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Okay, folks...
First, one guy stated an opinion on his own website, and all of a sudden it is a flamewar with aspersions being cast and motives questioned here. What the hell is wrong with this forum that a man's opinion given somewhere else threatens someone to the degree that people start insulting each other?
For the record, I know Sean Buckley and Tim Clauson very well. Sean I've known for 10 years, Tim, for over 20. To compare the two in terms of knowledge and passion for the sport of sprint and midget racing is ludicrous. Both are die hard fans of our beloved past time, and both have a better understand of what is going on than most. While I do not agree with Sean completely here, he has a right to his opinion. I think the thing that stuck in his craw so much about the night was the $65 pit pass. That is a ridiculous amount of money to spend to get into the area where they work on the cars. Anyone who says otherwise is motivated by greed, or insanity. I've been saying it for the past couple years, that this race has become more like a Hollywood Premiere than an actual auto racing event.
Do I like the Turkey Night Grand Prix appearing on pavement? Not really. I would much rather see it run at Perris Auto Speedway or some reasonable facsimile. Alas, this race is too much of a money maker for it EVER to be moved. And make no mistake, people. The promoters and organizers of this event are all about that.
However, that all said, I wish to say how thoroughly pleased I was that Dave Darland won the 67th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. We teased him in victory lane that he had run them all, but the truth is, the guy has been trying to win this race for a very long time. When it moved to pavement permanently, the odds became longer, as we all know Dave is not exactly a pavement specialist. But Kelly Drake and the boys gave Dave the perfect race car, and he won the race going away. Good for Dave! It was a very popular victory by a very popular driver. I know I couldn't be happier for him.
As for the rest of the racing, I found the battle from 2nd to 5th to be very enjoyable all race long. Tim Clauson is right, the slide jobs and the cross overs between some of the best midget racers of the past decade were fantastic. There was only a short period of time before the first (and only) caution that things got spread out and no racing was to be found. But, once they bunched up and started going at it, it was a full on knock down, drag out war for 2nd - 5th. They went green flag over the final 58 laps and the action was constant! I really enjoyed that.
But, I digress...Bottom line is, I just don't understand why some people on this board are so threatened by the opinions of others. It's like this place is some sort of alternate universe or something, where common sense, and most importantly, common courtesy is thrown out the window anytime a debate starts. Why? We all love this sport. What are we fighting about?
And finally, I know for a fact that Sean Buckley would never say that he "knows the ins and outs" more than Tim Clauson ever could. Sean is a pretty humble guy, and doesn't think he is any better than anyone else. He just does what he does. These words should not be attributed to him in the slightest. Because, that's complete and utter nonsense. Both Sean and Tim have been positive contributors to this sport, more so than most. Each deserve a certain amount of courtesy and respect for their efforts. PERIOD.
DM - "That's all I have to say about that" - Tom Hanks, 'Forrest Gump'
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