Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?

IndyBound · 9/8/09, 9:42 AM

Having been involved in auto racing since before woman where allowed in the pits I personally am having difficulty with the new rule to allow small children in the pits during racing activity. While this practice that now seems to be the norm may work for teams that travel in totter type rigs that have living accommodations in them. IMHO it doesn't work in the pits of race tracks like Oswego Speedway when such rigs have to be removed for the racing activity and the children are left to roam freely during racing activity, as I witnessed in mid July during the King of Wings race.

Ironically, last Wed. I was sitting with one of my girlfriends who's husband and son-in-law are push truck drivers at Oswego Speedway when another friend called to say she had been invited to take her four year old son into the track with her on Thursday for a four hour practice. For those of you that have never attended a supermodified race at Oswego full size pick up trucks are used to push start the supers. Having children roam the pits is a very dangerous situation. Needless to say when I hung up my phone, I heard in length from my girlfriend who's family pushes at Oswego how unsafe it is to have children in the pits. She didn't have to sell me, we had a crew member that would bring his son in the pits even though he was under age, sure enough he was injured one week doing something he shouldn't have been doing. So my views of children in the pits were formed years ago, in most cases it is an unsafe situation. In the end my girlfriend took her son in the pits before racing started but watched practice from the stands, another mother however had her under two year old toddler in the pits during practice.

I wonder if she thought twice about taking her small child in the pits when she turned on the evening news in Oswego last Wed.. Last Wed. afternoon a small child was hit by a car an fighting for their life in what first was reported as a hit an run accident. As the events of this tragic accident unfolded the 21 year old driver that hit the child had no idea they had hit a baby. (Here is where the irony came into play for me, I had just had this conversation with my girlfriend earlier that day about push truck drivers not being able to see small chidren roaming around the pits at Oswego). As my brother and I sat there listening to the evening news and learned that this accident happended on Cayuga St., my brother turned to me and asked me how I came home? He was the first to tell me that Cayuga St. was blocked off by the police at Liberty St. a block and a half away from my brothers house. When my brother told me that my breath was taken away, I have a cousin that lives in that area who has two small granddaughters that come to visit him. This tragic accident actually happend two houses away from my cousin's, the baby that was first reported to be a year and a half old was two. This precious little child died from his injuries on Friday. While this tragic accident is not racing related there is a message here.

If you take your small child into the pits at any race track think twice about this practice, small children are usually very active with short attention spans; in my opinion small children don't belong in the pits during racing activity unless they have some type of RV type hauler to stay in. What do you think,? We had a seven page thread on putting blankets down at the the race track before the nights events, can we have a seven page thread on the safety of our children and grandchildren at the races?

Safe racing to all,

Patti

sprinter25 · 9/8/09, 9:51 AM

No!!!!

Parents cannot control their kids at all times...it's just asking for trouble. and think of the legal ramifications if a child were injured...or worse....

sprintcar64 · 9/8/09, 10:29 AM

My two children are now 5 and 3 yrs. old and we have been taking them to LPS with us when we had the support there to help watch them for two years. LPS has a large pit area with the sprintcars parked in the rear of the pits with low pit traffic except when the sprints are running their races at which time the kids are in the stands watching. My point is if the facilites lend themselves to "safe conditions" and you have the support to watch the kids, then why not let them in the pits.

55fan · 9/8/09, 11:03 AM

I have witnessed adults get hit in the pits. Why would you want your children there. Maybe Mike Wallace could tell you about young kids around moving race cars. And then you have some idiotic hotheaded drivers. They provide grandstands ajancent to the pits @ most tracks. Keep your kids there during racing activities.

v8j · 9/8/09, 11:20 AM

RACING is DANGEROUS!!!! and that being sayed keep them at home or in the stand. itis hard for adults to stay safe and out of harms way.use your head !

ThrowbackRacingTeam · 9/8/09, 11:29 AM

no kids that young should ever be allowed in the pits ,toter home or not.
i can't believe any parent or track operator allows this. i got run over by a
trailer once that cut the turn too close,broke my toes and sprained ankle,missed
a week of work. if i had been a toddler i would have been killed. as a father of a
3 year old and racer myself i garauntee my son will not be in the pits for years to
come. the ignorance of some people in this country makes me sick. we do not need this
kind of irresponsibilty in our sport.it's bad enough they let 15 & 16 year olds run sprint cars
on half miles where we've witnessed numerous serious injuries lately.

LEADERS EDGE · 9/8/09, 11:33 AM

How do you expect them to be able to drive the car if they aren't allowed in the pits?

Everyone knows that if you haven't made it by age 5 your career is basically ruined.

Daboy · 9/8/09, 11:51 AM

If you are not 18 do you not have to sign a wavier to race? So then if you are not 18 and not racing you do not get to go in the pits period. Just asking for trouble IMO.

Rpracing1 · 9/8/09, 12:44 PM

Pretty simple........NO FREAKIN WAY!!!!!!!

How stupid do you have to be.

9/8/09, 1:19 PM

We have taken our 15 mth. old granddaughter into the pits with us while our son/her daddy races our sprint car. We have a stroller, and toys to keep her occupied and ear plugs for her ears. She is never out of anyone's sight....just like having a backyard swimming pool you must always be aware of what is going on. She knows his car and squeels with delight and waves as it goes by the stands. Driver's should never have the responsiblity while in the pits or on the race track to have to watch for children. If you are going to bring toddlers/young children in then you must RESPECT the dangers. Please don't put everyone into the same category.

9/8/09, 9:42 AM	#1 Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
IndyBound Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,626	Having been involved in auto racing since before woman where allowed in the pits I personally am having difficulty with the new rule to allow small children in the pits during racing activity. While this practice that now seems to be the norm may work for teams that travel in totter type rigs that have living accommodations in them. IMHO it doesn't work in the pits of race tracks like Oswego Speedway when such rigs have to be removed for the racing activity and the children are left to roam freely during racing activity, as I witnessed in mid July during the King of Wings race. Ironically, last Wed. I was sitting with one of my girlfriends who's husband and son-in-law are push truck drivers at Oswego Speedway when another friend called to say she had been invited to take her four year old son into the track with her on Thursday for a four hour practice. For those of you that have never attended a supermodified race at Oswego full size pick up trucks are used to push start the supers. Having children roam the pits is a very dangerous situation. Needless to say when I hung up my phone, I heard in length from my girlfriend who's family pushes at Oswego how unsafe it is to have children in the pits. She didn't have to sell me, we had a crew member that would bring his son in the pits even though he was under age, sure enough he was injured one week doing something he shouldn't have been doing. So my views of children in the pits were formed years ago, in most cases it is an unsafe situation. In the end my girlfriend took her son in the pits before racing started but watched practice from the stands, another mother however had her under two year old toddler in the pits during practice. I wonder if she thought twice about taking her small child in the pits when she turned on the evening news in Oswego last Wed.. Last Wed. afternoon a small child was hit by a car an fighting for their life in what first was reported as a hit an run accident. As the events of this tragic accident unfolded the 21 year old driver that hit the child had no idea they had hit a baby. (Here is where the irony came into play for me, I had just had this conversation with my girlfriend earlier that day about push truck drivers not being able to see small chidren roaming around the pits at Oswego). As my brother and I sat there listening to the evening news and learned that this accident happended on Cayuga St., my brother turned to me and asked me how I came home? He was the first to tell me that Cayuga St. was blocked off by the police at Liberty St. a block and a half away from my brothers house. When my brother told me that my breath was taken away, I have a cousin that lives in that area who has two small granddaughters that come to visit him. This tragic accident actually happend two houses away from my cousin's, the baby that was first reported to be a year and a half old was two. This precious little child died from his injuries on Friday. While this tragic accident is not racing related there is a message here. If you take your small child into the pits at any race track think twice about this practice, small children are usually very active with short attention spans; in my opinion small children don't belong in the pits during racing activity unless they have some type of RV type hauler to stay in. What do you think,? We had a seven page thread on putting blankets down at the the race track before the nights events, can we have a seven page thread on the safety of our children and grandchildren at the races? Safe racing to all, Patti

9/8/09, 9:51 AM	#2 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
sprinter25 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 547	No!!!! Parents cannot control their kids at all times...it's just asking for trouble. and think of the legal ramifications if a child were injured...or worse....

9/8/09, 10:29 AM	#3 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
sprintcar64 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 158	My two children are now 5 and 3 yrs. old and we have been taking them to LPS with us when we had the support there to help watch them for two years. LPS has a large pit area with the sprintcars parked in the rear of the pits with low pit traffic except when the sprints are running their races at which time the kids are in the stands watching. My point is if the facilites lend themselves to "safe conditions" and you have the support to watch the kids, then why not let them in the pits.

9/8/09, 11:03 AM	#4 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
55fan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 300	I have witnessed adults get hit in the pits. Why would you want your children there. Maybe Mike Wallace could tell you about young kids around moving race cars. And then you have some idiotic hotheaded drivers. They provide grandstands ajancent to the pits @ most tracks. Keep your kids there during racing activities.

9/8/09, 11:20 AM	#5 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
v8j Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 591	RACING is DANGEROUS!!!! and that being sayed keep them at home or in the stand. itis hard for adults to stay safe and out of harms way.use your head !

9/8/09, 11:29 AM	#6 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
ThrowbackRacingTeam Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 961	no kids that young should ever be allowed in the pits ,toter home or not. i can't believe any parent or track operator allows this. i got run over by a trailer once that cut the turn too close,broke my toes and sprained ankle,missed a week of work. if i had been a toddler i would have been killed. as a father of a 3 year old and racer myself i garauntee my son will not be in the pits for years to come. the ignorance of some people in this country makes me sick. we do not need this kind of irresponsibilty in our sport.it's bad enough they let 15 & 16 year olds run sprint cars on half miles where we've witnessed numerous serious injuries lately.

9/8/09, 11:51 AM	#8 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
Daboy Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 158	If you are not 18 do you not have to sign a wavier to race? So then if you are not 18 and not racing you do not get to go in the pits period. Just asking for trouble IMO.

9/8/09, 1:19 PM	#10 Re: Should toddlers be allowed in the pits during racing activity?
Jayne Fuller Posts: n/a	We have taken our 15 mth. old granddaughter into the pits with us while our son/her daddy races our sprint car. We have a stroller, and toys to keep her occupied and ear plugs for her ears. She is never out of anyone's sight....just like having a backyard swimming pool you must always be aware of what is going on. She knows his car and squeels with delight and waves as it goes by the stands. Driver's should never have the responsiblity while in the pits or on the race track to have to watch for children. If you are going to bring toddlers/young children in then you must RESPECT the dangers. Please don't put everyone into the same category.