Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Next to watching TV shows or movies that show drenched streets on a perfectly sunshiny day, I've never understood why they continue to leave the Green Lights on during a race when all but the last car has crossed the finish line? I just feel it's needless to wait until the last car crosses the flag stand when there's nothing to be gained by it to switch to the Yellow as some of these last cars are a half a lap from the finish line. In congested lapped traffic, as a spectator it's easier to see who's first and who's getting lapped but I assume it can be hard for drivers to decipher sometimes as to who got the white and who had the checkers. I don't know if anything is conveyed through race radios or not but most drivers just stay on the gas until the green lights change, as they should but some drivers don't. I've watched plenty of races where drivers have crashed into slower cars well after the finish. Maybe there's a good explanation for it but I just see it as a needless formality that can be a recipe for disaster.

I think your missing the point of racing and that is to be faster than the other guy. Now granted a single car all by itself is one thing but who knows, you might have 2-3 guys literally battling for those last 2-3 spots and with points championships a concern for many teams each and every position counts. Additionally, this is why at the end of a race the leading cars are encouraged to run 90% or so through the 1st corner so they can get out and away from cars that are still racing.

I understand what your saying about 2 or 3 cars still racing for position and what that can mean in a points race but if you would read into my statement, I said the LAST car. At some tracks, HALF a lap isn't much but at bigger tracks like Knoxville that's a bit of time to wait for "last place lenny" to trickle around the track while half the field is buzzing at full speed and some are "cooling down". Not the exact same situation but watched a guy get run over in the 360 Nationals after the checkers flew because of difference in speed, happens quite a lot. I also watched a guy get killed on a track in Nebraska when some were flying at top speed and some were toodling around.

One the other hand...what about throwing the yellow light before everyone has completed the final lap.....is the field frozen at that point and anyone that hasen't taken the checker scored for their final completed lap?.......case in point.......we are running eighth in a battle with the ninth and tenth place cars.....we are the last three cars on the lead lap with the first and second place cars  behind us...we cross the line , get the white, and the leaders behind us get the checkered....race through one and two and halfway down the backstretch the yellow light comes on  (keep in mind there are five or six lapped cars and third through seventh in front of us).....most start slowing down down the backstretch and entering three and four and we are stuck behind them trying to find a way through.....the ninth and tenth place cars have it on the mat around the outside  and we are passed  by them before crossing the line.....we end up tenth......fair??....I think not ......this is on a very competitive 1/3 mile track.......frustrated!!

Even the "slower" cars are likely turning a seventeen second lap.  I don't know about anybody else but I can wait another half minute so they can finish their race.  If that happens every race it's no more than a couple minutes the whole night.  I'm not seeing any cause for concern.  

Stan Meissner

Because the race isn't over when the 2nd last car crosses the finish line.

Because the front runners need to know the track is still safe to do 1 more lap at almost race speed to not congestion corner 1.

Because yellow is for when the track is not safe and not open to racing.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

Agree, the race isn't over until the last place car crosses the start/finish line. Green flag is for everyone running in the race.

I've pondered if it would make a difference if they simply shut the green light off after the top 5 (or 10, whatever) cross the finish line.  I know Knoxville uses giant flags but not sure if every driver sees the flags. Agree that the race isn't over for those that haven't crossed the line though but do worry about the differences in those cooling down vs. those at full speed. 

I would be quite certain that 99% of the drivers know to keep on the throttle for another lap after the checkers. For those who dont know, probably havent stared 5 races yet.

Even though I may not know you, I 
care what most of you think!

I don't know where you attend races but where I live, the race continues until all participants have received the checkered flag. As long  as everybody knows that, they know what to expect and act accordingly. I think you're seeing a problem where there isn't one. Is it different at your local track, and they crash into each other after the checkers?

Wow, been reading Hosehead comments for a long long time about every issue you can think of and sitting back and taking it all in. I was hesitant to post a comment here because it seems like almost every topic that's posted has to have a least one jackwad spin the whole thing around to take it down a path that's totally unrelated to the original question. This is like watching "The View" with middle aged men taking the podium and jumping on everybody for everything, like a monkey on a cupcake.

Back to my original question and the bashers replies. I ask one simple question about one specific scenario and you all go ape shit.

Q. LAST CAR ONLY one not to cross finish line yet (Not 2, not 3, not everybody else) and he's a HALF a lap behind, is there really a need to keep the Green out?

1. Everybody deserves to get the checkered, really? Is this a particiaption ribbon type of thing to make them all feel good? If we want to go off the deep end of scenarios like "Voice of tthe Speedway", let's say there's one car left and they're two laps down in a 10 lap race, do we wait for 2 laps until he/she crosses?

2. The Race isn't over when the 2nd to the last car crosses the line? It most certainly is. It's called a race because you're trying to beat the next guy for the best finish you can get. When you're the Last car, there's no more positions to be gained or lost.

3. Don't know where I attend races? I'll admit I haven't been to as many tracks around the country as alot of you guys here but I have seen my share of tracks throughout the years. I've been to Knoxville many times including the last 45 Nationals.

Sorry, I'll just go back to my observation post, I've learned my lesson.

P.S. Thought it was odd on finale night in one of the Features that the Yellow lights came on after the Checkers when the last 2 to 3 cars had yet to cross the finish line. Maybe look at replays and have those guys come back and finish the race when they're available? 

I've tried to understand what the point of your question is?  First off I've never been to a race where cars multiple laps down are allowed to run all of their laps, from what I've seen is once the leader takes the checkered flag, everyone that takes the checkered flag after him the race is over for them.  What is it you don't like?  Do you not like allowing cars to finish at full speed because it slows the show down?  If that's the case wouldn't it slow the show down more because cars are going slower?  Or do you not like the speed difference caused by this?  It's a fair point but in any scenario you're going to go from race speed to a slower speed.  You also have this situation when yellows or reds are thrown in the race.  I guess I'm not seeing what is bothering you about the current situation?

"This is like watching "The View" with middle aged men taking the podium and jumping on everybody for everything, like a monkey on a cupcake".

I don't give a crap about this flagging "controversy", but that shit's funny!

A Flagman used to run the show, not anymore. Many times there was 2 guys on the front straight away flagstand. Today you have people with headsets. At any tour race it's usually the guy standing in the exit of 4 that over rides what the guy on the stand does. 

The only reason they run hard through the checkered flag is so cars don't stack up. Driver's have 1 way radios.  They are told when the race is over. Checkered flag is usually repeated 3 times, followed by yellow 3 times. Why ? It's all about safety and I can't say I disagree with it. 

     Whatever. You asked a question. You didn't like the answers. You insulted everybody. Congrats. You win.