From The Desk Of Tray Smith- April

I normally try to stay out of the political world when I write, but this month I just can’t help myself. As some of you may know, last year the EPA (the government agency that is supposed to protect the environment) gave a reinterpretation of the Clean Air Act to include race cars as part of its off-road section. What the off-road section was original written and intended for was guidelines for tractors, farm equipment, bulldozers, earth movers and other construction equipment that is not meant for highway driving. Suddenly, the EPA has decided that race cars, to include any production car or truck that has been modified for use on the race track, drag strip, mud pits, etc. cannot have the emission control system modified in any way. This includes computers, injectors, exhaust systems or anything to do with the engine. What this would do is make it illegal for any person to create a weekend dirt track car, drag car or mud racer or for any company to sell parts to anyone for this specific purpose.

As my father would say, let me repeat this all back to you and let’s see if it sounds as stupid to you as it did to me. So suddenly the EPA, in all of its wisdom, has decided that the small percentage of weekend racers out there are responsible for our air pollution. Sorry, that dog will not hunt! Either someone at the EPA has a serious bug up there back side for the racing industry or someone is just trying to make their department at the EPA seem more important than they really are. Not only was this never voted on by Congress or the Senate, which by the way is where law is supposed to be made at the federal level of our government, but it was all done in the hush-hush “dead of night” way the government does things when they want to sneak one over the American people.

So you ask “where you are going with this Tray?” What I would ask each of you to do is contact your Congressman or Senator and ask them to vote for the RPM act. This is the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016. This would reverse the EPA’s language and would protect the weekend racing community forever. Take a moment and ask your elected official to support this. I have added a link that will take you to the SEMA website and there you can sign up to support this important piece of legislation.

Thank you again for your time, that’s all from the desk of Tray Smith.