WEATHER AND RACERS

This is the strangest season so far. I cannot remember the weather wreaking so much havoc in two months of racing. The IHRA events have been killed by rainouts and we just discussed NHRA's nightmare at Gainesville. Travel to and from washed out races has been hazardous at best. Snow storms in the East and we are in a drought here in Iowa. The most snow we have had (until last night) was 3 inches. We usually receive several storms packing 6 inches or more of that "white stuff."

I just returned from the NHRA National Open in St. Louis. Saturday was sunny but cool (55-60 degrees). But the forecast basically told us to load up to go home on Sunday. Knowing the weather guys are always wrong, we stayed and sure enough this time they were right. Thirty-five degrees Sunday morning and raining. So much for that race. Then the fun part started. We head North to Iowa and if you have never had the opportunity to tow a 28-foot long, 10-foot tall trailer behind a 38-foot motor home with 30-35 mph Easterly side winds. . .MAN, YOU JUST AIN"T LIVED YET! Talk about reaction time testing! If you are a couple hundredths late with your steering wheel reaction you just changed lanes! Seems to make a 400-mile trip seem like on 1500 miles or so!

For all your sakes, I hope the weather gets straightened out. I mean, if it is going to rain or be nasty it has all week to do that, but save the weekends for FUN WEATHER!

JR. DRAGSTERS: LOVE 'EM OR LEAVE 'EM?

I have been contemplating a story on my opinion about Jr. Dragsters for almost two years now. My opinion has changed about them, the young drivers, and even the parents who own them about a million times. I have come to some conclusions that I believe would make it a more viable part of our sport without all the friction I see. Here are some changes that I think should be implemented and why I think so.

1. Put mufflers on them. NOW! MAKE IT A RULE! If my S/Comp car is required to have them, the Juniors should have them. Nothing is more irritating than the sound of a one-cylinder Briggs and Stratton being revved up and down for five minutes for no apparent reason except to hear it run on the workbench it sits on. If you have no muffler maybe there should be a Jr. Dragster parking area. O.K. that's idea #1. Put unmufflered Jr. Dragsters in their own "NOISE PIT." As far as I am concerned it could be next to the real race cars with no mufflers.
2. How about their own race day or race times. I still am not convinced they need to be at a race where real cars are participating with licensed drivers. If they came earlier or ran after the regular program maybe that would be better. I realize most tracks want the income they get off entry fees and adult pit passes for the Jr. Dragsters. I have no problem with that but I think they would have more participants and their own following if they weren't "lost " among the full size cars.
3. I still worry, like all former track owners, about the liability issues with minors driving pit vehicles and the Jr. Dragsters around the pit area. I KNOW most of them are doing it according to the rules and doing it right. That still doesn't mean a door car with a big scoop could not run right over a Jr. by accident.
4. I think the tracks that have a very strong Jr. Dragster program should pave a section of their parking lot or build a new, narrower, shorter track that is scaled correctly for this class. You don't see quarter midgets running on half mile ovals.
5. I also think the Jr. Dragster program is a terrific place to teach young men and women the skills and some tradition about our sport. But what I see more and more are kids being yelled at or dad throwing his hat after the youngster red-lights or doesn't stage exactly right. I haven't seen parents that act like this do much racing themselves and they make it hard for me to watch. Hey, I get mad at myself for stupid mistakes when I race but at least I have a reason to get mad -- I screwed up. The parents who act like it is a tragedy if the kid loses should be banned immediately and the kid can still race but the parent cannot come out of the staging lanes for the rest of the event.
6. Some parents are doing it RIGHT! I watched a parent this weekend at St. Louis that showed never-ending patience with his two kids who were racing. How to check the tire pressures, procedures for getting the cars ready and letting the kids do it themselves. If they wandered off, like a good kid should (!), he just patiently waited for their return and then explained what they forgot to do and why it is important. Showed them how to hook it up to tow it, told them why it had to be hooked up that way. He had a lot of patience and I wish others did the same. I have seen a lot of parents who actually keep the kids away. The parent tells them the engine is to EXPENSIVE for them to mess with and the clutch can only be setup by the parent. Hell, seems to me it's the parent's racecar but he is forced to let a kid drive it! WRONG WAY TO DO IT in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I support the Jr. Dragster racers 100 percent; it is some of the parents and some track owners I have issues with. I started my racing out on single engine go-karts. No pressure, just go out and run that oval as fast as you could. Then my dad started getting hung up on competing with other parents on who had the fastest cart. Bigger engines, tires, flexible frames and, worst of all, instead of encouragement all of us kids got INSTRUCTIONS on how to win. Please, even at 10 years old I knew more about winning than most of the parents. Most of us quit or our parent did when they figured they couldn't buy the latest trickest part. I have always liked racing ANYTHING, but when I look back that will always be the first time I watched parents ruin it for some young people. When I see $12,000 Jr. Dragsters it brings back some haunting memories.

THINK ABOUT IT, is the Jr. Dragster program you have your child in for THEM or for YOU?

I hope your season gets off to good start this month. I also hope the weekend weather gets situated so we can all enjoy the FREEDOM of racing. That FREEDOM is provided by the brave U.S. Military that defends our FREEDOMS. God Bless America, God Bless our young men and women in the Armed Forces and I hope to meet you some day while enjoying the FREEDOMS we are blessed with!

jok@racingnetsource.com

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