DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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Where do you stand on stick signals and drivers using big screens? | DIRTRACKR Daily 8/24/21
Today is Tuesday, August 24th, two thousand and twenty one. This is DIRTRACKR Daily. I'm Justin Fiedler.
Coming up we are talking about signalling and big screens, I've got a preview for tonight's Short Track Super Series race, and more.
Before we dive in, if you like what I'm doing here, please subscribe to the show, leave a review, and hit those follow and notification buttons depending on where you consume this. Make sure to follow @dirtrackr on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. And don't forget dirtrackr.com has a bunch more cool dirt racing stuff. Now, let's get going.
One topic of discussion that seems to keep popping up lately is drivers getting information from sources outside the race car during the races. And by that I mean signaling, especially with late models, and things like drivers using big screens to see where their competition is running. On the late model side, the World of Outlaws just banned the use of signal sticks following the Prairie Dirt Classic. That next Tuesday night show at Outagamie Speedway, series director Casey Shuman announced at the drivers meeting that teams were no longer allowed to use objects like signs or sticks to signal their drivers. In a piece by Kevin Kovac at dirtondirt.com, Shuman said they are worried about the safety of crew members because often times guys were hanging out over the race track across guardrails and fences to signal their drivers. He also hoped it would improve the racing. He did admit though, that they can't really police hand signals and some other things, but hoped this would calm it down a bit. Elsewhere though in late model racing, signaling like this is still legal. And I guess I should back up here. If you don't know what I'm talking about, crew members during on track action often signal their drivers about where their competition is running on the track, how big gaps are behind them, where they should move to go faster, and more. Unlike a lot of pavement racing, there is no radio contact between drivers and crews. The only thing the drivers hear in their ears is the race director. There are no spotters, etc. But that hasn't stopped crew members from passing information to their drivers in other ways. In Kovac's piece, it sounded like drivers were mixed in their opinions on the move, but were fine to go along with it. In this same vein, the idea of drivers watching the trackside big screens at a lot of big events keeps popping up. A video clip of Kyle Larson from this weekend's Winged Nation talking about this subject has been making the rounds. This has been brought up before about the Chili Bowl, and Larson was asked about it for the Knoxville Nationals. The idea being that while under green, drivers are able to peek at those jumbotrons and big screens to see where other guys are running on the track, often behind them. During the Chili Bowl Saturday night feature for example, it can be a big advantage to know when to jump from the bottom to the top following all the track work that preceeds the feature. In the Tulsa Expo Center, that big screen sits right in turn one, so drivers can get a look at it down the frontstretch. Elsewhere, some tracks do have their own screens, but DIRTVision has been bringing screens to all the World of Outlaws events recently. Larson told Steve Post that they should do away with the screens at dirt tracks, and that is after admitting that he uses them. It's certainly an interesting dichotomy. As is always the case in motorsports, teams will do whatever they can to find little advantages. I don't personally have a problem with the signaling. I get Shuman's concerns about safety, but he's right that you can't really police all the signaling, so why try honestly. Getting rid of the big signaling sticks and keeping crew members from leaning over fences is probably not a bad idea, but they will still find ways to get information to their drivers. As for the big screen debate, I see both sides. Those guys that are able to keep one eye on the screen and the other on the track in front of them certainly have an advantage. But I don't think you can get rid of those screens. It's too important for the fan experience. I think what DIRTVision has done is a big upgrade to those events, and every major sporting event on the planet has some form of a big screen for fans. Tracks and series might be able to find ways to place them in areas where they are more difficult for the drivers to see, but that won't be possible everywhere. We certainly know that it's affected the outcomes of some events, but if everyone in the field can do it, that lowers the advantage somewhat. I also think that it's not that different from drivers being able to watch the streaming services on their phones while they sit in their cars waiting to qualify. They can see where guys are running easily and make decisions about lines before they get their turn. Drop me a comment and let me know where you stand on this. Are you for or against signaling from the pits? Do you think we should get rid of screens? Let me know.
It's a new week and we have another round of Tuesday night modified racing. The Short Track Super Series takes to the Georgetown Speedway tonight for the $6000 to win Blast at the Beach. This will be round number seven for the south region championship, and including tonight, there are only three races left in the 2021 season. Mike Mahaney comes into today with a 23 point advantage in the standings over Matt Sheppard, with Anthony Perrego 39 back in third. Mahaney doesn't have a south region win in 2021, but he has finished in the top ten in all six starts, plus four top fives, which has carried him to the lead. We have not had a repeat winner this season in the south region, with Sheppard, Andy Bachetti, Mat Williamson, Stewart Friesen, Perrego, and Ryan Watt all picking up victories so far. This will be the second appearance of the season for the series at Georgetown, and Sheppard was the winner back in March. Billy Pauch Jr. and Friesen also have recent wins at the Delaware race track. Also on the card tonight are 602 sportsman, Delmarva Chargers and Delaware Super Trucks. Grandstands open at 5PM ET with hot laps at 6:20.
There are four shows on the streaming schedule today. DIRTVision has outlaw karts from Millbridge, FloRacing has the Short Track Super Series and Flo 24/7, and The Cushion has 305 sprint cars from Fremont. To see the full daily streaming schedule with links to watch, visit dirtrackr.com/watchtonight.
That's it for the show today, hope you have a good Tuesday. If you have thoughts about the topics on today's show, leave them in the comments below or tweet at me.
Thanks everybody for tuning in, I'll see you tomorrow for more DIRTRACKR Daily!