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Beaux Barfield takes over as IZOD IndyCar Race Director
IndyCar has tapped a race guy to be their Race Director. Beaux Barfield has accepted the position of Race Director for the IZOD IndyCar Series.
Barfield credentials include holding the position of race director for the American Le Mans Series since August 2008 along with previously working as a Champ Car race steward (2003-2008) during which he served as Race Director of the Champ Car-sanctioned Atlantic and Trans Am series. Barfield was also chief steward for the USF2000 National Championship from 2001-2003.
In addition to officiating experience, Barfield has experience as a driver competing in karting, Formula Ford 2000 and Indy Lights. He also served as lead instructor from 1992-2007 for what became the Panoz Racing School at Road Atlanta.
"I grew up around racing, so I've been involved in it all my life," Barfield said. "The one thing that I wanted to do as a racing driver growing up in America was to be involved with the Indy 500. When my driving career took a change of course and I found myself officiating, it was still a goal of mine to get to Indy car racing and the Indy 500. In that regard, it represents the pinnacle of my aspirations as a race official. I'm truly honored to be a part of INDYCAR."
During the introduction press conference Barfield addressed several issues that come up in the past couple of seasons including the issue of blocking to which Barfield responded, "I'll give you an explanation about where I've been on blocking and where I stand on blocking:
Really it kind of is a representation of my overall officiating philosophy. That is from the beginning when I started officiating, we as an officiating crew made zero calls on blocking. The following years, based on fan and driver input, we called everything on blocking. Both, in retrospect, were absolutely wrong. Both from an officiating standpoint were very easy to call. But I can tell you from an officiating standpoint the easy way out, the easy way to call it isn't the answer.
Ultimately, as I mentioned fans and drivers, we have a product to produce. The absolute black-and-white rules that most of us long for aren't really compatible in real life and in racing. So it requires an official that can communicate and articulate the gray and enforce it accordingly.
Lines drawn on the track, I'm not a fan of. There will be latitude for drivers to defend their position, but when it gets to the dangerous side, calls will be made. I've called plenty of blocking penalties in the last several years."
When asked about the rule book and possible changes Barfield said, "I think there will be general changes. I wouldn't say absolute wholesale. You have to be careful of that.
When we all sit in a room like this and discuss philosophical rules, we can make sense. We all long for black and white, as I've said before. But if you essentially put too many words in any given rule as an official you paint yourself into a box. That's what you really have to be careful of.
That really speaks to kind of the way that I answered the question about blocking. There's a balance. I've been from one extreme to the other. If it's too open and ambiguous, you get yourself into trouble. If it's too wordy and too specific, you get yourself into trouble. It's that fine officiating balance that you find that people can work with."
01/05/12
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