There’s a fine line between racing aggressively and racing cleanly. Both can be done simultaneously, though it seems like it’s becoming a lost art.
As racecars become increasingly safer, many drivers - especially younger ones who never experienced the days before, say, head-and-neck restraints or “soft walls” - seem to be throwing caution to the wind when racing for a checkered flag.
Even established veterans are guilty, as evidenced by the conclusion of Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. The final lap saw Ted Christopher, who had come from two laps down to take the lead, and Todd Szegedy wreck each other in the final straightaway - giving Donny Lia the victory.
Flemke, of Southington, Conn., showed how a true veteran and gentleman racer should treat a situation like the one he was driving behind. He and third-place finisher Ron Silk let Lia, Christopher and Szegedy battle it out in front - with the premonition that something bad was about to happen. Instead of mixing it up and possibly becoming a casualty, he drove conservatively and benefited from the chaos that ensued.
Above all, Ed Flemke Jr. knows what the fans really want to see, and it’s not always the crashes.
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