Incorrect decision made at 95

loading...

Hudson’s Glenn Curtis Sr. was right. He felt, at the very least, he deserved a share of first place during the Limited feature auto race at Hermon’s Speedway 95 Sunday afternoon.

He did.

He was trying to catch race leader Puncin’ St. Clair as they began the last lap of the feature. The white flag was waved by flagman A.J. Jordan indicating the final lap but when Puncin’s son, Josh, spun on the backstretch, Jordan displayed the yellow caution flag.

In that scenario, his only options were to throw a red flag to stop the race and set up a one-lap shootout on the restart or throw the yellow and checkered flags together to signify the end of the race.

They wound up having a one-lap shootout and Curtis passed St. Clair for the win.

When track announcer Bill Butler went down to the track to do his post-race interviews, an angry St. Clair complained that there shouldn’t have been another lap and drivers from Wiscasset Raceway, like himself, don’t get a fair shake at Speedway 95.

That incensed the spectators who suggested that he go back to Wiscasset and stay there.

Fortunately, there was a tiny crowd due to the weather or things could have gotten ugly.

Several minutes later, track co-owner Del Merritt awarded the win to St. Clair because of the flagman’s error. He said there shouldn’t have been a one-lap shootout.

Curtis wound up second and was understandably disappointed. But he handled his disappointment in a classy manner.

Curtis said if they had thrown the yellow-checkered flags and awarded the win to St. Clair, he would have accepted it without any problem.

He had nothing to do with the decision to run the extra lap.

He’s right. He didn’t.

But once they had the one-lap shootout and he crossed the finish line ahead of St. Clair, he felt he should have at least shared the first-place money and trophy.

That would have been the equitable solution and the one Merritt should have opted for.

In fact, I’m sure St. Clair would have also accepted it.

Once he calmed down, St. Clair credited Curtis for driving a “helluva’ race.”

Flagman Jordan took full responsibility for the mistake.

He should be commended for taking the blame, especially in a sport where excuse-making can be prevalent.

The young flagman had to make a split-second decision and did the best he could. Being a flagman isn’t an easy job.

I’m sure he will learn from his mistake.

St. Clair is a talented driver but he could have handled the situation better by controlling his temper and waiting to plead his case, in private, to Merritt after the awards ceremony.

When he returns to Speedway 95, he will unfortunately be remembered for his outburst rather than his driving ability.

We have all said things we have regretted but it’s important to think about the consequences before you speak.

Stock car racing is a volatile sport. Those involved in the sport put in countless hours preparing their cars.

Drivers at any level can fly off the handle if they feel they’ve been cheated by track officials or bumped on the track by another driver.

Track officials can defuse potential volatile situations by being consistent in their application of the track rules.

Drivers will still get upset from time to time but they if they respect the track officials, they’ll be less likely to act up.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.