Concerns raised at Laird drivers meeting

There's no word yet on whether there will be racing at Laird International Raceway on July 30.

Thursday night, which would have been race night, drivers held a meeting to address concerns and ideas on how to improve the track.

Drivers from all four divisions were involved in the 90+ minute meeting that saw numerous ideas brought up with the plan of bringing them to LIR owner Donnie Varcoe.

The meeting was organized by veteran driver Rob Hiiemaa with help from another Laird regular in Keenan Spurway.

“It came to this because the races got cancelled and we had to do something about it,” said Hiiemaa.

The meeting saw 41 drivers and 61 people total in attendance which said something, according to Hiiemaa.

“That tells me that everybody that’s here loves racing,” said Hiiemaa. “Not one person here wants to see the track shut down. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be here. That’s the way I look at it. Guys that care about racing are here and that’s what it’s all about.”

“The interest in racing in this community is here,” added veteran driver Rick Ellis. “There are a lot of concerned people and they don’t want the track closed down.”

Among the concerns raised Thursday night was safety, especially on the backstretch where Stock Four driver Buddy Palahnuk was in a serious accident one week ago.

Though Palahnuk escaped injury, many drivers hoped something would be done to make the backstretch safer for drivers.

Other issues raised included the need for rules to be applied throughout as opposed to what some drivers said were “different rules for different people.”

A number of drivers noted the issue of post-race tech being done, only to be overruled by Varcoe immediately afterwards.

As for further ways to improve the track, drivers said the need for a manager/promoter would go a long way in making things better, with Ellis’ name coming up as a possibility for the position.

Spurway noted some of the concerns from fans he’s heard include the need for fresh paint in the grandstand with marked walkways, a better sound system for fans as well as lowering the banner ads that fans see along the fence on the front stretch, which block some fans view of the races.

The plan coming out of Thursday’s meeting if to bring the ideas to track owner Donnie Varcoe.

Whether or not there will be racing next week is out of the hands of the drivers.

“It’s my thinking that we will be racing next week but it’s not my decision,” said Hiiemaa

Attempts to reach Varcoe for comment on why racing was cancelled Thursday night were unsuccessful.

According to drivers on Thursday, there was no clear reason why the days race program was cancelled last Thursday or when it might resume, though some in attendance felt as though a low car count and low attendance played a role in the decision.

(Fille photo. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)