USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLATIONS
 

9/2/14 4:07 PM PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLATIONS

http://usacracing.com/news/silver-cr...own-violations

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PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLATIONS;

BYRNE MAKES DIRT DEBUT SUNDAY AT SPRINGFIELD

The United States Auto Club today announced penalties assessed to three Silver Crown teams for violations during Sunday’s “Ted Horn 100” at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.

The #66 Hardy Boys entry driven by race winner Shane Cockrum was fined $300 and nine car entrant points, while the #77 Chris Urish entry and the #98 Fred Gormly entry driven by Jerry Coons Jr. were each fined $100 and three car entrant points.

The penalties were levied as a result of violations of USAC red-flag competition procedures regarding pit personnel over the wall prior to the issuance of the starter’s white flag signifying an “open” pit.

In other series news, David Byrne, who became USAC’s 100th different Silver Crown race winner with his July 24 “J.D. Byrider 100” victory at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind., will make his series debut on dirt in this Sunday’s “Tony Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

Byrne, of Shullsburg, Wisc., will pilot the Truck Country/Bytec Beast/Toyota in the race which was rescheduled for this Sunday after having been rained out August 16.

Byrne’s three Silver Crown appearances this year have all produced “top-10” finishes. He was third at Indianapolis in May and 10th at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. in June.

Sunday’s Springfield timetable has registration starting at 7 am and practice at 10, followed by qualifying and the 100-lap race.

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Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

They (USAC) must have SELECTIVE vision????

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Sounds like a real good way to increase the car count, get picky! I know rules are rules, but don't ya think sometimes there are just TOO MANY! Bob

Rules are rules and I'm sure that they were covered in the drivers meeting. Everyone wanted penalties for drivers exiting their cars under caution and this is the same deal, the track gets opened under a red after they feel it is safe to enter the raceway. The fines have been assessed and everyone will know better for the next race now.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Originally Posted by TQ29m:
Sounds like a real good way to increase the car count, get picky! I know rules are rules, but don't ya think sometimes there are just TOO MANY! Bob

Don't ya think they are there for a reason?

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

The way I read it, they were fined for too many people over the wall, under a RED flag, no cars were moving on the track, I'd like to hear from the people fined, as to their understanding of the penalties, and the conditions under which they were meted out, I understand the rule, just can't justify it under the conditions, and supposedly trying to revive a big mistake, by going to a super car, that no one liked to begin with, and leaving many teams with a car that was very unpopular, or 2, wouldn't, under the conditions, a warning have been sufficient? Just sayin! Bob

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

They were fined for working on their cars on a closed red. Can't do that.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

That makes more sense than the way Usac explained it, guess I'll have to refer to Kellen Conover for the details! Bob

I got a $50,000 penalty for marrying the wrong woman once! I think I got off pretty well !

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Originally Posted by sprint29:
They were fined for working on their cars on a closed red. Can't do that.

The article clearly states that they were fined for team personnel going over the wall before the official declared it an "open red". It says nothing about them being penalized for working on a car during a red nor does it say anything about to "too many" people going over the wall.

Sure Bob, there was a rule broken and a fine assessed accordingly. From what I've seen it appears to be a much bigger issue to others than it was the actual team involved.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

:44:

Nothing wrong with fines and point deductions for safety violations. Trying to avoid another tragedy!

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

I am not saying I agree or disagree with this ruling or is this directed at anyone or team. BUT I know that when we have a red flag our crew chief always reminds us not to get on the track or advance towards our car until the white flag is waved. And he always is talking about other rules during different times of the race.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

JUST AN OBSERVATION FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN (Please keep that in mind)...............


Rules are rules. If you have them, enforce them. They may bite me today, they may bite you tomorrow, but over the course of a season they will have the intended effect and it usually works out even for everyone (little tid bit Scott Benic told me once).

That being said, the one issue with enforcing them is even though there is a publication that lists the "Rules," there is not a publication that lists the "penalties" for breaking those "rules." So that leaves it up to someone's discretion and that rarely works out fair in the eyes of "everyone" involved.



My observation for the situation is:

Cockrum is leading the race, his guys jump over the wall and work on the car during a closed Red. Maybe they didn't do anything that changed the outcome of the race, maybe they did. That is for someone else's discretion to declare. Cockrum restarts and wins the race. He also receives a hefty check for the win (a check I would gladly take a small monetary fine out of any day over receiving a smaller one).

Tracy is running second. His guys/gal do not cross over the wall during the closed Red flag situation. Somewhere in the last 5 laps, Tracy runs out of fuel/car starts to sputter and lose power. He loses several positions. As a result he lost quite a bit of money in race earnings and he also lost points. Losing money sucks when you do this for a living. Losing points was a big deal considering Swanson didn't have a great finish and the Championship race has been relatively close all year long. (If you don't already know, there is a big difference in MONEY between first place and second place in the Championship). So there is a possibility Tracy could end up losing twice on the money side of it.


Not sure how USAC should have handled it, I don't work there...........If you are in Hardy Boys shoes, it wasn't that big of a deal, simple mistake. If I were them, I would be happy with my win, small fine and a points loss in a chase that I am not in contention for anyways.

If you are in Tracy's shoes, at a minimum it cost him 3 points in the championship and money in winnings. He has lost a midget championship by 1 point before. Just proves that every point counts.


Enforcing the rules is enforcing the rules. It doesn't matter what the rule/offense is. If you are not allowed on the track during a red flag, then you aren't allowed on the track. If you aren't allowed to touch/work on the car, then you aren't allowed. Period. It is fairly black and white isn't it? Crossing the wall is no different than adding fuel or changing a tire. Right?

I can remember being at the Night Before the 500 a few years back and during a "open red" someone took a jack out on the track. It was stated in the drivers meeting that you couldn't do that. (I believe it was Cole Carter) USAC put him to the back and ended what looked like was going to be a good finish for the driver because a "Rule" was broken.

"IF"
You put Cockrum to the back for the restart, he still restarts like what 12th? With 9 laps to go? With a good car? Still has a shot to salvage a good finish. Tracy still runs out of fuel and two guys get by him, but finishes 3rd and has 3 more points and more money.

USAC wouldn't have 10 teams complaining, they would have one team complaining. And the one team complaining would be able to at least know that they did something outside the rules. Doesn't matter how far over the line.

Seems like precedent would have been set on infractions in the past (sometime over at least 50 years), but they do have a new leader for the crown division. Maybe he wanted to do it his own way.


Either way, Congrats to Cockrum and Hardy Boys. They have the check and the trophy and most fans won't remember anything about the race except that!

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Folks,

I guess I look at the penalties handed out in more of a "punishment to fit the crime" perspective. The difficult thing the officials have to decide is whether the "crime" has a strong potential of changing the complexion of the race, thereby deciding the outcome. We all, including those officiating, want the race to be won by the racer on the race track. Unless the offense is obviously aggregious, the officials try desperately to refrain from letting the decisions they are forced to make in the heat of the moment take the race outcome out of the racer's hands. From my perspective, I'm not sure how much "advantage" was gained by getting over the wall 30-60 seconds before the red was opened, so I have no objection to the call to continue the race as it was and hand out punishment later.

Just my perspective.

Tim Simmons

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

The red was never opened during the disputed time. Kuhn is correct in his thinking.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

How do you get a penalty for going over the wall prior to the white flag being displayed for an open red if the white flag was not displayed and the red was never open? How do you hand out different penalties for the same infraction? There is no way to determine how much of an advantage was gained by the amount of people or the time spent at the car (a turn here and a few pounds of air and maybe they went faster, maybe Levi wins if they do not touch the car, maybe Levi wins if he works on his?)...I am sure that there are lots of teams that would spend a few $ to gain an advantage....

Not to take anything away from the team that won...good for you...a 1st time winner is good for the sport!

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Did anybody actually see what happened I did because I was sitting in the bleachers across from Shane Cockrum's car when the violations happened. From what I saw ( am know expert and don't pretend to be) when the red came out one of his crew members for some reason went to take the hood off but was chased back across the guardrail by another crew member. For some reason there were no Usac officials anywhere in the vicinity of the cars stopped on the track they came rolling up later!!

The hood was coming off.they went out and fixed the hood. And he was backing up to Tracy. Then after the restart he took back off and pulled away. Seen it all and was the worst call I have ever seen in all my years in the sport,still can't believe it.

Re: USAC: PENALTIES ASSESSED FOR DuQUOIN SILVER CROWN VIOLAT
 

Rules are rules...if you don't like them..don't race with them. Or how about reading the rule book before you go to the track.