By Adam Ross
DTD EXCLUSIVE
The funny thing about old sayings is there usually is a good bit of truth to them. ‘Be careful what you wish for’ comes to mind when I think of Super DIRT Week XL.
Super DIRT Week XL was larger than life. Buzzie Reutimann and Gary Balough -along with countless other legends in attendance – joined modern modified heroes like Brett Hearn, Billy Decker, and Stewart Friesen adding to the hype. Hundreds of media credentials were put to use over the course of the weekend, and that’s what this sport needs and deserves.
At the end of the month, the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 will air on SPEED TV drawing an enormous audience. Viewers around the world will see what we love about modified racing. What television viewers won’t see; what newspaper readers and news-watchers in the Central New York area won’t see is the side of the sport we despise. There is a price to be paid for the attention and sponsors and level of credibility Super DIRT Week achieves. Not sure what I mean?
Hours after confetti covered Stewart Friesen and his crew on the front stretch stage at the Moody Mile a small handful of people watched a visibly upset Friesen storm out of the Syracuse infield building. He had just been informed that he would be penalized heavily for a technical infraction found in post-race inspection.
Friesen’s confetti shower in victory lane
The fuel cell taken from the race-winning #44 TEO didn’t meet the stringent requirements set out by DIRTcar – the race’s sanctioning body. Rules state that the fuel cell must hold a maximum of 24.5 gallons, and the structure containing the cell must not bow or bulge in any way. Many of us watching the inspection clearly saw the fuel cell from the #44 car driven by Stewart Friesen was bulging in nearly every direction.
The infraction will cost Friesen and his team $25,000 – ½ of the posted $50,000 cash purse for winning the race. How about another old saying – ‘is the glass half full, or half empty?’. Friesen and his team will receive $25,000 for winning the race with a car that didn’t pass inspection.
In the minutes that followed Sunday’s race hundreds if not thousands of fans buzzed with jubilation, anger, and enthusiasm over the event that was. Super DIRT Week 2011 featured racing under the lights on the Moody Mile, side-by-side battles on what normally is a one-groove track thanks to the ‘Roger Slack lane’, controversially enforced pit road speed limits, huge crowds, great weather, hard hits, and harder feelings.
Remember ‘Be careful what you wish for’? We all want the sport to grow. We all want great media coverage. It comes at a price.
Glenn Donnelly seemed to believe that television coverage was necessary for dirt modified racing to reach the next level. Rush Hour on DIRT, This Week on DIRT, live televised mid-week races, and live coverage at Syracuse were all the creation of Donnelly. Super DIRT Week was the creation of Glenn Donnelly. I don’t think anyone would argue that.
Since World Racing Group entered the picture the fact that things must get bigger and better hasn’t changed. This year’s race will be broadcast on SPEED TV one week before the World Finals in Charlotte gains the attention of nearly every dirt-racing lover on earth. It seems to me we’re not far now from where we were with Donnelly at the helm.
Why is this important? I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t wish for bigger purses, more exposure, and greater notoriety for our sport. Gaining those things comes with a price tag. The sport has grown to the point that right and wrong isn’t as simple as we would like it to be. The rule book that is supposed to govern the sport has to be interpreted with the big picture in mind, and that skews the area between right and wrong causing a great deal of overlap.
Media coverage, sponsorship money, integrity, even the future of Super DIRT Week itself played a part in decisions that were made immediately following Sunday’s race. Right, wrong, or somewhere in between, a lot of things happened this weekend for better or worse.
A main rule of televised and widely-covered motorsports – the driver that hoists the trophy high over his head in victory lane is the winner of the race. It’s how NASCAR does it; it’s how Super DIRT Week founder and former boss Glenn Donnelly did it. Fans, sponsors and media deserve the right to know who won the race when they leave for home. Whether you agree or disagree with this statement will play a big role in what side of the technical debate you’re on.
When Stewart Friesen held the championship trophy high above his head dozens of photographers took pictures, and multiple television cameras rolled. They captured the moment for print, radio, television, and web-based media coverage of dirt modified racing’s biggest event.
The media frenzy in victory lane at Super DIRT Week is unparalelled.
Sponsors posed with Friesen on the victory stage immediately following the race, and they left the track with proof of how they spent their advertising dollars. Stewart Friesen – called the rock star of today’s dirt modified racing world – won his second Super DIRT Week main event in a row.
I attended the drivers’ meeting. I watched the race from the infield building on the closed-circuit television screen. I had spotters throughout the pits and the grandstands in constant 2-way radio communication filling in information I couldn’t see myself, and I had a scanner tuned to the officials’ frequency. I also stayed to the very end of technical inspection and the meetings that followed. This is my recollection of events following an eventful Super DIRT Week.
The car Stewart Friesen drove to victory in the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 failed post-race inspection. The rules laid out by DIRTcar are fairly clear as they pertain to the fuel cell.
Excerpt from the DIRTcar modified rules:
15.2 Fuel, Fuel Cells and Fuel System A.) All cars must have fuel cells that meet and/or exceed SFI 28.1/.2 and/or FT3 specifications and must be not be older than five (5) years from the date of manufacture. The fuel cell must have a maximum capacity of 24.5 US gallons and must remain in a rectangle and/or square shape for measuring and calculating capacity. The fuel cell must be mounted securely in its container and centered between the frame rails. Pressure tanks on fuel systems will not be permitted. Auxiliary fuel tanks will not be permitted. B.) The maximum capacity of the fuel when measured empty and/or dry will be measured in cubic inches utilizing the standard formula of length (minus 1⁄2”-inch) x width (minus 1⁄2”-inch) x depth (minus 1⁄2”-inch) will be 5,660 cubic inches. C.) The foam in the fuel cell must remain unaltered. A minimal cut in the foam will be permitted in the shape of a square or a rectangle. The cut may be no more than 1,000 square inches. The foam must retain the factory cut. D.) The fuel cell must be enclosed completely in a rectangle and/or square container that is a minimum thickness of 20-gauge magnetic steel. An aluminum container may be used as an option and must be a minimum of .060”-inch in thickness. E.) The fuel cell and/or the container material around the fuel cell must not be able to expand in any way. Tank panels that are bowed and/or bellied and/or positioned to create additional capacity of the fuel cell will not be permitted.
When DIRTcar officials oversaw the removal of fuel cells from the top three finishers it was clear to the few dozen onlookers that something was different with Friesen’s cell. While Coffey and Decker’s cell sat squarely on the ground the cell from Friesen’s car wobbled. It had expanded at nearly every edge causing it to wobble uneasily on the ground. It also appeared visibly larger than the other two.
Conversations developed among bystanders based on visual inspection alone Friesen’s cell is illegal. Billy Decker’s crew chief Scott Jeffries was among vocal onlookers. He quoted the same DIRTcar rule you just read. He’s familiar with the rule because it was written after he and Decker won their first Syracuse race in the Randy Ross-owned modified. The cell removed from Decker’s car wouldn’t sit still because it had bowed so severely. At the time it was overlooked because it was a gray area. Perhaps had they measured the volume of that fuel cell Decker would have been disqualified. Perhaps it would have been overlooked.
Scott Jeffries proudly displays the legal cell from Decker’s 91 car
Controversy in technical inspection is a time-honored Super DIRT Week tradition.
The inspection of the top three fuel cells continued for well over an hour. It might have lasted more than two hours, but with so much going on at once the time flew by. As the crowd thinned the technical team continued to work. The VP Fuel truck was called in, and so was security. Discussions among those left on pit road were increasingly heated. Caution tape cordoned off the area between spectators and tech.
The technical team measured the volume of the fuel cells by filling jugs with fuel and checking the cells manually. They allegedly were measuring 24-25 gallons of fuel, and then pouring it into each fuel cell. I say allegedly because I couldn’t see the measurement. We all watched from a close distance as five jugs of fuel were emptied into Friesen’s fuel cell. We were told each jug contained 5 gallons. With technical director Bob Dini holding up the top of the fuel cell opening the cell took what appeared to be 25 gallons easily, and then another two to two and a half gallons before the fuel spilled over the top.
Officials carefully pour fuel into the fuel cell
When Decker and Coffey’s cells were measured for volume it’s alleged that they overflowed with less than 25 gallons poured in as per the rulebook.
It’s not often that opposing crew members and even average joe spectators can see that something fails technical inspection. Engine components are measured to the thousandth of an inch, and gauges and tools are used that can only be seen by the person using them. In this instance the inspection of the fuel cells was fairly easy to follow and interpret.
The resulting debate put race officials between a rock and a hard place. I know, I know, do we really need another old saying? Well it certainly applies. The rock is allowing Stewart Friesen to keep his win and his points, and his money. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time in racing history that technical infractions were overlooked. Besides – did the larger fuel cell drive the car in closing laps holding off Billy Decker? Heck no. That was Stewart Friesen behind the wheel!
The hard place is disqualifying Stewart Friesen and stripping him of the win. The car Stewart drove to victory had an illegal component. The fuel cell didn’t pass technical inspection, and it could be argued that Friesen needed less time to perform his pit stop than Decker giving him a clear advantage. Regardless of whether it was a clear advantage or not it was a clear case of a component not meeting the rules.
With the rock and the hard place putting great pressure on DIRTcar officials, a meeting was held in a small room within the New York State Fairgrounds infield building. Within the room was DIRTcar’s technical expert Bob Dini, series director Joe Skotnicki, World Racing Group head honcho Tom Deery, and possibly one or two additional officials. I was at my computer, and I honestly can’t be sure.
I am sure I would have liked to be a fly on the wall overhearing that conversation. I imagine that Bob Dini was looking for Friesen’s head. Technical officials often want the harshest penalty possible in my experience. I imagine Joe Skotnicki was wondering why this wasn’t discovered in pre-race technical inspection. I imagine that Tom Deery was wishing he was anyone else at that particular time. And I imagine the additional officials were thrilled they weren’t Dini, Skotnicki, or Deery.
What was said in that meeting is known only to the few within the room. I’m quite certain the group was exploring the gray area between right and wrong. Exactly where would their decision lie between the rock and the hard place? One thing is for certain – this wasn’t an ideal situation.
Stewart Friesen hoisted the trophy high in the air. Newspaper writers were long gone. They’d left to write their stories and meet their deadlines. Along with them their photographers would edit photos and send shots of Friesen’s #44 crossing the finish line first. The attractive young Friesen would look great hoisting the championship trophy for all to see.
The internet media had long since reported that Friesen won the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200. His picture adorned the front page of numerous sites. By the time the evening news aired it would be evident to potentially millions of viewers that Stewart Friesen repeated as Syracuse champion. The first media member to greet Friesen after climbing from his car was Shane Andrews. Andrews was a pit road reporter for SPEED TV, and he was graced with the opportunity to interview the race winner Stewart Friesen. The interview will air at the end of the SPEED TV broadcast later in October.
For all of these reasons– the cost of declaring anyone but Stewart Friesen the winner would be a costly one. The 40 years of history, drama, and excitement that Super DIRT Week has built led hundreds of media credentials to be distributed to the event. By stripping Friesen of the win DIRTcar risked losing the mainstream media for future events because they can’t afford to broadcast or print misinformation.
The sponsors who pose in victory lane with the winner can’t very well photoshop the second-place finisher into their victory shots. The moment is just that – a moment in time captured to package all of the excitement of the event into one short news clip, or photograph, or advertisement.
I’m not saying it’s right, but from the angle of lost sponsorship, tv coverage, advertising, and media attention it seems fairly obvious that Friesen should keep his win.
Let’s revisit the hard place. Remember the hard place? The hard place is throwing the proverbial book at Friesen. Cheaters never prosper, and someone seems to have cheated.
By stripping Friesen of his victory DIRTcar would send a strong message to all of its teams. If rules are broken the penalty is severe. By allowing Friesen to keep his money and points a number of things could happen.
Next year teams could arrive at Syracuse with all sorts of illegal components. Why follow the rule book if there is no penalty for breaking the rules? The alternative is even worse. Why compete at Super DIRT Week if the playing field isn’t level?
By disqualifying Stewart Friesen DIRTcar could gain the respect of its competitors. By allowing Friesen to keep his win and his prize money there is a large number of people who would never know the difference. Only a dozen or so people stayed long enough at post-race inspection to really see what happened, anyhow.
What transpired next seemed surreal. When the meeting of the minds concluded there was still a small buzz among the people who remained. Nobody had heard of any decision yet, but everyone was eager to find out. Moments later a golf cart pulled up to the infield building carrying Friesen and his crew chief Matt Hearn.
The two were led into the same small room were the decision had been made. It was fair to assume they were going to be told the result of the meeting, and their fate would be determined. I was torn. Do I stand close enough to listen in on what is said? Or do I sit back and wait to hear it from the source?
I chose to split the difference. I stood just outside the door talking with a DIRTcar official. The rest of the onlookers stood outside the building awaiting the decision. Clinton Geoffrey was a few feet away in the men’s room, and a few other World Racing Group employees were in the main part of the building finishing up their cleaning.
Over the previous half hour or so tables were torn down and chairs folded and neatly put away. It made quite a racket, but everyone was so focused on the proceedings nobody seemed to care.
It came as no surprise that the sound of chairs and tables cracking once again emitted from the building. The next five seconds seemed like a minute. It seemed to dawn on the DIRTcar official at the same time it occurred to me. No chairs or tables were being cleared out. The crashing noises were coming from the meeting room. The DIRTcar official scurried to the door and opened it just as a red-faced Friesen and Hearn were leaving. In the room sat a stoic looking Joe Skotnicki. My hearing isn’t good enough to distinguish the difference between a chair hitting a wall or a table hitting a wall, but something made a great deal of noise, and it was fairly obvious no people were struck.
I ran after Friesen and Hearn who were hurriedly walking back to their pit area. I asked what happened, and Hearn waved me off with a motion of his hand. I certainly don’t blame him for being angry, but for me to pass up the opportunity to try to get a quote seemed irresponsible. I got close enough and asked again, but the only response I got was “Get lost Adam” from Friesen. He then shouted over his shoulder “I got the win. That’s all that matters.”
Upon returning to the infield building I was told by World Racing Group PR staff the penalty was $25,000. Friesen keeps the win, but he forfeits half of the winner’s prize money totalling $50,000.
A brief commotion again erupted outside the building. Murmurs got louder, so we ran out, and Friesen was placing part of a broken winner’s trophy on the hood of Decker’s hauler. If I remember correctly he said something along the lines of “There. Now I get half and you get half.”
It was widely speculated that Friesen broke the trophy. Let’s put that story to rest. The trophy broke much earlier in the day. The first I saw that trophy broken in half is when a World Racing Group employee was walking the trophy out of the press conference. Part of the trophy crashed to the ground with a thud. It was clearly in two pieces at that point.
By this time it was likely around 9 pm. Time had flown and stood still all at once since the race ended many hours ago. What’s ironic about the technical debate is that many believe the true winner of the race was long gone. The post-race controversy overshadowed the late-race controversy created by Rick Laubach’s pit road pandemonium.
Hours earlier Laubach darted onto pit road under green on lap 151. The mandatory pit stop had been the talk of the event. Every driver must come into the pits between lap 150 and 200. The car must be jacked up, and the fuel can must touch the car.
As luck would have it the yellow was out around lap 147, and many teams felt this was their chance. Skotnicki spoiled their plans over the one-way radio telling them they would be back to green before lap 150. The rules also stated the cars MUST complete lap 151 on the race track.
Laubach rolled the dice and lost with his green-flag pit strategy
It’s funny how controversy grows. By attending the weekend’s drivers’ meetings I knew there was a strict pit road speed limit. Everyone knew there was a pit road speed limit. Officials had always asked drivers to maintain a reasonable speed on pit road, but it had never been enforced.
Officials explained that pit road speed limit would be enforced this year using radar guns and timed sections of pit road. I never heard officials distinguish between green flag and yellow flag. I thought everyone had the same information.
During the caution period just prior to lap 150 Laubach ducked into the pits. His crew jacked up the front of the car, and they touched the fuel can to the car. It was fairly evident they were rehearsing the mandatory pit stop.
When racing resumed just past lap 150 the pits were declared opened for mandatory stops. One driver took advantage under green and ducked onto pit road. Before Laubach ever got to his pit stall Joe Skotnicki came on the one-way radio.
“Way too fast entering the pits, number seven (which is Laubach’s number),” he said. “You’ll have to come back down pit road. That was way too fast.”
Of course to make matters worse the caution flew as Laubach was exiting pit road, and with the exception of the penalty it appeared things had worked out perfectly. On the down side he somehow was trapped behind the pace car, and I don’t know if the leader overtook him as well, or if the pace car picked him up mistakenly. Laubach went to pass the pace car, and Skotnicki again came over the one way radio.
“Number 7 if you pass the pace car you’re going to get dinged another lap,” he said. That confirmed to me that again a penalty had been given to the Laubach team.
A fury swept over the crowd at a driver being ‘screwed’ by officials, but perhaps the fans weren’t informed the pit road speed limit was in effect under both green and yellow. The proverbial flames were fanned by announcers who unfortunately didn’t get the full story. They were vocalizing the wrong-doing against Laubach, and the team later argued a number of angles to the officials.
The debate used by fans and members of Laubach’s team to defend him is weak in my opinion. People demanded to see radar guns or proof of wrong-doing. None of that is necessary. When it comes to discretionary calls it’s hard to dispute an official’s discretion. It’s like arguing balls and strikes in baseball. It won’t work.
Watching cars creep down pit road at pit road speed limit is like watching a turtle. It looks painstakingly slow watching a modified at that speed. Even at 35 miles per hour the exit of pit road was chaotic. Watching a car exceed 50 miles an hour doesn’t require a radar gun or a timing loop. It’s pretty easy to determine.
In the post-race press conference Stewart Friesen was asked about the controversy involving Laubach, and what he thought about it. Friesen said he heard the same thing we reported. Over the radio Skotnicki told him right away he was speeding. In an ironic twist Friesen commended DIRTcar officials for enforcing the rules they laid out.
At the end of the day it seems a shame that we’re discussing everything that went wrong with Super DIRT Week XL. The racing was great. The crowds were great. The weather was great, but the outcome will forever be tainted.
Regardless whether you support the disqualification of Friesen or whether you support the awarding of victory to Friesen; this is a no-win situation.
Is there a silver lining to this cloud? World Racing Group could seize this opportunity to announce a revised points fund featuring an additional $25,000. After all, nobody moves up in the finishing order when someone gets disqualified in a DIRTcar race. It might ease some hard feelings to know the posted award will find a home with racers who support the series and adhere to the rules.
There’s more to come in the aftermath of Super DIRT Week. As always we love a good debate. Share your thoughts in the forum or our Facebook page!
