Barber Race

[seckerich]

..I hear its especially bad if your wife is faster than you, right Steve? :P
[/b]

Just have to know which plug wire to pull.

[DavidM]

Needless to say, I'm still single. The concept of the wife who likes racing, or (gasp!) races, is rather furrin' to me.
[/b]

I got a TraqMate as an anniversary gift this year. Now that's a crew chief!

I guess I did something right along the way to have such a wife.

David

[Hotshoe]

Steve Eckerich,

.... I have been trying to figure out a nice way to say this, and since you were a witness, you know what I'm talking about.

..... To start this story I want to go back to the Charlotte race last year. I was running in ITA. I had one ITS car in front of me and one (a Sliver #57 Z Car) behind me. So, since I couldn't improve my position, I moved over and let the ITS car past.

..... Now, back to last weekend at Barber. I goofed during qualifying and ended up 8th overall. So I'm hoping to get close to the front during the race (Yoda and I have this thing about who finishes in front of who) . So, during the first few laps I try to work my way past you and the Blue Z car without messing up your race. But, and there is always a butt, when I catch the Silver #57 Z car he decides he wants to keep me between him and his fellow Class Mates. After blocking me for a lap and a half and slowing us down to where the two of you were right behind me, I decided just to pull over and let you and the other Z car have another crack at him in turn five.

.... I guess you could say, that pulled my chain pretty good. I don't race that way, especially when the other car is faster and NOT IN MY CLASS. So, Next time, Should I Give Him a Brake?...... Not

.... Rick Thompson #99 ITR

[ewaugh]

I didn't realize quite how little you could see from station 9, it really would suck if you hadn't ever ran the track before.

Thanks for coming to the races and supporting us, racers! (I plan to be there in a year or two taking a flag instead of waving them.)

[JeffYoung]

Rick, I am sure that is a misunderstanding on your part and Steve Parrish's (driver of the 57). Steve's one of the best guys around, and one of the most courteous on track. Shoot him a PM and discuss it -- I am sure you guys can work that out.

[seckerich]

Steve Eckerich,

.... I have been trying to figure out a nice way to say this, and since you were a witness, you know what I'm talking about.

..... To start this story I want to go back to the Charlotte race last year. I was running in ITA. I had one ITS car in front of me and one (a Sliver #57 Z Car) behind me. So, since I couldn't improve my position, I moved over and let the ITS car past.

..... Now, back to last weekend at Barber. I goofed during qualifying and ended up 8th overall. So I'm hoping to get close to the front during the race (Yoda and I have this thing about who finishes in front of who) . So, during the first few laps I try to work my way past you and the Blue Z car without messing up your race. But, and there is always a butt, when I catch the Silver #57 Z car he decides he wants to keep me between him and his fellow Class Mates. After blocking me for a lap and a half and slowing us down to where the two of you were right behind me, I decided just to pull over and let you and the other Z car have another crack at him in turn five.

.... I guess you could say, that pulled my chain pretty good. I don't race that way, especially when the other car is faster and NOT IN MY CLASS. So, Next time, Should I Give Him a Brake?...... Not

.... Rick Thompson #99 ITR
[/b]

I really did appreciate the drop back when you moved over to let us race. I will remember. Those Z cars were killing me off the corners. Did not realize how bad a decision my rear gear was until the race. I had nothing for them. David Kim and I had a blast trading positions and I am sure Steve Parrish did not want us on his bumper again. You did make a good buffer. Steve has not had the best year and he had a great race going Sunday so you might give him a break--he races clean and I'm sure he did not mean to hold you up. Heat of the battle thing. He will most likely make it up to you in the future.

[Hotshoe]

Rick, I am sure that is a misunderstanding [/b]

Jeff,

.... Wish I could agree. After the race I found Steve and asked him why and he admitted to it. That is what bothered me the most. I know that it is out of character for him, and considering I do my best to stay out of ITS races when I run ITA I guess I may have expected to much of him to return the favor.

.... Lesson Learned

[Gary L]

...and considering I do my best to stay out of ITS races when I run ITA I guess I may have expected to much of him to return the favor.[/b]

Maybe Mr. Parrish was bright enough at the time to realize there was no stinkin' ITR race. You were the only ITR car out there, so if I were in his position, I would probably have done the same. You were after all, the very definition of a perfect pick.

And BTW, let's not forget who put you in that position in the first place. I seem to remember a comment about blowing the qual effort?

[seckerich]

Maybe Mr. Parrish was bright enough at the time to realize there was no stinkin' ITR race. You were the only ITR car out there, so if I were in his position, I would probably have done the same. You were after all, the very definition of a perfect pick.

And BTW, let's not forget who put you in that position in the first place. I seem to remember a comment about blowing the qual effort?
[/b]

Every time you post Gary you are just a ray of sunshine. I guess your fellow racers in Oklahoma just love your attitude. We race hard but we race clean. A good driver will let a faster car in ANOTHER class through if possible without screwing up his own race. Most of us have raced together for almost 10 years and have respect for each other. No dish on Steve P, I don't blame him for the pick either, but he should let Ricky go. Steve is probably off on the other side of the world but he will weigh in when he gets to a computer. Good to know that if I see a big blue volvo it will only stop blocking if I made no mistakes in his eyes.

[chuck baader]

I think most of us think like Rickey-Bobby...we will yield to faster out of class traffic. I have been held up also, at the Jim Stark, by an ITS car blatantly blocking and not allowing me to get to the first place car.(And I'll never know if I could have passed him) This "gentleman" was much younger and even though I was 2 seconds a lap faster, he would not let me by. When I talked with him after the race, his excuse was that he was racing for position. Not only did he not do the right thing, he was unaware that he was between two ITA cars and running seventh in his class. IMHO, no class whatsoever. Chuck

[Gary L]

Good to know that if I see a big blue volvo it will only stop blocking if I made no mistakes in his eyes. [/b]

For the record, I do not intentionally block faster cars, out of class or otherwise.

Now... I'm sorry if my attitude seems in need of adjustment, but I simply have no tolerance for drivers that must publicly find someone else to blame, when something on-track doesn't go exactly as they think it should have. Plus, I'm a really old fart, and the older I get, the less tolerance I have for just about everything.

[chuck baader]

As one old fart to another (racing on Social Security) you are certainly in the minority here. Most of us in Southeast division have been taught to expect better. Chuck

[Hotshoe]

Most of us in Southeast division have been taught to expect better. Chuck
[/b]

Chuck and Steve E. ,

..... Thanks for understanding what I meant by what I said. I don't have any bad thoughts toward Steve P. for what he did. I just would like for him to give the same consideration to faster cars (out of class) as he expects himself. He is a good clean driver and I have always enjoyed racing with him.

...... Now with the addition of ITR, some of the ITS drivers will have some unfamiliar situations to deal with........

[Parrish57]

Geez.... I leave the country for a couple of days and return to find out I'm now one of the hinchmen from an episode of Speed Racer!!!

Ricky... I had no idea you were upset about the race. I'm sorry I didn't pick up on that. I would have discussed it at the track. But as for my actions, I stand by what I did on the track. I understand Jeff's concerns about airing this out on the forum but this is not an argument. This is two good friends who have always raced well together expressing differing points of view.

I don't believe there is any blanket policy that can govern every situation on the track when it comes to "To point by, or not to point by". Every ontrack pass has it's own set of circumstances. For me, it's all about Right Place, Right Time. For instance, at one of the recent races at CMP during the last few laps of the race I was pretty much by myself and was just on cruise control saving the car. I saw in my mirror that Ricky was on the back bumper of another car for position. I moved offline, got out of the gas, and pointed him by. If memory serves me right you went on to chase the other guy down for the win After the race you made it a point to find me and thank me. I remember well your words "I owe you one. I won't forget it". As far as I was concerned you didn't need to thank me, it was the right thing to do. Right Place. Right Time.

As for Barber, different day, different set of circumstances. I didn't see it as "blocking you for a lap and a half", but I fully admit closing the door on you between turns one and two and taking the fast line around that VERY long carousel. If I had moved over and gone around the outside not only would I have let you by but the two S cars on your bumper could have freight trained me as well. Since there were no R cars in front of me I didn't think it was too much to ask to be able to race with the other S cars. Wrong place and time for a point by. After the guys behind you started racing each other hard we started to pull out on them. I then moved over and pointed you by. I finished about 7 car lengths behind you and after the race I pulled up beside you and gave you a big thumbs up and you did the same. Like I said, I had no idea you were upset. Let's sit down at the next race, open a frosty beverage, and laugh about it!!

Steve (evil hinchman) Parrish

[charrbq]

WOW!!! This thread sure changed direction from the way I started it! I wanted to thank Alabama region for sticking their necks out and putting on a race in a place that we all feared would never happen again. Thank them for a job well done and hope they do it again. Now it's starting to look like an episode from "The Three Stooges".

[seckerich]

Hey Chris, don't take us too serious. We just live so far apart and never see each other except at the races that we treat this like the front porch. We come here to whine, complain, and tell lies about how fast we would be if XYZ had not been wrong. All in good fun. Everyone loads up (especially at Barber) and hits the door and we don't get any time to bench race after it is over. What fun is it if you never stirr the pot a little. :026: Got to go paint the Spec Miata to move to the "dark side"

[charrbq]

Understood...I hear that membership on that site requires you to bring gasoline for the fire, salt for the wounds, and acid for the tongue. I suppose that's another reason why SRF's and SM's should have their own race groups...at another track...at another time....

[JeffYoung]

Steve's wrong. I hate all these guys I race with. Plus, I would have won that damn Barber race except the 12 cars in front of me outbraked me, went through the corners faster and took my milk money down the straights.

Must be cheating the bastards.

[Hotshoe]

This is two good friends who have always raced well together expressing differing points of view.

Let's sit down at the next race, open a frosty beverage, and laugh about it!!

Steve (evil hinchman) Parrish
[/b]

Steve,

... I will gladly take you up on the frosty beverage. And if this is the "Three Stooges" I want to be Curly ....LOL

... I guess I got my panties in a wad when you snubbed me in turn one / about the same time the chain broke I was using to pull Jeff.

... Ditto on the "two good friends" and will continue to always be.........

... Rick Thompson

[JeffYoung]

It was a British chain..they all break.