Museum Spotlight

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MIC DROP

By Kelley Carlton

GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT

AS OF LATE, there has been much chatter about the lack of respect that has been exhibited on the racetrack over the last several months. It seemed to go into hyperdrive during Speedweeks this year – particularly at East Bay. Things got so wild that you had veteran guys like Tim McCreadie expressing exasperation about the inability to handle this type of disrespect as it may have been handled in a former time.

As McCreadie so eloquently pointed out, losing one’s front teeth was a triedand-true method of demanding (and usually receiving) respect. However, the dirt racing world has become a much more sponsor-aware and politically correct sport at the upper levels. Throwing hands with someone just is not an option like it once was. If you take matters into your own hands now you will end up with a lap full of trouble from both the sanctioning body and/ or racetrack. Then there is also all the potential legal implications that are common now.

For me personally, it was disturbing to see and hear some of the fury and vitriol that several guys expressed verbally and even physically on the track. Maybe the thing that bothered me most was the total lack of forethought of consequences related to using their 2,300-pound missiles as a means of retaliation. Perhaps it is a generational thing, but I do not get that at all. Under yellow there are just too many things going on that can turn that into a really bad situation. I realize that some of it can be chalked up to the heat of the moment but some of it, well, just was plain not good use of common sense. We all know that things happen in a split second in this sport. One official trying to get out. One hung throttle. One insert horror story here.

Many of these guys are racing for a living and the only way to substitute getting hit in the mouth now is to get hit in the wallet.

As innocuous as Tyler Erb’s glancing blow on Mason Ziegler after the checkers of an East Bay heat race was, it held the potential to be much more. You can what-if any situation to death but in the case of a sport that is inherently dangerous, those what-ifs can very easily happen. The Lucas Oil Series took immediate and appropriate action to park Erb for the night. And while it might not be popular with some fans, it was absolutely the right thing to do. Many of these guys are racing for a living and the only way to substitute getting hit in the mouth now is to get hit in the wallet.

Of course, in some cases, the hit in the wallet does not seem to matter either. I know Chase Junghans fairly well and I do believe that his comments about destroying cars were said completely in anger. However, I also believe there must be a shift away from that mindset, especially in a moment of anger. There is just no good that can come from it. In this sport, a bad decision in a moment of anger could cause someone to be seriously injured or even killed. That is something that none of us that love this sport can afford to happen.

I am just a race who gets to work in the sport I love. I do not know what the best way to fix it is. But racers must find a way to put the idea of personal responsibility first. Be respectful of others’ equipment and more importantly their health. Drive others how you want to be driven. Find a way to suppress the need to get revenge. Get your head on right before you get in the car. And, as my dad used to tell me, “just don’t be an asshole”. Otherwise maybe us promoters should just set up boxing rings in the infield to handle it afterwards. I am sure some would stay and pay to see that show. Hmmmm.

A BJ Parker disciple, Carlton serves as the Director of the Ultimate Series and is the race director at the Gateway Dirt Nationals and the Wild West Shootout. Carlton serves on the Board of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. He is a father of one daughter (Katie).

museum

SPOTLIGHT

The infamous Mechanical Rabbit resides at the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska. The 150,000 square foot museum opened in 1992.

www.museumofamericanspeed.com

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Part of what makes dirt track racing great is its rich history. We want to pay tribute to those who keep a watchful eye on the history of our favorite sport by highlighting the museums across the country.

THE MECHANICAL RABBIT

Joe Saldana and Don Brown built a radical roadster-sprint car for the 1967 season and Saldana was completely dominant on the outlaw circuit. He set and reset the track record at Knoxville, Iowa, and only a broken left rear wheel kept him from winning the Knoxville Nationals. Saldana continued his winning ways in 1968 and 1969. At the conclusion of the 1969 season, he sold the car to Jim Mahoney. In 1971, Mahoney hired Jon Backlund to drive the roadster and he won the BCRA title in the car. (Leroy Byers Photo)

RESTORATION

The car bounced around the Midwest for several year until coming into the possession of “Speedy” Bill Smith of Speedway Motors in Lincoln, Nebraska. It sat in his warehouse for nearly 20 years before Bill struck a deal with Mark Randol and John Layne to restore it in 2007. With technical help from Greg Weld, who drove one of two other Mechanical Rabbits, Randol and Layne did a superb joe of restoring the car to its former glory. (Bob Mays photo)

catalog

CALL OUT

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