I do miss ole Dizzy & PeeWee. Evey time I saw those Falstaff beer signs in turn 4 at Darlington and Rockingham that said, "FALSTAFF - The Winner" I though of ole Diz and the CBS Game of the Week. Let us pray that neither DW nor LarryMac attempt The Wabash Cannonball.
Jerry Clower was the "Guest" speaker one year at the Darlington Southern 500 /UNOCALPure Record Club dinner. That was pretty hilarious.
Someone down in Daytona has been very careless and let two secret NASCAR documents become public. I'm sure they'll receive a "secret" fine.
List of NASCAR Announcer Rules Found
Much like the drivers, NASCAR announcers must follow strict guidelines when calling the race or conducting interviews.
Rules To Follow:
1. Have a catchphrase that people liked 12 years ago and beat it into the ground every single race. Ex. Boogity Boogity Boogity, lets go racin boys!
2. Have some type of animated character to throw on the screen and block all of the action. Preferably, make it as annoying as possible and make cheesy jokes about it. Ex. Digger
3. At least twice a race, mention The late great Dale Earnhardt, no matter how irrelevant it is.
4. Say how lots of people in the garage said (Name) is the man to beat today.
5. If you own a race team, make sure you mention the sponsors repeatedly no matter if it makes sense in the conversation or not. Ex. Michael and Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace
6. No matter how boring the racing is, say Its a real battle out there.
7. If theres even a miniscule chance of rain, keep mentioning it and ask all the crew chiefs how this affects their strategy. Zoom the camera in on a light to show the sprinkles.
8. If theres a rain delay, say The trucks are working hard to dry the track and well be back to racing any minute now, even if theyre not working.
9. If it has been a long, boring, single file, green flag run start talking about fuel mileage, even if it isnt an issue. Use phrases like hes runnin on fumes and Can he make it all the way?. Several times act like you saw someone run out of gas by saying Oh no, I think hes out! Also, throw a graphic on the screen of empty fuel tanks representing each driver. Keep talking about if they can make it or not and say what if theres a green-white-checker, will they make it?
10. If its getting towards the end of the race, say Well have one last commercial break and then come back to bring you the finish. This must absolutely NEVER be the last commercial break.
11. Make up words like co-opitition or gaggle and never use proper English grammar if you are a former driver or crew chief. Use phrases like that cats got a bad fast hotrod, that suckers pushin like a dump truck, and Hes rim-riding up there in them marbles. Always refer to the wall as the fence. Ex. He got up in them marbles and went right into the fence.
12. If Dale Earnhardt Jr doesnt win, interview the winner for two minutes and then proceed to interview Earnhardt for 10 minutes, no matter where he finished.
13. Even if its the first race of the season, talk about how the drivers better start performing if they wanna make The Chase. Mention The Chase as much as possible.
14. If Danica Patrick is in the race, ignore all the previous rules and talk only about her, even if she is in last place or out of the race.
List Of Driver Interview Rules Found
I have found a top secret confidential document that features the rules NASCAR drivers should follow when being interviewed. The following is that document:
Giving a post-race NASCAR interview requires adhering to a strict guideline, heres an example:
REPORTER: How did you end up dodging that wreck?
DRIVER: Well the (Sponsor) (Car) ran good all day. I gotta thank all the boys back at the shop for this one and I cant thank (Team Owner) and (Crew Chief) and the fans enough. (Sponsor 2), (Sponsor 3 ), (Sponsor 4).
Rules to follow:
1. Never answer the question. Instead, completely ignore it and mention your sponsors, car manufacturer and how you cant thank the boys back a the shop enough. Also, thank the fans no matter how much they hate you.
2. No matter how horrible the car was always mention how great it was since it was brought off the truck and say it was a good points day.
3. If someone wrecks you, just say It was just one of them racin deals and that youll keep diggin next week.
4. If anything controversial happens, just say It is what it is.
5. If someone is at home being ravaged by disease, say I wanna say hi to (Name) and let him know were all pullin for em.
6. No matter how horrible of a call NASCAR officials made, say well, theyre the reason were here today, and well trust them to what they say.
7. If youre sponsored by a beverage company, hold the bottle towards the camera and act like youre taking a sip but NEVER actually drink any.
8. At the end of your statement, just rattle off every sponsor without any context.
Here are some examples:
I cant thank (Sponsors CEO), (Sponsors President), (Random Person), and all the fans for comin out enough.
I think the difference today was the (Car Manufacturer) power under the hood.
The (Sponsor) (Car Manufacturer) was good off the truck and just on rails all day.
Well, you know, we just got caught up in one of them racin deals. But it is what it is and well keep diggin and get em next week.
These two tongue-in-cheek pieces first appeared on June 6 & 7, 2011 on the website Fake Racing News. Sorry I missed them at the time.
Yep, PK... I have been amazed how quiet this thread has been. Figured it would be a pot stirrer when I posted it.
My old buddy, the late and talented motorsports writer and publicist, Joe Whitlock was once enlisted to manage the successful U.S. Senate campaign for South Carolinian Fritz Hollings, Democrat - SC. Looks like former Joe Gibbs pit crew intern, Cameron French has completely abandonned NASCAR for the bright lights of politics. Maybe all those years Gibbs spent in DC plotting the strategy that got the Redskins past the Cowboys has rubbed off on ole Cameron.
NASCAR fan joins race to '12 'finish'
By Tim Funk - tfunk@charlotteobserver.com
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011
Ask Cameron French how he got to Charlotte, and he'll tell you about his career goal at age 12.
He had decided he wanted to go into motorsports engineering. And barely out of grade school, he'd written - on a Post-it note - three schools where he could pursue his dream of driving NASCAR: UNC Charlotte, Clemson and Ohio State.
The Philadelphia native eventually opted for UNC Charlotte and says he fell in love with its diversity.
"At my high school, there were 40 to 60 countries represented, like a mini-United Nations," he says. "UNC Charlotte ... felt like it was a bigger version of where I had just come from. It felt like home."
In 2004-05, he got an internship working in NASCAR on the pit crew for Joe Gibbs.
But, in the end, it wasn't NASCAR that won French's heart. It was politics.
At UNCC, he majored in political science and was president of the College Democrats.
Instead of driving fast, he had loftier goals.
"I have always grown up in a family or been in an environment where I looked at the collective good," he says. "You could be successful. But are you also looking out for the next generation? ...I've always found politics (to be) an opportunity to bridge the gap between the future and the past."
Today, at 27, French is press secretary for the Obama organization in North Carolina.
In 2008, he worked in the state for the Democratic National Committee. But he's spent most of his post-college years working on Capitol Hill for U.S. Reps. John Hall, D-N.Y., and Brad Sherman, D-Calif.
But, as the 2012 campaign season began, French decided he wanted to help President Barack Obama get re-elected.
Lindsay Siler, the N.C. Obama director, liked his N.C. connections.
"I decided I needed to get out of D.C.," says French, "and go fight for what I feel like we started in '08 and make sure we finish it the right way in 2012."
Read more: http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/12/11/80075/nascar-fan-joins-race-to-12-finish.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz1gHSHJAvX
Former Gibbs Pit Crew Intern Cameron French - Below Left
I watched them both. Good shows. And they did the Delano misque deal more than once. There were several Wood Bros. pit stop sequence promos where they did the same thing - highlighting Delano on the stop. I told my wife at the time I guessed some idiot at NASCAR Media Group or SPEED who never met the Wood Bros. didn't know the difference. Let's hope the Glen Wood bio has Glen Wood stuff and not Delano. I jumped out of the chair hollaring. Particularly enjoyed the Dale Inman piece. I can well remember sinking to my knees in pain in the garage with Dale Inman pinching the pressure point near the bend in my arm as shown in the bio, grinning all the way. One super nice man. One of the nicest folks I ever met in racing.
Interesting that we've been talking so much lately about drivers and their families and what these drivers do off the track and how they interact with their family and fans. From my wife's hometown Wilson, NC newspaper comes this story detailing how Jeff Gordon and his family made life a little moretolerable for another family. Thank you Jeff for showing us the power of a star NASCAR driver to spread goodwill by interacting with your fans. Thank you to the Gordon family also. R.I.P. Tracy. I am so glad the Wilson, NC paper shared your story and at the same time highlighted the positive side of a NASCAR athlete. It is such ashamed some of our driving superstars don't realize their ability to touch their fans.
'It meant everything to Tracy'
NASCAR community, others mourn Wilson woman
Friday, December 09, 2011
By Lisa Boykin Batts - Wilson Times Life Editor
Among the poinsettias, peace lilies and bouquets of carnations, roses and mums sent to Tracy Thompsons family last week, one arrangement stood out in particular: a basket of pink and white flowers sent by the Jeff Gordon family.
Tracy, 36, was a devoted NASCAR fan, and Gordon was her favorite driver. Tracys devotion led her to a friendship with the Gordons in particular Gordons mother and wife.
Tracy was no stranger to Jeff Gordons fan base, his team or the fan website gordononline and spent much of her day often housebound because of illness chatting on Facebook or Twitter with other NASCAR fans.
Her death on Nov. 29 has not gone unnoticed by racing fans. In addition to a flood of online memorials, gordononline held a Tracy Thompson Memorial Raffle to raise money for the Jeff Gordon Childrens Foundation, one of Tracys favorite charities.
Tracy loved chatting with other fans on Twitter and Facebook, the foundation site reads. If you were friends with Tracy, you know how she adored Jeff, his wife, Ingrid, and their kids.
Larry Graff, gordononline founder, was one of Tracys online friends.
Tracy was such a huge fan, and the fundraising drive this week ensures that she can make a difference even after her passing, he said.
Libby Thompson has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of sympathy from across the country.
I cant get over how many people loved my daughter, she said. Its just helping me go.
Tracys story
The Christmas tree is dark in the house Tracy shared with her mother. Libby said she hasnt turned it back on since Tracys death. At the base of the tree is an unwrapped gift as well as Tracys shoes.
Libby doesnt want the tree lights turned back on this year. Christmas wont be the same without her daughter and constant companion. We were joined at the hip, Libby said.
From the time Tracy was born two months premature until her death last week, Libby looked after her daughter. Tracy had an undiagnosed muscle condition and didnt walk until she was 3. But her mother said she overcame those problems, graduated from Hunt High School, attended Wilson Community College and held a job at Dominos for 10 years before she got sick.
About 11 years ago, Tracy was diagnosed with lymphedema. The disease, caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, leads to extreme swelling in the arms or legs because fluid cant drain. For Tracy, it was her left leg that grew large from fluid. Libby said that over the years, Tracys leg kept getting bigger and at one point weighed around 75 pounds.
Tracy went to doctors and tried a variety of medicines and therapies, but she got little relief, and walking became very difficult. She would hold onto Libby to get from room to room in their home.
Strangers would often stare at Tracys leg, but Libby said her daughter wasnt rude back to them.
She would just look at them and smile and say, Hey.
When they had to leave the house, Tracy and Libby would rely on the kindness of others to help them out.
If they were going out to eat, Tracy would pick up her cell phone and fast dial one of their favorite restaurants. Often, that restaurant was Chilis.
Chilis general manager Kevin Parker said his staff all knew the Thompsons would reserve the same table, close to the door, for the mother and daughter team. They all loved chatting with Tracy. Sometimes, Tracy would be on her way back from a doctors appointment and shed tell her waitress how she was doing, Parker said. Other times, she might talk to them about an upcoming NASCAR race.
It was always a pleasure to have them here, Parker said. We considered Tracy a Chilihead, which is what we call ourselves.
On the day of Tracys funeral, manager Peaches Evans framed Tracys obituary and set it on the Thompsons favorite table beside a grouping of lighted candles. They kept it there all day, Parker said.
It was the right thing for us to do out of respect, he said. I love repeat customers for the sales, but she was part of our family and part of the team and more than just sales figures.
Last words
Tracy got sick in May, and her mother said she had a hard time recovering. She had head congestion and bronchitis. In the fall she had a series of mini strokes and just before her death a sinus infection. She also didnt have much of an appetite and was weak.
Libby was very worried. At night, shed often go to her bedroom and leave Tracy in her electric recliner, legs propped, chatting away with her online friends. In the privacy of her bedroom, Libby cried. She was afraid Tracy was going to lose her leg to lymphedema.
I couldnt cry around Tracy, she said.
But shed stop crying before Tracy would call her up each night, usually around midnight ready for help to get in bed.
On Nov. 28, Libby went to her own bedroom before Tracy was ready for bed. She was startled when she woke up around 2 a.m. and realized Tracy was still in her recliner. She hurried to the den and tried to wake Tracy.
Come on doll baby. Youve got to wake up; weve got to go to bed, she told her daughter.
Im alright, Tracy told her.
Libby got a blanket and wrapped her up, then slept on the couch next to her. Around daybreak Libby realized something was very wrong; Tracy wasnt breathing. She called her neighbors Kathy and Gary Hayes for help as well as 911. Emergency workers tried to resuscitate Tracy at home and later at the hospital.
I couldnt bring her back, Libby said. I tried.
A huge fan
Tracy always liked racing. Libby said she grew up watching races with her dad, Chris, when she was little and her interest grew. She watched every minute of coverage from pre-race shows to the race itself.
It meant everything to Tracy, Libby said.
Libby took Tracy to races when she could, and in September 2008, they got to meet Gordon in Richmond, Va.
Tracy & Jeff Gordon in Richmond, VA - 2008
Tracy and her online friends would chat about Gordon and racing, and her friends list on Facebook grew to more than 2,000.
Tracy's Mom
Some of Tracy's Jeff Gordon Memorabilia
As soon as word of her death spread, those Facebook friends started writing:
RIP Tracy! I will miss chatting with ya! Watch over that No. 24 for me. Prayers to your family.
From the United Kingdom: She has touched the hearts of so many people and by that alone, she will live in our memories. May she rest in peace.
And theres this one from Jeff Gordons own Facebook wall: Sorry to hear of the passing of Tracy Thompson. She was a huge fan and always showed her support for me and Ingrid. She will be missed JG. More than 1,200 liked his status and 188 commented including this friend: Tracy found me on Facebook because I was a Jeff Gordon fan ... even though I dont know her personally, we became friends on Facebook and I feel like I have lost a great friend.
When racing season starts up in February, Libby said shell carry on her daughters ritual of watching the races.
How can I not? she said.
lisa@wilsontimes.com | 265-7810
Well, sir.....I don't guess Best Buy would consider changing its name to Worst Buy. Maybe a King can control his subjects better than some others, though. Here's wishing RPM a successful 2012.
And let's hope Mr. Pablum has no brother. At least his sponsor has the good sense to paint a target on his car and driver uniform.
Oh no, PK, I realize Jim is talking shrubs and brothers and what not. I'm referring to protecting our sooooouthern borders from those Vegas invaders and outsiders.
