Richard: This past weekend at the 411 Motor Speedway, two topics often discussed in dirt track racing came to a head.
First, it was announced in the drivers meeting that the track would no longer stage qualifying for the NeSmith Late Model Class that competes there as the track’s featured division. Instead, track owner Mitch McCarter and his staff explained that drivers would do a blind draw when they signed in which would set the starting lineups for heat races.
There was definitely some grumbling in the pit area over the decision that was made somewhat worse by the fact that drivers and crews had three hours of rain delay time to stew on it.
There are two different perspectives when it comes to qualifying weekly classes as I see it. As a fan and a reporter, I am not a big fan of qualifying. It uses up a great deal of time with no actual racing taking place. Further, it does the track no favors to have however many cars on the racing surface running the exact same line and creating a “rubbered up” condition.
However, I can definitely see the driver’s side of the issue as well. If I had worked all week on a car and poured in the amount of money that has to be poured in, I would not want my fate on race day left up to a blind draw.
Ultimately, McCarter opted to keep qualifying as part of the show at 411, but has added a ‘Dash Race’ into the mix.
What are your thoughts on qualifying as part of the racing show?
Michael: I have no problem with qualifying when it comes to late models. Putting faster cars behind slower cars on a track that may not have much passing creates all kinds of problems. But as a fan, straight up qualifying is not a fan friendly aspect of a program.
I do take issue with qualifying lower classes on a weekly basis. If there is a rotation system where one class qualifies one week and another class qualifies the following week, I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with any track qualifying all or most classes every week. It is boring to race fans.
I do see the side of the racers, especially the late model drivers. They have the most money invested in their equipment and run the bigger risk with ruining that investment by putting them in the pack with a bunch of slower cars in front of them. That is not to belittle the street stock drivers or four cylinder drivers. They have money invested and work hard too. But from a fan’s perspective, watching those classes qualify is boring and usually leads to a boring feature. Getting to a track and it being 2 hours before you see the first actual race is not fan-friendly at all. I’ve had fans and perspective new fans tell me this.
Richard: It is inexcusable for fans to still be sitting in the stands having seen nothing but qualifying at 9:00pm. Yet, I have been to tracks where that has happened. And as you point out, part of the problem is the perceived need some tracks have for qualifying each and every class. And often, the problem of excessive time spent on qualifying is made worse by the fact that cars are sent out one at a time.
Along the lines of time, another issue that came up last weekend at 411 was that of the track’s 11:00pm curfew. After the long rain delay, track officials were faced with the situation of having to get the program completed before the time limit ran out.
Several years ago, I was very much opposed to the idea of tracks having curfews placed on them. But over time, I have softened my stance on them as I have come to realize that tracks with curfews are forced to keep their programs moving along with little time for delay.
In the 411 case of last weekend, the curfew was a problem because of a rain delay. I’m still opposed to them in cases where unintended delays such as rain take place. And perhaps 11:00pm might be a bit early, but otherwise, I believe curfews can actually be beneficial to the sport.
One complaint that I field often in discussions of what fans would like for tracks to do better is that of shows dragging on too long into the night. This is particularly true of families who attend races with children. Curfews assure that the night won’t go on too long.
What are your thoughts on curfews placed on race tracks?
Michael: I was like you. I used to be opposed to curfews. But once I attended a few races at tracks with a curfew and saw how timely the programs were, I started becoming more in favor of them. I have spent too many nights at the racetrack at 1 or 2 a.m. As I get older, I want no part of programs that last that long.
I have said for many years there is no reason why any track can’t run a complete program – from hot laps until the last feature – within a 4-hour window, aside from weather delays or serious accidents that require lots of clean up and those needing immediate medical attention. Even if a track does not have a curfew, they should act as though they do have one and do their best to get their show in during that 4-4 1/2 hour window.
As for the 411 situation last week, there are only two options. One is to do exactly what they did. Everyone is already there, so go ahead and race. Two is just cancel and run a full program the next week. If a track cancels, then come all the excuses about people losing ticket stubs and armbands or those saying they can’t come back and start asking for refunds. As the old saying goes, ‘you can’t make everyone happy.’ That certainly applies when a track has to change or cancel their program because of weather.
Richard: Weather is the ultimate wildcard. It has more impact on modern day dirt racing than just about any other factor. I’ve always said that if I were to ever own a race track(and the lottery hasn’t come through yet), I would run it as if there were an 11:30 curfew whether it actually did or not.
