WHERE IS THE LINEUP?? Do they think we no longer care? They may be right

I got really dissed this morning.

Went out in a downpour to retrieve the morning paper. Opened my Charlotte Observer to check the starting lineup for today's Nationwide race at Daytona - the race with that name I can't seem to get straight.

There was a story and photo of Trevor Bayne earning the pole, but no starting lineup accompanied the article. Not to worry, I thought. I'll just turn to the back pages where they run what we in the trade refer to as "agate" - the various Associated Press boxscores and lineups and standings in that small agate typeface.

There was no lineup for the Daytona Nationwide race in the back pages either. Even in the days of Tom Higgins, the Charlotte paper only covered Cup racing. It always sucked at providing other race coverage. I was spoiled growing up in Richmond where we had two papers that covered the local tracks and the Modified and Late Model Sportsman Series, as well as a radio station that had several local racing shows all the way back in the early 60s.

Ok, I thought. I'll just go over to the "new" NASCAR.com (where I said I'd never go again) and get that Nationwide starting lineup. Did it pop right up? NO. I clicked on the Nationwide Series link. Did the race lineup pop up? No. I got a story on diversity in the Nationwide Series.

There is a race in Daytona this afternoon? Right?

Finally got the lineup at a different site. No, I didn't try the Daytona Speedway site. They and NASCAR.com seem to be only in business to sell tickets, not provide any information.

I thought back to the days in the 60s and 70s of the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman division when it was so wonderful to follow the heroes from all the different local, weekly tracks trying to make the Permatex 300 at Daytona.

Listening to the radio broadcast, each driver in the lineup would get a full bio.... this guy finished 2nd in points at Hickory, this guy was the Summerville track champ, this fellow races at Columbia, this one at Southside. This driver's dad was champ in Birmingham and this guy's brother at Hollywood. Don't try to race this fellow in Asheville or this guy at Jeffco.

Now... nothing. I can't even find out who is in the damned race without an effort. No wonder I care less and less.

It ain't difficult to print the AP agate at least, though. Maybe here in Charlotte the NASCAR Hall of Fame could put up one of those crawling digital news boards like they have in Times Square in New York and I could drive downtown(uptown) to see the lineup!

You'll have to get that report from Tim or Randy.

You are lucky there was a picture of the pole sitter. The Macon Telegraph had nothing in it. But that's par for the course here. If it ain't football, basketball or baseball forget it. Oh yeah. Golf covers two pages.

I must agree with Tommie. In the 60s/70s living in Macon and being a racer or race fan was much like being in a canoe in the Pacific. Stick and ball sports always dominated the media unless a racer/spectator was injured. Quite sad. Mid. Ga. Raceway had it all but local support was essentially nil. Mid Ga. Raceway could have easily been Bristol or better but local leaders at the time were clueless regarding motorsports. They built a "Promenade" down Cherry St. Oh well, no doubt that things have not changed. God speed to racers and our fans.

Bo Fulford

The print media, for the most part, choose to overlook stock car racing for reasons only they know. Living where I do, I have been blessed to have had folks like Jim McLaurin, Jim Hunter, Joe Whitlock and others who truly loved the sport and covered it well. When print media began to suffer, the first sports reporters to be "let go" were the motorsports guys. As already stated, let something negative happen in the sport and the press is all over it. A couple of months ago our sports section reported a drug bust involving a "NASCAR driver". I don't recall the name now but even more important, I didn't recognize the name then. Took some research to find the guy had run less than one full season in the weekly short track NASCAR sanctioned events. I think the mentality of the sports media, generally, fits right in with the mentality of the stick and ball sports they cover. Just the way it goes and there is very little we fans can do about that. You can educate ignorance, but there is no cure for stupid!

Very well stated Bo. I have to agree with Macon being a non supporting sports town. They lose every sports team they have had. The Atlanta Braves moved their farm team from Macon because the city would not upgrade our ball park. By the way. Bo is a former competitor of mine from MGR. I had lost track of him but have been reconnected thanks to RR.