How To Ruin A Good Thing
Two weeks in a row there’s been fights in the pits.
Last week it was Andy Johnson and Mark Day, two former track champions. This week it was a couple of drivers in the open wheel division. Both Johnson and Day were disqualified and suspended one week, and Johnson was fined an additional $500 for running his car into Day while Day was parked on pit road, with crew and officials all around.
This week another driver has been suspended and fined.
Uh, drivers, don’t you know how fragile the deal is at the Fairgrounds? The neighbors are looking for ANY thing to use to say “See, this facility doesn’t belong here, so we need to shut it down.”
I have to hand it to Johnson. He acknowledged that his actions were wrong, while Day has to figure out if he still wants to race at the track because of his punishment.
The track doesn’t need drivers who remove their brains when they put a helmet on. I understand that passion plays a part in racing (after all, who wants to see a driver who’s not upset at losing?), but drivers have to learn how to channel that passion in ways that don’t involve the potential death of an official or other driver.
Track promoter Danny Denson made the right decision in telling drivers that he’ll press charges if there are other fights. He’s risking a lot for the drivers, and the least they can do is behave professionally.
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