Give This Guy the Finger...
...He's Used To It

Instead of our usual schizophrenic, talking to our imaginary friends and ourselves sort of interview, Fishwrench has taken a legitimate approach to real-world interviewing. Plagued by the question, "just what do those guys in the red shirts and black hats do at the track anyway?" Fishwrench hunted down one of those very people. Cornered like a donut in Anna Nicole's kitchen, John Galloway, an Indy Timing and Scoring Official, took the time to answer a few of our questions. Surprisingly, no one was hurt during this interview...well, not seriously anyway.

How long have you been working at Indy? What races do you officiate?

First of all Bob, thanks for the opportunity to spend some "time" with your readers and I hope they enjoy a little insight into how we keep track of things at the Speedway.

My first official duty at the track was in the Snake Pit in 1974 when I was credited with stopping some drunk from throwing his second beer bottle on the track while cars were running. After a brief fight, I held this jerk down until the cops came and the Speedway gave me credentials (silver garage badge) every year after that. After retirement from 3M, I worked in the Speedway Museum during May and then a week in August when they started the Brickyard 400. When the IRL (Indy Racing League) came along my wish was to become more involved in the action and now I work for the IRL in what is called Timing and Scoring Services. Our group works anytime that the IRL, NASCAR, or the IROC cars are testing or racing. We time and score the Indy 500 and work as back up for the Brickyard 400.

Is your title at the track 'Timing Official', or do they have another name for you?

We are just called Timing and Scoring Officials. We wear red IRL shirts that say Timing and Scoring, black pants, black shoes and of course, red hats.

I understand you have some legend and open wheeled racers...do you race yourself? Tell me a little bit about that.

Being originally from the Indy area, I have always been involved in racing someway as a hobby. When 3-M moved me to St. Paul, I built an ice-racer and ran with the International Ice Racing Association. I had the great thrill of racing with many of the top drivers, including trading paint with Sir Jack Brabham, and many Indy 500 and sports car drivers. We ran the St. Paul Winter Carnival Race many times and won the A-modified championship in '85. Sprint Car Racing always looked like fun and I ran some winged cars but never with much success (not enough Brunswicks). Now I am back home again in Indiana. I enjoy racing my Super Modified (built by John Josephson from Duluth) at different Old-timer events and I also run an '81 Champ Car.

At what points do you time cars on the track and/or pit road? Why the 18 different points on the track?

We have what we call loops (cables) placed at 18 different areas in the track and on pit lane. Each car has a transponder that we assign each day and when a car passes the loops, we register the lap and times at all 18 loops. This way we can tell by our computers where everyone is on the track at anytime. We also give all the teams printouts of their times at each section of the track.. We give them that info in both MPH and seconds to the thousands. For example we will time a car going into turn one, loop 12, to the middle of the short chute, loop 13, and that way they can determine which turn is giving them the most difficulty. We also give the straightaway speeds from the ending of turn two until the beginning of turn 3, as an example. The IRL gives each team a master copy of what each team is doing but NASCAR only allows us to give the teams their own times. Ken Schrader's team keeps bringing us M&M's as a bribe.

Is pit road speed calculated using time, or is someone out there with a radar gun?

We do have 4 loops on pit road but we use timing lights at pit entry and pit exit for the IRL cars. We have a person at pit entry and exit who records the speed from a digital readout and writes down the car number when they exceed the speed limit. We then call all violators into race control as soon as possible. I work pit entry during the race and that is very exciting. We practice diving behind the wall but this year only two dives were required. The speed limit this year was 80mph at both entrance and exit.

What sort of 'fudge factor' is given to drivers who are on the border of pit road speed. For instance, if pit road has a 45mph speed limit, will you let a guy go at 46?

Sorry that is top secret and I don't know.

During practice when we turn someone in that is 3 or 4 mph over the limit, either Johnny Rutheford or Al Unser Sr. (driver observers) will speak to them. They'll discuss how they might lose the race (stop and go penalty) or worse lose the car if they crash in the pits.

Are your stopwatches analog or digital? Which do you prefer?

We do not use stopwatches anymore. During a race, we have two complete computer systems, one main and one back up that handle all scoring. Each team also furnishes a scorer that sets in the tower with a clipboard, a red button, and when their car passes the yard of bricks they hit the button and write down the time. If we ever have a computer problem, we have the old manual way of timing. NASCAR does the same thing.

NASCAR or Indy - what's more exciting?

Indy during the race....NASCAR after the race.

Unofficially, of course, who is your favorite driver, past or present?

Jim Hurtibise: Jim was a great driver, was a great mechanic and car builder and a great guy with the fans. He also loved to fish. He was seen many times fishing (with a cold one in his hand) in the infield lake at Daytona. He did this while the crew prepared his car for the next day.

Races are 4 hours long...what happens if you have to go to the bathroom. Can cars go whatever speed in the pits they want?

We have a Porta-Jon at pit entrance for the fire crew and us and we do get a relief person a couple of times during the race. Can cars go any speed in the pits? Technically, yes... We time only the first 150 feet and the last 100 feet in the pits. They all have a rev limiter and they come within 1 mph of the speed limit and most just stay on the button (rev limiter) until they reach their pit.

Each car is outfitted with a transponder. Who's the lucky-duck that has to put those on the car? Are team's required to leave a refundable deposit for the transponder?

We take to transponder to each chief mechanic before the track opens for practice. They place them in the same place on each car. Indy car puts them on the right side near the front wing. NASCAR puts them under the car on the side of the fuel cell. No deposit is required and we have always gotten them back. The best part of my job is we will tape a transponder to one of the Indy pace trucks and test our computer system by driving the track at around 80MPH. We usually run three laps unless something looks funny and then it may require a few more, just to make sure everything is o.k..

Has a driver or team ever threatened you after making a penalty call?

Nope...just been given the finger a few times.

Do you ever get nervous that you may have timed a guy wrong and inaccurately influenced a race?

No. The rule is, if you have any question, don't report it. Sometimes when they come into the pits in a bunch it is hard to get the mid-pack cars.

What's the fastest anyone's crossed the timing lines at Indy?

The fastest Indy cars were a few years back before engine rules were changed. I would guess the fastest straightaway speeds were around 242.That's a good question and I will do a little checking.

Does "I'm a timing official" help you pick up chicks at the bar?

At my age, nothing seems to work. I heard that the "Official INDY 500 Headset" we wear works like a chick magnet. I tried it at the Speedway Lounge and they thought it was hearing aid.

Sometimes, when you look back at high school do you think "Man, I'm a timer at Indy...I really DIDN'T need that sewing class"?

I needed that sewing class to keep letting out those black pants I must wear. They are very big on looking sharp, shoes shined, and they supply us with good stuff (shirts and jackets). I wish they had had computer classes in my day, as I may be more at ease with that big system.

Other than an accurate clock, what special equipment is needed to be a timing official? What about the shoes - do you need special shoes?

You must be dependable, have knowledge of racing and a fair amount of computer skills, and be able to duck. Reebok is a major sponsor of the IRL so guess what kind of shoes we all wear.

When you first started officiating, did you penalize EVERYBODY and then have to have a "talkin' to" from the boss?

Nope. There are very few judgement calls in this game...thank goodness.

Since you're immersed in the action every week, does the mystique of Indy still touch you down deep inside or is it just another in the long list of places that you stop to buy a corn dog?

Most every employee from Tony George to the guy picking up papers work at Indy because it is Indy. All the history, the great victories and all the great drivers have helped to make this the greatest race course in the world...and the Indy 500 the greatest race. And the Food is good and reasonable when compared to most ballparks.

Cars go past you at 160MPH...who has the best paint job at that speed.

Billy Boat: He drove the #98 with red, white and blue scallops. It was painted like the car (Old Calhoun) Parnelli Jones drove to victory...really cool! Yes, most teams name their cars.

When you're watching races at home, do you ever find yourself timing the cars out of habit?

About the only thing I time at home is during a yellow flag. I will time the microwave for a bag of popcorn.

Who's more popular - the timing official or the guy holding the stop/go sign at the end of pit road?

We kind of lay low, if you know what I mean. Kind of like the undercover cop - the drivers recognize us but they just can't remember where. The poor dude with the stop sign has to stand there while they really get a good look at him. None of us are very popular during the race but the stop sign guy is probably less popular.

Drivers have a pre-race meeting; is there also an officiating meeting? What's discussed?

We have a morning meeting at our office in the garage area before we go to our track positions or the tower. What's discussed? Who brought the donuts...what frequency we will use and lots of other stuff.

Who's the meanest and ugliest driver out there?

They are all pretty nice guys. This is not a cop-out. I just can't think of any bad guys. Tony Stewart is really a nice guy that when he isn't racing - will do about anything for anybody [Fishwrench sidenote: Stewart will do anything for anybody, up to and including punching your girlfriend in the head].

From the pits, you can't see around the track. That must mean there are other officials out there somewhere - how many?

In timing and scoring, we have three for practice days (lap timing) and during the month of May we may have 8 if we are timing pit entry and exit speeds. It varies. We also have a complete closed circuit TV network.

Do you ever have a nagging feeling, deep in your gut that one of those timing lines might not be painted on straight?

This may be a little difficult to explain. The starting line is the yard of bricks. Our loops are in the track so that when the car (transponder) passes the loop the nose of the car will be exactly on the start line. Thus, the IRL transponder is 28" back from the nose of the car, so the loop must be 28" back from the starting line. In the case of NASCAR, they use a different starting line loop because the transponder is 13' 2" from the nose of the car. That means their loop is 13' 2" from the starting line. When our computer reads the transponder passing the nose of the car will be exactly on the starting line.

Who has the final say on the track - the flagman, or another official?

Race Control has the final say on most things but the flagman or other observers can also call for a yellow flag. It's a team of dedicated people who try to put on safely "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing".

Thanks for taking the time to put up with us, John. Is there anything you'd like to add?

We would encourage any race fans or others to come visit this wonderful piece of history. There are many things to see and you may even take a lap around the track in one of the Speedway's buses. The Speedway is open every day except Christmas and testing goes on many days during the year so you may just get to watch the cars run. There is a small charge for the museum, but just to come and look around is no charge except during race times. Wear you seat belt and we will see you at the races.

For more information about Indianapolis Motor Speedway, visit http://www.brickyard.com.

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