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Police
escorts from the hauler to the garage and pits may
become a common sight in NASCAR.
Photo by Doug Belliveau |
Nowhere in the
land of professional sports are so many fans allowed access
to the close-up action of the inner workings. During a
typical NASCAR Winston Cup weekend, thousands of fans and
corporate sponsorship affiliates mill through the garage and
pit road. There are certain times when this all seems to
work out fine for everyone involved. But there are times,
especially during practice, qualifying and race conditions
where all is not joy in Muddville.
The race at
Richmond last Saturday night clearly indicated to me that
NASCAR is in a Catch-22 situation. How does a racing
organization continue to grow its fan base and keep everyone
safe in the process? There’s no question that the sport
continues to become more popular in part due to the
accessibility of its stars and the fan’s ability to see
close up action. But how much fan benefit is too much and
where is this all going to lead the sport?
For those fans
that sit in the bleachers and watch racing from atop
NASCAR’s ever growing raceway stadiums, it may not be
apparent what goes on in the infield area. The press media,
photographers and those fans fortunate enough to have access
to the garage and pits certainly see first hand what is
going on in these areas. During the weekend, there are times
in the infield that could only be described as mayhem.
It has come to
the point where it is sometimes difficult for race team
personnel to perform their duties with the shear number of
people in the garage and pits blocking their way. For
instance, a crewmember shoos fans out of his way as he tries
to push his tire cart towards the pit stall. Another
crewmember is seen zigzagging his way through hundreds of
people as he tows his gas can dolly to the 76 fueling
station. Another uses a power saw to cut away damaged
racecar sheetmetal only a few feet away from dozens of
onlookers.
During the Monte
Carlo 400, Jeff Gordon started in a backup car due to an
unfortunate practice crash in his primary car. After 40
laps, Gordon pulled into the pits and his crewmembers opened
up the hood – never a good sign. A few minutes later the
crew attempted to push the DuPont Chevrolet about 20 feet
behind the wall so they could assess the problem. This
maneuver was a struggle at best. Winston Cup officials
attempted to direct everyone out of the path of the car. As
a member of the media, I did my best to comply, but could
not move out of the way due to the many others that had
congregated to get a glimpse of the situation. I got shoved
hard in the back during the process, but there really was no
other choice – get out of the team’s way or get seriously
injured.
This was not
just an isolated instance at a specific track. Week after
week at tracks across the country, these types of
occurrences seem to be all too common. During practice time,
cars are constantly entering and exiting the track and
garage areas at a rapid pace. This is valuable time for the
teams to tune their setups, and the cars need to get back
and forth as quickly as possible so as to get as much track
time as possible. Officials do their best to keep the path
clear for the drivers. However, there are so many people in
the infield areas, many of whom are not familiar with
standard procedures. All too often I have witnessed
near-miss accidents in which some unsuspecting fan, wearing
headphones or earplugs, does not hear the warning whistle,
and almost gets clipped by the front fascia of a racecar on
its way to the track. The drivers are certainly not to blame
if someone gets hit. Their job is to get on the track and
test the car. There are championship points and big money at
stake during qualifying and the race. And these cars have no
headlights, blinkers or horns. Many times they are coasting
quietly along the garage access roads, and their only line
of defense is to rev the engine loud enough for them to be
heard, and that doesn’t always work.
|
Surely
John Andretti has better things to do than prepare for
the impending race.
Photo by Doug Belliveau |
The media
understands the unwritten code of being hands-off when the
action is running full throttle. Except for a select group
of television coverage personnel, you just don’t get in a
driver’s face to ask questions or interfere with a crew
prepping a car to get a good photograph. Many non-media
people in the garage area and pits are not familiar with
this code. A classic example last weekend was when John
Andretti was performing final preparations to his helmet and
cockpit on pit road just a few minutes before the start of
the race. A fan approached John for his autograph. Despite
being denied, the persistent fan stood next to John for at
least five minutes in hopes of getting the prized
possession.
As the drivers
walked from their haulers to the driver introductions on
Saturday night, they were followed by dozens of fans seeking
autographs on everything from shirts to programs to race
helmets. Perhaps in light of the investigation into the
alleged Tony Stewart incident, local police served as
escorts for some of the marquee drivers.
How much of this
should the race teams and drivers have to endure? Where does
the line get drawn between increasing the popularity of the
sport and the safety of all those involved? NASCAR has made
great strides to increase the safety of the drivers on the
track. But what about in the infield area? Is there a
compromise that solves the problems at hand?
It’s one thing
to sit around and complain about the problems. What NASCAR
and the tracks need are potential solutions. Certainly some
things can be done, and are in fact being done at race
facilities. Here’s a list of possible ideas:
1)
Establish both hot and cold pit/garage access. This allows
fans and sponsor affiliates the ability to see the pits and
garage during the weekend except during practice, qualifying
and race periods. The fans would be assigned the cold
access, which prohibits them from entering certain infield
areas when the action is live. Essential members of the
media could still be allowed hot access. This policy is
instituted at Watkins Glen with success.
2) Set up
specific time frames and areas where fans can seek
autographs at the haulers or garage. This way the drivers
can concentrate on the upcoming race and have an unimpeded
path to their destination. Pocono has a separate section of
fenced bleachers with a “bank teller” window through which
drivers can sign autographs.
3) Use
delineated barriers or roped off areas in the garage to
limit encroachment of fans into essential areas. Dover uses
a police-type barrier tape that keeps people from wandering
into the access lanes and the covered garage area.
4)
Construct small three or four row bleachers behind pit road.
Fans and sponsor affiliates can be contained in these areas
when the action is hot, and they will still get to see close
up action. There is no need for non-media to be in the pit
area during these times.
5)
Require any sponsors or fans in the infield to attend a
training session or watch an orientation video that details
the policies and restrictions imparted during the race
weekend.
6) Have
monitoring cameras installed in each pit and garage.
Corporate sponsor affiliates can watch the action remotely
from infield hospitality tents in addition to the live
network coverage.
These are just a
few general ideas as to how to increase safety and restore
functionality in the infield. Certainly all track facilities
are configured differently and will continue to be so. Some
of the short tracks are severely constrained due to their
limited infield areas, making solutions more of a challenge.
Nonetheless, NASCAR and the tracks should institute policies
common to each facility, which address the potential safety
problems that now exist in the infield area.
The author can be contacted nascar@autoracing1.com
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