Parking - The Real Story - Page 2

Pat Joffrion · 06-12-2010, 11:08 AM

I’m glad to have an opportunity to explain how racer parking works at most tracks. Most of you folks remember that I traveled with several cars/drivers for years across the country. My rig was used to provide electricity, air, and spare parts warehouse for as many as five team cars. We carried 3 cars in one rig, while the other two were towed either with a motor home or a pickup. I didn’t care where we were pitted, so long as we could pit together. Most of the time, we were parked out in the boonies, but we realized that as long as we were “inside the gate” we had an opportunity to win the race. We understood that we had no chance of winning if we were refused admission to the race.

One memory that I will never forget is when we pulled into the Dallas Motorplex at 8:15 p.m. The track recording stated that the racer gates would be open until 9:00 p.m. I made a wide right turn to get my long rig into the racer gate. If you’ve ever raced at Dallas, you know how sharp that turn is. When I got to the ticket booth to pick up my credentials packet, I was told that the “gate lady” had just shut down for the night, and that I would have to back my rigs out to the road and park in the spectator parking lot for the night.

Realizing that it would be extremely difficult to jack knife the toter home/trailer, I asked the guard to allow me to pull forward to make a U-Turn. He rudely shouted, “I told you to back that damn rig up!” My reaction was to shut off the engine before I abandoned the driver’s seat. The guard immediately called for the police when I stepped out of the rig. I sat patiently, with my arms folded, waiting for the officer to arrive.

As the lawman approached the ticket booth, the guard shouted, “I told him to back his rig up, and he got out to whip my ***!” The officer reached for his weapon as I began to explain, “Now calm down officer. I simply requested that I be allowed to pull forward to make a U-Turn because my rig is too long to safely back onto the highway. I only got out of the driver’s seat to let the guard hop in to back it up, since he thought it must be real easy to do.” The stunned officer frowned at the guard and motioned for me to get back in my rig and make the U-Turn. As I climbed back in I could hear him chiding the guard for being such a butt-hole.

We parked for the night in the parking lot, and then made our way into the pits the next morning. Word spread about my gate episode and I was led to a parking spot in the tall grass way past the scales. I thanked the parking attendant for giving us such a quiet place, and for not parking us with the rest of those loud racecars on the hot asphalt. “This is beautiful,” I exclaimed to the stunned attendant. “We have this pasture all to ourselves.” To make an already long story shorter, I had a smile a mile long on Sunday night when the photographer took my photo in the winner’s circle!

On another occasion, I was pitted for the Jeg’s All Stars in a rather low area at the Columbus racetrack. Being from Louisiana, and looking for parking on higher ground in case of a big rainstorm, I asked to be moved out of “the hole”. “All I have is parking you at the back end entrance gate,” came the parker’s reply. “That would put you almost a mile from the starting line.” I accepted the offer of higher ground, even though it was so far away. The next evening, several motor homes and trailers were flooded in the prime spot that I held earlier.

From a track owner’s perspective, you need to look at parking from the racer’s perspective.

Here is the track owner’s perspective on limited asphalt pit areas:
1. Race team sponsors (Lucas, Jegs, Mosier, etc)
2. Track Sponsors (Teuton, Hidalgo, Cummins, etc)
3. TAD & TAFC
4. Comp
5. Top Sportsman
6. Top Dragster

The track should work with teams that need to park together. Some racers use the same crew chief; others use one generator/air compressor for multiple pit areas. What fun is it for you to travel hundreds of miles to be with your racing buddies, only to be parked ½-mile away from your friends. That is why tracks should do their best to accommodate the racers. While one may give up a “prime” parking spot to be with his fellow racers, the fact that the event is more about pitting with your friends should be acknowledged, and accommodated if at all practical.

Most sportsman racers hold down full-time jobs. By allowing buddies to park and save a spot or two for their fellow racers who have to work, the racers have the opportunity to make an extra day or two of pay. There is give-and-take that needs to work to accomplish this: Give up a “prime” spot for arriving early so that you can take a spot or two for your working racers further back in the pits.

And, just so you all understand, parking is the most dreaded activity of a track owner’s weekend. I’ve heard the whole list:
Why can’t I park on the asphalt? (because you’re not racing one of the reserved classes)
My rig is leaning. Can’t you put me on some level ground? (use leveling blocks)
Why do I have to park on these rocks? (because you won’t like the mud when it rains)
Can’t I get closer to the starting line? (get you a comp car)
Why is that stocker parked on the asphalt? (because his daddy is one of our biggest sponsors)
Why can’t I park over there? (because you will have to be pulled out if it rains)
Why you let him save a spot? (because his brother has to work until Friday)
This spot is too noisy. (sorry… this is a race track… not a scenic lake)
You got to move me. I can’t park next to that prick. (flip a coin to see which prick has to move)
And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on….

My last bit of advice…
Unless you are parked in an unsafe area (fire, flood, etc), get your race attitude in a winning mode. Don’t worry about where you are parked (or where the other guy is pitted). Acknowledge to yourself that you are “inside” the gate, and no matter where you are parked, you intend to win the next round. If you fill your head with anxiety and frustration, you leave no room for concentrating on your next round, which you need to do to wind up parking your ride in the most primo spot after the race… the winner’s circle.

Pat “No Problem” Joffrion
4308 SS/KA (retired from driving. Turned ride over to local bracket racer to have some fun)

06-12-2010, 11:08 AM	#1
Pat Joffrion Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Bayou Country, Louisiana Posts: 163 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 2 Posts	Parking - The Real Story I’m glad to have an opportunity to explain how racer parking works at most tracks. Most of you folks remember that I traveled with several cars/drivers for years across the country. My rig was used to provide electricity, air, and spare parts warehouse for as many as five team cars. We carried 3 cars in one rig, while the other two were towed either with a motor home or a pickup. I didn’t care where we were pitted, so long as we could pit together. Most of the time, we were parked out in the boonies, but we realized that as long as we were “inside the gate” we had an opportunity to win the race. We understood that we had no chance of winning if we were refused admission to the race. One memory that I will never forget is when we pulled into the Dallas Motorplex at 8:15 p.m. The track recording stated that the racer gates would be open until 9:00 p.m. I made a wide right turn to get my long rig into the racer gate. If you’ve ever raced at Dallas, you know how sharp that turn is. When I got to the ticket booth to pick up my credentials packet, I was told that the “gate lady” had just shut down for the night, and that I would have to back my rigs out to the road and park in the spectator parking lot for the night. Realizing that it would be extremely difficult to jack knife the toter home/trailer, I asked the guard to allow me to pull forward to make a U-Turn. He rudely shouted, “I told you to back that damn rig up!” My reaction was to shut off the engine before I abandoned the driver’s seat. The guard immediately called for the police when I stepped out of the rig. I sat patiently, with my arms folded, waiting for the officer to arrive. As the lawman approached the ticket booth, the guard shouted, “I told him to back his rig up, and he got out to whip my ***!” The officer reached for his weapon as I began to explain, “Now calm down officer. I simply requested that I be allowed to pull forward to make a U-Turn because my rig is too long to safely back onto the highway. I only got out of the driver’s seat to let the guard hop in to back it up, since he thought it must be real easy to do.” The stunned officer frowned at the guard and motioned for me to get back in my rig and make the U-Turn. As I climbed back in I could hear him chiding the guard for being such a butt-hole. We parked for the night in the parking lot, and then made our way into the pits the next morning. Word spread about my gate episode and I was led to a parking spot in the tall grass way past the scales. I thanked the parking attendant for giving us such a quiet place, and for not parking us with the rest of those loud racecars on the hot asphalt. “This is beautiful,” I exclaimed to the stunned attendant. “We have this pasture all to ourselves.” To make an already long story shorter, I had a smile a mile long on Sunday night when the photographer took my photo in the winner’s circle! On another occasion, I was pitted for the Jeg’s All Stars in a rather low area at the Columbus racetrack. Being from Louisiana, and looking for parking on higher ground in case of a big rainstorm, I asked to be moved out of “the hole”. “All I have is parking you at the back end entrance gate,” came the parker’s reply. “That would put you almost a mile from the starting line.” I accepted the offer of higher ground, even though it was so far away. The next evening, several motor homes and trailers were flooded in the prime spot that I held earlier. From a track owner’s perspective, you need to look at parking from the racer’s perspective. Here is the track owner’s perspective on limited asphalt pit areas: 1. Race team sponsors (Lucas, Jegs, Mosier, etc) 2. Track Sponsors (Teuton, Hidalgo, Cummins, etc) 3. TAD & TAFC 4. Comp 5. Top Sportsman 6. Top Dragster The track should work with teams that need to park together. Some racers use the same crew chief; others use one generator/air compressor for multiple pit areas. What fun is it for you to travel hundreds of miles to be with your racing buddies, only to be parked ½-mile away from your friends. That is why tracks should do their best to accommodate the racers. While one may give up a “prime” parking spot to be with his fellow racers, the fact that the event is more about pitting with your friends should be acknowledged, and accommodated if at all practical. Most sportsman racers hold down full-time jobs. By allowing buddies to park and save a spot or two for their fellow racers who have to work, the racers have the opportunity to make an extra day or two of pay. There is give-and-take that needs to work to accomplish this: Give up a “prime” spot for arriving early so that you can take a spot or two for your working racers further back in the pits. And, just so you all understand, parking is the most dreaded activity of a track owner’s weekend. I’ve heard the whole list: Why can’t I park on the asphalt? (because you’re not racing one of the reserved classes) My rig is leaning. Can’t you put me on some level ground? (use leveling blocks) Why do I have to park on these rocks? (because you won’t like the mud when it rains) Can’t I get closer to the starting line? (get you a comp car) Why is that stocker parked on the asphalt? (because his daddy is one of our biggest sponsors) Why can’t I park over there? (because you will have to be pulled out if it rains) Why you let him save a spot? (because his brother has to work until Friday) This spot is too noisy. (sorry… this is a race track… not a scenic lake) You got to move me. I can’t park next to that prick. (flip a coin to see which prick has to move) And the list goes on, and on, and on, and on…. My last bit of advice… Unless you are parked in an unsafe area (fire, flood, etc), get your race attitude in a winning mode. Don’t worry about where you are parked (or where the other guy is pitted). Acknowledge to yourself that you are “inside” the gate, and no matter where you are parked, you intend to win the next round. If you fill your head with anxiety and frustration, you leave no room for concentrating on your next round, which you need to do to wind up parking your ride in the most primo spot after the race… the winner’s circle. Pat “No Problem” Joffrion 4308 SS/KA (retired from driving. Turned ride over to local bracket racer to have some fun)