As a dirt track official for many years, I worked for owners and promoters who were on both sides of this debate. The rule of "Stop on the track, go to the back" made life easier for everyone officiating. It was definitive and easy to defend. Making judgement calls on "stopping to avoid" and "taking out" another car required much more attention and was cause to more controversy. It was worth the effort to the greater majority of our group of track officials to closely scrutinize the racing and make the tough calls. We were always uncomfortable with a rule that seemed to promote "driving through a wreck".

Before I step off my soapbox, may I remind the fans and racers that track officials are people just like you who love racing and make human mistakes. Racers who are former race officials generally have a much more forgiving attitude when they disagree with an on track "call".