May I Rant?
Being an old school race fan Ive struggled with todays evolutionary version of NASCAR. But a few months ago I decided to look for the positives surrounding the sport today and give it another chance.I admit there are plenty of nice, positive features for todays fan to enjoy. In-car cameras and being able to listen in on the drivers and crews conversations are really nice. There are all kinds of expert commentary coming from all directions almost 24 / 7. The fan of today has the ability to know the sport from the inside out. Information about every aspect of the sport oozes from web sites, satellite radio shows, television networks, and even cell phones.NASCAR has now managed the competition to a point that allows championships to be determined in the last race of the season and sometimes theres drama down to the last lap. One would think this would result in unlimited opportunity for excitement. Then why cant I stay awake during a race. I didnt make it through one single race this past season without falling asleep. I know Im older and need my rest, but thats not the reason. I did see some cool racing in the Truck series, though.I tried listening to the talk radio shows to catch up on all the buzz. I just cant do it. I have noticed that todays fans, for the most part are all ticked off about something. And theyre not all ticked off about the same thingstheyre just ticked off. Now they can call into these radio talk shows and talk about subjects as if they are experts about everything. I just cant do it anymore. I cant listen to all the BS. I cant listen to the all the media personalities trying to defend NASCAR.Today I logged on to NASCAR.com to do some reading and there in front of me was a blog written by some unknown guru of racing and the title was Greed Is Good. Yes he was quoting somebody else from yesteryears economics but he was tagging it to todays NASCAR. I guess this was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. Or was it that they (NASCAR.com) tagged my press release about our new Hall of Fame as inappropriate and deleted it. I have to admit that hurts a little.Someone criticized me the other day for my use of the term racing history fan as if one cant be a fan of the past. So I looked up fan in the dictionarycause thats what I do when Im confusedand here is what I found: an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.: So, I think it is entirely all right for me to be a racing history fan. I'm sure glad I have all of you "racing history fans" to hang out with. I sincerely hope the guy who wrote the Greed Is Good blog is wrong.Well, I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
Your not the only one Jeff. I have so much to say to Nascar. I would be there all day talking to them. But I'm not wasting my breath on them. Because they dont care anything about the fans and most of the drivers are like that too. I know they dont say in front of the cameras but its obvious. Most think they are better than they really are. Well the time is coming. I really want Nascar to fail now because they have lost touch with the fans. And are the only sport that is so afraid to mention it's past. Because its politically correct. You know what Nascar shove it and stick it where the sun dont shine. That is a nice way to put that because I dont want to say what I really think out of respect to the individuals that read blogs on this site.
Well, I don't want to see them fail. I'm not at all "anti-NASCAR". It is a sport I'm proud to have been a small part of and used to love. I'm just very disappointed. Don't want to leave the wrong impression here....I just wanted to rant...lol.
Being married to a former NASCAR driver, I can relate to how you feel. Granted, they can't name every driver who participated in the sport, but it seems they are geared toward the younger generation's attention. Let's not forget what the old guys did. They drove when there was no power steering, no spotters and no form of cooling the driver. What harm would it be to look back and reflect where the sport came from. NASCAR is focused on the "Hollywood" aspect these days. I'm sure if they would take a poll, the majority would want to include the old timers as part of today's racing info. Oh, Jeff, by the way, my husband falls asleep during the races and I occupy my time with other things.Connie Spencer
Jeff we are on the same page as a fan. Many of the drivers of today was brought up and groomed as a race driver most of which did not have to worry about money. Yesterdays drivers many of them or most of them worked a full time job or ran a service station, garage or was a salesman. They got off of work and went to were ever the race car was and worked on it then on wednesday night or thursday or friday night or saturday night or sunday afternoon they raced and some weeks they ran all of these days. Some got little or no pay they did it for the thrill and some for a way to get away from the misses. my dad did it for the thrill and the fact that he was in awe of the talent that these men and women had. The sport today has forgotten all of these brave men and women that risk everything they owned as well as their lives and limbs to help make the sport what it is today. If big Bill was still around today he would welcome the idea of the independents hall of fame and support it after all he was an independent at one time and he never forgot who it was that got him to the plato that he enjoyed even back then. To bad greed now runs the sport that big Bill helped to start and his grandson is now ruining. Only time will tell !!!!
You are all right, as the day is long! But, as much as we may point out the short-comings, there isn't much that us fans can do to change it.............except.........Change directions! As already documented, NASCAR's weekly program is not even on life support, its dead.......only still breathing...........an after-death-experience/existence. It makes no sense, entertains no-body, and the momemt somebody demonstrates a shred of talent...........they are carted off to a "development contract" at BIG-WIG Motorsports. There are NO WEEKLY HEROES in weekly NASCAR anymore. NONE. No Sam Ards, or Jack Ingrams, Ray Hendricks, or Sonny Hutchins, or Butch Lindleys................weekly heros haven't been seen in decades.........no they are all on the "Camping World Series" or the what-ever-they-call-it-on-the-left-coast series. And, whats worse, every single team in NASCAR's DEAD weekly world are all "hoping for the BIG break......................" Hoping to be the next Coke/Gatorade/Amp/Pepsi swigging Jeff Gordon/Casey Kahne/Carl Edwards................good luck!But, flying under the radar screen of virtually all NASCAR fans, who can't seem to get out of bashing-the-France-family to take a look around mentality.............there's a whole NEW world................... Guys work during the week, ON THEIR RACE CARS, tow them to the track, drive the bee-jeezzees out of them, mostly on three wheels, with 800 horses, in front of PASSIONATE crowds, whom mostly share your hatred of NASCAR, it's DIRT SUPER LATE MODEL racing.Don't look down your nose, so quickly. The modern dirt chassis is infinitely more advanced and technical than the 1968 vintage-yet "MODERN" NASCAR "cup" car. And to drive one of these monsters with, 24 other ones, going for 50K-to-win?...................It takes REAL TALENT and a pair of 'um!There's a whole 'nother world out there........it fun and exciting, and a throwback to yesteryear with a futuristic twist! Dirt racing.........why do y'all think Tony Stewart, and Ken Schrader, and Ryan Newman, and Ray Evernham, and Kenny Wallace, and Bill Elliot, and Bobby Labonte have all 'discovered' this 'new' racing? It's EVERYTHING NASCAR is not, and most of what it came from. It's refreshing!
I love it...always have. Had the pleasure of know one of the first "geat" promoters of dirt racing....the late Robert Smalley. Like him or not...he packed the stands for some great racing during the days of the NDRA. Something new .."for me"...was watching some of my old racing buds running the crate late models. Bobby..you know a thing or two about them..don't you? I think that is where I would head...if'n I ever got the opportunity to go back into racing.
Jeff you all are right on, I was just thinking yesterday before reading this how I can remember 50 years ago when my brother and I had the opportunity to travel to many dirt tracks on a weekly basis in the racing season. Most of the dirt tracks we ran on were "outlaw" tracks, you know not sanctioned by NASCAR. As kids we were almost always able to enter the pits although that was not allowed at the NASCAR tracks we ran on but by being inside the tow car with the race crew we got in. Outlaw track promoters in those days would look the other way and bend the rules for a good car count. One particular Saturday night race at Dinwiddie Speedway in Petersburg, Virginia the tow car pulled up to the pit entrance to cross the race track and a new official looked inside of the tow car and said these boys can not go into the pits. The pit entrance was located right next to the grand stands, my father was driving the tow car and told the official " well we will just go back to Hampton" and he put the tow car in reverse backing up. About that time the race fans got all worked up and began to yell at the official, I guess they were there to see a race and wanted to see that car run, at that point after his pit stewart came over and said it was O.K. for us to go in but we had to stay close to the car. The point that I am making here is THE FANS COME FIRST.I have heard Richard Petty say many times without the fans buying tickets there is no race or race track. NASCAR needs to remember that.I guess that some people would say that I am stuck way back in time when racing was real racing but I still have the good memories.
I know a few of you know where I stand on this issue.I know close to nothing about the historic heros of racing compared to people like Jeff Gilder and Tim Leeming. I'm learning, and it's still excites me everytime I have a conversation with one of these guy. The first time I didn't feel bad about not knowing an answer about some modern day race was when I told Robbie Solesby that someone had E mailed me and asked who I thought was going to win somewhere. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I asked Robbie what he thought. Instead of getting into too much detail he basicly told me he didn't know, nor did he care.I almost took the pictures of me with Ken Schrader at the Charlotte race off the site because so many people got the wrong idea. I was invited there by the owner of the team, and we all had a ball. It was very excitung having a hot pass and being in the pit and sitting on top of the tool box while the race was going on, but, after a few minutes of each activity all of us would do something else.The least exciting thing about the whole thing was the race! None of us watched it.It was a great party and someone would ask every now and then what was happening, but that was it. I've written and helped to write eight new racing songs since I met Jeff Gilder, and He's written Three.Needless to say, none of them are about anyone that's been driving lately. They are all about "The Legends". Since I've met Perry allen Wood I've learned a lot about what happened in my own home town of Spartanburg that I didn't know. We may be living in the past, but man, What a past!
I spelled Robie Solesbee's name wrong in my comment. He is one of my mentors in this.They're always getting on me for mispronouncing and not spelling the old driver's names right. Sorry Robbie.