Quik Quiz, Vol. 34. No. 1. 1} Name the three “Jeep’s” that have raced in the Midwest? 2.} This driver was known as the “White Tornado”. 3.} Name the driver that hit “Poor Paul’s” fireworks vehicle. 4.} This former driver is now a bartender at an Owosso bowling alley?
If you ever want to get into a heated discussion with a driver in the pits, just ask them what they think of the “Spinee/Spinner rule. You will get opinions and most of the time its starts with “If they would just do”.
Well, what do you do?
It’s the toughest call officials have to make and if you have ever been in that position, and I have, somebody is going to be mad.
In the beginning, it used to be both drivers involved went to the rear, period, end of discussion. End of discussion until the drivers came and yelled after the race. I have been yelled at by the best. Mert and Carol Thompson are dear friends, but one night at Spartan while Mert was leading the feature, he got dumped and both parties went to the rear. Mert was so mad I thought for sure he was going to punch me. How mad was he? Red face veins popping out of the neck mad. To this day we laugh about it, but at the time, not so fun, but it was the rule.
That’s why announcing is a much better deal, just pronounce names right.
At Flat Rock and Toledo these days we let the drivers involved decide, if one driver excepts the blame, he goes to the rear and the other driver gets his position back, and if they can’t agree they both go to the rear. Its your basic tap out rule, where a driver takes responsibility and taps the roof of his car, which indicates “my fault”.
Is it fair?
Its probably the best of the worst to solve on-track incidents. One of the things I've always enjoyed are the after the fact comments.
“He brake checked me”; “ He chopped me”; “I was almost to his door”. The best; “He’s an idiot and so are you.”
One time a driver came up to me and said “ You guys play favorites”, to which I replied, “How can that be, we don’t like anybody.” He gave a funny look and just walked away. The point of this is that if you have never been an official, it is not easy. Officials are in the same boat that racers are, doing it for the love of the sport cause it sure isn’t for the money.
I thought writing was going to be a better deal until I spelled Ron Parish’s name with two R’s one time. For those that know Ron, you know how things can be with him and we are friends. He got so mad he got in my face pointing, spitting screaming, “My name is spelled with one R and don’t you ever forget it” basically in so many words. Well the writer was also the announcer and the next time he came out on the track, he become Ron “one R “ Parish. Now he was really mad, but I told him it was the only way I could remember. Some people missed the translation and thought he only had “one arm” and when the seen him were amazed he had two.
Those are just a couple of the many stories of happenings at the tracks and sometimes cut the officials a bit of slack, their just like racers. Stay off the wall. See Ya!
