Idiot Arrested for Driving Drunk DURING A RACE!!!

[Truth Detector]

Unreal.

[Count Tracula]

Kind of the hillbilly, short track norm in amateur racing. No surprise here.

[BigWheelHawaii]

Kind of the hillbilly, short track norm in amateur racing. No surprise here.

I'am not sure about that one "Count",,, never seen it personality...

But one would be just flabbergasted with the number of
airline pilots that have shown up at the gate,,, gassed...

It can happen anywhere, but to call this normal behavior,
that may be a bit of a stretch,,,

[Gerald Laurie]

Our local track and the sanctioning bodies I have worked for all have lifetime revocation of competition license for the first offense. If you want to get smashed after the last the last checkered flag of the night, fine, but not before. Most drivers I know will report any incident they see in the pits(and refuse to race if the individual is allowed on the track) and the test is then mandatory or you are automatically guilty and banned for life. Driving on the highway under the influence is nuts (says the recovering alcoholic with four DUI's prior to sobering up twenty three years ago), but driving under the influence in a race, that's both suicidal and homocidal. Out the gate forever!!!

And please note, I never drank before a race if I was going to be in the pits and I didn't drink in the pits at all until the last flag. I was a drunk, but not totally stupid. I was very lucky during the 38 years that I did drink that I never injured anyone. I tore up some cars, but I never hurt anyone. THANK GOD!!!!!

[Count Tracula]

I'am not sure about that one "Count",,, never seen it personality...

But one would be just flabbergasted with the number of
airline pilots that have shown up at the gate,,, gassed...

It can happen anywhere, but to call this normal behavior,
that may be a bit of a stretch,,,

Not the first I have seen this. At SCCA club events over the years and some of the amateur short track stock car events (once in 1998 at Stockton 99 for certain - although he never made it onto the track having been caught taking a swig in the trailer). "Norm" may be a tiny stretch, but not too much of one, most race weekends in America, there are amateur drivers who imbibe before and after. I don't know about during.

On the big car level we have all read or heard about a driver in Indy Cars who was coked up when he raced but I nor anyone I know would have any way of knowing.

[Jamski]

Kind of the hillbilly, short track norm in amateur racing. No surprise here.

Ummm...no.

Sure, I've seen drivers pulled from cars on race nights. But no more than half a dozen times in my 30+ years of officiating at short tracks. It's certainly not the norm.

[FormulaFox]

Martin Short of Rollcentre Racing has confessed to "quite illegally" taking a few shots before a race to alleviate the stress back when he was first starting out. To hear him tell the story you can't help but sense that he was conscious enough to avoid intaking an amount that would impair his judgment, though. I'd like to see what his BAL was right before most races back when he first started.

[Count Tracula]

Ummm...no.

Sure, I've seen drivers pulled from cars on race nights. But no more than half a dozen times in my 30+ years of officiating at short tracks. It's certainly not the norm.

Ummmmm, yes.

[KevMcNJ]

Been working short track races since 1990

I've worked at more tracks than some race fans even get to in their lifetime

I can think of 2 maybe 3 drivers who were suspected of being intoxicated on the track

during that time

You're more at risk driving home from XYZ Speedway at 11:45 on a Saturday night

[cbreez99]

Kind of the hillbilly, short track norm in amateur racing. No surprise here.

You are wrong dude...
Hillbilly??? Please describe and define for me. (My family is from the hills of Kentucky)
The norm? You learned from this? Just Curious.
I certainly don't know where you grew up but how did you get to be around around Indy???

I can think of several "big" Indy drivers, SCCA drivers and others that probably were gacked up at the track. Just amateur racing? Yeah right...

The norm...

[Paddy]

The photo in the "news" article is the start of the little 500 for USAC sprint cars, not the weekly bomber stock car race where this occurred. A few years ago there was a weekly reality TV show that ran about this series and it featured the dying city image of Anderson and the midwest ******* "charm" of the drivers. Years ago I was in a big karting street race with lots of star drivers and most of the field had several beers after a long rain delay when officials decided to restart the race after first telling us it was canceled! Turned out to be a really good hard fought race too. Most smart drivers know that booz is not a performance enhancing drug, however cocaine has been used by a number of top drivers during events but of course no one is telling, especially if it works! Which from what research I have seen coke does cut reaction times significantly but can also impair judgment. From several books of James Hunt, he drove at least several and maybe most of his GP races with "help", The Schumachers and several others were rumored until the FIA stepped up testing.

[KevMcNJ]

"I have never seen this before in 18 years," Sandefur said.