Fulton Speedway in NY just announced a rule change on Monday, effective immediately.
"Under section III (Procedural Rules) of the Fulton and Brewerton “General and Safety Rules”, please note the following adjustment to rule number 10 that will be effective immediately."
PROCEDURAL RULES
10. It is the goal of speedway management to maintain the safest possible racing conditions for all drivers. Only safety crews and wrecker crews are permitted on the track in the event of an accident. Pit crew members are not permitted on the track. Drivers are required to stay in their car in the event of an on-track incident. If a driver, for whatever reason, exits a car on the track during a caution period, the race will automatically be placed under a red flag and all cars will come to a complete stop. A driver may exit a car if requested by a safety crew member or if safety warrants in cases such as a fire. Drivers that exit a car without permission, for whatever reason, are subject to fine and/or suspension at the discretion of track management.
Come on folks, this kind of thing has been going on for decades. The only reason that any of us heard anything about this is, because such a highly known driver was involved. Even in NAPCAR, the drivers get out of their cars before the safety teams arrive. Stop and think of all the tracks that ran last Saturday night across this country. Do you honestly think that Kevin Ward was the only one that got out of his car to point a finger at another driver? This is a total tragedy for everyone involved but, I think any knee jerk reaction taken at this point may not be beneficial to the sport. Just my 2 cents
Something else that hasn't really been discussed is the speed cars are going under caution. Yellow means SLOW DOWN. It doesn't mean half throttle, it doesn't mean continue your speed sliding through the corner, it doesn't mean maintain your speed until you see the reason for the caution. Week in and and week out you see all of those situations. Most tracks have caution lights at every corner and some down the straights. There is no excuse for a car to still be at a speed much higher than idle close to a lap after the caution flag is thrown. I realize you can't just slam on the brakes when the yellow comes out or you will get run over from behind, but you regularly see cars are still going too fast after going nearly a lap.
I am not trying to be devils advocate. But remember that night Donnie Ray Crawford saved Harli White's life. This rule is a knee jerk reaction that doesn't fit every circumstance.
Originally Posted by apexonephoto:
I am not trying to be devils advocate. But remember that night Donnie Ray Crawford saved Harli White's life. This rule is a knee jerk reaction that doesn't fit every circumstance.
Which is the reason for the clause in the petitions' rule, "except in the case of imminent danger" and the Fulton rule "if safety warrants".
When you throw in an intimidating and finger pointing and other gestures at others racers still traveling at caution lap speeds it should be understood and clarified to all involved.
I would like to see a boxing ring set up in the infield. Equip it with 2 pairs of 20 0z boxing gloves. If a guy challenges his adversary and the other accepts let them go at it for 3 >>> 2 Minutes rounds in the infield between races, More entertainment for the fans and after 6 minutes wailing them big old heavy gloves they will have forgotten why they were there in the first place.
IMO the way the rule should read is that if a competitors car comes to a stop during a race he or she must remain in the vehicle till a safety crew person allows you to exit or if your in danger then you must stay within arms reach of your car or a reasonably safe distance.
While we are on the topic of safety I think that no one under the age of 21 should be allowed in the infield during a race and that all persons that are in the infield should be dressed in a reflective vest and hat.
I have seen children in the infield standing in a turn while their father is standing in that turn as an official.
I believe that if you are not a safety crew member then you should be within the confines of a walled off area in the infield or in the stands.
Another things that bothers me is when there is a crash I see infield personnel take off running onto the racing surface before all the cars have stopped or come to an idle speed.
I hope that race tracks around the country look at how they do business and change things before more people get hurt and the insurance industry either dictates how you run your track or they raise your rates till you go out of business.
