Flag It: A Look at the Language of Racing Flags

Originally posted on Foxsports on September 16, 2007.


One of my favorite things to do during a race is watch the flagman.  Regardless if it is a six lap heat race or a 400 mile race, the flagman is conversing with all the drivers during the whole event.


Knowing what the flags mean helps understand what is going on during the race.  Most race fans know the basics, but are unable to explain what the black flag with white cross means.  Be forewarned, however, that different series have different rules pertaining to the flags they display.


Green Flag:  Shown to start the race.  Will typically be shown when no other flag is appropriate.  Some sanctioning bodies (USAC, WoO, IMCA) will only count laps run under green flag conditions, others (Nascar, IRL, CCWS, F1) will count laps run under other flags.  An Interesting note, Formula One now uses a green light system to start the race, but before that used the National Flag of the country to start the race.




Yellow Flag:  Slow and maintain position as there is a hazard on the track.  Universal.  In Formula One, the location and movement of the flag or flags indicate where the hazard is on the track or off the track.  This flag is also used by Nascar to indicate during a practice session that cars should pit immediately.





Yellow & Red Stripped Flag:  Varies slightly by sancationing body:  In Nascar,  used on road courses only to indicate debris or slippery condition. 
 In F1, it means a "deterioration of adhesion" due to oil or water on the track ahead.   In both IRL and CCWS, means oil or slippery condition.








Red Flag:  Stop immediately.  Usually indicates the track is unsafe or blocked.  In F1, it indicates the cars should immediately go to pit road.









Red with Yellow Cross:  Pits are closed.  Used primarily in the IRL.  Not used in F1 or CCWS.  Nascar may have used in the past, but does not use currently. 









Black Flag:  Shown to individual car.  Means penalty of some sort, and consultation in the pits is required.  Some sanctioning bodies use to indicate mechanical problems as well as driving problems.  If shown for consecutive laps (usually between 2-4) , with driver ignoring the flag, will eventually mean the car is no longer scored.  Formula One uses two other black flags, one which is be half white with diagnoal stripe, which means car has committed unsportsmanlike conduct.  And the other is black with an orange disk, indicating mechanical problems, pull into pits immediately.



Black Flag with White Cross:  Car no longer scored.  Shown after car ignored Black Flag.  Also indicates whatever you did wrong is now more serious as you just disregarded race officials request for a consulation.









Blue with Yellow Stripe:  Faster car approaching.  In Nascar, does not mean you must give way.  In CCWS, you can be penalized for ignoring it on consecutive laps.   In F1, this flag is solid blue.








White Flag:  One lap left in race.













Checkered Flag:  Race is complete.  Car who finishes laps first, wins.












White with Red Stripe or Cross:  In IRL, with Red Cross means ambulance on course.  In CCWS, the Red Stripe means emergency vehicle on course. 


  


Information from Nascar.com, IndyCar.com, FIA.com, champcarworldseries.com, and wikipedia.  Flag artwork from Nascar.com, IndyCar.com, and Champcarworldseries.com

It's A Girl Thing: Why the Bashing of Teresa Earnhardt has Bigger Implications

Originally posted on Foxsports blogs on September 13, 2007.


This week's hot conspiracy theory is that Dale Earnhardt Jr's five DNFs for engine failure are the direct result of his evil step-mother, Teresa Earnhardt's actions.  Blinded Dale Jr. fans theorize that his stepmother deliberately sabotaged his engines to punish him for leaving the family business and defecting to Hendrick Motorsports.


Here's the quick list of why this is a ridiculous theory:  (1) She isn't an engineer and lacks the knowledge to damage an engine to make it fail with just 5 laps left.  (2) If she had help, think how many people would have to keep this quiet (plus, when was the last time we saw her at the track?)  (3)  Failing to make the Chase damages DEI's chances at getting sponsorship dollars (4) Wouldn't rubbing in a Championship as Junior jumps ship be sweeter? (5)  Merchandise sales.


The more insidious and unspoken insult is that a woman can't (and shouldn't) run a successful Nascar company. 


Teresa Earnhardt is the only woman running a multi-car team.  Realistically, she's the only woman running a Cup team (BAM barely counts).  Heck, throw in the IRL/Indy Car Series, and she's still the only one.  But anytime there is a problem at DEI, we get ludicrous conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory.  Heck, the only thing she hasn't been accused of this year is killing Elvis. 
Did we bash Jack Roush when he lost the reigning Champion to Penske?  Did fans skewer Chip Ganassi when he threw in the towel on Casey Mears?  Was Hendrick's dumping of a rookie of the year and a young man his dead son handpicked touted as a bad business move that didn't make sense?  No. No. And No.


So why take a owner to task when she lets a driver go who hasn't won a race this year,  barely won a race in each of the last two years and fails to qualify for the Chase half of the time?  Obviously, there is a family dynamic at work in this situation, but that should cut both ways.


Nascar's anti-woman feelings have run deep and long.  Look at the insults and lack of help given to Janet Guthrie.  Women weren't allowed in the pits and finally Stevie Waltrip broke through by being listed as an owner.  For a more recent candidate of the "women are evil" sentiment, look at Erin Crocker, who was singlehandedly the reason Jeremy Mayfield couldn't win and Ray Evernham couldn't run a company.


Instead of looking for dark shadows behind every engine failure, Everyone should be looking at why a female owner is being scrutinized and held to a standard male owners are not.  Why is it OK to write these horrible things about her when she isn't doing anything illegal,  but the same sources won't write, theorize or complain when one of those male owners is indicted and convicted of a federal crime?


Seems like a double standard to me.

Close the Books: Supernationals are Over

Originally posted on September 9, 2007.


Last night the final races were run, closing the books on the 25th Anniversary IMCA SuperNationals.  770 cars in six different classes signed in and raced over the past week.  Approximately 383 races were run, including heats, last chance races and features.  Twenty-five different states were represented by teams and fans.


One interesting sid note was that Randy LaJoie was there to work with the competitors on their safety equipment.  LaJoie owns/runs a company that sells seats, but he also is concerned about the local racer who has a low budget and is racing every week.  He was on hand during the week to look at safety equipment that the IMCA officials had questions about, and to help racers be safe.


The SuperNational winners and their class are:  Boone McLaughlin, Late Models; Curt Lund, Sprint Cars; Andy Boeckman  Hobby Stock; Kevin Opheim, Stock Cars; Tracy Wassenberg, Northern Sports Mods; Todd Shute, Modifieds.


Mark your calendars now for the first week in September and the 26th Annual IMCA SuperNationals. 

What is your dream racing event to attend?

Originally Posted on Foxsports on September 8, 2007.


After spending most of the week at the Boone Speedway watching the IMCA SuperNationals, I'm pondering what is my dream racing event to attend. 
I've been to the Knoxville Nationals, the Daytona 500, and the All-Star Challenge & Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.  The Brickyard 400 is in the books, I've Rumbled in Fort Wayne, and I plan on going to the Chili Bowl next year.  So what is left?
I think the Monaco Grand Prix is on the short list.  LeMans.  Maybe a race at Leguna Seca.


I really should get to the Indy 500 at the Brickyard, and I'd think that the Little 500 should be on the short list too.  Indiana Sprint week sounds fun, as do the Oval Nationals.


On the Nascar side, I think going to Bristol would be an experience, as would Martinsville.  I'd love to see a road race, probably at Watkins Glen.
So, if time or money were not an issue - what racing event would you go to?

Craving Racing: Try this Racing Orgy: Dirt Track Style

Originally posted on Foxsports blogs on September 4, 2007.


Need a racing fix?  Want to see several hundred cars  race in a night?  Then head out to Boone Speedway, in Boone, Iowa, for the IMCA annual SuperNationals.  The SuperNationals run through Saturday night, but the qualifications have already started.


Last night, over 140 Hobby Stock and 160 Stock Cars signed in for the chance at being SuperNational Champion.  In addition, 55 Late Models duked it out, with Boone McLaughlin winning.


For a racing fan, last night boasted over 60 races.  And tonight they'll add more stock cars to the final Saturday night grid, as well as starting and finishing sprint car races. 


Wednesday means over 40 heat races for modifieds (that's somewhere around 320-400 cars), and the sport mods are set to start then too.  Thursday continues the modified qualifications, and eventually we'll get to the last chance races for each division.


So how does the track hold up?  Boone has pioneered and perfected the farming session.  After approximately 10 races, the track is ripped up, wet down, and repacked.  Within in 15 minutes. 


The farming sessions are perfect for fans, as it leaves time to run to the bathroom, refill your cup, or buy a meal - all without missing any of the racing action on the track.


Racing begins at 4 p.m. and runs until, well, they're done.  Last night I left at 11:30 p.m., and there were still 14 B Mains to go. 


The SuperNationals should satisfy your racing craving.  And if it doesn't, then nothing will.

IRL Adds Boxing and Fantasy Writing to Racing Program

Originally Posted on Foxsports Blogs on September 2, 2007.


With one race to go before the Champion is crowned, tempers are flaring, and memories are fading and being rewritten at an alarming rate.
Scott Dixon, who races for Chip Ganassi, and Dario Franchitti, who runs for Andretti- Green Racing (AGR), are locked in a battle royale for the title.  Today, the two teams got into dispute over a crash during the last few laps at Belle Isle.  
With time running out, Tony Kanaan (AGR) was comfortably leading the race.   Buddy Rice was running second, but gambling on fuel.  Rice ran out of fuel as he was being closely followed by Dixon and Franchitti, running third and fourth respectively.


Dixon attempted to pass the slowing Rice, but spun, swinging back across the track and hitting Franchitti.  Franchitti was able to eventually go on and now leads the title hunt by three points.


Meanwhile, in the pits, Michael Andretti was claiming on TV that Dixon deliberately blocked the track.  Given that the whole incident took place in less than 3 seconds, it is difficult to believe that Dixon had the presence of mind to think about screwing up Franchitti's run while he himself was spinning.  But then again, Andretti last week blamed his son's crash into Franchitti on Franchitti, who by the way, was leading the race and the points at the time.
Franchitti didn't think Dixon did anything deliberately, and chalked it up to one of those racing deals.


Dixon denied trying to collect Franchitti in the wreck, and Rice appologized to both Andretti and Ganassi.


Andretti and Kevin Savoree, an AGR shareholder, charged Chip Ganassi in the pits after the race.  Bystanders reported that Andretti and Savoree attempted to get Ganassi to start a fist fight by both their words and actions.  Ganassi's managing director then called Andretti "classless" in a media interview.   
Kanaan, from victory lane, continued his spat with Dixon from last week by claiming Dixon intentionally tried to ruin Franchitti's day.  Kanaan was still denying, after he admitted last week, deliberately blocking Dixon during the race last weekend at Sonoma.


In other news, Helio Castroneves, probably realizing he agreed to dance on national television, crashed into Thomas Schekter.  Castroneves hobbled away from the wreck on an apparent sprained ankle, but Schekter chased him down to the care center.  Castroneves blamed Schekter for the crash and Schekter blamed Castroneves.  The Infield care center wisely pulled both men into the center before their confrontation could be captured on TV.


All this makes the Dan Wheldon - Danica Patrick flap look quaint.

Gibbs to Toyota: The Pros and Cons

Originally Posted September 2, 2007 on Foxsports blogs.


Kyle Busch spilled the beans on the Gibbs Defection to Toyota.  In fact, this is one of the worst kept secrets in the Cup Garage since Busch left Hendrick and Junior moved in.  My take on the move?  Well, that's complicated.

Pro:  Be Toyota's #1 Team.  Gibbs leaves Chevy, where, frankly JGR will always be playing second fiddle to Hendrick.  Hendrick has a long history with Chevy and has the chamionships and trophies to boot.  Toyota's standard bearer is... MIchael Waltrip Racing?  Red Bull? Bill Davis?  It's hard to pick one because none of them have set the world on fire.  BDR has finishes in the top ten, as does Red Bull, when they're able to qualify.  Gibbs should quickly become the Toyota flagship in Cup.

Con:  Leave GM.  Gibbs started Cup racing with Pontiac, and won two championships with them (B. Labonte and Stewart).  They are consistantly a threat to win on any track, and the teams perform on the cutting edge with new ideas and teamwork.  Mark Cronquist, Gibb's engine builder, is clearly on par with Hendrick's program.  Stewart has been one of the faces of Chevy due to his Championship in 2005, and this year his USAC teams have Chevy engines.  What will this mean, if anything to those business deals?

Pro:  Toyota's deep pockets. Toyota demonstrated in the truck series their desire and ability to spend the bucks to get the results.  This is Jack Roush's biggest fear.  Gibbs should be getting an infusion of cash and that means more people, and more technology with the hopes of more wins down the road.

Con:  Lose Chevy support during Chase.  How eager will Chevy be to help out the Gibbs teams?  The other Chevy teams won't be keen on providing information to Gibbs as that info will leap into Toyota's pockets at the end of the season.  This is what I'd worry about if I were Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin going into the Chase.  

Pro:  COT transition.  The new templates with the COT mean that all car bodies are equal.  Teams have little room to fudge the template, and Nascar has shown its willingness to punish offenders.  Gibbs teams have worked with the Chevy COT, and the Toyota COT isn't that much different.

Con:  Lose the new Chevy Engine Program.  Chevy debuted the new engine this year, and clearly it is the class of the field.  Chevy's new engine has been hard to beat.  My question is whether Cronquist stays or goes due to the Toyota switch.  His engines fuel the Gibbs' brigade charges; without him, I'd worry about engine power.  Add in RCR and DEI's new program, and Chevy has the other manufacturer's scrambling to catch up.  Toyota's engine has improved over the course of the year, but the Toyota teams are having difficulties qualifying.

Pro:  JGR has changed before, with little impact.  Gibbs transitioned from Pontiac to Chevy with minimal overall impact.  There will certainly be struggles as the teams transition, but with the skilled people Gibbs has in place, it shouldn't be horrible.  Stewart weathered the prior change.

Con:  Fan backlash.  Some Nascar fans boycotted the Toyota foray into Cup racing.  It remains to be seen how many JGR fans leave the fold due to the manufacturer change.  This will hit the pocketbook in lost sales for merchandise, which may actually hurt the drivers more than JGR.

In the long run, the Toyota move will benefit Gibbs.  But in the short term, it may cost Stewart and Hamlin a shot at the Championship this year.
And that's probably why Gibbs wanted to keep this secret until the end of the season.