As the newly appointed Divisional Administrator of Scrutineering for the SCCA Southwest Division, I would like to welcome every racer to IMPOUND. Making it to impound is more than just making it to the checkered flag. It is that place, kind of like heaven on earth, that all racers strive to reach but all don’t make. Once he or she gets there, you  know by their actions and their grins from ear to ear that they have reached that goal for which they have worked so hard and sacrificed so much. 

For most, there is that one moment when they first enter the impound area and their heart begins to beat out of control. That is when they roll up onto those scales; the last troll that can stand in the way of that goal that is right at their fingertips. They can just feel the drum roll increasing until they hear that lone voice say “he’s ok, push him off.” They’ve made it. All that is left then is the stories of every apex, corner, turn and pass that occurred during the race. 

I know I can’t make your visits to Tech as much fun as at impound but I can make them ‘almost’ as fun. Your SOWDiv Scrutineers, and they are a great group of folks, are there at Tech to assist you in your endeavor to reach impound safely and within the rules. We will do everything in our power to make your visits to Tech as pleasant and rewarding as possible. Now that every racer gets a new GCR every year as part of his or her competition license renewal, racers will be considerably more knowledgeable of the rules. They may even teach Scrutineers a thing or two. Hey, this is a club and that is what a club is all about. 

This introductory column is the first of many I plan to write for the Round-Up. In future columns I will try to present and explore new rules related to safety and competition, new cars that have been added to the Category Specs, the actual role of the Scrutineer in the Club and who knows what else from there. I have decided to call the column “SOWDiv IMPOUND” because Impound is the happiest place to be in SCCA Club Racing and, if you can believe it, it is part of ‘Tech.” I will also be at impound at the Runoffs at Heartland Park in October so I will take notes of occurrences that may interest you ; I hope to see you there. Look for future columns of “SOWDiv IMPOUND” in upcoming issues of ROUND-UP. 

See you at IMPOUND,

Art Tapley

Texas Region, SCCA

SOWDiv Administrator of Scrutineering

sowdivsccascrut@sbcglobal.net