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I went to a T&T at my local track yesterday. The place was packed! On my second pass, I am lined up against a "Kid" in a brand new Coyote Mustang. Nice, fast car. Now, I'm in a high 12 second,100 MPH car and this Mustang is an 11 second car (with a "Kid" in it).
If you think that this is going to be a heart-warming thread about an "Old Poop" and a "Kid" bonding then stop reading now. This "Kid" who is probably 100-150 feet in front of me in the shut-down area decides to take the early return road and cuts right in front of me without even looking!!! Try "slaloming" your Stocker sometime.
Uhh, I understand that without "Kids" we won't have a sport in a few years and I love the fact that anyone can go and buy performance cars again but,,,,,,,,,,,, a little common sense maybe? Or do we have to start having "How to Drag Race" classes and "Drag Racing Etiquette" seminars at the beginning of each race day?

OK, I'm done.

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Maybe old guys like us could get together with local track owners and work on a teaching program. The kid probably has no clue what he did. As well as "go power" the new cars are also far superior when it comes to braking. I go to our local test and tune night sometimes. These kids have no idea on how to stage. They also don't seem to recognize where the finish line is. A normally only make solo passes on test nights.

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What you have experienced is not that uncommon. At my local strip you have youngsters that have come up through the jr dragster classes and have now won national events and those that daddy bought a fast new car. I think at least a briefing for new racers should be mandatory.
Pete

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You cant Put in what the Good Lord left out

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Billy, such an important issue that is almost never discussed at many tracks. Stay in your lane until you can determine where the other car is during shutdown. After 50 plus years of all types of drag racing, only one track I have raced at had printed rule stating procedure for shutdown/return road d irections. Witnessed 2 accidents at local track involving shutdown crashes.

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When I was a young, inexperienced drag racer, I did everything perfectly. (yeah, sarcasm)

If that happened to me, I would try to track him or her down in the pits and ask calmly if they realized how dangerous what they just did was. I'd bet they knew. If they're not apologetic and remorseful, I'd tell someone of importance in the tower.

Nothing personal, Billy. I'd just give the benefit of the doubt until he or she proves they're an idiot.

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Billy, he was probably texting....

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Probably the same way he drives on the street...

Changes lanes abruptly with zero regard for other drivers

"Daddy bought me this Mustang and its way faster than your car so I can cut you off anytime I feel like it and I'm special" LOL

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I had a very well seasoned guy in his Super Pro dragster cut across in front of me the same way once, I came close to cutting his dragster in half. Yeah, he got an earful from me after that!

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Billy, Give him a break! He was returning a text message on his "Smart Phone"

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I do not think the majority of tracks even cover the rules of the track, and safety while on their premises. Courtesy staging, turning off the track, short turn off vs long turn off and just watching for other cars. I went testing last weekend and even the long time staging lane worker warned me to pay attention to the group of street cars as we were doing time only runs. These were not kids but had their new fast toys out to see what it would do. I was hanging in the back of the lanes just to avoid them. I don't assume someone knows the rules, or is paying attention. Just like people merging onto traffic when they have a yield sign. That sign is not for them but someone else, and your supposed to get out of their way.

Their needs to be a briefing or class before someone can go down the track, not everyone has common sense or courtesy these days.

Sean

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It doesn't just happen with rookies. At Napierville Open I was paired with a big name super stock guy during qualifying. He decided to slam on his brakes and cut across me to take the first turn off. That was a pucker moment!

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"Hey kid, get off my lawn!" hahaha Billy I think this guy needed to be tracked down and the rules of etiquette explained to him. Calmly and concisely as only a seasoned veteran drag racer could do. He might be receptive and spread the word amongst his buddies, before a worse situation occurs.:)

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Some dragster racers do the same thing. I got cut off during a T&T in the Coronet. 136 mph and at 3700 pounds. The guy could have cared less. Not just kids do that

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Bill, you should have done a pit maneuver on him. That would have gotten his attention.

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Back in the Mod/Comp Combo at E-town, apparently a large number of years ago, I had an A/D cut in front of me in the K/G Opel. I put the Opel in the grass to avoid him. Then I get the pleasure of running him first round and he says that he is going to take the LAST turn-off. You guessed it, low and behold, he goes red and then takes the first turn-off again cutting me off, but I was ready this time staying well behind him.

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How did we complain before Internet forums?

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Well Ed, I guess that "we" got married. Either that or "we" stopped at the bar on the way home and complained to our "buddies".

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If I complained to my wife of 33 years 1/2 as much as the grown men posting here, I’d be divorced a long time ago like many complaining/posting here. I also was never a bar stool guy, another waste of time and $.

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Geez ED, you could probably put Dr. Phil out of business .....
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Another example why we need to reinstate the draft for this "wonderful" generation of jerk-offs.

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I've had a similar experience at a test and tune at Lebanon Valley last October, the track activated the tree and sent me while they had a car broken down at the first turnoff IN MY LANE as I made a pass of 8.56 @ 159mph, had to brake as hard as possible. I found the guy that broke down in the pits, he said the car on his inside turned off very slow so he had to stop then his car just died. I emailed the track to just to make sure they were aware what happened so it could be avoided in the future, the track manager responded to me that it's normal for them to send the next cars before the previous cars have exited at the top and and that it's the fault of the broken down car and he should've moved to the side of the lane. So I know how you feel, its not fun having to make a maneuver like that on the shutdown. I actually had a camera in my dash on the run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wfKN8U3toA

My first thought was to move to my left towards the other lane, but they had lined me up with a motorcycle in the left lane who I was out in front of and couldn't see and didn't want to risk knocking the driver off the bike.

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Everyone makes mistakes, my guess is that reply could/would get their sanctioning pulled. I'm sure some lawyer is looking at this right now and thinking "Yeah, that track liability waiver they had him accept is worthless in this situation." If the guy next to you fell off his bike and got run over unconscious would it be his fault for not crawling off the track? This went from a teachable moment to an unacceptable reply.

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Oh how I wished the Govt. would bring back the draft !

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For the past 40 some years now, everytime I go to a race and happen to see a young person ( male female,Black,white,brown,red,green) trying his hand at drag racing and I see him struggling or he doesn't know how to stage, leave on the light, I approach him slowly, complement his ride, I ask him if he or she minds me offering some help and if they can stand the help, I'll give it to them. 99.9% are so grateful that they come for some more.Nothing better than seeing them being happier after they've just deep stage their car and wholeshot their friends out of the hole.It's one of my nicest experience I've been lucky to share. Don't forget if you don't share it, it will be lost when you leave this earth.CR p.s. A small story, three years ago I was at my local track with my S/G S/St Vega and a man and two little boys approach me at the track, they were looking at the car, i asked the young man if he minded if I put his sons behind the wheel with the belts on. He said he was hoping that I would ... because I had done it for him, when he was 10 and also with his Dad. He said it was a great experience that he never forgot because I had started the engine. He wanted to say thanks.

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THAT should be unacceptable by the track (management).

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I've done the same thing for a couple of youngsters on a test night. Now, they are both bracket racing, and one of them kicks my butt on many occasions.

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So, what is the turn off rule for your track?

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That could have gotten bad real quick. You were paying attention and prevented a bad accident. Track should do the same

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No wonder most kids today want nothing to do with organized drag racing. You crying old men are pathetic !

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My home track is Milan Dragway , they wait for both cars to exit before they signal us to do the burnout . Works well . Funny how Lebanon Valley was my home track when I started drag racing back in the 70's . The shutdown was so short we all had to turn around on the track to get back to the turn off . They didn't send any cars down the track until the other cars were off the track .

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Might be a good idea to hand out a brochure explaining track etiquette, procedures, and shutdown/return road diagrams when drivers pay their entry fee.

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There’s novel idea, track owners and managers doing more than just taking your money at the gate especially on a test/tune day.

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It doesn't matter if your driving on the highway at 65 or at the race track at 100...or faster.....

You don't change lanes or cross in front of someone and cut them off trying to make an exit....


Stay in your own lane and be aware of the other driver....

We should not have painted it as a young vs old issue....that was a mistake and we got going down that road and should not have

Its a safety issue.....period.

Could the track hand out a brochure or flyer to cover some basic safety issues.....yes......they could....would it help/ Only if it was taken seriously and read !

I can recall my first pass down a drag strip in my street car...it was a little intimidating at first......I was 18

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It has to be more than just the track.
I raced at a National Event not to long ago (Last E-town Event).

This was qualifying.
I was the faster car and in the right lane, no one at the end directing cars (they were packing chutes, etc).
I stopped in my lane on the track, not knowing where the guy in the left lane was. He was behind me but I didn't know.

BOY, did I get an AZZ CHEWING for NOT turning off.
He said and I quote, "The faster car ALWAYS has the Right of Way to get off the track".

I tried to explain about what if he had no brakes or whatever, I can't see behind me.
They did NOT want to hear it and were PISSED.

So it's NOT so clear.

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That's the only reason I even sent it to them, I just wanted to make them aware so they could ensure the situation was avoided in the future. Instead the response I got from the track was:

"I was there and watched the run. The car stopped suddenly on the track .At that point the tree was already activated. This is why we ask racers if you have an issue to pull to the side of the trap so we can hold cars up. I’m sure if you ever been to another race track and look down track the tree has always been activated before the track is clear with cars are rolling off the top end "

I didn't bother replying, but it makes me hesitant to go back there for a divisional this year.

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Rich, in my original post I put kid in parentheses. I guess that I should have made note of the fact that the driver of the other car was younger than me. He was not an 18 year old.

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I hear ya Billy...

At my age "kid" could mean someone about 50....LOL

Myself and some others took some unfair shots at young uns.

At the track some of the most fun I have is with some very young racers and competing against them is a challenge.....

They are young and I sure am not.....

We've all seen many stupid things happen involving cars.....racecar or otherwise....

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**** happens, obviously I'm a racer and have made plenty of passes when I bring friends to the track to take a pass in their cars, they are more nervous than anything, should have just told the kid I'm sure he would have taken your advice than some. Bring er back to the lanes and line up!

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Try driving my semi truck in the big city........getting cut off happens more than you can count. There is an abundance of stupids today.