Lucas Oil

[HikerDan]

What is this? Some kind of weird Le Mans Ford vs. Ferrari scoring thing? The car that takes the checkered first ain't always the winner. lol. Good lordy imagine if the roles were reversed here (the 32 inside and the 1 outside) and Lucas gifted the win to Team 1. A much uglier scene, and conversations, and future considering the enormity of conspiracy theorists out there running around.

This is a great opportunity for the Lucas Series officials to step up and address how they exactly determined the winner and explain how they set up for the scoring and timing. Why did the race finish before the checker and why was the device placed at that spot? Team Rocket seems to be ok with the finish but it is a bit of a head scratcher.

Imagine if Bubba Wallace lost by a nose in Atlanta tonight to Chase Elliott and NASCAR claimed Bubba beat him to the scoring loop before the start/finish line and awarded Bubba the win. LOL
Total chaos for certain. That might actually be fun to see the meltdown from the fans but I wouldn't want anyone attacked or threatened with bodily harm.

[EvelB7]

We run two series, one of them has the transponder on the front horn while the other uses the axle tube. I don't think we need to add another person/item to the series, the electronic scoring seems to be just fine. Can't please everyone, but when you start to talk about favoritism it appears the transponders take that out of the equation; just make sure in tech the transponder is in the correct location....Great race with these two either way, very cool that it comes down to this discussion!

[ride height]

There needs to be a marker somewhere (like directly across from the flagman) …a fluorescent colored fiberglass rod (so it doesn’t hurt anybody if it’s hit) with a camera etc.directly across from it. You simply review the film. Just like a horse race . This isn’t 500.00 they are racing for. At this level it’s a pretty good sack full of money. Fix the issue. The transponders definately have their place, but in this case a level headed person needs to review the photo finish and do the right thing. Either way. I don’t care who won this race….I truly don’t…I just hate to see things decided like it was. Dumb. In this day and age, and Lucas isn’t exactly a Fum buck outfit. They have resources.

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

My question is what did Mark Richard's have to say on this incident?

[Highside Hustler25]

It's pretty obvious that the camera crew were set up a bit to the left of the flagman. That view is angular to the flagstand giving a false perception of where that start finish line actually is. For the streaming viewers, they need to start setting these cameras perpendicular to the flagstand or finish line instead of giving folks a false view of things.

[HoosierDirtFan]

The scoring loop is well before the flag stand. The finish line is where that loop is buried underground, it's never right at the flag stand.

[ride height]

I guess that’s the issue…I never ever remember seeing a permanent finish line at a dirt track. Like you see at a nascar type track. Not sure how you’d even make one… I just assumed the flagstand is where it always was. I highly doubt every car has the transponder mounted exactly the same distance from the tip of the nose.

[Barbecueboy]

Barbeque,

I can't agree. They are good timers. They can't determine which car breaks an imaginary plane. The transponder has made some bad optics several times over the years.

You are talking about retraining people on what it means to finish a race first. We learn that in grade school and humans have been using the concept from the dawn of man.

So if they can’t accurately determine the imaginary plane at the finish using the transponders how is it so accurate and absolute with qualifying when they cross that same imaginary plane?

I’m just trying to understand why it works as the absolute snapshot of a qualifying lap when they cross the imaginary plane can’t be as absolute on the finish?

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Barbeque,

Location of the two points is unimportant during qualifying. We are just seeing who did a lap the fastest. It electronically starts and stops the stopwatch, if you will. It might be starting and stopping at a point that's maybe a foot off the line, but it's not likely to really impact the result. If it does, that fact is imperceptible to us.

A race is ended when a nose breaks a plane. Or at least that's what I have been conditioned to understand.

[formercrewguy]

If everyone has the transponder mounted on the vertical tube nearest the engine mount, they should all be the same. Any time a track official changes out a transponder, they are working under the front wheel well. I've never known one to be mounted on the rear axle tube.

Whynot speedway made us put it on the rightside rear axle tube. It was tough to do too!

[Barbecueboy]

Awesome race! Deer Creek is a place.

Everything from the grass mowed, the different versions of the start spangled banner, the presentations of the flag,the 50/50 the modified announcers and just all of it in general. Even the placements of the billboards, banners etc….three wide mod start too.

Everything about that event is well thought out….throw in the great racing and that place is one of the tops in the country.

Well done deer creek, well done……can’t wait to get there.

[Barbecueboy]

Barbeque,

Location of the two points is unimportant during qualifying. We are just seeing who did a lap the fastest. It electronically starts and stops the stopwatch, if you will. It might be starting and stopping at a point that's maybe a foot off the line, but it's not likely to really impact the result. If it does, that fact is imperceptible to us.

A race is ended when a nose breaks a plane. Or at least that's what I have been conditioned to understand.

Wouldn’t it be important to start 1rst in the heat race instead of maybe 2cond or 3rd…..and that’s a result of the qualifying effort.

Thanks for your insight, the guys I run around with run the transponder on the rear axel tube …sportsman class.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I don't see any way it impacts your qualifying result to the degree you suggest, barbeque. A car would have to be slowing rapidly, as it approaches the line.

[kidrock]

So, if they determine the finish line is 3 feet before the flag stand would that be acceptable or does the finish line have to be directly in the middle of the flag stand.

[Snake X3]

I can't wait to hear what DirtTrackr has to say about all this. He usually has good takes. IMO, the most important thing we can take out of this is that Hud was a good sport. He didn't throw a tantrum or have Don tear down the Lucas banner. He hasn't to my knowledge posted a childish rant trashing Schwallie. He was heartbroken but he showed what a class act he is. That is why even though he is driving Rocket 1, a team I have hated ever since Josh doored Casey, I'm still a fan. Say what you will about Don, but he raised a great kid. He should be proud.

[lurker]

Great race, very interesting topic.

Personally, I think they should have awarded both with the win, and added up 1st place and 2nd place monies, then split it equally. I’ve seen tracks do this before.

[Barbecueboy]

I don't see any way it impacts your qualifying result to the degree you suggest, barbeque. A car would have to be slowing rapidly, as it approaches the line.

I was meaning the timing itself……if the clock stops/ or registers or marks or whatever the term is when a cars transponder crosses the line during qualifying and it’s good enough to register the q time and set that car into a certain heat race and set the stage for the race…..how can the same transponder in the same exact position that crosses the line first not count for the win?……if it counts for everything that’s timed or registered before the win?

All questions I’m trying to understand

[Barbecueboy]

I can't wait to hear what DirtTrackr has to say about all this. He usually has good takes. IMO, the most important thing we can take out of this is that Hud was a good sport. He didn't throw a tantrum or have Don tear down the Lucas banner. He hasn't to my knowledge posted a childish rant trashing Schwallie. He was heartbroken but he showed what a class act he is. That is why even though he is driving Rocket 1, a team I have hated ever since Josh doored Casey, I'm still a fan. Say what you will about Don, but he raised a great kid. He should be proud.

Well dam snake, I couldn’t have said that any better myself……..well done and duly noted about Hudson.

[Snake X3]

@BBQ - thanks man. I have a lot of respect for your opinion, so that means something.

[ride height]

BBQ…the transponders work for timing because it’s measuring the time/distance of the whole track. But at the end of the race…it’s one specific spot. So as of now…it’s not the car that gets there first…it’s the transponder. When the race is this close as it was at Deer…..you have an issue. Unless the transponders are all the same distance from the nose to the transponder (which I highly doubt) it’s not a true measure of winner. There needs to be , like a horse track…a photo shot across the official finish line. One of these days it’s going to happen at one of these major events like the World, PDC etc….and there’s going to be a biblical crap storm over it. It’s all so unnecessary. Just put a camera across the finish line on these big boy races. Lucas and WOO etc…they can afford it.