6 Ways To Reduce Yellow Fever At A Dirt Track Near You

I almost opted to make this column a half-dozen examples of why tonight’s pending experiment by the XR Super Series of removing the droop rule from super late model racing may be a bad idea, as the weekend was chock-full of late models flipping from coast to coast. I saw that in person Saturday night at the Steel Block Bandits feature at the Wythe Raceway, though that flip was certainly crash-assisted.

Rough start to the late model feature @WytheRaceway last night. All drivers OK but red flag was a long one. pic.twitter.com/7jnzaJl63W

— BryanDavisKeith (@BryanDavisKeith) September 18, 2022

But, instead of a highlight reel I was instead perked up by the folks at DirtonDirt, several of whom lamented in their weekly “Fast Talk” feature about the ongoing issue plaguing dirt racing in general, that of drivers stopping on track to draw a caution flag. 

It’s more of an issue in dirt racing than in big-league NASCAR because dirt racing officials have to be more trigger-happy with yellows. Dirt racing doesn’t have spotters or two-way radios, meaning slow cars on the track are even more vulnerable, both in terms of drivers dodging obstacles and crippled cars trying to avoid traffic as they attempt to get out of harms way. Still, the problem persists that competitors take advantage of the situation, stopping on track only to drive off the second the yellow flies.

Fortunately, just as the XR Super Series has gone against the grain of the national unified rules hoping to find a more competitive racing package, there are ample dirt races out there for tracks and series to experiment to find an effective means to end the practice of intentionally drawing yellows. Here are six ideas worth a shot.

1. Wipe out courtesy laps to change tires

Most series/tours will give teams a couple of laps to change a flat tire regardless of circumstance. There is merit to this idea ¯ dirt cars do not have rapid-change lug nuts on them, in most instances the tires used are mandated rather than the choice of the competitor and no race fan likes to see a contender tripped up by failed rubber. 

But having said that, tire conservation is part of the game. And a tire failure is every bit a game of chance just as a blown engine or a broken driveshaft is. Yet there are no 20 courtesy laps for substantial mechanical repair.

Take away courtesy laps and any incentive to stop a car on track as opposed to just getting out of the way largely goes away. 

Now, this is the least…