fan. And write things from my perspective. It’s fine if people disagree with me from time to time, and it doesn’t bother me. We will agree to disagree and move on. It’s far better than the either/or thinking that some in our society employ.
Thank you to all who’ve read the blog this season.
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