This past Sunday was our first rain-out. Frankly Sam and I didn't want to go to the track this weekend anyway so it worked out fine for us. Allergy attacks made life miserable for me so the rain was a welcomed contributor to this cancellation.
We got first place points though! Unfortunately so did everyone else. How, you may ask? Well the club has a rule where if a race is cancelled and you do not compete in at least two heat races, all PAYING drivers will recieve 200 points each. So when I called the track to make sure everything was off for the day, the young lady on the end of the line confirmed it, then went on to tell me to get myself to the track and pay to enter my driver if we wanted to receive his points for the day. And by the way, do it within the next 45 minutes because the track is closing soon. I'm in my pajamas and more than 45 minutes away, so jacket on, in the truck, and a quarter of a tank later I'm paying to enter Sam in a race that's never going to take place.
Now I don't quite agree with this procedure but I guess it's the best compromise that the club can come up with for people who are there already. I can understand the volunteers who show up and have to wait until they call it a day to leave. I can also understand the guys who drive long distances to get here for the weekend only to turn around and go home. What I can't understand is why we couldn't compensate them in some other way as to not inconvenience the rest of us who choose not to embark in the first place. Why can't we give everyone a big fat zero for the day and credit those who paid already. It can't be that big of an administrative nightmare to note individuals who paid but didn't race and just give them a freebie next week could it?
Anyway I learned a lesson here. If we want to stay in the points chase, my big lazy rump cannot stay firmly planted in a chair or in bed on days when it could be rained out. I'll have to go to the track like everyone else and pay my dues. Literally showing that in one form or another, we're all just racing with our wallets.
