Gosh...this is special.
OBVIOUSLY the kid could slow the car down to some degree, otherwise the "taps" that occurred in the race that ya'll are whining about would have been race cars punted to the parking lot...or he would have never been able to stop his car at the end of the race to collect his trophy. Plus, the idea that everyone in front of him held perfect lines so he didn't have any MAJOR "challenges" to his lack of brakes is just silly. Quit with the dramatics.
That being said, let's stick with FACTS again: Many, if not MOST, drivers race races, finish races, AND WIN RACES with cars that are less than optimal in handling. "The perfect car" for the start of a race, MUCH LESS for the DURATION of a race, is a rarity...if that were the case, all of us Internet Geniuses would be trying to win RACES, not message board squabbles. Instead, the reality is that race car drivers are such BECAUSE they can overcome the "habits" of these finicky, often evil machines. Race drivers ROUTINELY deal with wicked set-ups out of the box that they have to muscle the distance, OR they FREQUENTLY have to combat the inevitable SNAFUS that arise as the laps go on, such as "failing" steering, shocks (or brakes!) or burned off tires (just a few of 2304829348203 examples). Therefore, your "argument" would suggest that on any given night that like...75% of the race cars should pull in and "just park it". Uh, okayyy...
I just find this whole debate comical at this point. It's not even a REAL debate..it's far more personal than that OBVIOUSLY. After all, I can't even count the number of times that we've seen drivers "move" a car that is "in their way" or who is slower etc.... and more often than not, those drivers are "celebrated" or "defended" as being quintessential tough competitors. Ya know, "those guys" are there to WIN, they are aren't dudes who just wanted a sticker for showing up.....yay them! Yet, in this case, with "THIS group" who raced Sunday, despite it now being obvious (or should be!) that there was no premeditated intent in the contact etc., a car who got bumped loose (NOT put on the hook) is pretty much the end of the world.
Sounds to me like THE TRUTH probably is that some of you folks aren't really mad that Caleb Armstrong "crashed" (bumped) anyone ...instead, you appear to be actually be mad because Caleb Armstrong showed up and crashed "your" pavement sprint car party. Sorry, folks... he'll be there all year...or at any race track where there is a race to be had and he has a car to run.
