Thieves hit nitro pits in Virginia (1 Viewer)

[ramblerjay]

it's sad that these things happen in this day and age.

some potential solutions:
-convince nhra to hire a few extra security guards and have them make their presence known throughout the abandoned pits.

-at tracks with consistant problems, set up a sting operation and try to catch repeat offenders and prosecute them.

-get the local and state police involved whenever possible.

-get a webcam of some sort (most of the big guys have computers around) and record the time during the absence of guys at the trailer.

-obviously, if someone would make the sacrifice to stay behind, have them do so.

-get chris hansen from dateline's "to catch a predator" to start a new series "to catch a scumbag thief."

 

[T-Bone]

Dammit!! Not again!! This is sad!! Time to start having security guards with axe handles sit in the pits while the teams are doing their jobs. Time for "Beat Therapy" on these lowlife scumbags who rip off good people!!

T-Bone

 

[none]

Our company has been hit repeatedly by thieves stealing equipment from our oil & gas leases. So much so that we installed tracking devices and security cameras. We got hit back to back last week. The sheriff spent the night in the area. Typical good news bad news story. The bad news, we got hit again that night. The good news, with the tracking device they were able to locate the thieves with our (and a lot of other) equipment and with the security camera, it will be an open and shut case!

Evidently.........there was a "resisting arrest" situation as well.
I just love a happy ending

 

[BrettV]

Before you know it they will ban fans from the pits

Boy I sure hope not. This was the first drag race for my brother (my first national race), and we really liked seeing the action in the pits and interacting with the drivers. My brother is a big NASCAR fan and he was impressed with the access. My only other race was a local race (Delmar, DE) and we (me and my 6 yo son) really enjoyed meeting the drivers. I think the fan interaction with the teams and the up close and personal experience in the pits is what really sets drag racing apart from NASCAR, IRL, etc., and it would be a shame to loose it.

Brett

 

[JAG]

Being in the business of Electronic Security, I would be interested in talking with those having problems to see if we can come up with a solution that would also fit the needs and budgets of the racers. There are solutions out there.

 

[Murph]

I just hate thieves. People work for what they get just to have some waste of sperm come along and take it......grrrrrrrr

The last national event I was at, I found a spot down on the line just up against the other side of the fence on the pit side. It was a great spot that I could see the crews work getting the cars launched. It was also a great spot to feel the full effect of the nitro launch. It was the pro finals and I really got a kick out of watching the intensity of the crews, jubilation when they won, ect, ect. Dale Creasy's pit was right there, I was kind of at the end of it by myself soaking it all in.

Creasy was in the final so his pit spot was empty except for one guy who kept coming back and giving me a bit of a look.

I didn't realise until this thread how it must have looked to them. Some guy standing around by himself, in a spot he probably shouldn't be at. Here I am having a great experience and they probably thought I was staking them out.

That in itself is a bit of a piss-off to me and an indirect result of thieving b****** stealing from the pits.

 

[ramblerjay]

security at nhra events always seems to be like a bunch of bumps on a log. i have witnessed first hand people cutting down banners from the fences right in front of security on the FRIDAY of the event, and security doesn't have the balls to stop them. at least the scum could be told to wait until sunday when the race is over....

 

[Husky]

Got a call from a friend of mine who just returned from the race, and he said that while the Nitro teams were in the lanes for the last qualifying shot on Saturday thieves hit the nitro pits. Among those who were hit, were Clay Milican's pit, stealing a complete clutch assembly.

Other teams lost pistons, tools, food & banners, etc.

Looks like one crew member from all the teams will be assigned to security
duty from now on, while everyone else is in the lanes or starting line. That really stinks.

Hope they catch the low lifes, and punish them to the fullest extent of the law.

Who would buy such specialized components. Honestly, to say there is a market for such items is to say that some high level racers are crooks, too.

 

[Chad]

security at nhra events always seems to be like a bunch of bumps on a log. i have witnessed first hand people cutting down banners from the fences right in front of security on the FRIDAY of the event, and security doesn't have the balls to stop them. at least the scum could be told to wait until sunday when the race is over....

I do have to say that the Alacua County Sheriff's Dept does a good job in Gainesville but I'm sure that is exception, not the rule.

 

[Husky]

Security Monitors.

One solution to having a team member miss the run so he can baby sit the trailer is to have working agreement with other teams from different classes, to have someone watch your stuff when it's your turn to run.
Like a designated driver, thing.

 

[BrettV]

Now I know why there was a lone crew guy in Eric Medlen's pit after the final. He was very nice, talking with seferal folk about his background and how he ended up on the team, etc. (he joined the team in July).

Brett

 

[Nitrohaulic]

security at nhra events always seems to be like a bunch of bumps on a log. i have witnessed first hand people cutting down banners from the fences right in front of security on the FRIDAY of the event, and security doesn't have the balls to stop them. at least the scum could be told to wait until sunday when the race is over....

Yeah, I had a thread here earlier this year/on the old mater about scammers at Bristol who were working people for "donations" the minute they got out of their cars. They were following the wave of cars as they parked and doing it right in front of track employees without being noticed!

A friend of mine pays off duty cops to patrol his track (and announces it often) so that people never know who's around them. For him it's mainly due to drinking and liability. You drink and hurt someone, sue happy lawyers go after him for not preventing it. He can pay a lot of dollars to cops for a lot less than what one suit can cost.

 

[megadeth]

Nothing pisses me off more than some a$$holes taking stuff that doesn't belong to them!

 

[ProStockJunkie]

Sorry to hear that so many of you guys have had stuff stolen at the track. I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact that Tommy Johnson, Jr's father sells wireless security devices. If you're interested, here is his information.


TOMMY JOHNSON Sr.
ADVANCED WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
126 Red Brook Lane Mooresville, N.C. 28117
Website: http://www.tommyjohnsonjr.com/
PHONE: 704-576-6971 FAX: 704-658-1009

 

[rocketman]

Listen to this! We were racing in Medford Oregon just a month ago. Anyway after the first qualifying pass, I went into town to bring back some grub for the crew. Any who, I went to a popular Costco Store to get pop etc. I was thinking man it doesn't get much better than this.

So I go in the store knowing that I left a tire gage in the back of the Dually. When I got back the crew was looking for the tire gage and couldn't find it. I insisted that it was somewhere. Well, more than month later I realize it was somewhere all right! Some son-of-uh, well you know, lifted it from the truck when I was in Costco!

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

I'd donate an evening a month of my time, and I suspect most anyone else would as well, to be able to set traps to catch scumbags.
Leave a shiny new tool box in the bed of a truck parked on the street with a video camera affixed from a nearby bush for court evidence with 10 of us volunteers awaiting in the wings for the opportunity to have a personal visit with the scumbag while loading his own vehicle with things he neither earned nor deserved.
Oh, how glorious it would be if he resisted arrest!

 

[Toejam]

As one who has had 2 cars stolen, plus about 3 car stereo's. I NEVER...EVER will leave my car unlocked, or anything of value in Plain sight! Ever since this thread popped up, I asked a couple of our local Oldtimer Drag racers if thefts we're ever a problem in pits wayy back when. Their answer was Hell yes! One guy Told me he was with a team at Green Valley back in the late 70's and they got hit hard while making a run. They got the stereo out of the Truck, a bunch of tools plus a blower hat. I told him about this thread, and he was like "You gotta be kidding me!" I guess it only takes one time!

Bobby's right, maybe some teams ought to Hire some pit spys to watch as many Trailer's as possible. Be cheaper than the alternative that's for sure!

 

[Jamie]

I'd donate an evening a month of my time, and I suspect most anyone else would as well, to be able to set traps to catch scumbags.
Leave a shiny new tool box in the bed of a truck parked on the street with a video camera affixed from a nearby bush for court evidence with 10 of us volunteers awaiting in the wings for the opportunity to have a personal visit with the scumbag while loading his own vehicle with things he neither earned nor deserved.
Oh, how glorious it would be if he resisted arrest!

Count me in!!! I'd LOVE to set a trap and catch someone in the act. Although I don't know if I'd want it video taped.....

Around here there has been a surge in ATV thefts in the past few years. My neighbor had his stolen when he was in the woods hunting. So everybody in the neighborhood got on the case right away looking at tire tracks, riding around looking for the ATV or others that matched the tire tracks of a machine that was with the theif, etc.

We didn't have to wait long though. The very next day my brother heard some 4wheelers running back in the woods, so he picked my neighbor up and went to investigate. After riding around for about 5 minutes, they met them head to head on a trail, not 200 yards from where they stole the machine from! They had painted the stolen machine red and tried to play it off like it was theirs. My bro & neighbor called the cops (who already had an investigation open) and the scumbags *didn't* roll down the hill with handcuffs on on their way down

Best part is, my neighbor is still recieving 100 and some odd bucks every month. They painted every panel on the 4wheeler red, so my neighbor got an estimate of the cost to replace them all. Judge gave the scumbags probation and they have to pay the cost of the damage to the machine. It's set up to where the check comes directly from the probation department and the scumbags have to put the money in an account there before a certain date each month or they get to go back to jail.

 

[Bob]

Nothing pisses me off more than some a$$holes taking stuff that doesn't belong to them!

I agree