The Hoosier Race Report: What’s in a Name?

By Danny Burton

Danny Burton’s Hoosier Race Report appears courtesy of OpenWheelRacers.com

At the risk of amusing some and outraging others I have to ask at times the above question. Maybe I should add the question “what’s in a wallet?” as well.

What brought this on were a few recent current events. It occurred to me that all too often we’d rather choose a side rather than look at the big picture. A fact of life in our society is that the rules are different for the rich and/or powerful. If you’ve a boatload of money, if you’re a mover and shaker, or if you’ve the right family ties, then you can expect a few breaks that the rest of us might only dream about. And as I look a bit more, this, of course, applies to racing too. One could call it affirmative action, racing style.

We get all excited when affirmative action is a policy as applied to race or gender. But why don’t we have the same excitement when it is applied to money, the powerful, or the wellborn? We don’t nearly as much and maybe we should.

I’ll spare you specific examples; you can supply them yourselves. Besides, most all of the examples that either of us could provide involve fine individuals, who happen to be very fortunate.

Be sure to know that I’m not referring to second or even third generation racers who had talented daddies. If his name was Steve Jones, he’d still be the King. The same applies to that other King, Mr. Petty. And I’m not referring to the short trackers who have worked side by side with their dads to achieve the success that they’ve had. These dads aren’t rich; they have no magic connections. What they do have is a dedication to racing. We need more and more Ron Scheffels and/or Tim Clausons. These are people who have earned it. Their kids had/have talent and show that, once in a while, nepotism isn’t always that bad.

In a fair world, talent would perhaps be the only, if not the major, factor in determining who signs in at the pit gate. That won’t happen soon. Sad to say, race track pit areas everywhere are populated by people who are getting by on reputation, family help, huge budgets, and/or friends in high places; talent is not necessary. Happy to say, talent still determines a certain degree of success. (Yes, I am aware of luck as a factor as well.) A racer may have all the resources he or she can have, but if they can’t take the checkered flag first, none of that matters, does it? I should add that anyone who has the desire and the dollars, along with all the other needs, should be signing in as well. Fortunately for us, many of them do.

No matter which political party/ideology you embrace, no matter how much money you have or have access to, and no matter who your favorite driver is, favoritism, affirmative action, you name it, will be around no matter what. Let us level the playing field as much as we can and do it fairly as we can. Then sit back for a second. As the field comes around to take the green, none of the above matters. Lean forward or stand if you must. Try and forget how these racers got such a good, or bad, starting spot. Try and not worry about who has the money, who has the connections, or even who it is. Just root for your favorite driver and pray for a safe race. Thankfully, that is still what is the most important.

Reluctantly declining that invitation to go hunting with the Vice-President, I’m…

Danny Levan… oops, Danny Burton!!

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