Date Posted:  February 13, 2010

Officiating Under Fire

Sound like a job you want?  Me neither.

I've always loved my position as a commentator, given the opportunity to share my perspective with the audience and openly ask theirs, even if I never get the chance to hear it directly.  I am one of the first to jump on a call I don't see as fair, especially if I saw a different chain of events from what's being discussed by race control.  And I've been wrong.  I've seen drivers make contact that starts an accident and then have had both drivers swear they weren't even in the same race.  I've seen cars spin on their own and then been told by another driver that it was his fault, he hit him.  The vantage point atop the grandstand is the best place in the asphalt arena to watch a race - challenged only by the VIP chalet in turn one - and I love it because I can see everything.  But even I apparently don't see everything right.

So imagine how difficult it must be to watch the race when you're standing on top of it as the Starter, or from a closed angle as flagman.  The number one complaint I've most often heard from drivers about officiating at Flamboro is that the calls don't come from the starter.  The competition finds rulings inconsistent and unfair when more than one official weighs in on an event to make the final call.  Of course they do.  Hockey players felt the same way when the NHL introduced a second referee to the game.  No one is questioning that the rule was broken, the question is about who caught the infraction and is enforcing the penalty; and as long as the evidence is from a Flamboro official, it shouldn't matter.

But that's far from the only complaint.  Rough driving calls are the second biggest concern on the officiating check list.  The first question is, what's considered rough driving?  The general understanding is contact between competitors that results in a caution.  So if a veteran driver has the ability to take the bumps, shoves, rams, jams and checks, and holds onto his/her race car then the driver doing the rough housing is free to continue?  Doesn't seem right to me.  My interpretation is that the officials need to be vigilant with the black flag to help prevent accidents before they happen. 
Stop waiting for the wreck before throwing the black flag; And stop turning a blind eye when it's a defending or former champion doing the shoving;  And stop blaming the car who drives to the inside racing lane when the guy on the outside against the wall chops across his nose to cause the spin as they get into the corner; And stop letting back-field drivers have their way in the shadows without penalty; And do all of that while watching the leaders and keeping an exciting race for the fans; please.

There are changes coming this summer to address concerns and try to mix things up.  The first one announced is the new referee line being painted through the corners of the speedway.  Presented at the annual meeting, this new marker will be a guide for the officials to watch for diamonding of the racetrack, blocking and disrespectful driving (not necessarily rough).  The ruling will be that should a driver put two wheels over the line he/she is at the mercy of the starter, who will be within his right to serve a penalty on that driver.  This new guide is a teaching tool, to re-introduce the idea of respect between racers.  There has been a growing concern of drivers forcing cars down into the grass, or up to the concrete, in efforts to protect their position.  It will be the mandate of the officiating team to enforce racing lanes, and break the habit of drivers running to the wall on the straightaway and chopping down to the grass in the corner.  Already there has been driver concern over the affect this will have on their traditional racing lines.  I guess the result will be much like when the NHL moved the lines, changed the goalie crease or did away with the 2-line pass.  It's time to learn a new system, and everyone will be at the same disadvantage when the season opens in April.

The other major change to the officiating is the shake up of on-track personnel.  Former head starter Ding DeLeeuw will return to the flag stand as Chief On-track Official, his first climb up the ladder since the turn of the century.  Sophomore flagman Calvin Stunden will move to turn four and freshman flagman Jeff Patterson will take up the post in turn two.  All three gentlemen have extensive histories around grass roots racing and bring with them a fresh look to the officials positions.  Brenda Shunamon remains Chief Scorer, Gerry Paxton will continue as event coordinator and Don Cox returns as Race Director.

These six persons will make up the officiating team.  As announced at the meeting, all final on-track rulings and race penalties will fall to the discretion of the Head Starter/Chief On-track official, but not to the exclusion of his team's input.  To keep with the hockey parallel, the Head Starter will be the Head Referee and his cornermen will be the linesmen.  The Chief Scorer will be the goal judge; the event coordinator is the second referee watching the game; and the Race Director is the overall Chief of Officiating, before whom goes all reviews and post-game assessments.

Will it make a difference on race night?  Maybe.  History shows that DeLeeuw can control a show, and do it well.  He's no stranger to the black flag and he's not one to let situations climb out of hand.  Don Cox appeared adamant at the meeting that his new Starter will have control over the race track, and that the officiating team will stand behind his calls.  Will they get every call right?  No; but then, I've been wrong before.

JP is the speedway announcer and regularly provides commentary at race events.  This summer will be his 11th season reporting behind the microphone, his 13th providing written reports of the racing and his 14th getting calls wrong on a weekly basis.  The opinions and thoughts expressed in this article are those solely of the author and do not reflect the or represent the speedway, the management or the officials
- unless you agree.