DON’T BE THAT GUY

and other unacceptable behavior. One promoter who pulled the plug on the season cited online and phone threats made to his family members as his primary reason for shutting it down for the year.

By Adam Cornell

IN THE LAST ISSUE I talked about how it felt like we were in the golden age of dirt track racing, what with all the access the common fan now has to racing content from all across the country. My article about MyRacePass on page 64 of this issue discusses just one of the fairly new developments in the sport that provides new depth and scope to the racing content now available. And yet, in the last couple of weeks I’ve read about at least four racetracks closing early for the season. Why?

You’d have to be blind to not see the economic inflation going on. That is a major part of the closings. Everything costs more, from the fuel just to get to the track, to the food purchased for the concession stand, to the hourly pay required for all the personnel; running a track used to require a tight budget, now it’s even tighter. If a track has just a few sponsors pull out, and a few nights of bad weather, a promoter suddenly goes from making a few bucks to losing a few bucks. The belief that promoters are raking in tons of money each night is a little off the mark from reality. But it’s not the finances I want to grouse about. No, increased costs aren’t the only reason promoters are quitting the season early.

Several of the tracks that have closed recently cited other factors. One of the major ones mentioned was the increased level of violence shown on the track with fist fights or all-out brawls, or worse, using cars as weapons to get back at another driver. There have been brawls in the pits, verbal threats and attacks against promoters online

I have to admit, fist fights at the track gets the crowd going and garners clicks and views online. They’ve been around pretty much since the sport began. The old journalist idiom “if it bleeds, it leads” has never been more true than today. So, it’s human nature to want to look at the spectacle of the trainwreck as it unfolds.

Usually, after tempers flare, and peace is restored, things calm down and everyone can go back and play nice again. With the addition of social media, however, some of the abuse doesn’t end after a night at the track. It seems like some individuals feel as if they can say and do whatever they want without repercussions, while hiding behind their computer screens or mobile devices. The reality is, that individual may not suffer any personal repercussions, like getting punched in the nose if they said the things they say online right to someone’s face. But there are still repercussions. One of the most frustrating ones is when promoters don’t want to take it anymore and they decide they’ve had enough and they close down the show and chain up the fence. Ta Da! No more racing. I hope you’re proud of yourselves, keyboard warriors.

A lesson that was taught to me a long time ago was “you cannot have civilization without civility.” Part of what allows us all to function in a community is the fact that we moderate our behavior, show self-control, and generally try to do what is best, both for ourselves and our neighbors. When an individual decides that he doesn’t want to follow the rules, then society decides that the individual doesn’t get to enjoy the community anymore. Back in the day, they would banish said individual away from the tribe. Now the individual finds themselves incarcerated or fined or the like. When it comes to the track community, if a person doesn’t want to follow the rules, like paying for the entire group going into the pits, or not getting into physical altercations, or not verbally abusing track personnel, then they get banished from the track. It’s a simple solution that has been used for millennia. If enough people decide they don’t want to follow the rules, then promoters shrug and close the gates. The unfortunate thing is because of envy and egotism, some of the muckrakers are content with this. “If I can’t race, then nobody can! Hrumph!” Let me just say, that is an infantile response. Grow up.

Each member of the racing community should work to support the community and instill values in the next generation of racers like sportsmanship and community pride. For the most part, all of you are to be commended for doing just that. You work week after week during the season to make this the best sport in the world. Thank you for all that you do for the dirt track racing community. Thank you for the sacrifices you make to organize the races, groom the tracks, flip the burgers and keep the beers chilled. You have provided thousands of hours of enjoyable entertainment and lasting memories. You’ve helped make our lives richer because of your hard work.

But there are still a few people out there who need to get their act together and stop behaving so selfishly.

All golden ages eventually come to an end. We’re in the midst of a fantastic one right now for the sport of dirt track racing. Let’s all continue working to keep it going for as long as we can.

Let’s go racing!