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2001
NEWS ARCHIVE
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Please
Visit Florida Stock Car Racing Sponsors!
by Rick Anges
I can remember as a kid going to the racetrack, it was always an exciting time for me. Pulling into the parking lot and hearing the roar of the motors, the smell of food cooking in the concession stands. Getting to our seats we would see the cars flashing by the grandstands.
One of the things that was always a thrill for me was being able to see the cars right there in the center of the track where the PITS were. It was perhaps the closest most of us would get, especially the younger ones in the crowd, to watching the inner workings of what it took to get the cars ready to do battle.
You could see the drivers and crews changing tires, working under the hoods or just mingling amongst each other before each race. But this was also when everyone towed their racers on open trailers behind the pick-up truck or the family station wagon.
You could see the whole race track, all four turns and the front and back stretch without much intrusion except maybe the occasional light pole or the lady with the big hat in front of you that keep standing up and screaming when her husband was bumped coming out of turn two. All that has changed.
The all mighty “Haulers” have made their way into the racing scene. A machine that can carry everything from two racecars to a complete machine shop. Some of these monsters are over fourteen feet high and at a lot of tracks are used by spotters or just spectators as place to watch the goings on the track.
This is all well and good on say a 2.5-mile racetrack with seats extending 4 to 5 stories in the air but for the average Saturday night short track show? NO! When these rigs are parked in the infield they become a distraction to paying customers in the stands, “The Fans”.
The cost of racing has ballooned over the years not only for the competitors but the average person who parks his or her rear-end in those stands every race night. I can see the need for these huge race shops on wheels for the traveling racers who need to carry every part or tool available to make the racing from track to track a little easier.
But for the tracks that park these monsters in the infields of race tracks its not fair for the people for whom this whole deal is being done for and are to often forgotten about, yes again the fans. If it wasn’t for these people who come to the track to watch why bother doing it? The sponsors wouldn’t spend a dime if they didn’t think anyone was watching.
Most tracks have enough room to park the rigs on the outside of the tracks. Teams that have these haulers also usually have war wagons that have everything needed to work on the cars.
If they need more then use the four-wheeler or pick up truck to run out and get what’s needed. Fans want to watch the cars race, not look at what brought them to the track. So for the tracks across the country that still have infield pits, give your fans a break and park the haulers and motor homes outside of track. You’ll have a have a happier bunch of fans that will come back for more racing!
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