JoshM wrote: ↑May 19th, 2018, 8:31 pm
Race 3 5/17/18
Lap 15 #102 gets into the back of #90; #102 served his penalty.
Lap 34 #5 gets into the back of #71; #5 served his penalty.
Lap 43 #26 swerves up the track to miss a check-up and gets into #33. The check-up was almost 10 mph, so I cannot blame #26 for failure to slow in time.
Lap 66 #14 hooks #8. While both cars were moving low, #14 never had a bumper to the inside of #8, so this incident goes on #14 who is scored EOLL. There was also contact between #33 and #45, but #33 had slowed under 160 mph and was on the apron he made contact with #45. I do not consider this racing through a wreck so no incident is charged there.
Penalties/warnings: #428 is charged with excessive blocking. Per the rules, the first offense is only a warning. Should it happen again, the next occurrence is to be scored last in the final standings.
DNQ's: #428, #712, #77
1-and-parks: none
It's doubtful I will be here next week, but I want to address a few things before the next race:
1) If you are in the middle of the pack, lay off on the aggressive bumping and riding the rear bumper of the car ahead of you the entire time. Assume a checkup or wreck might occur. Riding the bumper of the guy in 25th place all the way around the track just means you will run that guy over the second he has to crack the throttle. That far back, you are not helping that line move forward anyway.
2) If you are in the middle of the pack, do not let off the gas to jump into another lane. If you step out of line and nobody goes with you, don't force your way back into line while you pray the 15 guys behind you don't wreck because of your bad decision. You are causing a HUGE check-up and usually a wreck behind you. This is just common sense. And if you DO check up, USE TEAMSPEAK TO WARN PEOPLE BEHIND YOU.
3)Regarding lane changes, lane bullying, etc: on starts and restarts, it has long been assumed the cars on the inside lane are in the "low" lane, and the cars on the outside are in the "middle" lane. The "outside" lane is never really occupied on starts and restarts. If a third lane gets going after a restart, it's almost always up near the wall, not down at the very bottom. That is not a rule; it is simply how drivers actually drive on starts and restarts.
- The only lane a driver is entitled to is the lane he is currently in. If the car ahead of you (or behind you) switches lanes, you are NOT entitled to do the same if someone alongside of you is already in that lane.
- If you are running in the low or high line but somebody goes underneath or outside of you because there is enough room, they have a right to that spot on the track. If someone gets underneath you cleanly, they are now the low line and you've just been moved to the middle line, whether you like it or not. Don't try to push them out of that line or accuse them of over-aggressive driving.
- If the outside lane decides moves a lane higher, cars in the inside lane can then go ahead and move up and claim that middle lane. If they move out of the lane only because another car is drifting up and pushing them out of that lane, that is called lane bullying or rooting drivers out of their lane.
4) Regarding blocking: We've seen some incredibly aggressive blocking at the end of some races. Drivers have had to choose between lifting or getting caught up in a wreck. If you make a block and the other driver already has a bumper underneath you, we will charge you with Reckless driving since you are not actually blocking, but are running the other driver off the track or into the wall. You can block as long as you are ahead of the other driver, but if they already have a nose underneath you, it's too late to block.
5) Wrecks at the end of races: I've said it many times before that each driver's top goal each night should be to finish the race without causing a wreck. The second goal should be to have FUN (this is a game after all). After that, the next goal should be to get the best finish you can get. This is a very competitive series, but what makes it fun to race in is how hard we can race without turning it into a demo derby. There is nothing more demoralizing than setting yourself up for a good finish each week and then get taken out, week after week, by a giant wreck that ends the race.
There comes a point in the race where you have to accept that you aren't winning and are fighting for a top 10, top 20, or a top 25.
Winning races and championships should NEVER be more important than clean racing and green flag finishes.