LET’S BUNCH ‘EM UP…FOR SAFETY…YEA, RIGHT!
    For any of you racing fans who witnessed yet another restrictor plate race at the Talledega Super Speedway…you have to question the intelligence of the NASCAR officials. How do they possibly think that 40+ cars running at 200 miles per hour, three wide in a pack is adding safety to the sport? The idea was originally to slow down the cars, to avoid injury to the drivers. The same officials have done wonders in making strict rules for the integrity of the cars, and have succeeded in lessening the injuries in those horrific crashes that the drivers have endured already this season. The safer barriers are also a very good idea, as long as they don’t cut down too much on the area in turns at certain tracks that already don’t have a lot of room to carry speeds through the apex to the straightaway. It’s time to call it what it is..a high speed chess match…where a driver can be running in first like Mike Wallace on one lap, and then be in fifteenth the next time they come around due to no drafting help in a vehicle that won’t let you really put the pedal to the metal. The other “so called” safety feature is the smaller fuel tanks…supposedly the crews will have to pit more often thus eliminating the huge bunching of cars. Hello! They all have to pit every time they have a chance so that they don’t get out of synch with the rest of the field. And since they all pit under the many yellows…let’s not go there…there is always a huge bunching of cars at the restart, and with the restrictor plates, the faster guys can’t break away from the field…thus spreading out the huge swarm of cars that are just waiting for the “big one”. Face it…the television viewer and the fans at the track sit on the edge of their seats just waiting for a multitude of cars smashing into each other…not to see anyone harmed, but just for the spectacle of the happening. I for one, especially after being a car owner for so many years, would love to see a race with no collisions, and just good clean racing. It costs a lot of money to field a team, and there is always a chance for major injury…let’s try to do something about this style of racing that I will guarantee is disliked by virtually every driver in the NASCAR circuit. Then there’s the Car of the Future…oh man…I don’t have enough space to go there…
 We’ve finally had a few nights of racing in our area the past weeks, and it’s great to see close finishes, last lap passes, and guys coming from mid way through the pack to pick up a checkered flag. Saturday night racing is incredible in South Central Pennsylvania with choices including Lincoln, Williams Grove, Susquehanna, Port Royal, Trailway, Selisgrove and Shippensburg just to name a few. Kevin Knouse looks strong in the sprint field, as does Pat Cannon…Frankie Herr continues to be dominate in the Sportsman…Carl Billett always seems to get to the front, and Mike Goodwin, in the stock cars, just plain gets the job done.
  Please check out our ever improving web site at www.wisemotorsprt.com as I love getting questions, comments and information about area racers. Next time I see you …I hope it’s at the track….
Racing with the Wise Guy
Kirk M. Wise
e-mail wisemotors@aol.com