4m bench racers

[Bob Hubbard]

Are you offended when the drivers call you a 4m bench racer ? With all the social media / video's of the * Rubbin is Racin * thing goin on .... Ive caught on to the fact that if you dont drive a real race car our opinion are kinda looked at differently .... LOL

[mudslinger47]

I don't think an opinion should be bad cause you haven't done something, I have been an owner/driver, a paid driver and head wrench, and still am the latter... I may have an opinion that fits a little closer then some one that hasn't ever raced, but no more valid as long as it isn't something stupid.... like removing restrictor plates for super speedways... my retort would be how many people do you want to kill until you put them back on? Bench racers that think all racing should be rule free and unlimited have no idea what it costs to build a car.... our owner has close to 100G's in one car, not everyone can do that but they still want to race, so that's where the crate classes come in... stuff like that kinda annoys me.... but its their opinion and ya gotta go with it....

[Bob Hubbard]

Most of what I see & hear is related to how fans in the stands see things different than the drivers do .... I too had no ideal how things worked till my buddy bought a car a few years ago ... One thing we argue about is how farr up a driver comes up off the corner .... Whos at fault when you try to pass on the top & theres no lane when you do .... Its almost funny because each week I get a different answer ....

[t.nie]

Your opinions are looked at differently, which is as it should be. I have friends who have watched me race when I used to, my parents, etc, and commented "why do you run so close to the wall that fast, it's dangerous!" And I am like "fast?" Things are going way slower out there than they appear from the stands.

Then there is the field of vision thing. People in the stands who have never turned a lap have no idea how little you can turn your head side to side in a racing seat, belted in, neck restraint on and helmet on. The helmet alone cuts down about 30% of your field of vision, you lose your peripheral where the side of the helmet starts. Then strap in with should straps that fix your seated position so you can't turn your shoulders at all and that cuts down on turning your head.

So you are left with your ears, and your track senses (sight, situation awareness of who is behind you that might be gaining fast, the rub of another car on your quarter panel as you move up to the outside that tells you someone is there) to make your decisions. The first thing you should learn when racing is don't make any sudden changes in direction, do it gradually and smoothly, so if you are going high, you better be aware that there could be someone coming fast on the outside and you could end up wrecking yourself and them out of the race, so make your intention clear with a gradual move to the high side when exiting a corner to set yourself up for that high side in the next corner. Just swerving over is a great way to tick everyone behind you off and causing a wreck.

Just a few things that separate someone who has raced from those that never have, and a reason why racers view the opinions of those who sit in the stands and watch as a little less valid. Racers are generally far more forgiving of the stuff that happens on a track than those who have never done it. Which is why the fans usually get into more heated discussions about who did what to who deliberately.

Most racers, when they get over being ticked at having been involved in it at all, can see when someone genuinely didn't see them or couldn't know they were there when they moved up. No if its a rookie and they suddenly go high on corner entry and hit you or cut you off, then that's cause for a little discussion about track awareness and proper racing lines. But most experienced racers don't swerve left or right unless it is to avoid something.

Just my thoughts.

[mudslinger47]

My favorite one, from my wife, no less.... "why didn't you take that hole between those guys!!!!" My answer, "if I coulda caught them I would have"


After she did a couple powder puff's she understood better...

[A ron]

I get so sick of people/friends/relatives who've never even sat in a car telling me what I'm doing wrong. "You ain't staying in the gas enough, Let me drive that car, I'll flat foot it around this place"

[t.nie]

LOL. I had another racer tell me once he could get in my car and win with it. I was like, well dude, I am already flat foot all the way around here and I know what deficiencies I need to improve on with my drive train, tires, rear end, gears and engine to go faster, but if you think your foot pushing the pedal to the floor is all it takes to make it go faster, be my guest! lol

[Bob Hubbard]

My opinion as a fan in the stands .... I waited till the last race of the nite to see my buddy race his feature ....He moved up to fourth place .... Caution comes out and on the restart the guy he just pasted on a green run jumps the start .... I know its late and everyone wants to go home .... The flagman should of restarted over .... A few laps later the guy who jumped the start spins & wads up my buddy .... I guess going home is more important than giving a guy a fair shot at a good finish ....Rant over ....thank you

[TS FAN]

After decades of watching races and talking to drivers, I have a pretty good idea what is going on. Sometimes you can see something and understand what was happening if you have the experience. However, the one in the race car is the one who knows what is what in a certain situation. But there are times when the whining is just that whining. So if you know what your looking at sometimes you can tell what is what and the driver can be bias.

[Bob Hubbard]

The week before in the sport mod feature we had 2 drivers from portsmouth running 1-2 ..... The old throw your hands up on the restart trick .... Try n get the guys behind you to lift for a moment .... First one / than the other did it .... Come on flag man .... Now i remember why boggs asked 10 questions at the drivers meeting about restarts ....

[Clayton_Wetter]

My bench racer is finally in tune and set up to race against any ANY BENCH in the country!!!

[mudslinger47]

I was a poor young racer, most people were surprised at how little I actually had in my cars for years.... I did win a little and could qualify with the best of them.... at that time, it wasn't about money necessarily... as soon as it was about money my winning ways waned terribly....LOL