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What Gear You Need At An Autocross – The Basics

By Rob Krider February 19, 2020Autocrossing, also known as Solo (or if you say “eh” a lot, and live in Canada, you call it “Slalom”), is the least expensive way to compete in motorsports. It is considered the entry-level for learning car control skills, vehicle setup, and racing strategy. Even though it is an entry-level sport, it has regional and national championships, and some of the best drivers in racing got their start in autocross.

Using almost any street car, a helmet, and $40 — you have all you need to go autocrossing. With those three things, you will be racing. You probably won’t win your first event, but there are a few tools and tricks to help make you faster and more competitive at Solo. Let’s go over a few of them here to get you dialed in for speed.
Autocross is easy on the pocketbook. There’s no need for a dedicated track car, a truck/trailer, or motorhome to haul things. All you need is a car and a helmet, and you are racing. Any street car will work for Solo. Some vehicles will be more competitive than others, but almost any car can pass a basic technical inspection to play.

Helmet

The first thing is first; you need a helmet to compete in autocross. For the most part, this is really only an insurance thing. I have been autocrossing for more than 20 years, and I have never seen a situation where somebody needed a helmet at an autocross (which is a good thing). Autocrosses are extremely safe events: a single car drives around cones in a parking lot to record a time. The worst-case scenario is a traffic cone is killed. Regardless of the safe racing environment, because of the rules, you still need to have a helmet. Long story short, get a helmet.
To run in an autocross, you are going to need a helmet. However, it doesn’t have to be an expensive setup. The open-face helmet (Right) is a quarter of the price and is lighter weight than the tricked out road racing helmet with radios, Hans anchors, air inputs, and a drinking tube (Left).

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Some clubs offer loaner helmets, but there is this thing called head lice, and I’m not a fan. You can score a reasonably priced helmet online. Most autocross sanctioning bodies, like the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), only require a Snell-rated motorcycle helmet (Snell M), which is less expensive than a full-blown, Snell SA-rated auto racing helmet. For more information on Snell helmet ratings, check out the article: Brain Buckets –What You Need To Know.

For autocrossing this season in a Ford Fiesta ST project car, I switched from my full-faced road racing helmet to an open-faced model from I/O Port Racing Supplies, which cost less than $200. The advantage in autocross to an open-faced-helmet design versus my full-faced road racing helmet is the open-faced helmet is 0.6-pounds lighter, provides a better view, and doesn’t fog up. Win, win, and win.

Tools

There are a few tools I recommend having at an autocross event to help you get through your day. I keep all of my dedicated autocross tools in a large plastic box. This makes it easy to get everything out of my car quickly at the event, and it also helps me keep things organized at home. When I’m heading to an autocross, as long as I grab my box, I know I have everything I need.
A supersized Tupperware box can hold everything you need for autocross and keep things organized. Pulling this box out of your car will ensure all of your tools are out of the interior before you make a run around the course. You don’t want anything in the interior that can slide under the brake pedal. Not safe!

My box has my helmet in a protective helmet bag, a jack, jackstands (always use jackstands!), some Mechanix gloves, small tool kit (for random repairs), GoPro cameras, torque wrench, lugnut socket, rags, a California car duster (you can’t race a dirty car, duh!), and a tire gauge. The helmet, torque wrench, and tire gauge are the three most essential items. You can’t race without the helmet, the torque wrench keeps your wheels on, and the tire gauge helps ensure tire pressures are just right during runs.
Inside my autocross box, I keep everything I need for a Solo event in one easy-to-find location. It is simple to move around and provides nice storage space for all of my stuff in a parking lot at an autocross.

A small jack from Harbor Freight, aluminum jack stands from Amazon (for safety), breaker bar, socket, torque wrench, and gloves — everything needed to do a quick tire swap at an autocross (and it all fits inside my box).

Tires

When you get a little more serious about Solo competition, you quickly realize the people going fast are on autocross-specific racing tires. Tires make all of the difference in Solo. A lot of competitors will drive to the event on street tires and then swap out their tires for some sticky racing tires. The type of tire you can use depends on the class in which you are competing. For example, in the SCCA Street classes, the tires have to have a treadwear rating of 200 or above, like the Yokohama Advan A052.

On our Ford Fiesta ST project car, we are using the Yokohama Advan A052 and swap our tires at the event to save the soft rubber Yokos for race duty only. This keeps them away from daily driving abuse and being driven hundreds of miles to an autocross event so they will last longer.
Having some street tires and dedicated racing tires, like the Yokohama Advan A052, can really improve your times at the autocross. I use Tire Totes to store my tires when they aren’t on the car. They keep things tidy and my interior clean.

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To transport my race tires, or store my street tires, I use Tire Totes (big bags with handles that hold wheels and tires). These make it easy to put tires inside my interior without getting rubber scuff marks on the inside of my car. A set of four costs less than $50.

Tire Gauge

We have already established that tires are the essential thing to make you faster at an autocross (or any type of racing). To optimize your tires, running the correct tire pressure will ensure you get the most performance out of those sticky donuts. A good tire gauge is a must-have item for an autocrosser.
Any tire gauge that can read tire pressure will work. I use a digital gauge with a combination tire pyrometer on it to record pressures and temperatures for all four tires.

As tires get warm during spirited driving, your tire pressure will increase. Autocrossers will often lower their pressures between runs to ensure they have the optimal pressure in the tires for their next timed lap. To determine the correct pressure, you will need to examine the sidewall after a run (if the tire is rolling over too much, increase the pressure).

You can also use a tire pyrometer, which measures the heat in a tire at different locations to help determine correct tire pressures. For more detailed information on how a pyrometer can help you dial-in your tire pressures, check out the article: Just The Tip –How To Use A Tire Pyrometer To Go Faster.
Since tire pressures are so crucial for optimized performance, it is nice to have an air tank to increase pressures if needed. This one is a Longacre model filled with nitrogen.

Your tire pressure for racing will be different for street driving, so you may need to add or subtract air pressure when you get there. If you lower your pressure too much and need to add some at the event, it is handy to have an air tank available. These tanks can usually hold more than 100 pounds of pressure. The tank isn’t large enough to completely fill four tires, but it has enough capacity to make small five-pound adjustments on all four tires. Those tire pressures and tire temperatures will help you decide what sort of alignment settings you may want to change to go faster.

Universal Tool Kit

Thrashing around an autocross course is generally pretty easy on cars. Tires take a beating, but cars usually survive without too much damage or maintenance needed, especially compared to wheel-to-wheel, bump-and-grind road racing. Because cars aren’t too hammered in Solo, you don’t need a lot of tools with you at an event.

I keep an inexpensive, easy to store, general tool kit in my box for any random repairs that might come up during a race. In reality, other competitors usually use my tools more than I do. I’m happy to help them out — it is an easy way to make friends and meet like-minded car folks at events.
Having a universal set of tools to repair random things can be a lifesaver at an autocross. An inexpensive set, in a small organized box, makes it so tools are quick to find.

Creature Comforts

These autocross events are usually held in the middle of nowhere. You aren’t going to find flush toilets, food, gasoline, or even a place to sit down at an autocross. Don’t expect to see any amenities at an event, which means bring what you need to survive. I pack a simple folding chair to get off my feet, bottled water, sunscreen, hat, and a jacket.

Besides driving, you will also be working the course and shagging cones, which is where the sunscreen or jacket comes in handy. Since you probably won’t see a taco truck at the autocross, pack a small cooler with some food too.
Autocrosses are held in the middle of nowhere. A simple folding chair is nice to have to get off your feet. Also, bring some water and sunscreen, as you are going to be out in the elements all day.

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Numbers and Class Designation

Timing and scoring need to keep things straight in the timing trailer (as in, which car is on course?), so good numbers and class designations on the side of each vehicle help everyone. Some people use painter’s tape to make numbers and class designations. I prefer using stickers or magnets, so the car looks more professional.
For numbers, you can use some simple blue masking tape (as seen on the red Ford Focus SVT), or you can get some magnetic numbers (as seen on the gray Ford Fiesta ST). Which looks better? Which will be easier for timing and scoring?

I use magnets with my number and class on them for regional events. For national events, I use stickers applied directly to the paint. With a little wax on your paint job, I have never seen any damage from either magnetic numbers or decals stuck on the paint. Magnets are a popular way to add or take away numbers quickly, so you aren’t driving on the street looking like a race car. Nobody needs that kind of attention.
When my magnetic numbers aren’t on the car, to keep them nice and flat, I store them on my refrigerator. With these magnets on the outside and some Double Nickel Nine IPA from Tactical Ops Brewing inside, this is the fastest fridge in town.

You don’t have to possess a vinyl cutter or any fancy equipment to make good looking numbers. I have printed numbers using Microsoft Word on a piece of paper and then used those fonts as a template to trim number stickers from contact paper or sticker material. All I needed was a printer, some scotch tape, and a razor blade.
You can make your stickers by printing out a number from Microsoft Word, taping the paper onto the sticker material, and then use a razor blade to trim the number from the sticker material. What you are left with is the number.

When creating stickers, ensure the color of your decals has a nice contrast to the color of your car. Design them so the sizing is correct for your sanctioning body. For SCCA Solo events, the numbers must be a minimum of 8-inches tall with a 1.25-inch-wide stroke. The class designation must be a minimum of 4-inches tall with a 0.75-inch-wide stroke.
These homemade numbers were made by trimming some sticker material. Up close, they aren’t perfect, but at 50mph flying by cones, they look sharp enough.

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Cameras

Video equipment is not required in Solo, but it does help you become a better driver. If you are going to have a camera, it must be securely mounted within or on the car. A passenger is allowed to ride along at regional events, but a passenger riding along holding a camera is illegal — it is an instant disqualification for the run.

I use a small GoPro Session camera on a mount that attaches to my headrest. It provides an excellent view out of the windshield to see the course and of my driver inputs on the steering wheel and shifter.
Using a camera will help improve your driving style. I keep a GoPro in a small case and use a slick little camera mount on the seat headrest to get a good video of autocross runs.

One of the things I like about the headrest camera mount is I can reach back and turn the GoPro camera on and off, while still snugged down in my Schroth harness in the driver seat.
This camera angle lets me see my driver inputs as I navigate the course. I can see bad habits (yes, I have a lot of those) and try to improve my driving style, run after run.

Data Acquisition

To really improve your driving, data acquisition is a great tool to help you become faster. I just upgraded the Fiesta to an AEM Electronics CD-5 digital dash with GPS and OBDII data logging. This little device packs a lot of power, including shift lights, segment timing, predictive lap timing, and track map creation. It will also overlay data onto video from the GoPro. We will be covering more on this neat little gadget later at TURNology.
For really improving car setup and driving style, I use AEM Electronics CD-5 with GPS and OBDII data logging. It also comes with an awesome progressive shift light to keep me from continually overrevving first gear in the Fiesta.

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Getting It All To The Track

Solo is an easy-to-do sport, and I can pack everything right into the back of the little Ford Fiesta ST. I show up to an event, pull out my big box of goodies, swap out my street tires for the sticky Yokohama A052s, mount my GoPro camera, slap on my magnet numbers, and I’m ready to set fast times and crush souls at any event I can drive to. The only thing holding me back from world domination are large bodies of water.
All the gear we discussed so far fits nice and tidy in the back of this Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch.

In the past, when I was driving a Bullitt Mustang in the SCCA FS class, I used a small utility trailer to get all of my gear from my house to a local event. I purchased an inexpensive trailer from Harbor Freight and bolted a truck bed box onto it. A few straps held down my race tires, and I was off to go racing.
For cars that don’t have as much interior storage, a small autocross trailer can be used to bring gear to and from events.

Simplicity and low cost are just a couple of the reasons why autocross racing is so popular. It is also an excellent sport where you can push the limits of yourself and your car safely and legally. So, start assembling your autocross go-box, and I’ll see you at the next event!
All of this gear is to be used to go as hard as possible dodging cones to ensure you are the fastest and the best. Photo credit: Anthony Topalian.

More Sources

AEM Electronics
https://www.aemelectronics.com/
(310) 484-2322
Longacre Racing Products
https://www.longacreracing.com/default.aspx
(800) 423-3110
GoPro
https://shop.gopro.com/cameras
(800) 272-7281
Sports Car Club of America
https://www.scca.com/
(785) 357-7222
Yokohama
https://www.yokohamatire.com
(800) 722-9888
I/O Port Racing Supplies
https://www.ioportracing.com/
(800) 949-5712

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Taking a different line

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emailBy RACER Staff | March 11, 2020 2:20 PM
Presented by Track Rekord Track Rekord offers highly personalized coaching to track day drivers

Driving and racing schools are nothing new. The most established among them have been with us for more than four decades. At the other end of the spectrum, driver coaching has become increasingly commonplace within the semi-professional and professional ranks.

The gap between the two is what Track Rekord aims to fill. Established by professional drivers and instructors Kai Goddard and Andy Lee, Track Rekord offers private coaching services to drivers who participate in track-day events or are pursuing some level of competitive racing.

“We founded Track Rekord for people who want to drive faster, more comfortably and safely at a track of their choice,” says Goddard, “and we made it possible by building a network of skilled, professional driver coaches around North America who can come to wherever the client needs them to be.”

Goddard, Lee and their network of professional driver coaches have, or had, a working relationship with one or more of the established racing and driving schools.

While they say that these schools still provide a valuable foundation, and many of their clients are graduates of one of them, Track Rekord is unique in that it offers a high level of personalized coaching.

“What sets Track Rekord apart is that we can coach our clients in their cars at their home track,” continues Lee. “For the most part, once a student graduates from an established school, the odds are that they are never going to drive that specific car or track ever again. So we go to where they actually drive and coach them to get the best out of the car they’re in now.”
Getting pro-level insights, clients receive session debriefs with sophisticated data analysis on the spot.

Track Rekord has a growing network of 20 highly experienced instructors, many of whom are still actively racing professionally. Each can be booked for all or part of a day, up to as many days as a client needs.

In order to understand their specific needs and objectives, every client relationship begins with a discussion prior to arriving at the track. Experienced track drivers commonly feel they have plateaued and are looking for some objective analysis to help break through to the next level. At the other end of the scale are drivers who are new to track-day events and need coaching to help them get up to speed more quickly. Track Rekord can even go so far as to help those who have just purchased a new car understand its capabilities and limits under the guidance of a pro.

“Track Rekord doesn’t use a set curriculum or method,” explains Goddard. “Every client has differing needs, experiences and circumstances. Until we spend some time observing their driving and talking through how they feel behind the wheel, we can’t begin to give them feedback.”

It’s not all down to observation. Track Rekord coaches come equipped with a portable LITPro data system and video cameras that easily mount onto any car. Together with the client, Track Rekord coaches use the data systems and videos to pinpoint areas for improvement and compare the client’s laps to the instructor’s. Coaches also routinely ride in the right seat to offer real time coaching, as well as lead-follow sessions where possible.

“It all comes down to the personal relationship we develop with each client,” says Lee. “Our coaches are there for you and you alone. We don’t split time with several clients at once and most of the time we’re with you from breakfast until dinner, building that bond of trust which is a key factor in making our clients better drivers.”

Track Rekord offers individual coaching starting at $850 for a half day, not including expenses such as track fees and travel costs. Insurance is available through OpenTrack, specialists in HDPE and track-day coverage. Track Rekord can also help facilitate track access and vehicle rental if needed. Small group coaching is also available, with fees based on the number of participants and skill levels.

At select track-day events, Track Rekord coaches can be available on a per-session basis. Novice drivers will spend time understanding the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics, the driving line, and a variety of high-performance driving techniques. More experienced drivers can focus on particular areas where tenths of a second are to be found. No matter the skill level, Track Rekord seeks to exceed each driver’s goals with safety in mind. To learn more, visit trackrekord.com.

CNT224357, Driving School, Track Rekord, RACER Stuff

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Track Rekord adds online coaching to its array of services

Image via Track Rekord
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emailBy RACER Staff | 8 hours ago

Pro drivers Kai Goddard and Andy Lee founded Track Rekord in 2019, recognizing the need for improved high performance driver education after conversations with many in the racing insurance industry. Soon joined by Steve Kimpton, the TR executive trio developed a thorough, high-tech trackday coaching program individually tailored to each driver and using his or her own race car, calling upon a roster of more than a dozen experienced driver coaches.

Recently, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company added online coaching to its array of services. “Send us your in-car footage and we’ll provide video analysis, offering insight on what you did well and what you can work on to improve your performance,” says an introductory press release. “Any track, any car, whether open lapping or in the heat of battle — it’s like having a driver coach at your side.”

Track Rekord’s coaches will provide a video analysis of laps, reviewing technique and stopping at critical points to explain not just how to improve, but also why their advice will help bring down lap times.

The focus is not just mistakes; the coaches also will highlight what is being done well. What the online session focuses on specifically will depend on the driver, but can include:

• Driving line, from turn in, through apex to track out, including how to identify the best line using visual cues
• Brake and throttle application
• Understeer and oversteer
• Gear selection
• Hand position
• Elevated vision
• Race starts, overtaking and defense
• What to work on your next time on track

In addition, TR can provide the following virtual coaching services:

• Follow up via Skype video call, including more personalized analysis via a shared screen
• Analysis of data provided via logging systems such as LITPro and AIM
• Full race review
• Sim coaching (Just send us the screen capture of your laps and we will provide the same analysis as if you were driving a real car on a real track.)

For more information and to request a copy of Track Rekord’s latest newsletter fully detailing its new online coaching programs, log on to www.trackrekord.com.

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Motorsport marketing pioneer Rod Campbell

Earning a position of power and respect
Image courtesy Pete Lyons
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emailBy Robin Miller | 16 hours ago

Racing cultivates a lot of self-absorbed people, but it’s the self-made ones from the good old days that are always the most interesting.

Rod Campbell, at the age of 88, came from nothing and earned his way to a position of power and respect in auto racing with an insatiable work ethic, a good business mind and an infectious personality. He may well have been the first to connect marketing and motorsports during a fascinating career that intersected with Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Bernie Ecclestone, Morris Nunn and the Ford Motor Company.

“Rod had one of the most interesting stories I’ve ever run across,” said noted motorsports author Pete Lyons, who penned Campbell’s life story in between writing his Can-Am, Riverside, and Lotus 72 histories. “He didn’t want to make the book a commercial project, he just wanted to write it for his family and friends. It took seven years, but I’m so glad we did it.”

Born into a family of three sisters and a brother with no car, Campbell moved from Saskatchewan to Toronto to pursue music. He roomed with a young singer named Robert Goulet and that convinced him he didn’t have the pipes to make that his life’s work, so he decided to be a radio announcer.

But while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany, he wandered over to the Nurburgring to check out a sports car race and then returned to watch Formula 1. He was hooked on the ground-pounding sound and derring-do of one Stirling Moss.

“Rod got to say hello to Moss walking into the infield, and said that was one of the great days of his life,” said Lyons.

His next step was Montreal, where a broadcasting school led him to hosting a radio show and unveiled his calling. “He had to sell ads to support his radio show, and found he could pound the pavement and make cold calls and sell people,” said Lyons. “It was a hard education, but he got good at it.”

Campbell’s next couple moves earned him the love of his life.

“He couldn’t afford it but Rod bought a Porsche because he felt like he needed to be seen in a nice car,” continued Lyons. “He also thought it was important he looked good, so he had his clothes tailored. And that caught the eye of Sandra, who eventually became his wife.”

His initial racing job came in 1966 when Can-Am was sponsored by Johnson’s Wax. Rod was doing some work for Johnson’s, and that led to helping promote the races. He would take Moss, who was retired by then due to injury, into the cities hosting Can-Am a week beforehand to promote the races.

By the early ‘70s, Can-Am was king of American road racing, and Campbell wound up helping Carl Haas’ L&M Lola (driven by Stewart) and did advance work for newspapers and TV stations with JYS as they barnstormed the country publicizing the races.

It was during this decade he befriended and became partners with Nunn, a former racer turned designer/team owner that went into F1 with big dreams and a small budget. “Rod found money and helped keep us on the track,” recalled Nunn, whose Ensign cars were driven by Clay Regazzoni, Chris Amon and Derek Daly, back in 2007. “We would have had to close the doors without him.”

The best connection Campbell had made during the decade was with FoMoCo. He was doing contract work when he proposed to become their exclusive PR machine. And in 1982, Campbell and Company was formed in Dearborn, Mich. Thirty-eight years later, it’s got 100 employees and is still going strong.

“He’d read a book as a poor kid called ‘Think and Grow Rich’, and when he sold Campbell & Company for a nice chunk of change it completed his dream,” said Lyons. “I never met anyone who was always on the go like Rod, and he made it all on his own.”

Townsend Bell, the racer/NBC announcer married to Rod’s daughter Heather, said after he’d told the family he didn’t have long to live that Stewart and Ecclestone had called to say goodbye. “That really made him feel good,” said Bell. “To think they hadn’t forgotten him.”

With a perpetual smile and pleasant personality on top of his marketing prowess through the years, Campbell was pretty unforgettable.

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The NASCAR spotter Image by Whitton/LAT
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emailBy Kelly Crandall | March 30, 2020 12:22 PM

During a time when most NASCAR spotters are sitting home with nothing to do, Brett Griffin has something to keep him engaged.

Griffin is the eyes in the sky and voice in the ear of Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer on Sunday afternoons. But for the other six days of the week, Griffin is running SpotOn Activations, a marketing company with clients such as driver Ross Chastain and sponsor Nutrien Ag Solutions.

While NASCAR in on hiatus due to COVID-19, Griffin has been busy with the business. He and his small group (he says there are just three of them involved) still have the same workload, albeit without the travel, and important conversations about the future.

“We still have a lot of promotions coming up this summer and this fall with the farmers and growers from Nutrien Ag Solutions,” Griffin told RACER. “Ross being a farmer, he understands all that so he’s willing to go above and beyond to help us make sure we keep the lights on for this thing.”

With the first eNASCAR iRacing event at Homestead-Miami Speedway pulling in over 900,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1, it opened a new door for teams and sponsors to earn exposure while real racing isn’t taking place. Nutrien Ag Solutions had a presence in the race at virtual Texas Motor Speedway when Chastain drove a co-branded car in an agreement between Kaulig Racing (his full-time Xfinity Series team) and Roush Fenway Racing (whom he is helping as Ryan Newman’s substitute).

Griffin admits he’s very fortunate. He started as Elliott Sadler’s business manager in 2001, and during that time, learned a lot about sales and marketing a driver’s brand. Around 2005, Griffin and former Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett started marketing company together and went out and found NASCAR sponsors and leveraged them, putting them in a position to get a return on their investment.

Upon Sadler’s retirement at the end of 2018, Griffin started his current company. Part of working with Chastain is helping build the Florida native’s brand, and Griffin noted Chastain has done an exceptional job contributing with success on the track and subbing for Newman.
When he’s not serving as eye in the sky for Clint Bowyer, Griffin is busy building brands around drivers like Ross Chastain. Image by LAT

“We’ve grown his social media by 300 percent in about 14 months,” said Griffin. “There’s a lot of things that can make you popular in the social media world. But first and foremost, it’s consistency and good messaging to your fans. He put out two videos (recently) about planting trees. That’s something you wouldn’t necessarily see out of a driver unless they have a really good strategy and alignment with their sponsor. His sponsor being Nutrien Ag Solutions, we work extremely hard to help those guys get success with their growers and their farmers and employees, and branches around the country.”

Right now, Griffin believes sponsorship in NASCAR is the most affordable it has ever been in his 20-plus years being involved in the sport.

“I think for us economically, we’re at a really good point to be able to attract new sponsorships,” said Griffin. “Obviously, things like what’s going on with this virus can slow that down, or make companies hesitant to go out and spend those dollars, but at the end of the day, companies need to market their product. They have to look attractive, and I think NASCAR dollar for dollar, among the sports opportunities that are out there, is still the best buy because we’re in national play with every single race. We’re also a big regional and local play within the marketplace, and our athletes, they’re the best at their job.

“I don’t mean actually driving the race cars. I mean when they turn their cars off they’re signing autographs, they’re giving interviews, they’re going to appearances. We never stop recruiting fans. That’s the best part about our sport.”

Although he has two passions, Griffin’s favorite four hours every week is when he’s high atop the racetrack. Griffin hopes he and his peers will be back doing that sooner rather than later, for both the markets NASCAR descends upon – spending money on hotels, rental cars, and food – and also for the livelihoods of the spotters themselves.

“Every spotter is different. Some guys are independent contractors in the Cup Series, and some guys are employees,” explained Griffin. “If you’re an employee, you’re going to get paid unless you get laid off. It’s a case by case scenario. When you look at the lower series such as the Truck and Xfinity Series, everyone there is an independent contractor, and they get paid per race, so obviously, those races aren’t being run. So 100 percent, those paychecks aren’t being written, and those spotters aren’t being paid.

“I got a lot of stuff going on outside of spotting, so I’m not overly worried about that particular piece of it, but for a lot of guys, all they do is spot. That is their livelihood. So I’m worried about everybody. For right now, I’m fine. For how long am I fine? I don’t know. Hopefully, this thing can die off, and we can get back going on time, which right now is Mother’s Day weekend.”

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