SOD - Cherry Raceway Starting Grid

[Stevensville Mike]

We were sitting up in the grandstands last night, passing the time..... Maybe it was the rain delay that got us thinking about it - Oh!  Wait!  The rain came out of the back of a water truck not the sky!

Anyways, Doc and I were wondering....

In one of the heats, Darren Long drew the 8th starting spot.  The 21 car (starting 6th) then elected to go to the back of the grid, hence Long moved up to 6th.  Long finished 3rd and got credited in the passing points with starting 6th, not 8th.  That seemed to work against him.  He could have EASILY garnished a few more points by starting 8th and working his way up.

So, did Long have a say in being moved up to 6th?  Seems like he should have.  The 21 car, by moving back, actually worked against Long.

In another heat, due to the water on the track delay, Dain Naida made it after trouble on the road with his towing rig.  We were all happy he made it.  He started 8th in his heat.  The heat starting grids had already been drawn prior to, so was Dain put at the back or was there a re-draw?  Seems like anyone with good HP and a smart crew member in the pits with a cell phone could show up just in the nick of time and start last, and take the points and RUN to the Giddyup Re-Draw!

Not that I am saying there was any monkey business going on.  We know better  Doc and I were just wondering what the specifics of the rules are in the aforementioned cases.

On a sidebar, great run for Dain last night in the Feature to come home runner-up.

I can't make it tonight at I-96.  I have too many things on the platter to get ready for for leaving for the remainder of Ohio Sprint Week tomorrow.  You guys and gals enjoy the show up there.

[tjslideways]

Being its almost 3:00 a.m. and I'm drained from a long weekend, I can tell you if you elect to go to the tail, miss the draw, or are late like Dain was, you only get finishing points and not passing points.  The rest of it, I'll have to absorb once I'm alert and awake. 

[racerguy6n]

The official starting grid for which passing points are determined is set by the actual order the cars are in on the final parade lap.  So, in Darren's case, it doesn't matter if the car elects to go tail, is forced to go tail because he perhaps got a second push off, or breaks and can't start.  The reasons are irrevelant, the official line-up is the actual starting position, and that's where the points are determined.  Yes, sometimes it can work against you.

In my case, since I missed the draw, I'm just put at the tail and get credit for where I finish, but no points for passing any cars.  That goes for anyone electing to go tail, missing the draw, or being put to the tail for any other reason.  The only way you can start at the tail and get passing points is to legitimately draw that position.

I should have called somebody and had them draw for me, then I could have started wherever that happened to be, and received passing points, but at 6:45 I was still in Clare and still had no way to get to the track. 

[Stevensville Mike]

Thanks for clarifying that, Dain.  I hope your bad luck on the highway is over.

I just made it to Findlay & went out and found my way to the track (Millstream).  I'll give 'em a yell for you guys when the 1st heat rolls off tonight.

[dirtracer]

So how was the "new" Cherry Speedway? Was the racing better than in the past? Did it eat off the tires like usual?