RaceChaser blog reflections

Close finishes like this at Viking remain a great part of racing. Collin Nelson Photo/Outlaw Action Photography

With the Gopher State Showdown at I-94 EMR Speedway wrapping up the season in local racing, I’ve been doing some reflecting.

I watched some of the Gopher Showdown online, and sadly there were some torn-up race cars – but unfortunately that happens during invitational season when you get so many people who do not race against each other on a regular basis.  From a racing standpoint, I thought the racing between Tyler Peterson and Dustin Strand in the late models, especially during the lapped traffic, was intense and very good, the kind of late model racing I like.

But as I look at where racing is at, I think I’ll offer some observations:

--People in racing are incredibly passionate about their hobby. If you want to know why social media lights up after a controversial race or a big event, it’s because people CARE. If you want to know why a driver who gets wrecked vents on social media after getting wrecked, it’s because of the time and money invested in that race car to get it ready, and keep it on the track. Some social media posts are inaccurate and nonsense and should be called out; but other times some are people just venting a little and need to be taken as that.

--There are many unsung heroes at racetracks. Tow-truck drivers. Corner officials. Ticket-sellers. Security. Concessions. Tech inspectors. Pit crew members. Drivers. Track prep workers. Scorers. Announcers. And so on. It takes a TON of people for racing to go each week, and all of them have a role.

--We have more and more one-person operations in racing and in some ways, it’s a sad trend. These are individuals who own their own cars, work on them by his/her self all week, come to the track alone and in most cases fund their own operations with the help of some sponsors. Pit crews are getting smaller and smaller. the same time, I have a great deal of admiration and respect for these one-person operation folks who are vital to keeping weekly racing going.

--Everything costs too damn much. This includes everything from the race cars themselves, to beer and food, to insurance, to fuel, to the cost to maintain track prep equipment, to the cost of well, everything.

--We are stuck with sanctioning bodies. I am not taking a shot at any one specific thing IMCA, Wissota or USRA or any other sanctioning  body does. But I compare them to the Republicans  and the Democrats – they are lousy choices in most cases but we are stuck with them with no realistic, logical other options.  Sanctioning bodies sometimes have rules that make no sense, or have a rule for the sake of having a rule, and are very reactive to changing technology and other things that pop up, instead of being proactive.  A sanctioning body should be about doing its best to keep racing affordable, with fair competition rules that are enforced consistently, and producing the best possible product on the track. Pure and simple.

--Track prep. I think this is the toughest job at a racetrack, and even the best tracks in the country have bad nights when it comes to track prep.  Weather dictates track conditions in a lot of cases, and I think most with common sense in racing get that. But besides the cost, it is the thing I hear discussed most by drivers.  And I will be blunt: there are some tracks that miss the boat on track prep, mainly because the time is not being invested to produce a good, consistent racing surface weekly.  People will understand a hammer down track with character after a lot of rain, but less folks will understand why a track at race time looks like it has been barely worked all week when the weather has been dry.

--The black flag. It isn’t used enough for rough driving. I am not talking about sending someone to the rear if they make a little contact and spin a person; that is part of racing and that happens sometimes. I am talking about rough driving, where people are being driven through or being used as bumper cars that really tears up equipment, and no call is being made.  It does take some guts to black flag a driver for rough driving – and the promoter/officials will most likely get bitched out by  that driver afterwards. But the 12-18 other drivers in the class will appreciate the fact the black flag is used, if only to reduce the amount of wrecked race cars.

--The racing family is amazing.  I want to continue to offer my prayers and best wishes to Laine Schwehr as he recovers and rehabs from a hard, hard crash in his  late model in September at Jamestown.  But the response of support for Schwehr from the racing community after this happened was incredible.  When people someone in racing is in need or impacted by a tragedy, so many people in racing step up to help and support. That is one reason I love racing is the PEOPLE.

--How is the racing on the track? Some nights are good, some nights are not. It goes back to how the track is most of the time, and if it’s a one-laner for 20 laps, the racing will suck. If the track is a plowed field and cars are bouncing everywhere, chances are there will be torn up race cars.  But there are also a handful people who have no respect for anyone’s equipment, and that includes their own, and drive like they own the track. They don’t care if they wreck others. And those people can ruin racing quickly.

--It takes skill, talent and courage to drive a race car.  I think as someone who has zero driving ability, I may not appreciate how much all three factor into a being a good race-car driver. But they do.

--In spite of the negatives, I still love racing. And writing about it.  When you witness a good race that goes down to the final few feet, or see a driver start dead last and win, that can cure a lot of the negativity I feel in racing. Plus, I have done stories on more than 270 drivers in eight years, and meeting SO MANY good people is even better.