For The Love Of Racing, Part I
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07/07/2015 Jeremiah Thalheimer |
It has often been said that local short tracks are the lifeblood of racing. I have been blessed enough to witness this fact from the unique perspective of a race official. This all began in 2010 at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California.
In January of that year, I decided to attend Irwindale’s yearly event known as the Toyota All-Star Showdown. Seated behind me was Irwindale’s regular flagman, Patrick Pattison. After talking Patrick’s ear off for half the night, I half-jokingly asked him how to become an official. I expected him to say that I needed to know someone or be a mechanic, but to my surprise he said all I needed to do was call the race director and tell him I wanted to work. I placed the call that Monday even though the season was over a month away. Since I had already officiated football, basketball, and baseball, it felt natural for me to expand into racing as well.
When the season began in March, Irwindale hired me and one other official to work as tire branders. At Irwindale, teams were limited as to how many tires they could buy per race, and each tire had to be branded with the car’s number and logged into the logbook. This was a job which often fell to the newest officials. It wasn’t glamorous, but I loved it. Plus, it came with a cool uniform and since Irwindale was affiliated with the NASCAR Whelen All-American series, I got to call myself a NASCAR Official.
During the races, I worked varying positions from staging to track exit to finally my favorite position: the spotters' stand. Most people know that the spotter’s function as a driver’s eyes during the race, but few know just how hectic the spotters’ stand can be. The main purpose of the officials working the spotters’ stand is to relay information from race control to the spotters and vice-verse. This can lead to some heated moments when the officials have to tell a spotter that their driver is being penalized. The place can also get interesting when spotters confront each other over issues on the racetrack. This often leads to the officials also playing the role of security guards. Due to the hectic nature of racing and the high emotions involved, the officials on the spotters’ stand often spend the entire night with either the spotters or the race director (and sometimes both) angry with them. It was tense and hectic, but I loved every minute of it.
Nearly every Saturday from March until October 2010, I made the roughly two-hour trek from Camp Pendleton to Irwindale. Even though I had to give up half of my weekend, I still loved every minute of it. In addition to making several great friends who I am still in contact with today, I also got to witness some incredible racing. Every week, several classes - from Legends to trucks to late models to super late models - battled it out on Irwindale’s progressive banks. I got to witness drivers such as Nick Joanides, Rod Johnson, Jr., Tim Huddleston, and Ryan Reed duel it out lap after lap (and yes, that would be the same Ryan Reed who won Daytona’s February Xfinity race). I got to witness young guns trying to move up through the ranks and cagey old veterans trying to show the young guns who was really in charge. Best of all, I got to witness family-run teams scrape together every penny so they could race on Saturday nights for no other reason than the fact that they simply loved racing.
Therefore, if you’re reading this and have never seen the spectacle of local racing, I beg you to check it out. Google short tracks in your area or visit nascarhometracks.com. Dirt or asphalt, it doesn’t matter. You’ll get to see racing fueled more by passion than by sponsorships. And who knows, maybe one of the drivers you watch will one day trade Saturday nights in for Sunday afternoons and you will have been there to watch them get their start. Either way, you will discover a new passion that will keep you coming back for many years to come
In January of that year, I decided to attend Irwindale’s yearly event known as the Toyota All-Star Showdown. Seated behind me was Irwindale’s regular flagman, Patrick Pattison. After talking Patrick’s ear off for half the night, I half-jokingly asked him how to become an official. I expected him to say that I needed to know someone or be a mechanic, but to my surprise he said all I needed to do was call the race director and tell him I wanted to work. I placed the call that Monday even though the season was over a month away. Since I had already officiated football, basketball, and baseball, it felt natural for me to expand into racing as well.
When the season began in March, Irwindale hired me and one other official to work as tire branders. At Irwindale, teams were limited as to how many tires they could buy per race, and each tire had to be branded with the car’s number and logged into the logbook. This was a job which often fell to the newest officials. It wasn’t glamorous, but I loved it. Plus, it came with a cool uniform and since Irwindale was affiliated with the NASCAR Whelen All-American series, I got to call myself a NASCAR Official.
During the races, I worked varying positions from staging to track exit to finally my favorite position: the spotters' stand. Most people know that the spotter’s function as a driver’s eyes during the race, but few know just how hectic the spotters’ stand can be. The main purpose of the officials working the spotters’ stand is to relay information from race control to the spotters and vice-verse. This can lead to some heated moments when the officials have to tell a spotter that their driver is being penalized. The place can also get interesting when spotters confront each other over issues on the racetrack. This often leads to the officials also playing the role of security guards. Due to the hectic nature of racing and the high emotions involved, the officials on the spotters’ stand often spend the entire night with either the spotters or the race director (and sometimes both) angry with them. It was tense and hectic, but I loved every minute of it.
Nearly every Saturday from March until October 2010, I made the roughly two-hour trek from Camp Pendleton to Irwindale. Even though I had to give up half of my weekend, I still loved every minute of it. In addition to making several great friends who I am still in contact with today, I also got to witness some incredible racing. Every week, several classes - from Legends to trucks to late models to super late models - battled it out on Irwindale’s progressive banks. I got to witness drivers such as Nick Joanides, Rod Johnson, Jr., Tim Huddleston, and Ryan Reed duel it out lap after lap (and yes, that would be the same Ryan Reed who won Daytona’s February Xfinity race). I got to witness young guns trying to move up through the ranks and cagey old veterans trying to show the young guns who was really in charge. Best of all, I got to witness family-run teams scrape together every penny so they could race on Saturday nights for no other reason than the fact that they simply loved racing.
Therefore, if you’re reading this and have never seen the spectacle of local racing, I beg you to check it out. Google short tracks in your area or visit nascarhometracks.com. Dirt or asphalt, it doesn’t matter. You’ll get to see racing fueled more by passion than by sponsorships. And who knows, maybe one of the drivers you watch will one day trade Saturday nights in for Sunday afternoons and you will have been there to watch them get their start. Either way, you will discover a new passion that will keep you coming back for many years to come