Okay, here we go again.

It came across on America On Line with the headline "8 Killed in Drag Race on Suburban Road".

It was near a community in Maryland.

Our questions are, who was the sanctioning body, what class were these cars, do we have an eyewitness report from starter Rick Stewart or someone from NHRA, if indeed that was the sanctioning body. Oh, and naturally, there were ambulances and medics on hand as there are at all drag races. Yeah, right.

No, patient readers, this is just another example of carelessness on the part of the national media, by taking an obvious street race and giving it the name by which one of our favorite sports goes.

What happened was a crowd had gathered on a lonely stretch of Maryland road to watch two cars street race. When they left what was an imaginary starting line, that crowd moved out across the street to get a better view of the race, albeit from the rear.

That's when another car coming down the highway behind the crowd and the driver didn't see it for the smoke slammed into the "spectators".

No, it actually had nothing to do with the actual race, just the spectators.

And oh, yeah, all of this happened after 3 a.m. in the morning.

I hesitated to continue this offering until I could see how it was addressed in the print media the following day.

The AOL dispatch was credited to the Associated Press and included the term "drag race" so possibly the weekend, maybe fill-in person on the AOL desk just went with that.

I wasn't disappointed.

Perhaps I have harped on the difference between "Street" racing and "Drag" racing long enough, but next day the headline in the Gainesville Sun, read "8 dead when car drives into street-racing crowd".

And the story was edited to where there was no doubt just what happened. Drag race was changed to street race. Maybe it's because we have a raceway right near here and everybody knows the difference between scheduled, monitored, legal events and street racing of the kind that caused the eight fatalities.

Whatever the reason, kudos to the Gainesville Sun and editor who made the changes, if they were needed.

Too bad AOL can't take time to see the difference, even if the Associated Press didn''t. AOL ran the story and used that headline. The Sun corrected it.

***

So NASCAR has put Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart on six-race probation.

Big deal.

What happens if they commit a violation, while under that probation?

Probably what we would consider a whopping fine, maybe fifty-thousand dollars, and Heaven Forbid, a loss of some competition points.

One thing you won't see NASCAR do, which some stick and ball sports use, is the suspension from competition for a race or two.

Heavens, no, that would eliminate Home Depot and Miller Lite from the fans and TV viewers for a time. And you know NASCAR is not going to meddle with sponsors, especially those longtime ones like the backers of Stewart's and Busch's cars.

Built by the Home Depot. Right, tune in the next race and if the suspension has been served, that car will be back in the field.

NHRA? Well, in such a situation they probably would also take away points, but even then, we suspect you won't see a suspension for a race. But for NASCAR. you're sure of it.

***

too many times do I hear stories about people drag racing on the street and getting hurt. I try to explain the diffrence .....

Most all news paper, tv, and radio get their news info from the Associated Press

Phone number: 1-212-621-1500, or email: info@ap.org and address your complaint to Paul Colford (director of media relations) and or Jack Stokes (manager of media relations) 

Street racing is dangerous and thats a fact,  but many communities are making it very difficult for existing tracks to operate and new ones to be constructed. Now this isn't by any means an excuse for participating but it isn't helping matters. Someone should be mentoring these individuals and educating them.

Then again there are those that participate in these races that know the dangers and still they line up on city streets. Get a clue! Don't do it. I have no respect for those that intentionally put others in harms way.

Every time i see these stories it irritates me because there wouldn't have been any spectators in the middle of the streets if these races were not taking place.

All those people and nobody saw/heard a car coming? I remember we raced out on Depot Rd in Hayward and if we had 10 cars all together it was a big deal. I think kids today just need to use their heads more. Street Racing ain't what it use to be, punching off with somebody is about all you can do anymore. Closing down tracks don't help either but thats the way it is today. And the powers that be wonder why the kids run the streets so much today. If we could all just ban together, that would be a number they couldn't ignore!

 

Media sells papers, thats all that matters. Get the facts right? Oh ya that too.

 

MoparDave431

I have heard this argument a number of times, on a number of different forums.

 

The races in question are, in fact, Drag Races. Check any dictionary. Drag race is defined as "an acceleration contest between two vehicles". That is exactly what they were doing.

 

Now then, you can certainly call it an illegal drag race, an ill advised drag race, or an ill concieved drag race, but it is indeed a Drag Race.

 

Calling it a drag race is more accurate than calling it a street race. Either way, people that read, watch, or listen to these stories mostly understand the difference between a sanctioned race held under controlled conditions, and the illegal drag race held on public streets and roads. Some don't. Some don't care, and would like all racing to just go away. Fortunately, those are in the small minority, and can and should be ignored.

 

Getting all cranked up about this serves no purpose. People that race on the streets do not reflect upon those of us that participate in sanctioned drag races.

 

Oh, and those that do race on the streets are not racing for the love of drag racing, they are racing on the streets for the love of racing on the streets. They get a rush from the danger of the races, and the danger of being arrested.

 

Ken Gasbarri

The other thing is that movies like The Fast and the Furious glorify street racing. I watched the 1st movie and I will never watch any of them again.  

posted by mopacltd: "8 Killed in Drag Race on Suburban Road".  The word that is missing out of thes is "illeagal". But when an accident happens in a road race on the street, people still think of it as a drag race, and no one thinks that it has any relation to NASCAR! To them it's still "Drag Racing"!

The press will likely not use the word "illegal" in any headline related to these issues. What the press should be doing when they report about these issues is include a story that also explains the safe and legal alternatives to street racing.

 

I can remember many nights when the police and fire department sat on the side of the road and watched these events - street races that is. They were there and they did nothing but watch. Not a very good message to send.

How can you call it aq drag race when it is a race between stock cars so it should be called NASCAR racing. The people need some calls for us racers I was told that it is only because it is the common use which we can stop and have it called street racing call the people or write to them and complain. I call our local TV ,radio and news papers. When they wrote a bill about street racing they called it "DRAG RACING" I called to have it changed.

 

 

Jim McCulley

McCulley Family Racing

I thought I smelled "gas"!  Shoulda known Chucko would be here!  He's my fuel source!