*Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
Richard: There was certainly a big piece of news to come down late Monday night and early Tuesday morning when it was announced that five drivers, including former Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champions Scott Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens along with former Dirt Track World Championship winner Brandon Sheppard, were penalized by UMP/DIRTcar for unauthorized tampering with tires used during the weekend of the Dirt Late Model Dream at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway. The penalties were somewhat severe as those drivers were hit with a 90 day suspension from that sanctioning body. The judgment will prevent those drivers from competing in the prestigious World 100 along with World of Outlaws Late Models and UMP Summernationals races unless an appeal somehow delays, reduces, or removes the penalty.
Every drivers meeting I have ever attended for sanctioned races has included a warning that tire samples would be taken. However, it is relatively rare considering the number of races and racers involved for an actual penalty to be levied. This time a sanction was issued and it was handed down to some of the biggest names in the sport.
What’s your take on the situation based on the initial reports we have seen?
Scott Bloomquist was among those hit with sanctions at the Dream
Michael: From people that I talked to that were at the driver’s meeting at Eldora, the drivers were told exactly which tires would be tested and when samples would be taken. The way I look at it, this comes from either being totally disengaged from what was said or a blatant attempt to try to get around it. Without casting blame, I do know it is rare for Bloomquist to attend a driver’s meeting. The others that received suspensions are usually at those.
It has been my experience that drivers who follow a particular series will “experiment” when they are competing in races with another series or an unsanctioned event. I’m not sure if this was the case here. But it is odd that three of the five drivers were Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regulars and they have not been busted for cheating in that series.
Regardless of the circumstances, doping tires is a bad deal all around. First, it takes away from the integrity of the sport. Second, it’s a major health hazard for those using the tire doping chemicals.
Richard: I have heard it speculated before that drives learn what they can get away with while racing in a particular series but those same methods may not work when outside that series. Knowing exactly what a particular test will find and what it will not find would be very helpful in determining what treatments to use(if any). However, another series may use a different lab or test for different substances, which could catch an invading driver. I’m not saying that’s what happened here. I’m just saying I’ve heard that speculation.
The real issue in that regard is consistency. It would be best for all of dirt racing if the testing methods used were the same no matter what the series.
That is not to say I’m trying to make excuses for anyone. If drivers know they’re not supposed to do something, they shouldn’t do it.
Jimmy Owens could miss this year’s World 100
Michael: If everything was the same in every series, there would be no need for them all. But you are right. One series may have a rule a little different than another or one series may be stricter when it comes to enforcement.
With the testing that has taken place over the last several years, I really thought tire doping was over in the national series and the huge events. That clearly is not the case. Maybe it’s a case of all the talk with suspensions and shocks that some drivers thought now is a good time to sneak in a little tire doping. They’ll never admit to it, I guess we’ll never know the real reason.
Richard: It’s a real catch-22 for both the series/track involved and for the drivers.
No series or major race wants to have star drivers suspended from their events because fans pay money to see the sport’s top figures. In any sport, including dirt racing, the big stars are the big draws in terms of getting people in the seats. There is a reason why so many posts on social media are made prior to a race weekend by fans wanting to know if their favorites and/or the big stars are going to be competing in a particular event. Having it known ahead of time that such big attractions as Bloomquist and Owens will not be racing could potentially hurt ticket sales for some races this summer.
At the same time, however, the integrity of the series or race in question has to be maintained. Word can’t be allowed to get out that a series or special event turns a blind eye to cheating or else the risk is that a contest intended to be about racing turns into a contest of cheating. That’s why stick-and-ball sports take such hard lines on gambling because winning should not be determined by factors off the field of play.
Also, drivers are in somewhat of a no-win situation when it comes to tire doping and other forms of cheating. If a few drivers are doing it and others aren’t, those who aren’t are at a disadvantage. A driver at a race I covered earlier this season indicated to me his belief that the lap times of some competitors improved significantly from hot laps to qualifying because the “special tires” were put on the car before time-trials. So to keep up, especially at a track or in a series in which checks are not made, it may be necessary to join ’em when you can’t beat ’em.
However, knowingly racing on cheated up tires puts the driver in jeopardy of getting caught, and thus, penalized. The driver may not have wanted to break the rules but may have felt it necessary to keep up with those who were.
It can be a tough situation for all involved, cant’ it?
Michael: It is a tough deal for everyone. And factor in the possibility a tire sample could become contaminated by anything spilled onto the track during the course of the event. That’s why you see some drivers reluctant to drive through an area where fluids are on the track under a caution. The tire tests can’t determine what’s on a tire. It’s my understanding it can only tell if it’s too far off the baseline of what an unaltered tire is supposed to be. There is that factor as well.
For Bloomquist, Owens, and Sheppard, the biggest parts of their penalty is not being able to participate in the USA Nationals and the World 100. I don’t think they would have run in any of the others. It’s bound to be an unusual sight at Eldora not to see Bloomquist or Owens on site and how many of their fans that may decide not to go. Should be an interesting next few months.
