r/TheFlagTrailer • u/arroyobass EMT/Fire Crew Member • Mar 02 '17
STORY Unexpected Driver On Course. Backwards. And Drunk.
So there I was...
Sonoma Raceway sometime around Aug 2015. I am sitting at turn 7 with the fire crew waiting for some calls. The current group of cars are in the Historic Stock Car Racing Series. Out of nowhere a lady in a Dodge Neon flies past our trucks and onto the track heading counter-course as the pack rounds turn 5. Our chief of safety jumps on the radio and calls an immediate red flag. This lady keeps on barreling down the track like she is ready to get some of this HSCRS action in reverse! Luckily the flaggers were able to throw the red flag as the pack was entering turn 6. The lady saw a pack of race cars screeching to a halt about 25 feet away, then she thought it might be a good time to stop. Our safety crew was ready to take the track as soon as we knew the pack was stopped. We run down and "kindly" remove the lady and her car (separately) from the course. As soon as she was in the truck it was easy to tell she was quite drunk from her actions (Duh!), demeanor, and breath. We turn he over to the track security who turn her over to the actual police. Turns out she was out on a wine tour around Sonoma and somehow found her way into the track property, and then onto the actual track!
We now do a better job making sure all of the gates around the track are closed and locked
2
u/97th_factory Mar 03 '17
It has to be a Dodge Neon too! Sonoma is a complex facility;m. Kudos to her for somehow finding her way around, glad no one was hurt.
4
u/jmhoneycutt8 Dirt Track Flagger Mar 02 '17
Oh man! That's crazy. But for sure, good on you and your crew for professionally and safely having the best possible outcome in that situation.
Us track officials are always so focused on what's going on ON track that we often forget to safeguard points of entry TO the track. Great learning experience!