Say what you want about Chaucer, but the man knew a good proverb when he read one.
It’s precisely why he passed along this doozy: “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.”
We doubt the ol’ British scribe was on the minds of IMSA officials Sunday afternoon. Maybe it was just a matter of covering all bases. Or perhaps it came in reaction to something unseemly during the weekend of Rolex 24 testing at Daytona International Speedway.
But something prompted NASCAR’s sports-car division — the International Motor Sports Association — to hit send on this industry-wide text Sunday afternoon:
“Thank you for a successful ROAR Before the 24. As we transition into the Rolex 24, we want to remind everyone to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct. Please ensure your actions, both at the track and in the community, reflect the very best of OUR sport.”
As the late, great Slim Pickens might say, “What in the wide, wide world of sports-cars is a-goin’ on here?”
Did a finger point the way to that IMSA suggestion?
Some have suggested it might’ve sprung from an inadvertent middle-finger salute, delivered from a race-team member to a video camera that just so happened to be feeding IMSA’s live-stream coverage of the test weekend. Haven’t seen it, can’t find evidence of it anywhere, so can’t verify.
But if that’s it, it seems like a slight overreaction. Frankly, the most cynical among us saw that text and assumed someone had either taken hostages or knocked over a liquor store.
Some quick background …
The official Rolex 24 race week begins Wednesday with practice sessions for a pair of IMSA’s secondary divisions — Mazda MX-5 Cup and Michelin Pilot Challenge. The Rolex 24 cars, competing in IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship, are back on the track Thursday for practice and qualifying.
By my count, that leaves three or four nights of idle hands for team members who will remain in town after the test weekend. And, combined, there are some 150 teams in those three series.
Daytona racing history once included lots of idle time
In earlier times at Daytona, when the stock-car portion of Speedweeks stretched out for 11 or 12 days, there was plenty of opportunity for commandments to be broken by idle hands — if the Ocean Deck’s walls could talk, some of us would still be visiting probation officers.
But the February NASCAR visit is now just five tight days, Wednesday to Sunday — this year, it’s Feb. 11-15. Not much wiggle room for tomfoolery.
However, five years ago, IMSA and the Speedway made a move so smart, you had to wonder what took them so long. Instead of holding the test weekend in early January, three or four weeks before race week — necessitating two trips to Daytona — they moved it to the weekend before Rolex week.
The only potential down side is that idle time between Sunday and mid-to-late-week.
So until you hear the engines crank again, it’s ears to the ground, head on a swivel, and when in doubt, keep those hands in your pockets.
If you don’t believe me, believe Chaucer. Or Slim Pickens, for that matter.
— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rolex 24 several days away at Daytona. Until then, everyone behave!
Reporting by Ken Willis, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
