ISO Ruling | 1978 USAC - Round 3: Texas World
Mar 3, 2021 16:11:36 GMT
Jason Whited, Jason Fitch, and 6 more like this
Post by Jason White on Mar 3, 2021 16:11:36 GMT
There have been concerns raised, both from ISO members and the admins, regarding the standard of driving in last Sunday's 1978 USAC race (round 3, the Coors 200). Obviously, there was a pace car deployment issue with this particular track, leading to some awkward stack ups under yellow. We are investigating ways to ensure that this will not happen in future events. Having said that, here are some points we would like to make clearly to all drivers going forward:
1) The pit exit rule must be observed. Going above the yellow line before you exit turn 2 puts race traffic at unnecessary risk.
2) It is your responsibility to be alert under a yellow condition. Running up on the field at break neck speed and then having to panic stop is not acceptable driving under caution.
3) Divebombing under a competitor at turn entry and using the inevitable drift up the banking to claim said competitor's position is unacceptable. Many drivers were engaging in this practice ad nauseum on Sunday, and going forward we will be watching closely to ensure this conduct is not repeated.
4) Dicing for position constantly and overtaking with no chances of breaking away will simply make the whole pack of cars involved go slower and create dangerous situations. It is also quite annoying for the drivers who have to deal with such antics. If you can't break away by having more pace, the fight for position only makes sense when it counts - at the end of the race or before a strategic pit stop.
5) Racing at high speed requires heightened awareness of who is around you at all times. Clearly, this was not top of mind for several racers on Sunday, and too many people paid the price for this in the form of DNFs and long pit stops.
Points 3, 4 and 5 particularly apply to tracks like Texas and Michigan, where the high speeds and slipstreaming can exacerbate bad driving habits -- especially if said drivers are unprepared. It is incumbent upon all of us to do sufficient practicing and to understand how these cars will behave in traffic at 220 mph before race day.
Since there were no protests logged and we want to move forward, we prefer to leave this general warning here for everybody to read, understand and adjust their driving behavior, especially on the superspeedways.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns; we look forward to seeing you at the next race.
ISO Admin Team
1) The pit exit rule must be observed. Going above the yellow line before you exit turn 2 puts race traffic at unnecessary risk.
2) It is your responsibility to be alert under a yellow condition. Running up on the field at break neck speed and then having to panic stop is not acceptable driving under caution.
3) Divebombing under a competitor at turn entry and using the inevitable drift up the banking to claim said competitor's position is unacceptable. Many drivers were engaging in this practice ad nauseum on Sunday, and going forward we will be watching closely to ensure this conduct is not repeated.
4) Dicing for position constantly and overtaking with no chances of breaking away will simply make the whole pack of cars involved go slower and create dangerous situations. It is also quite annoying for the drivers who have to deal with such antics. If you can't break away by having more pace, the fight for position only makes sense when it counts - at the end of the race or before a strategic pit stop.
5) Racing at high speed requires heightened awareness of who is around you at all times. Clearly, this was not top of mind for several racers on Sunday, and too many people paid the price for this in the form of DNFs and long pit stops.
Points 3, 4 and 5 particularly apply to tracks like Texas and Michigan, where the high speeds and slipstreaming can exacerbate bad driving habits -- especially if said drivers are unprepared. It is incumbent upon all of us to do sufficient practicing and to understand how these cars will behave in traffic at 220 mph before race day.
Since there were no protests logged and we want to move forward, we prefer to leave this general warning here for everybody to read, understand and adjust their driving behavior, especially on the superspeedways.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns; we look forward to seeing you at the next race.
ISO Admin Team