Originally Posted by racefan20:
That would put them out of business. Lets say you have 100 drivers in the pits and it costs $50 per test(thats probably a low estimate) what track do you know that can afford that each week. Do you up the cost of the pit pass or lower the purse? You'll get less drivers. Do you up the front gate ticket? Then you get less fans. Racing has money issues right now as it is they dont need this.
I've been on a lot of race tracks, and clubs directors boards, and I can tell you from the horses mouth, or mouth piece, it's danged near impossible to enforce, and if you make an attempt, you are hanging your ass out big time, that's why it isn't enforced, especially the drug end of it, a lot of tracks have a "no alcohol in the pits" rule, which if you catch someone actually drinking, and getting in a car, you might have a chance, but good advise is just report it, and let the officials handle it, if they choose to. We had a guy one night that could hardly fill out his registration, and actually fell out of his truck when he got to the pit area, I knew him, and took the "chance" and persuaded him to leave, and he did, but had he not been that drunk, it left my butt exposed! FYI, probably no less than 95% of the Fairgrounds tracks have that "rule", but you may not see it till it's too late! Bob
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
It's a shame what happened all the way around.... BUT, there has been a lot of negativity around Tony in general after this accident occurred. To be very blunt however, I hope at some point people outside of, and in racing (including the family of Ward) can realize they are correct, it all could have been avoided. Had Ward not acted/reacted in The ridiculous manner he did it would NOT have happened. All I know is Tony is a damn good and generous person. At some point others have to take responsibility for the cause of the accident, none of which I believe Tony had control over! Everyone including myself hate it for the Ward family (I hope) but, he created his own demise. No apology for offending anyone with my opinion.
Originally Posted by racerjim2:
We're past the days of moonshine and whiskey. Now it's Mary Jane we deal with
Ya because it wasn't toked during oppermans utter dominance of the sport. Didn't the red haired stranger sponsor a car? Isn't impaired judgement a prerequisite for driving a sprint car?
Originally Posted by monkeyboy:
ya because it wasn't toked during oppermans utter dominance of the sport. Didn't the red haired stranger sponsor a car? Isn't impaired judgement a prerequisite for driving a sprint car?
Love this post!!!! 2 things on this....
Back in my lets say "college days" I smoked about a bale of weed . I never once wanted to go REALLY fast or run into traffic ! Hell I had a hard time maintAining the frickin speed limit . I highly (pun intended) doubt that he toked up on his way out of the hauler to the car but definitely shouldn't have excessive amounts still in his system (don't know what their definition is). If you want to compete at the highest (again) level YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY IN YOUR SYSTEM! I'm kinda playing devils advocate here . It has it's pros n its cons.
2.I totally agree that you have to be somewhat "touched" just to get in one of these winged missiles !
In closing .... I'm not anti pot by any means but it has its place and it ain't around race cars . Even for crew members ! I don't want some stoner walking around my car thinking "did I tighten those bolts? Uhhh ya I'm pretty sure I did... Oh look a butterfly
I grew up in the 70's so I know what I'm talking about.legalizing weed is going to be just one more downhill slope to our country. I sure don't see the lap dog media talking about tony tonight.another citizen that was tried to be proven guilty before the facts were exposed.
I saw Brian Brown tweet tonight how he thought drug testing needed to made mandatory amongst drivers in light of the news about Ward. He added he didn't know how it would be done and realistically I don't know how you would do it or how it would be paid for.
Now don't get me wrong I love watching Brian Brown race and cheer for him every year especially at Knoxville but where was the outcry about drugs after all of the controversy with TK earlier in the year or with late model driver Scott Bloomquist after he got busted with cocaine? Now I do realize this is different being a driver lost his life but I love how nobody seems to care until something happens involving a high profile nationally renown driver as if the safety of the drivers we have all come to love that we watch on a regular basis is worth nothing.
NASCAR handles drug testing by randomly testing 3-4 drivers and crew each weekend. The paperwork you sign to obtain an annual credential (hard card) gives them permission to drug test you at any time. Anyone with a hard card is subject to random testing. A.J. Allmendinger was the highest profile person caught by their random test program, but several other team members have been suspended since the program started.
I would think that a random test program is the only realistic way to handle it. It's not possible from a logistical or cost standpoint to test every driver at every race.
