enzfer, with what you are writing, then it also becomes drivers responsibility to be safe.
I have to say that I feel bad for all parties involved. We know what it is like having to put a clip on you car due to poor judgement of another driver.
BUT. We have had the flagman wave our car onto the track when there is no way in he’ll my car could pull out and blend in. I don’t care when a flagman is telling my car to pull out onto the track. I (the spotter) tell my car when to pull out. Not a clueless flagman. It is the teams responsibility to make sure your car gets onto the track safely. No the corner workers. He is just telling that you are allowed to go not when to go.
I read somewhere that the spotter was telling the driver not to go. Sounds like to me that the driver just made a poor decision to pull out on the track when he wasn’t cleared by his spotter. I would bet he wont pull out again until he is cleared by his spotter. Nothing more nothing less. JMO
As a point of clarification, it is my understanding that in Florida the spotters do not have full view of every area of every short track down there. Consequently, when a driver pulls up to the flag man to enter the track, the spotter may not even be able to see their car. Therefore the driver must depend on the judgement of the flagman. Is this correct? My next question I would like to pose to the drivers is as follows: when you pull up to the track and the flagman waves you out on to the track, do you do what he says or do you wait to hear from your spotter who may or may not even be able to see you. I would like to hear a little feedback.
I don’t think that is a problem at any track in Florida. Espeically at a-dale. You can stand in the spotters area and almost hit any corner with a rock. The spotter can see the whole track without a problem.
I did have a problem like that at Sonia where I could not see my car when he pulled up to the track entrance but I could see the whole track and I still cleared him to enter the track. The ASA official went up to my driver and said
“I already told you to go on the track 3 times”. My driver said are you going to fix my car when I pull out and it gets totaled??? He said “no way”. My drives said " than I will wait till my spotter says I can go. Thanks".
After what happened in the fastruck series at Ocala when the track worker waved a truck across the track and he didn’t make it and totaled 2 trucks we don’t listen to the corner workers anymore. The worker at Ocala said that he “thought that the truck would have got across the track a lot quicker than that. Oh well, sorry about that”.
probably would have been a good idea to wait for your spotter to say when to go but the official was flagging the car to go out onto the track (we were sitting right in the stand next to them) he was doing it for everyone letting them know when the track was cleared and ok to return he didnt just have the wreck with Sergi he also almost wrecked Wayne Anderson’s car earlier laps while they were under caution luckily Wayne stopped barely in time to scratch the paint…
Either way whoever was wrong they really shouldnt have even been letting cars enter from the exit ramp they should have been entering at turn 4. Hopefully Rex will correct this for next time so its much safer other than that it was a pretty good race.
Also feel pretty bad for Anthony Sergi not only did his car get trashed along with others but while he was sitting there right after the wreck people seemed to be yelling and screaming unnecessary things at him, kid was pretty upset and very apologetic from what I saw… you live and learn
Yah Tara. It was a bad deal. But you can’t blame anybody but the team. And it is a team deal. If you don’t know if the track is clear. You don’t pull out. Period. That corner worker probably thought he was going to get up to speed a lot quicker. That’s the problem. A corner worker has no idea how fast your car can get up to speed and blend in. Only the driver and team does. So it’s only the driver and teams problem.
I wouldn’t call it any different if it was the rookie or Wayne. Wayne shouldn’t have gone without spotter clearance either. It was probably good it was under yellow for Wayne or it could have been worse.
Tara. We got your pics from a-dale this morning from your dad. We don’t race together for a while so tell Chase hi. Congratulations on Citrus. Go get’m girl!!!
I wasnt there
but I have raced the track several times. If and when you ENTER the track at the EXIT of the track you are totally blind. Then its a 90 degree turn and you are rite in the racing groove. Im sure the drivers involved on the track going full speed #@#! themselves and everyone is lucky that is was only cars hurt. From what i understand he was entering under green and depending on were you pit its the fastest way to get on the track without driving around the hill to turn 4 were you can see all the cars coming at you. You can actually get on the track and have enouph room to stop and wait if need be. Very bad deal for all involved…No one should enter that track there…NO ONE…jmo
Mr South, spoken like someone who didn’t have his car torn up…had your driver been Sergi you would not be on here apologizing for him or his spotter. You missed the fact that he was allowed to enter from the exit. Or even enter AT ALL under green flag conditions.
As a different example, if his spotter tells him to go and the flagman tells him no should he still go??? Who’s in charge? The spotter or the official? The spotter is the least responsible person on the racetrack…
By experience, Rex probably did the right thing by staying away on Sat night. Nothing he could have said would have made anything better with the adrenaline running…I just hope phone calls were made today…and things were made right, he had good momentum with his late model races.
Racing can be a real bitch. On the surface, it sounds like a track employee made a bad judgement, but I will also assume that we don’t have the whole story.
To all of you who have written that this is a legal matter, or that “the track owes the drivers”, allow me to respectfully disagree, and to suggest that your pull head out of you a$$. Take that issue to court, and kiss our local sport goodbye. Regardless of guilt, innocence, right or wrong, the tracks would go broke defending against this crap, or rapidly shut to avoid the problems.
If you litagate this, why stop here? Are there any other possibilities where an error by a track employee might cause you harm? What if you are leading and the flagman fails to give the move-over flag to a competitor, and that car wrecks you when you lap him. What is the scorer makes a mistake and you start out of position after a yellow? If you get wrecked by the guy behind you, then it is the scorer’s fault and you should sue them. Does any of this make sense to you?
One of the complaints is the Rex Guy didn’t appear in the pits. Was he on the property that night? Does it make sense to you to go wandering into a problem? It doesn’t to me. A rational manager will handle this during the week when the passions have subsided a little.
Based on the half story that is out there, I would fire that flagman, both as a symbolic gesture and hopefully to avoid a repeat, and I’d make very clear the procedure by which cars enter and leave the racing surface.
to all the race was under GREEN AND the cars are single single file … no car should be allowed to enter under green…NOT AT THAT TRACK FROM TURN THREE … THAT I THINK IS THE RACING GROVE.
REX DID THE RIGHT THING BY NOT BEING AROUND.BUT WERE CALLS MADE YET ? THANK GOD FOR ALL OF THE SAFTY EQUIPMENT BUILD INTO THE CARS … NOW HOW ABOUT SOME SAFTY FROM THE TRACK AND FLAG MEN .
Have to add my two cents
Having been involved in racing as a flagman and corner worker for more than 15 years, and having some personal knowledge of the track and its configuration I know that that rule has in the past at Abdale that (1) no one enters the track under green flag conditions, and further that (2) no one is allowed to return to the track from the turn 3 location as that is an exit only.
I do not have any knowledge of who the corner worker was that allowed Sergi to enter but ultimately as far as I can see he bares the great degree of responsibility although as far as a legal matter liability “may” be attached to the track owner, but if it can be proven in court that the track worker violated the tracks policies, that worker and not the owner would be held responsible. I really hope for the sake of the sport and for Rex that this does not take place. As relates to the question of who is at fault, some of you believe the track official, some the spotter, and some the driver. I believe that all three have some responsibility, I must say that from having driven also, that the worker at turn three would certainly have the highest degree of the blame, due to the the fact that you are entering from a 90 degree angle to the racing and as any of you who have ever worn a “hans” device know it virtually impossible to turn your head enough to see oncoming traffic from that location, so the flagman (corner) worker has to be the eyes of the driver and further he should have enough experience to know how fast a race car can get up to speed and must allow enough space for that to occur safely. (ULTIMATELY HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO ENTER UNDER GREEN FLAG CONDITIONS). That being said the spotter should also relay to his driver that there is not enough room to safely get back onto the racing surface, lastly it is the driver’s responsibilty to enter the track at the correct location which from my experience is at turn 4. (I have seen drivers enter the pits for tire changes etc. and return to turn three to get back on the track a little quicker, they should be waived over to turn 4, but I have also seen them try to get back out by blowing past the corner worker at location without waiting for any direction). The point I am trying to make is that everybody in this sport knowing the dangers and the limitations of driver’s, equipment, etc. should work as a team to see to it that this type of situation does not occur, and in this case, it may in fact be a case of a little carelessness on all the parties involved. I am very glad that no one was seriously injured, I feel badly that so much equipment was destroyed, and although very expensive, it can be replaced whereas a driver cannot. It is time to consider how we make our sport as safe as we can by working together to see that this type of incident does not happen again. WE MIGHT NOT BE AS LUCKY THE NEXT TIME.:fragend005:
I Think That The Track Dosent Want The Cars To Go All The Way Around To Turn Four Most Of The Slm Are Parked Close To That Entrance.
More Harm Could Be Done By A Driver Hot Footin It To Turn 4.
I Didnt See A Post Fron Any Of The Cars Involed About Sueing Anyone All The B.s. From People That Are Not Involed.and Have Nothing Better To Do.
I Respect All Comments That Are Written To Improve The Ytrack.
Let The Cars Involed Work This Out With Rex
I
I think that all the stuff that went on at Auburndale Speeway was so wrong in that event… I dont understand why in the world they did not use turn 3 to let Sergi back on the track. I mean Anderson used that turn 3 what was so different for Sergi… I do think that Rex should have to pay for Tim Russell & Campi’s car to be repaired… I will not watch another race at Auburndale. I rather drive to watch the late models then watch that B/S at that track… Ive been going to that truck for manys years & its always sumthing going on…
thats right michelle0507 don’t go to Auburndale anymore. That will be one less person to come on here and complain about the track. However, I am sure that the track that you go to full time, you will find something wrong with it.
Now, to all track officals and workers, the time has come to form a union or assocation to protect yourselves from lawsuits from car owners, drivers, crewmembers and fans that have decided to take you to court. To try to make you pay for damages to their cars and well being. You might have to sell your homes and other things to pay the lawsuits and lawyers fees, being that you cannot buy insurance to cover your mistakes, like doctors or nurses. Forget the fact that in most cases you are at your local track because you love working there and if you are being paid, you would still be there if you were not being paid.
I would also say that on any given night, Fri and Sat. combined all the tracks attendance, grandstands and pits maybe, just maybe and I think I am being kind with this numbers there are 15000 people in the state of Florida that attend. To give you a ideal of what that amounts to, 1/5 of the people that live at the Villages. South of Ocala. Not a drop in the pan when there are 6 million people in Florida. Overall, short track racing would not be missed. Don’t beleive me! They cancelled tv shows every year that several millions of people watch. Viewers just find new shows to watch.
[QUOTE=Darren;74586]thats right michelle0507 don’t go to Auburndale anymore. That will be one less person to come on here and complain about the track. However, I am sure that the track that you go to full time, you will find something wrong with it.
Now, to all track officals and workers, the time has come to form a union or assocation to protect yourselves from lawsuits from car owners, drivers, crewmembers and fans that have decided to take you to court. To try to make you pay for damages to their cars and well being. You might have to sell your homes and other things to pay the lawsuits and lawyers fees, being that you cannot buy insurance to cover your mistakes, like doctors or nurses. Forget the fact that in most cases you are at your local track because you love working there and if you are being paid, you would still be there if you were not being paid.
I would also say that on any given night, Fri and Sat. combined all the tracks attendance, grandstands and pits maybe, just maybe and I think I am being kind with this numbers there are 15000 people in the state of Florida that attend. To give you a ideal of what that amounts to, 1/5 of the people that live at the Villages. South of Ocala. Not a drop in the pan when there are 6 million people in Florida. Overall, short track racing would not be missed. Don’t beleive me! They cancelled tv shows every year that several millions of people watch. Viewers just find new shows to watch.[/QUOTE]
Whatever.:smilie_bett::smilie_bett:
With all that’s been talked about on this subject…The only point is turn 3 is CALLED AN EXIT FOR ONE AND ONLY ONE REASON! It’s for leaving the track. We all know the rules You can’t get on the track IF the flag that is flying IS GREEN!!! So you can’t or shouldn’t be able to get back in the race during this period of time. So go around to turn 4 and wait for the yellow flag to fly!!! I don’t understand what is in turn 4 during this race that they can’t use turn 4. If it can’t be used. Then get whatever is back there out of the way! And enter the track in turn 4 like the track IS DESIGNED FOR.:sprachlos020:
Bottom line…what happened was very unfortunate. WHAT will be done at Auburndale to prevent it from happening again. Let the parties involved solve their issues, but for drivers, fans and teams that want to participate (in the sport of racing) in the future…What will change to reduce the likelihood of something like this happening again? People could have been killed in that accident and as a fan, a driver or any other type of participant what I ultimately want to know is what will change to minimize my risk in an already dangerous sport. The HANS device was not developed because people took a who cares, or its racing or whatever attitude. Therefore, lets fix the problem and make things safer (and while you are at it…fairer with less bias…nepotism,etc). Have a great and safe day. Lets hear some suggestions.
It depends on wether the track you’re at the spotter can see you or not. There’s no set answer. Also you imply Fl. is the only palce the spotter cant see the car 100% of the time?
Tim. You asked me a couple of questions that I already answered in my first post but I will answer again for you. The flagman tells the driver he is “allowed” to go on the track (or not allowed). The spotter tells the driver when “to” go on the track (or clear to go).
I don’t care where you are pulling onto the track you should not trust anybody but your spotter. Period.
Mr South…with all due respect you are wrong! We had it happen at Orlando! My flagman told the car NOT to go the spotter (Dad) told her to go! Result= broken ankle and a few torn up cars!
I would agree that you would have the OK from both the flagman and spotter!