Put It Out… One More Time

Lost in all the all the flurry of the last several weeks of Charter agreements, lawsuits, Playoffs, DVP policy enforcement and an occasional race thrown in for good measure was the appearance on the Dale Jr. Download by one of the folks who I deeply respected in the sport:  former NASCAR Race Director, David Hoots.  

For over 30 years, David directed the Cup races before being laid off in 2019.  

I must say it was good to hear that familiar voice from my NASCAR past once again.

As a fan going to the race, David was always one of my favorites to listen to on the scanner.  I appreciated hearing the “behind the scenes” workings of his races.  

As I listened to Junior and that unmistakable familiar voice talking about the sport from their different perspectives, my mind drifted back to that day when I first learned David had been laid off (a fact that even Junior seemed surprised to hear at this late date).  My emotions turned from surprise to shock to anger to frustration as I scoured all the information sources to try and find out what happened, why the change, only to find nothing but crickets… 

It was a non-story.  Move along.  Nothing to see here.

As time went on, I was happy to hear he was going to be given the chance to call one final Daytona 500.  I kept waiting for some of the mainstream reporters to say something, to acknowledge that a person who had devoted a good portion of his life to making racing happen and make it better was being forced to leave.  

Still crickets.  If it was out there, I wasn’t finding it.  It had the feel that if we don’t tell what happened to David, it might not happen to us.

With the clock ticking down, I found myself asking the same questions the great Barney Hall asked before reporting a story – 1) Is this something that needs to be told? 2) Am I the one who needs to tell it?

I finally decided that saying thanks to David Hoots for his career in NASCAR was something that needed to be said and since no one else seemed to be stepping up to say it, I would.  

The result was this piece I wrote for Race Fans Forever to show my appreciation for David’s work in NASCAR and what he meant to me as a fan… spiced with a helping of disappointment, anger and frustration for the way it all went down… 

Put It Out… One Last Time.

Sunday was the 61st running if the “Great American Race”, the Daytona 500.  It was the start of hopefully a very successful 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.  40 drivers competing for 200 laps on the 2.5 high-banks for fame, fortune, a pass into the Chase, valuable MENCS points and the coveted Harley J. Earles Trophy.

 Sunday was the start of a new Cup season.  

 Sunday was the end of an era.  

 I’m not talking about restrictor plates, although Sunday’s Race is said to be the last, we’ll ever see of the crude device designed to choke a race engine’s horsepower down to a level that would hopefully prevent the car from taking flight if the car gets turned in an unexpected direction. 

No, Sunday was the last race called by long-time Race Director, David Hoots.   

David Hoots has been Cup’s “Top Cop” since 1988, the year Restrictor Plates came onto the NASCAR scene.  NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition, Les Richter saw his work at a modified race at North Wilkesboro and asked him to take the Cup Control Tower at the October 23rd Rockingham race.  Hoots had a busy debut in his Cup career uttering his now signature phase “Put it (the caution flag) out!” eleven times before Rusty Wallace took the Checkered Flag that day.  Next week found him in Phoenix and he closed the season in Atlanta.

 Hoots was on his way.  

 He returned for his first full Cup season at the 1989 Daytona 500.  Before the 29 race season was over and Rusty Wallace was crowned Cup Champion, Hoots would give the order to “Put it out!” 228 times.

 The Race Director is responsible for controlling the chaos known as a NASCAR Cup race. Think of them as cat herders – except these are 40 3500 pound cats that are traveling at 200 miles per hour.  Or a flight controller landing 40 fighters on the same runway at the same time.  

 They have a heck of a job!

 They are the person who is in full control of the event.  They make the call when the green flag drops to start the race, when the caution flag flies to slow the race and the red flag displays to stop the race.  Track equipment, such as air dryers and wreckers can’t move until they say go.  Likewise with the medical and fire crews.

 Total control.

 Throughout the race day, information is sent to the Director from inspectors and spotters around the track.  The track is watched from a variety of angles on countless monitors.  The Race Director has to process it, make decisions on it and disseminate it in a matter of seconds to keep things as orderly and safe as possible for the competitors, teams and fans.  

 David has been that person every Cup race since 1988.

 David began in Cup as a part-time employee.  His full-time gig was driving a UPS truck in his hometown of Winston-Salem, NC.  He would work this arrangement for ten years before retiring from UPS and going full-time in NASCAR in 1999.

 He’s seen a lot over his 30+ year career.  1992 has often been referred to as the best season ever as Davey Allison, Bill Elliott, Alan Kulwicki, Harry Gant, Kyle Petty and Mark Martin were all competing for the Championship that year.  Going into Atlanta, David had asked for the caution flag 147 times.  That November day he’d say “Put it out!” another seven times with the final time being for the wreck between Ernie Irvan and points leader Davey Allison that eliminated Davey from contention and vaulted Alan Kulwicki to the title.

 At the Daytona Race in 2001, he controlled a fast race, only calling to “Put it out” three times with the final one being for the “Big One” on the backstretch on lap 175 that took out 19 cars.  The final lap saw another wreck in turn three.  The caution was not displayed for that one as the field was coming down to the Checkered Flag.  David had to send the emergency crews to the infield of turn four to attend to the wrecked vehicles only to find they were too late to save Dale Earnhardt.

Race Control and those who do it has always been an interest of mine.  When I got my scanner, 461.2, Race Control’s frequency was one of the first ones entered.  And it was always a priority channel.  When David spoke I wanted to make sure I heard it over everything else.  When he came on the air I never had to look down to check the display to see who it was.  There was no other voice in NASCAR like his.

 Listening, I got a glimpse behind the scenes, a greater appreciation at what went on in the Control Center high above the track.  I gained a better understanding of how difficult a job the Race Director had and the command of it that David had.  Over the years, I may not agree with every call that he made (heck there were races, I’m not sure I agreed with any call he made) but I always respected the job that he did.  There was a “comfort” hearing his voice and knowing that he was in the Tower and in control.

 Over the years of listening to David, my favorite phase wasn’t his now famous “Put it out!”  but it was the response from the inspectors when he told them to deliver a message from him to some crew chief who needed to hear it.  Some situation would come up and David would voice his concern over the radio knowing that all the crews monitored him.  Then he would direct the NASCAR inspector closest to the crew chief of concern to deliver the message from him.  After a short period, you’d always hear these three words and these three words only – “Message delivered, Tower”.  There was no relayed backtalking or protesting, no “well the crew chief said…”, just “Message delivered, Tower.”  

From that point on there was no doubt that crew chief had been served in no uncertain terms and was on notice.  

 As a race fan I had several dreams when it came to racing. One to actually see David in action and watch a race from Race Control.  Of course that never happened but it wasn’t for the lack of trying.  In 2005, my friend Jerry Wright had secured some “nice, really nice” seats for the October race.  We were up in a section I never imagined existed and definitely had no business being in and was at a level that would allow us to get “behind the glass” to see how the other half raced.  

Like two kids left unattended in a candy store, we explored every nook and cranny we could get to or thought we could get into and not get thrown out.  Let’s just say I think we found the door that night, we just couldn’t get through it.  It was just as well.  That was the great “Levigation Race” that resulted in an event record number of cautions, most from wrecks caused by blown tires.  Fifteen times Hoots uttered “Put it out!” and by night’s end most drivers were ready to revolt.  He was definitely too busy to have company that night.

 With race interruptions for Stages creating an additional 73 cautions per season, his 2018 caution count rose to 258 before Joey Logano was crowned Cup Champion at Homestead. 2018 would be David Hoots last full season as Race Director. In December, word was out that David had been “laid off” by NASCAR.  

 33 years.  

Over 1020 races.  

Over an estimated 6000 “Put it outs”.  

Over.

 For this race fan, it was quite a bummer.  Behind the scenes David had been a big part of my fan “career”.  Though I had never met him, only heard his voice, it was like losing a friend.

   Then word came out that that he’d call one more race-the 2019 Daytona 500.  He, like the restrictor plates, went out with a bang.  12 Cautions – 2 for debris, 2 for Stages, the rest for wrecks, often big wrecks.

 Like him or not, when it comes to any official in any sport, there will be discussions about whether a flag should have been thrown here or not thrown there, but when it was over, David handled it with the same confidence, assurance and professionalism he’d exhibited throughout his career as he signed off  for the final time.

 In a 2010 article I found the following quote

 “After 37 years as a NASCAR official, 55-year-old Hoots is one of the most respected people in the garage area and he says that respect is rooted in two basic philosophies.

‘Something that has helped me over time is a very simple philosophy that a lot of people here at NASCAR have — if you make a mistake admit to it,’ Hoots said. 

‘Go back and show them the data to say this is the mistake, or this is not the mistake, and whether or not it was a mistake, show them you did everything you could to try to make it right.’

‘Another important philosophy is that NASCAR is not the show. It’s the drivers’ race and our charge is to conduct their race,’ Hoots added. ‘Applying those philosophies has served me well.’

 I’m not sure that NASCAR, especially of late has always held to those philosophies, but it would serve them well to go back and revisit those as they go forward.

 Daytona is behind us.  Restrictor plates are gone from NASCAR as is David Hoots.  What’s going to take their places?  

 Restrictor plates, oh that now will be tapered spacers.  

 David Hoots, oh that’s now going to take two people.

Thank you David!  We’re going to miss you. 

Junior and David’s nearly two-hour conversation  flew by as their discussions triggered memories, further educated this fan to various aspects of the sport I hadn’t considered and challenged me to look at things from different perspectives.  

It was a good one.    

I also found it fitting that it was Dale Jr. who drove the pace car for David’s last race.  Full circle.

I appreciate Dale Jr. for reaching out to David to have him on.  And I appreciate David’s acceptance of Junior’s invite and taking the time to share his knowledge and experience once again, giving us fans a perspective that very few in the sport has ever known. Considering the circumstances, if I had gone through what he had, I’m not sure I could or would have done it. I know for sure I couldn’t have shared what he shared with the class and professionalism he showed in that podcast.

My main take away, even after all these years and the unfortunate circumstances, that to David, it wasn’t about him, it was always about the race.  And to this day, it’s still not about him, but it’s all about the race.

That left me with the question-If you’re running a Race Series like NASCAR Cup, isn’t that the type of person you would want in your corner each and every Sunday?

Thanks again Junior for another great podcast and bringing back a person who meant so much to me in my fan career.  I must admit I found myself not watching, but listening, because it was David’s voice that became such a part of racing back then.

And again, Thank you David Hoots for your devotion and dedication to the sport. It was good to hear your voice again.  

Please know we still miss you.

Thunder On… And Stay Safe!

David Nance

Photo Credit (cover):  David Hahn/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images