quote:

Originally posted by Eman:
I guess the track let him keep racing and will continue to. So the question really becomes do you want to race at that track?

Well, they actually HAVE bracket racing, so there is that. Take care. Tom Worthington

I believe NHRA set precedent on that a few years back with yellow cars in S/G and S/C.

So we see multiple wrecks every year due to people locking up the brakes on 150+mph dragsters, but a kid locks up the brakes on a Cobalt he needs to be banned for a year?

quote:

Originally posted by Eman:
I guess the track let him keep racing and will continue to. So the question really becomes do you want to race at that track?

How do you think this should have been handled?

Let the punishment fit the crime. He wadded up his stuff and has to take that up with his parents and insurance company. If his parents said it was ok to continue, who are we to question that?

If we banned everyone who wrecked a car, there would be way fewer bracket racers out there.

Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson and will be more careful in the future.

25 replies and only 7 think that there should be consequences. I don't know if anyone from the track warned him, obviously his Dad let him jump right back into the dragster. If he had done this on the street and a cop responded, he would have been cited for reckless operation.

If we let people go without consequences, the same offenses will happen again (i.e. Anita Hill/Christine Ford).

quote:

Originally posted by Tom Reyer:
Let the punishment fit the crime. He wadded up his stuff and has to take that up with his parents and insurance company. If his parents said it was ok to continue, who are we to question that?

If we banned everyone who wrecked a car, there would be way fewer bracket racers out there.

Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson and will be more careful in the future.

First off he wadded up his car for doing something stupid that everybody but him knows you shouldn’t be doing. His insurance company isn’t gonna pay a dime on that car if they know he was on racetrack.
Second of all if he does it again I hope he collects some racer with the thinking you have along with the wall and not some racer who doesn’t know what an idiot he is or thought he should of been suspended.
I worked too hard for my stuff and won’t tolerate those kind idiots in the lane beside me.

quote:

Originally posted by Bucky:

quote:

Originally posted by Eman:
I guess the track let him keep racing and will continue to. So the question really becomes do you want to race at that track?

How do you think this should have been handled?

Track owner/operator should have had a private meeting in the tower with the driver. At that point the track owner/operator should make the call on whether the driver is permitted to continue racing or if he's done for the night. Now this is all based on a post on an internet forum. Has this driver and car owner had any prior situations? OP made it sound like nothing was done at all.

Why should they wait till he hurts somebody else or somebody else’s car before they punish him?
Imagine he does it again this week and kills somebody, just think what the lawsuit will be because he got away with it once already. And then you will be wondering why more safety gear is required and the price of admission went up.

quote:

Originally posted by green1:
First off he wadded up his car for doing something stupid that everybody but him knows you shouldn’t be doing.

Obvoiusly, he didn't know but he does now. We all learn by making mistakes. I bet he never does it again.

quote:

Originally posted by green1:
His insurance company isn’t gonna pay a dime on that car if they know he was on racetrack.

That's the point I was trying to make. Another learning / teaching experience for a young driver. You made a mistake, these are the consequences, learn from it.


I have been racing many years and seen a lot of things I don't agree with, way too many to list here. I race on a budget and spend a lot of time working on my junk too. I will be pretty damn upset if someone takes my out due to negligence. I make sure my stuff if safe for me and the guy in the other lane but things happen. Only way to keep my **** safe is to leave it home in the garage.

quote:

Originally posted by green1:
Why should they wait till he hurts somebody else or somebody else’s car before they punish him?
Imagine he does it again this week and kills somebody, just think what the lawsuit will be because he got away with it once already. And then you will be wondering why more safety gear is required and the price of admission went up.

What should the punishment be? Is there a track policy on wrecking a car and coming back there to race? I think we need to be careful about what we believe as fact from the details given here. And, I am quite sure that he won't slow a car like that again if it were true. So how much more learning can there be? Would it be better if a 20 year veteran of racing piled his car up due to a mistake? Just about every accident can be attributed to a mistake of some sort. Do we need to make sure every mistake is accounted for?

I really think part of the objection to this deal is everyone thinking this is some privileged kid who doesn't know sh1t from shinola in a race car. He hasn't paid his dues, nor maybe even for the cars he drives. The assumption is that it was all given to him and he doesn't deserve it. Maybe that assumption is correct. I probably deserve a kick in the a22 more than I deserve the race car I drive. I'm thankful we don't always get what we deserve!

Ok I admit I am an a22 for thinking a kid who couldn’t handle a 16 second cobalt shouldn’t have to serve some type of penalty b a$$uming above info to be true and that it’s ok after you pile up a real slow car to climb into a fast car and go right back at it. My fault I will buy him another cobalt to race.

quote:

Originally posted by green1:
Ok I admit I am an a22 for thinking a kid who couldn’t handle a 16 second cobalt shouldn’t have to serve some type of penalty b a$$uming above info to be true and that it’s ok after you pile up a real slow car to climb into a fast car and go right back at it. My fault I will buy him another cobalt to race.

Hey you know I wasn't calling you anything and you aren't the only one I am responding to. But really, did he pile up the dragster too? What is the path back to the driver's seat for someone who makes a mistake in judgement behind the wheel and makes the mistake of being honest about the mistake and taking responsibility for it? He could have blamed it on the car and nobody would have talked about it. But because it's a young racer and he has access to a dragster too, he's a privileged kid who is in over his head. Perhaps he is. But what exactly should the consequences be that insures that he is ready for driving when he is allowed on the track? Would we treat any other racer to the same consequences?

What did the track do, I don't think anyone ever said exactly if the track did anything.

quote:

Originally posted by cgall:
25 replies and only 7 think that there should be consequences. I don't know if anyone from the track warned him, obviously his Dad let him jump right back into the dragster. If he had done this on the street and a cop responded, he would have been cited for reckless operation.

If we let people go without consequences, the same offenses will happen again (i.e. Anita Hill/Christine Ford).

Problem is its not your call to make. Its the track own/Manager that would have to make that call. You have a choice not to race where that guy/kid races if you feel he may put you in danger..

I think the track should have probably told him that was unsafe and he is done for the day. If he ever does it again he is banned for a year.

But they did not and that is okay.

All that really matters here is that the kid learned a lesson and does not do it again and I think (Hope!) he learned his lesson.

So now if I was track owner and knowing that it was his fault for excessive braking then I would simply say I catch you excessive braking you are out and you do not get refund or anything you just get kicked out.

From here no use in beating a dead horse. Warn him and move on. Come down on him pretty hard if he does it again. IMHO.

Here is how I would have liked to see it handled because this is what happened to me.

I was running 1/4 mile and squeezed the brakes during eliminations in my Nova. Somehow, I accidentally locked the front brakes and the car darted toward the wall. I had my hands full. I got a lecture at the ET booth when I picked up my ticket. As I pulled away, the tech guy was waiting for me and stopped me (he is a buddy but he had a job to do.) When I got back to my pit, the tech guy and track operator came over to me with some harsh words. First and only warning, next time I lock the brakes I would be dis-qualified and kicked out of the track. I did not do it on purpose but it didn't matter to them.

In my defense, the rear brakes had failed on my car. I bought new calipers, rotors and brake lines for it the following week. When I got to the track, I explained to the tech guy and track operator what I found and apologized for the incident the previous week. They understood but let me know, if it happens again, I'm out.

Excessive braking is not how I race. Thank god I didn't take anyone out or wreck my car.