‘Timing’ Just Not Right For Rocky Warner At The Hard Clay Open
Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – While Joey Bruning sat in victory lane Sunday after winning the Sportsman main event as part of the Hard Clay Open at Orange County, one can only wonder if that would have happened if Rocky Warner and his team didn’t try to help out a fellow competitor.
You see, the transponder in Billy Decker’s Modified wasn’t working correctly since the beginning of the night, so members of his team went in search of one to borrow. Enter Rocky Warner.
When the Decker team couldn’t find one of the new style units to use, Warner and car owner Jake Spraker offered theirs right off their car. Being that they were in a different division, the plan was to swap out throughout the night between the two cars.
Everything was working great. That was, until the Sportsman feature.
“We let Billy use our transponder,” Warner said. Problem was, he finished 4th and had to go to tech. I waited in the pits for my guy to get back with it, but they didn’t do victory lane after the Modified race, and it seemed like we were getting ready to go green, so I went out without it.”
This meant Rocky was on the track without a transponder, which officials didn’t like.
“We got the transponder back before I took the initial green flag, and my guys got an official to call me in,” he said. “I came in because they told me to over the one-way radio so we could put it on. It sounded like Brett (Deyo) on the radio, but as soon as I got back on the track, I was told I now had to start last due to making a pit stop.”
That didn’t sit well with the Johnstown, NY driver.
“I made one lap and parked it,” he said. “I couldn’t really see well from back there and Jake waved me in. I then went through the hot pit area and stopped right near an official. Jake went over to plead our case. Billy Decker went over. Rob Hile (a Decker crewman) went over to the official but it didn’t change anything.”
For Warner, it was the end to what seemed like a very promising evening…one that could have ended with the #1J in victory lane.
“I’m really bummed out about the whole situation,” he said. “We had an awesome run in the heat and were hoping to get better for the feature. The new Teo really responded to changes well. I just feel bad for my guys who busted their humps all weekend to have it end like that.”
For Short Track Super Series promoter Brett Deyo, its something he wishes hadn’t happened. He is, however, doing everything in his power to rectify the situation.
“The Modified race was a Short Track Super Series event, but the Sportsman were run by Orange County officials and run under Speedway rules,” he said. “I will do what I can to help Rocky & Jake when we talk on Monday.”
Deyo explained that with track rules, under the direction of Speedway promoter Mike Gurda, were what he went by for the event, even though his organization handled the purse.
“Mike’s weekly policy at OCFS is not to allow shared transponders,” he said. “From what I gathered, that is why he was sent to the rear. I jumped on one way just as this began to unfold.”
RPW will be trying making an attempt to get clarification from Orange County this week. An official release about the event will be published soon.
