** Tech - why is the annual inspection process fine for every other race in a season but NOT OK for this one? Am I missing something? The lines weren't long (not a ton of entries) but the processes involved were just slooooow.[/b]
It wasn't just the Annual Tech requirement but the attitude of "How do we know that your car is still the same one that was annual tech inspected?" and "We don't know you so you need to bring us EVERYTHING".

** Schedule - Please, please, PLEASE reconsider the 3:00 start. Just HAVING the Longest Day is enough recognition of the event's history, without having to resort to using the traditional start time. If there's anything that puts future trips to Ohio in jeopardy, it's the fact that we have to ask crew members to take yet another day off if they live more than just few hours from the track.
[/b]
Agreed - one of our fellow crew members who NEVER complains made comments starting at 11 am on Sunday that "If the race ended at noon, we'd only have an hour left". Those of us who drove home on Sunday evening agreed with her!!

I have a few nits to pick since this is the second year I've attended an event at Nelson and this is the second year that gigantic holes in their supps caused me to grow more grey hairs and develop an ulcer or two.

First off - the rule about a fireman on-station AT ALL TIMES DURING ANY PIT STOP is a bit excessive. The lack of language about how said fireman should be dressed during a non-fueling stop led to confusion more than once during the race.

Secondly - the language about Black Flag All and working on the car is very unclear and the Chief Steward and the Pit Chief don't agree on what it says. The wording is such that "All work in the Pit and Paddock must cease during a Black Flag All and may not commence until the race restarts". For those of us who drive, a restart tends to be signaled by a GREEN FLAG. This is how the Pit Marshalls interpreted the rule but they were shot down by the Chief Steward who allowed cars to 1) pull directly from Black Flag All grid into their pit stalls without completing another lap and 2) allowed work to commence once the cars went out under Double Yellow (read: PACE LAP). This allowed several teams to service the car without losing a lap under either Double Yellow or Green. Furthermore, while some cars were corralled in Tech for repairs, others were allowed to return to their paddock spots for repairs - given the language of the Black Flag All rule, unless there were a Paddock Marshall at paddock spot, that rule is simply unenforceable.

Lastly - Selective Pit Rules enforcement - I personally observed a car that almost ran down their crew member during a pit stop and then BACKED UP UNDER POWER. I heard it over my headset!!! There were two Pit Tech workers in the immediate vicinity who did nothing about it!!! Yet we were warned about fuel spills when our cell "swelled and dropped a dime-sized droplet of fuel" which was much unlike another team whose fueler was bathing in fuel as it ran out of their dump can, down the fueler's shoulder and arm and finally sprayed the fireman as it was whipped out of the filler neck. We were the "out of towners" so we were certainly watched with greater scrutiny - at least by the locals.

I'll be back but I don't know if I'll do anything other than crew and keep my eyes shut to the "Local Hero" phenomenon. I've worked as a Pit Marshall in the past and pride myself on being impartial - you f**k up and you get a penalty, period. There is some flexibility but if it's a big f**k up like backing up under power or dousing crew members in fuel, there's no leeway - period.

Having driven on the track at other events, I applaud everyone who raced at the Longest Day - the track is punishing on cars and equipment.