RPW Exclusive: While Not Happy Racing In A Mist All Feature Saturday At LVS, Keith Flach’s Happy With Second Place

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – RAVENA, NY – You buckle into your race car, strap your helmet on tight and you’re all amp’d up to get racing.

Then, it happens.

As you pull onto the track, you see a mist beginning to smear the dust that has fallen against your tearoff stack.

That’s what the DIRTcar Big Block Modified feature field at Lebanon Valley Speedway endured on Saturday night.

It’s something every driver has experienced at least once in their career (yours truly included) and something every race track official hates to make a decision on. Is it safe or not to let the race go on?

Saturday at the Valley of Speed, Mother Nature caused a rain delay early in the night. It appeared as if things had passed once the feature events began to roll. However, as the Sportsman feature began to roll, a gentle rain returned and it stayed even as the “Beasts of the Northeast” made their way to the track.

It was just enough to be a nuisance. As the pre-race pace laps continued, head starter Rodney Rescott tried to get driver’s opinions of the matter. Thumbs up or thumbs down. Should we go green?

While inside front row starter Andy Bachetti said “let’s race,” the driver firing from P1, Keith Flach, wasn’t as optimistic.

“I gave him the thumbs down,” Flach said. “A lap or two prior, I even went so far as to give him the slashing sign across my neck as to cut it or pull the race.”

The mist was just enough to be irritating to the drivers. Flach was frustrated more as a driver from a safety aspect, not necessarily as a competitor.

“The track wasn’t in terrible shape (because of the rain),” he said. “It was more so the vision issue with water and dust on our shields as well as it was already raining. A heavier patch of rain could have fallen without warning and caused major issues for all drivers. These cars aren’t designed to race in moisture or we’d do it more.”

Starting on the front row must have benefited Flach’s outlook compared to having to come through the pack.

“It absolutely did,” he said. “It was less potential mud and spray. It also helped not having to navigate traffic as much, other than lap cars. With spotty vision, depending on your tearoff situation, it was less time I had to wipe water or mud to see.”

Officials made the decision to race and Flach led 13 laps before having to settle for a solid second place finish to Bachetti on the night. It was a good finish for Flach, although he was still not pleased to be put in the position of racing in the rain.

“I still can’t say I agree with the decision to race,” he said. “While the track seemed to stay in alright shape, it’s a vision nightmare. Someone needs to be a voice of reason from a driver’s perspective. I don’t know if I would do it again.”

Flach ended up running out of tearoffs and was forced to wipe his shield with his glove, causing smears and making visibility even harder. With that, though, his Gould Erectors 43 was decent in the feature event.

“Our car was real good early,” he said. “Once the moisture let up a bit, we were still pretty good but Andy was the better car for sure in the second half of the race.”

The rain during the night had changed the racing surface and left several teams, Flach’s included, scrambling to make changes to their car’s setup compared to how they normally would.

“We weren’t sure how far to go on adjustments,” he said. “In hindsight, I would have tightened up a bit more to try and better at the end. However, we’re still happy with the first evening out. The car was comfortable and we had good speed. I think we can work with it. We just came up short to the better car.”

Finishing second to the defending champion on opening night is nothing to be upset about. It’s certainly a great confidence booster heading into $3,500-to-win show this weekend, presented by OD Auto Sales.

“It was certainly a finish we can build off of,” he said. “I’m happy with the result and how hard my team worked to get us there. I just wish the rain hadn’t played a factor.”