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Sometimes I Wonder, Why?

Wendell Scott and Darrell Wallace Jr. are linked together by many things in life, including passion, determination, history and now after this past Saturday, success.

Darrell Wallace Jr, or Bubba as many know him is 20 years old, and a gifted individual who loves to drive race cars in NASCAR. Wendell Scott was also very gifted and determined, competing in NASCAR back in the 1960’s. He took his first and only win in 1964 at the Jacksonville 200.

 Bubba Wallace this past Saturday in Martinsville, Virginia won his first ever Camping World Truck Series event, driving for another gifted and determined individual, Kyle Busch. Both Busch and Wallace drive for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Earlier this year, at the opening race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, candidate Danica Patrick won the pole for the Great American Race. Patrick’s feat was extraordinary because not many rookies have been able to accomplish this feat in the history of NASCAR.

These feats of greatness have been and are celebrated in the national media as being special. But, why are they special?

NASCAR makes these feats special with their media and marketing departments touting the cause of diversity. Darrell Wallace Jr. is black, as was Wendell Scott. Danica Patrick is obviously female.

The national media was abuzz with headlines: Darrell Wallace Jr. makes NASCAR history with victory. (USA Today) Darrell Wallace Jr. hopes to pave way for other African-American drivers after historic win. (The Sporting News) and Darrell Wallace Jr. sets NASCAR milestone. (Al Jazeera) Yes Al Jazeera the network from Qatar.

The NASCAR marketing machine is full throttle getting this story out about Bubba Wallace and their “Drive to Diversity Program” to the media as it was when Danica won the pole at Daytona.

The problem is when it comes to motorsports as a whole and diversity, NASCAR is a day late and a dollar short.

In actuality, the NHRA is the tip of the spear when it comes to diversity, the problem is they really do not pound their chest about it, or the national media does not give it a great deal of credence.

The deal is the NHRA is so diverse it does not need a program to promote it.  Drag Racing has had female world champions Shirley Muldowney (Three times); Angelle Sampey (three times); and Jackie Alley. Latino world champions, Tony and Cruz Pedregon,( both have done it twice) and a black world champion Antron Brown.  Antron Brown won his first Top Fuel World Championship in 2012 and has two race wins in 2013.  These people were not just race winners, but winners of season long championships in both professional and sportsman categories’.

In 2008 Lewis Hamilton, won the F1 Drivers World Championship and continues to be perennial race winner on the F1 circuit.  In 2012, he took the victory at the first annual US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas.

My question is this, why in 2013 if we live in a country where everybody is equal (supposedly) then why would a person’s skin color or gender even brought up when we talk about racers winning races or championships.

Why can’t we just say that Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr, took his first ever Camping World Truck Series win at Martinsville. 

 Wallace is very talented, aligned with a great organization in Joe Gibbs Racing, and is destined for greatness. This kid will be a star in NASCAR in the future.

Why quantitatively classify this by putting race into the mix?  For ratings, for hits on websites? 

I feel we need just to talk about the talent of the driver, or crew chief, or crewmember. Why do we even need to bring race or gender into the equation?  I can guaran-damn-tee  you that the race car has no clue what race, creed, sex, or religion the person is working on it, or driving it. Nor does it care. 

So neither should we.  Congratulations to Bubba Wallace Jr, racecar driver on your win at Martinsville.

Radford Returns to the Pro Mod Wars.

Dennis Radford

Radford Returns to the Pro Mod Wars.                      

Veteran Pro Mod driver Dennis Radford will return to the NHRA Pro Mod Series driving a second IDG back 2013 Chevy Camaro. Radford’s return will take place at the 13th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals, October 24-27, 2013 at The Strip of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Radford who has taken a sabbatical from driving to concentrate on his business interests and over see his wife Judy, racing endeavors.

Radford still holds the fifth fastest speed ever recorded by a nitrous pro mod at 243.94 mph at Charlotte, North Carolina in 2011.

“I am looking forward to getting back into the seat of a great car prepared by Rickie Smith with the backing of IDG”, stated Radford from his home in Baker City, Oregon.

 IDG is the Market Leader for Industrial Distribution and Supply Chain Solutions.

Is there room for common sense in Pro Mod racing.

This week’s blog has to deal with safety in drag racing. I have and always will be a big proponent for safety, safety equipment and rules that promotes safety.

The focus is on the class of Pro Mod. The past two NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series races have seen two devastating crashes.  These two events along with crashes that have taken place at ADRL, XDRL, and other independent Pro Mod races along with some Top Sportsman racers. This also includes the crashes that took the life of two racers.

Why is the occurring?  I have many contacts with in the Pro Mod community and I spoke with some of them about these occurrences.  I had a suspicion to the cause of these accidents. However, to my surprise the response I got was not what I completely expected.

The consensus of these drivers and crew chiefs that I spoke with the cause of these incidents were attributed to two different factors.  Lack of down force and OHS.I will explain OHS later.

Speaking with a couple of drivers they said that first off there is a lack of down force on these cars, as in many instances on the pro stock cars. One driver told me  “These cars need to run more wing in them, but if you do that it slows the car down, so they (driver) trim it out to get the car faster.”  The lack of down force will make the car faster as long as it is in the grove and can stay stuck, but once it gets out of the grove the lack of down force and traction makes the cars skate around.

When I asked the crew chiefs if the speeds were too fast for cars with suspension?  To a man, they said no. Technology has made suspension cars more stable. Many of the pro mod cars do not run the electronic shocks; most have gone to the Penske shock package that seems to make the car more forgiving.

So what is the other contributing factor?  A very grizzly Army warrior explained it to me many years ago when I served in the Army, he called it OHS. So what is OHS?  Operator Head Space, according to this Army warrior is, and I will edit it somewhat. It is when an individual’s posterior overloads their capacity of their cranial cavity. Lack of common sense.

One of the drivers stated it somewhat in the same vernacular. “ When drivers, drive over their heads that is when they get into trouble. Another crew chief stated  that “ It is hard sometimes to get it through their ( a drivers) heads that if the cars starts moving around, just shove the clutch in and come back to fight another day.”

This same crew chief stated that “ The competition has gotten so tough that if the car doesn’t make a perfect run that it doesn’t make sense to try and pedal the car to save a run.”  He went on to say “ is it really worth that $1000.00 in round money to risk wadding up a $120,000.00 dollars race car?”

However, all of these arguments make sense, but racers will be racers and when these drivers get into the cars their only thought is to get to the other end under power no matter what. I have personally seen this attitude develop from the time the driver steps into the car till they get out at the other end. It is like a thousand meter stare. “I will do almost everything to get the car to the finish line.”

Therefore, we know racers will be racers and some of them will put their brains into neutral when they go down the racetrack. It is how they are wired. So is there anything which would assist drivers in having better control of the car or do something to the cars to help the drivers if the car gets into trouble.

I think so. First, the sanctioning bodies need to work with car builders and racers to come up with a rear wing and front air dam package to make the cars more aero-stable.  Therefore, when the cars start to move around out of the grove it will help the driver to get control of the car. However, many drivers and crew chiefs say that aero really does not start to effect the cars till about the 1/8 mile.  Which is what the ADRL, XDRL and other outlaw bodies run on.

 The other thing is that since the NHRA has no problem taking other ideas that NASCAR has come up with, and bend it into something that will help the NHRA.

 The NHRA should take the NASCAR idea of roof flaps and makes those mandatory on all Pro Mods, Pro Stock and Top Sportsman cars. Therefore, when the cars get turned around as the air gets under the rear wing and tries to lift the car, the roof flaps will help fight that tendency. I would use the Gen Six style roof flats as they have a larger surface area and the small “parachute” side areas on the flaps.

The final thing is that maybe drivers need to step back and evaluate their situations. If the car starts doing something silly, shove the clutch in. It is one thing to wreck your own stuff , but it is another to wreck your opponents stuff in your moment of stupidity.

These are suggestions and I would gladly love to hear what others have to say about this.

I just hate seeing race cars tore up and more so, drivers hurt or even killed over a lack of for common sense, and driving over their heads. No I am not calling for a nanny state, but I am calling for an injection of common sense.