Li'l Rick Pennington 
Posts:131
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| 09/17/2006 12:41 PM |
 Alert
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Let me begin this post and say I was looking forward to this group of racers, The Dallas County Racing Team, possibly running Lassiter Mountian on a regular basis in the future, but all of that positive thinking went out the window last night.
Last night at the Sept.16 race, they had a great crowd of cars and the track worked excellent all night. The food was great at the concession stand. The race was drug out way past time then what it needed to be run in. No problem, I thought as most of the small heads-up races tend to do that. As I watched the last round of qualifying, a racer went DEEP on his run, and was still given the tree. Given the tree, as in it came on with all yellows, no instant red due to the guard beam being activated. I went to the tower to ask what the situation was on DEEP staging. I was told by the announcer, "There would be no DEEP Staging." I said, "Fine, shouldn't the guard beam be on?" The announcer replies, "Well if someone goes DEEP we will see it and they will be out, if it flickers then that's a judgement call we will have to make, but if it goes completely out then they are out." I said, "Well turning that guard beam on will solve all that decision making on flickering a bulb because 9 time out of 10 in catches it. And I left the tower.
First round was called and after a small delay we were paired for racing. I was in the second pair of the 7.00 round. I prestaged first, but also staged, before my opponent had prestaged. I was told they were not enforcing the courtsey rule, but I backed out anyway, trying to be a sportsman about it. After prestaging again, my oppenent turns his prestage bulb on and proceeds to stage. I stage last, and when we both go to the mat, on the converters, my oppenent's car settles DEEP, TOP BULB WENT OUT. I seen it before the tree came down. So the race is over, I make a regular pass and go 6.97 to my oppenent's DEEP staged 6.99. Again I made a regular run. I come back around park, and walk to the tower to ask about the run.
I speak to the same announcer I spoke with an hour earlier about the DEEP staging issue. I explain to him, "My oppenent went DEEP, his top bulb went out." "He's out, correct?", I asked. The announcers response was, "Oh, I didn't see it." The girl working the computer says, "Oh I seen it, the other guy went DEEP, Ricky should win." The announcer reply's again, "Well I didn't see it, it must have flickered." "You need to see the guy down stairs." I said, "Ok," I stepped back down stairs, and get the same response from that guy, "Oh I didn't see it." So he walks up the stairs to the announcer. They talk and somehow agree they my oppenent flickered the bulb, after neither one of them seen it. Good call!!! I ask to call my oppenent to the tower and ask him of the situation, they denied that request.
I left the tower fuming as most anyone would after gettting a raw deal, but I didn't speak to anyone that was asking what happened. I walked over to my oppenent's trailer, shook his hand, and asked him "Did you go DEEP?" And his response was, "Yes I went DEEP." Hmm... there's all you need for the race to be over turned or even a rerun over a contriversal call. Just ask the racer in question. But the guys from Dallas County Racing seem to be fit on doing things their way.
In closing, I would like to say, at their previous event, DEEP staging had been allowed at Lassiter MTN., when Brad Netherton was managing the track. I was attempting to DEEP stage, when they said no DEEP staging before qualfying started. The guard beam was on all night of that race and it worked. It's a shame I and so many others have alot memories at Lassiter MTN. to see it be run by managment that make questionable calls that will eventually close the gates. I will not be back to Lassiter MTN, under current management, nor will I be back to a Dallas County Race Team Event or Promotion.
Li'l Rick
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Index Racing, so easy a "Caveman" can do it |
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