I am not a fan of pit parking. Truth is though, I’m probably not a fan of being told what to do about anything, but pit parking?

Actually, I do have a lot of respect for those in charge of showing us where and when to park, and on what line and how far up to pull in. But I just have a problem with the concept itself.

I discussed this with a track owner one time and his explanation was, “Racers will always take up more room than they need. Before long, there’s nowhere in the pits for parking.”

My only comment to that is… well maybe more than just one comment, “As racers and occasional weekend neighbors, I think we can all work pretty well with our neighbor. If a person needs an extra foot or so of pit space, I think we all do a pretty good job of working with one another.”

How many times have you pulled into a pit spot and been asked of our neighbor, “Do you have enough room?”

Naturally though too, the rigs we have today have increased in size yet pit areas haven’t.

I guess my idea is this: Point out that “here is the pit area. Find a place to park and let’s go racing.” If it turns out that pit space becomes a premium, then maybe you should have gotten here earlier. I know that may be some harsh words, but having to hire someone to show us where to park and how, seems like a waste of good money. My only real problem with that involves the saving of spaces.

Everybody likes to park near their friends, but saving what sometimes appears to be acreage next to them should not happen. If your friend is only several spots behind you in line, then okay, but when cones, chairs, flags are put up for friends probably not showing up for at least a day or so… NO! And in that case the track owner/official should have the right to immediately take down the aforementioned cones, chairs and flags.

There is one particular track on the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series tour where it appears that if you don’t show up there on a Monday or Tuesday prior to the weekend, you’re likely not going to find a pit space even within the track’s pit confines. The amount of pit saving has gotten out of hand. This may have a tendency to… shall I say piss off… certain people but it’s true. We should have some consideration for others.

Last week’s Blog got a little long but it was more of a tribute to an old friend. In the last week, we’ve also lost another old friend, Sam Biondo. This is getting be a recurring story, one I don’t think we all like, but.

Anyway, I’m going to “Blog out” for this week but as always let me know your thoughts.

Nothing worse than pulling into a track…worse if you aren’t familiar with it…and either driving around or leaving the rig and looking for available space on foot. Driving past empty spots blocked by cones and watchful eyes making sure you don’t take a saved spot. I would rather have someone parking us than endure that. As far as showing up early: well jobs and family and countless other obligations sometimes make us less able to do that than the retired crowd. Last I checked my money was taken at the gate and yes I do think that entitles me to at least a place to park and unload.

Pit parking is what I do for the NHRA national events. From my perspective saving pit spots is a waste of my time and energy and causes pit spots to be lost because of a lack of understanding by racers about how it all fits together. Our team has to walk the entire property and mark out pro and sportsman pit spaces which we then fill with race rigs to the best of our ability.
This we do at minimum wage ($7.25 hr in Indy next week.)
Granted, everyone has a plan when they come in the gate to park. When we have rain or bad weather things get difficult to say the least, and often tempers flare. Add to this the "space savers" who are trying to get the best spots by being there early and blocking out spots for someone who is hours away or getting there 1 or 2 days later.
Then, there are pit spaces saved by us for sponsored racers that are on a list given to us by NHRA national and division directors. I answer hundreds of questions from racers at every race about how and why certain racers get premium spots and still I try to do my best to give racers the best I can.
Got a problem with this?
If you want to save a spot you should only do it for a racer that is already in line to come in within the next hour or so. We understand family and teams want to be together but one guy saving 12 spots for late comers is a bogus deal and it often happens that their saved spot won't fit their buddy's rig when they do show up.
How am I supposed to manage this?
Just about everyone has a cell phone and a pit vehicle. you will be within a half mile of each other and maybe you'll make a new friend next weekend.
Try being positive and having fun at the races. It's the best way we enjoy the sport we all love.

quote:

Originally posted by double trouble:
Pit parking is what I do for the NHRA national events. From my perspective saving pit spots is a waste of my time and energy and causes pit spots to be lost because of a lack of understanding by racers about how it all fits together. Our team has to walk the entire property and mark out pro and sportsman pit spaces which we then fill with race rigs to the best of our ability.
This we do at minimum wage ($7.25 hr in Indy next week.)
Granted, everyone has a plan when they come in the gate to park. When we have rain or bad weather things get difficult to say the least, and often tempers flare. Add to this the "space savers" who are trying to get the best spots by being there early and blocking out spots for someone who is hours away or getting there 1 or 2 days later.
Then, there are pit spaces saved by us for sponsored racers that are on a list given to us by NHRA national and division directors. I answer hundreds of questions from racers at every race about how and why certain racers get premium spots and still I try to do my best to give racers the best I can.
Got a problem with this?
If you want to save a spot you should only do it for a racer that is already in line to come in within the next hour or so. We understand family and teams want to be together but one guy saving 12 spots for late comers is a bogus deal and it often happens that their saved spot won't fit their buddy's rig when they do show up.
How am I supposed to manage this?
Just about everyone has a cell phone and a pit vehicle. you will be within a half mile of each other and maybe you'll make a new friend next weekend.
Try being positive and having fun at the races. It's the best way we enjoy the sport we all love.

I don't envy your job but I do appreciate what you deal with. It gives me anxiety for a friend to say save me a spot because I know how I hate pulling in and seeing spots roped off where I would like to park.

I don't save spots for other racers if I can help it, but my peeve is when I get to the Hot Rod Reunion 2 days early, get set up, and then a spectator/crew member from 3 trailers away shows up on raceway to help a buddy, and asks if they can park in my pit spot because they are "out of room" in their pit area..

I am making my first trip to Indy next week. I am racing at Bowling Green and driving up on Monday. all I hear from everyone is what a complete cluster ***** parking at Indy is with 800 plus entries. Im am not worried about where I park, since I dont have a MH only thing I requiere is to be able to get my truck out to go to the hotel, hopefully that is not too much to ask for

quote:

I guess my idea is this: Point out that “here is the pit area. Find a place to park and let’s go racing.” If it turns out that pit space becomes a premium, then maybe you should have gotten here earlier.

That's easy to say when you have the ability to get there a few DAYS early to a race that starts Friday for Saturday. Thanks for your understanding of people with normal jobs that don't have 40 vacation days to spend parked at a track on a Wednesday waiting to race on Friday.

Thanks John, this is one of my pet peeves. I don't save spots for ANYONE and if a spot is roped off where I want to park I am not shy about parking there anyway. I also like it when the tracks park you because it stops those who think they are entitled from taking up way more room than they need or roping off spaces for their friends. The worst was parking in the rocks at VMP years ago while prime spots were empty because the track had rented them to local racers that weren't at this race. And there were lots of them. Sorry if you can't get there in time for a PRIME spot I to have been in that situation in the past but I have the nerve to take one of those roped off spots or head on out to the boon docks and make the best of it. But the best is having someone park everyone. I liked it at the New Years race the times I have gone both at Gainsville, PBIR, and a NHRA race at Zmax.

539 entries managed to park themselves almost as good as an RV dealership last year at the world's largest doorcar big money bracket race. We do it all again November 18-20.

If you guys saw, and experienced what we used to see at the national/international karting events I used to compete in, you would all lose your minds. A detailed pit map was submitted to the promoter/sanctioning body, including dimensions of trailer/rig/actual pit space needed, all with the knowledge you were PAYING PER SQUARE FOOT for the space you utilized. RV's were NOT allowed in the pits, they were parked in a separate area specified for RV's, tow vehicles were not allowed in the pits either.

Saving spots, regardless of where, or when your "companions" are arriving, is complete bulls@#t...I understand not everyone can be there when stacking/pit parking starts.

Having a 2nd RV/motorhome/toter taking up valuable and sometimes needed parking within the pits needs to be stopped as well. If you aren't hooked to a trailer, with a vehicle in competition (not pulling your lawn and garden trailer and golf cart) you park outside the pits, or in spectator parking areas.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian McHattie:
If you guys saw, and experienced what we used to see at the national/international karting events I used to compete in, you would all lose your minds. A detailed pit map was submitted to the promoter/sanctioning body, including dimensions of trailer/rig/actual pit space needed, all with the knowledge you were PAYING PER SQUARE FOOT for the space you utilized. RV's were NOT allowed in the pits, they were parked in a separate area specified for RV's, tow vehicles were not allowed in the pits either.

Saving spots, regardless of where, or when your "companions" are arriving, is complete bulls@#t...I understand not everyone can be there when stacking/pit parking starts.

Having a 2nd RV/motorhome/toter taking up valuable and sometimes needed parking within the pits needs to be stopped as well. If you aren't hooked to a trailer, with a vehicle in competition (not pulling your lawn and garden trailer and golf cart) you park outside the pits, or in spectator parking areas.

Oh boy. i have to laugh at that one. Did WKA for 10 years. Organized Pit parking. It Would be a Cold Day in ***. Mad dash including running over other peoples ****. lol

Map ??? Whats that? Ran 100 cc pipe.

Fancy driving here lol. No dirt for me. Asphalt..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63G-pIinmqU

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TD3550,

I also struggle with small local tracks that have an annual or big weekend long event but they aren't clear if their locals (who may not come) still have saved spots or if it's open parking.

Beacon is having a Labor Day Weekend event and it says "Open Parking" and I appreciate the good communication.

quote:

Having a 2nd RV/motorhome/toter taking up valuable and sometimes needed parking within the pits needs to be stopped as well. If you aren't hooked to a trailer, with a vehicle in competition (not pulling your lawn and garden trailer and golf cart) you park outside the pits, or in spectator parking areas.

Amen to that!

Raced SKUSA pro tour for 6 years, Florida Winter Tour for about the same and they were the ones charging per Sq.Ft. for pit space. WKA you paid for a certain size space (10x30, 20x40....etc) but not per Sq.Ft. I ran the 125cc single speed class TaG Masters.

quote:

Originally posted by TD3550:

quote:

Originally posted by Brian McHattie:
If you guys saw, and experienced what we used to see at the national/international karting events I used to compete in, you would all lose your minds. A detailed pit map was submitted to the promoter/sanctioning body, including dimensions of trailer/rig/actual pit space needed, all with the knowledge you were PAYING PER SQUARE FOOT for the space you utilized. RV's were NOT allowed in the pits, they were parked in a separate area specified for RV's, tow vehicles were not allowed in the pits either.

Saving spots, regardless of where, or when your "companions" are arriving, is complete bulls@#t...I understand not everyone can be there when stacking/pit parking starts.

Having a 2nd RV/motorhome/toter taking up valuable and sometimes needed parking within the pits needs to be stopped as well. If you aren't hooked to a trailer, with a vehicle in competition (not pulling your lawn and garden trailer and golf cart) you park outside the pits, or in spectator parking areas.

Oh boy. i have to laugh at that one. Did WKA for 10 years. Organized Pit parking. It Would be a Cold Day in ***. Mad dash including running over other peoples ****. lol

Map ??? Whats that? Ran 100 cc pipe.

Fancy driving here lol. No dirt for me. Asphalt..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63G-pIinmqU