Opinion: Accountability

A piece by Ryan Kent Jr. who will be contributing to the blog during the upcoming season from time to time.

In a time of lackluster upbringings and some subpar society standards, holding people accountable for what they do is at an all-time low.   

                                                    

Racing should come at no less of an expense. From karting tracks in Michigan to dirt tracks in California and right here in Indiana there seems to be an issue with people being accountable for their actions, on and off the track.

With society today being all about getting participation trophies, having your feelings in a bullet-proof box and being entitled to whatever it may be, I believe we can all agree that dirt track racing has seemed to always have its own way of doing things, this old fashioned, All-American bad ass, rub some dirt on it and suck it up kind of attitude. Change is imminent however and the ever-changing revolution that we deal with today in the world I believe could help improve some things in racing.

Although racing will never be 100% safe, the strides to keep everyone as safe as possible have to keep moving forward. Throughout the course of the PRI show, multiple professional organizations announced plans or proposals to try and make racing safer. Whether it’s putting lights on a car, testing for drugs, creating new safety procedures after a wreck or what the instance may be, I give credit to series, tracks, promoters, drivers and teams who allow new things to be trialed and tested.

The racing community is a very tight-knit group. Everyone has some connection to someone and, in the end, it is one big family. The members of that family care for each other and, in the wake of a tragic incident on the track or off, those members try to find solutions to problems.

During times of change in racing, people have had to adapt and grow. There's far too many people who are lazy while sitting back on their hands and do nothing. On the other hand, there are those who take the initiative to make motions forward in safety and for the betterment of their form of racing.  Then, the sport as a whole gets ridiculed and spit on by those aforementioned folks doing nothing as if it’s something they don’t happen to like or care for.

There is no way to fix a person’s attitude, what they care about, or how they will react to this or that to the news of something new in racing. Times are again starting to change in racing, and people are not adapting and growing as much as they were before.

If it’s lights, drug testing, wings, no wings, formats, purses, track prep, medical information, schedule dates or whatever, some people become frustrated. Remember, people didn’t take those actions to upset anyone. Those who are accountable for the success of a given track or series are taking steps to make racing better and safer for the most important factor of all, the race fans.

As the entire world around us changes day to day with new this or new that, perhaps take a deep breath and look at new innovations in racing. Who really knows when an innovation could end up being one of the best decisions ever made by a track, series, promoter, driver, chassis or manufacturer. Give them a shot!