Some things never change. While high-tech scoring and communication devices have changed short-track racing immensely (mostly for the better), the “law of the jungle” and the “chrome horn” still prevail.
And that is not necessarily a bad thing.
It was early in a recent big-block modified feature at the Fonda Speedway; Ryan Odasz and Jimmy Davis were battling for the lead. Odasz was after win No. 3 for 2007, while Davis was trying to salvage a rare miserable season. Then the always-fast Bobby Varin joined the fray.
Varin passed Davis on the restart, but Davis immediately applied the chrome horn, turning him around. The crowd roared, as did the various groups of crewmen in the infield. They’d been expecting action, as a few weeks earlier Davis had crashed hard at the other end of the speedway while running outside Varin, whom he blamed for the incident.
We didn’t see the first melee and can’t say who was to blame, if anyone. Like so many “racing deals,” it’s quite possible that Varin changed lanes not knowing that Davis was halfway alongside.
Still, the reaction of various observers was interesting.
Odasz’s wife smiled, knowing their toughest challenger had gone to the rear, though with his talent he’d most likely be back before finish. Varin supporters were hollering, “He did that on purpose!” And “Jumpin Jack” Johnson’s guys were laughing at them and saying, “Now you’re catching on!”
In the end, Odasz won, Varin got back to a fast-closing second and Davis languished in mid-pack. He didn’t make any money, but he’d made his point.
We’ve been put off by some recent developments on the short-track scene and as long as the incident didn’t cause anyone serious damage or injury, it brought back memories of the days when established stars used their bumper to maintain law and order. Newcomers soon learned that if you got too pushy, there would be a price to pay.
We’ve seen too much “modern” racing lately. Too many lapped cars sent around to the rear before restarts to get them out of the way of the “fast” cars, possibly avoiding trouble but definitely screwing the leader, who’d just struggled to lap them before his pursuers got them for free. Too many drivers put back in their position after a melee because “they didn’t mean to spin” or “it was the other guy’s fault.”
And too much direction over the RACEceiver radios, the tower-to-driver one-way radios now required at many speedways.
RACEceivers themselves are fantastic devices, especially when combined with computer scoring using transponders on each car. The tower-to-driver communication allows the field to be aligned quickly under caution.
But the law of unintended consequences comes into play. Drivers tell us that race directors at many speedways have taken the process to the next level, giving everyone directions under green-flag conditions. While it might be good to get a lapped car, refusing to obey the flagger, out of the leader’s way or tell someone of a tire going flat, many say they automatically slow down when they hear the race director talking to anyone, not being sure what was said and assuming there’s a crash somewhere ahead.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with learning to race the old fashioned way — by racing, struggling a bit and improving. The race director can always intervene when he sees trouble coming. But most of the time, letting things take their natural course works just fine. We suspect Jimmy Davis and Bobby Varin will have no further problems. And in the process, they may well have left an impression on some other drivers.