Speedway Motorsports Magazine
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php
Dad would have been Proud
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry140228-231524
Momentum has a way of slipping through your fingers. Let's hope Earnhardt finds a way to see that it doesn't.
J.R. Andres/SMM ]]>NASCAR's Qualifying for 2014---NEW & IMPROVED
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry140131-180634
In a move aimed toward enhancing the fan experience, NASCAR recently announced a NEW group qualifying format for it's three national series that is, if anything, more compelling, more closely emulates the on-track competition and underlines the sport's commitment to innovation.
This is how it all breaks down: 1) The first qualifying elimination round will be 25 minutes long and includes all cars. The 24 cars that post the fastest single lap will advance to the second round. 2) The remaining cars will be sorted based on their times posted in the first round of qualifying in decending order. 3) The second qualifying round will last 10 minutes and the 12 cars that post the fastest single lap here will advance to the final round. The fastest remaining cars will earn positions 13 through 24 based on their times posted in qualifying in decending order. 4) The third and final round will last only 5 minutes and the fastest single lap time will determine positions 1 through 12 in decending order. The fastest driver in the final round will earn the pole position. 5) There will be a 5 minute break between each qualifying round.
It will be interesting to see how this new qualifying format actually translates to the real world. Whatever the outcome, NASCAR deserves credit for their openess to change.
J.R. Andres SMM Editor-in-Chief ]]>The Eternal Brand
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry131226-224323
The groundwork was laid when Sr. was at the apex of his career, winning almost everything in sight, setting the stage for his place in stock car history. He seemed the heir apparent to equal, if not surpass The King, whose reign was rapidly coming to an end. He was "The Intimidator", "The Man" and it appeared that his son, still standing in the wings, was going to continue in his footsteps when the elder Earnhardt decided he had had enough. His untimely death thrust Jr. into the spotlight and with it, the expectations that he too, would be equally successful. Over time, it became clear that Earnhardt the Younger wasn't the driver his father was and for years he struggled to make a decent showing, trying to live up to the legacy of his father. It was frustrating for fans and more importantly devastating to a racing organization that wasn't used to seeing the Earnhardt name out of the top ten finishers. Winning races is one thing but winning the hearts of the fan base is another. Even during those times when the Earnhardt clan was looking to move on, the fans stuck by Jr. through thick and thin and his winning of the 2013 Most Popular Driver by the NMPA (National Motorsports Press Association) remains as a testament to the popularity and the reverance for a family that has traveled the highest mountains and the lowest valleys stock car racing has to offer. Jr. has come to this place honestly by hard work and perseverence...and he did it on his own.
J.R. Andres/SMM Editor-in-Chief ]]>One year ends and another is about to begin
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry131106-193953
From my perspective, I suppose there's an unexplained post partum feeling that comes when the excitement of covering these events abruptly comes to an end and the prospects of a long winter without the sounds and the sights of cars and individuals trying to out do one another begins to stare media types in the face. On the other hand, the memories of what was and what will be somehow seems to serve as a consolation. Like the teams who have already begun planning for the 2014 season, we maintain our focus and look forward to the coming year, understanding and believing it will be even better than the last.
J.R. Andres/SMM ]]>ON THE STARTING LINE
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry130728-142738
I began to attend pre-med classes at Michigan State University in 1966 and my goal in life was to become a doctor, so my mind was wrapped around things like microbiology, organic chemistry and anatomy. Cars were kool but I couldn't see the advantage or importance of turning wrenches instead of saving lives. My roomate was a journalism major and he used to entertain us all with stories about the places and things he'd seen...places reserved for reporters and law enforcement. It was sexy and enticing, the old forbidden fruit syndrome. The Detroit News had a marginal interest in auto racing which is surprising considering the fact that Motown was the center of the universe for all things automotive. My roomate had made a commitment to the News in late 1966 which involved him taking pictures at a big event at Detroit Dragway one Saturday. He said there were going to be "funny cars" there. After a very convincing period of begging, I agreed to take his place even though I knew NOTHING about photography. I wanted to do him a favor because he was sick or so he said. After a very short session of instruction, I knew everything I needed to know, which wasn't surprising since his camera was a Kodak 126 Instamatic, the one that used the little blue flashbulbs. Things then were so simple. With just an honest face and assurances that I was a real NEWS photographer, I received permission to shoot on the starting line. In those days you really were on the starting line...the one without a k-wall or any barrier to hide behind if something exploded or someone went sideways. By the end of the evening, I had had enough. Nicholson was using hydrazene, which was a popular addition to the usual concoction of methyl alcohol and nitro. I had a headache for days following my first sojourn into the advanced world of starting line photography. Funny thing though, it was pretty neat being so close to the action. Now I was able to tell interesting stories like my roomate, only mine were about cars instead of car accidents and dog shows. All of that was 47 years ago but one thing has never changed. The excitement and the exclusivity of being able to go where few tread has never lost its appeal and its likely it never will. Everytime I go out to a wall at a NASCAR or IndyCar race or brave the walls at a NHRA event I remember how lucky I am to be there. I look up to the crowded stands and know most, if not all, would give alot to be where I am.
J.R. Andres/SM Magazine ]]>The Allure of Drag Racing
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry130723-231151
We cover a lot of racing events from this office but when the NHRA circus comes to Sonoma we all look forward to three days of unadulterated mayhem, administered in large doses at 300 MPH. These events don't attract the wine sippers or champagne officianados, they attract the beer drinkers, the hamburger and hot dog eaters...the people we all identify with...people like ourselves.
Ira Ostenheimer - Leonard Gelardi/SMM]]>Detroit's Free Fall
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry130721-133940
Fast forward to 2013. The thought of doing the same thing 48 years later scares the bejeezus out of me. The streets I once drove have become nothing more than a war zone and the institutions we all looked up to have become fraught with corruption, fueled by greed. I didn't realize it at the time but Detroit was a great town to grow up in. Downtown businesses were thriving, the streets were safe, the police and fire department came when you called them and everyone, all 1.8 million of us, seemed to have a job. Thursday's announcement marked a new low point for a city that has been on the ropes for decades. The theories of how things got that way are not as important as the human costs that will continue to be realized until someone or something comes along to make it better. For a native Detroiter, it seems incomprehensable that it has come to this.
J.R. Andres/SMM Editor-in-Chief
]]>Petulance Doesn't Look Good on Moody -- by John R. Andres SMM/Editor-in Chief
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry100529-010714
He has a lot going for him. He's glib, knowledgeable and witty, and sometimes he's even insightful. He has the connections and the inside line on what's happening in the immediate world of NASCAR. He's worked hard to get where he is and in most cases he's the 'go to guy' for the inquiring minds that comprise his nationwide daily call-in audience. I often wonder how he does what he does and the ease with which he fields calls from individuals who sometime say things that would test the patience of a saint.
He says he doesn't expect the callers to agree with him and he always respects their standpoint even if they go against his but today (Tuesday, May 25th at 2:15 PM) he exhibited something that was in conflict with what he professes and petulance doesn't look good on him no matter how he tries to spin it.
It all began when a caller said he was concerned about the 'health' of NASCAR, based upon his understanding of this year's lowered TV ratings and the empty seats he saw at the recent Dover race. Moody tried to explain that even though there were a lot of empty seats, the numbers there would actually fill a Super Bowl, or so many NBA games or so many MLB stadiums. The caller went on to ask if Moody was aware that Jimmie Johnson's sponsor, Lowe's, was the only sponsor that has not jumped to another car or driver in the last three years. Once again, Moody tried to explain that Jeff Gordon still had DuPont. I agree that the caller was wrong; he wasn't listening and uncompromisingly convinced he was right. Even so, Moody made a fool out of him, saying indignantly 'You're right, NASCAR is in trouble and Lowe's is the only sponsor with the same car and driver for the past three years', much like a yammering child. The caller eventually hung up, much to the surprise or perhaps even to the delight of that MRN commentator. If Moody was surprised he shouldn't have been. After all who would ever dare to do that to the 'Godfather', the one who holds the key to the truths as defined by Moody himself?
For all his positive traits, Moody was boorish and out of line today, although he'd probably just chalk it up to a caller who was in need of some form of reality update. Even the exalted need a reality update of how they come across to others from time to time and this is his. ]]>It’ll never be far away from Bowman-Gray -- by John R. Andres/SMM Editor-in-Chief
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry100426-144705
To hear it being described by the pundits at Sirius NASCAR Radio who maintain an unbroken umbilical connection to the aforementioned sanctioning body, it represents something that most would rather forget -- something that doesn’t represent the corporate mantra of clean living and altruistic inspired sportsman racing because it brings up all of those nasty stereotypes of the South they have worked so hard to eliminate, either through repackaging or denial. After all, these things happened over 50 years ago. Let’s forget about it and move on to a more genteel world, one that doesn’t offend, one that is beyond reproach.
Contrary to this belief, “Madhouse” offers its audience an unsanitized dose of reality of the behind the scenes drama that racing has always been about. The characters are real and the names have NOT been changed to protect the innocent. Central casting could never surpass creating the individuals who comprise the core of this series: Bad Brad, Junior, Rocket Brown, Eric, The Show Stopper, the K-Ville Mafia, “Jon Boy” and the Myers Brothers. Some of this may sound like the WWF but these guys play for real and their quest for a trophy, peer recognition and a take no prisoners reputation often comes before family and their ability to exercise better judgment.
Week in, week out, the major networks serve up the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events that seem like a world away from the “do it on a shoestring” grass roots racers who risk it all on the ¼ and ½ mile short tracks across this country. It’s easy to get lulled into a semi-vegetative state watching the “made men” of racing, with all their high dollar corporate sponsorships, cavort around the track in an endless parade, usually interrupted only when it’s time for the omnipresent commercial break.
We’ve become too accustomed to prepackaged and processed programs, sports, foods and ideology. We got there because we forgot how to cook and to think on our own. It’s too easy to throw in a TV dinner or a frozen pizza. Sure, times have changed but whether we like it or not we’re still, NASCAR included, connected to the roots that we may or may not be proud of and no matter how hard we try to erase or discount them, they’re never far away from us or Bowman-Gray. In this age of diversity, who we are or where we came from should be celebrated and the boys from Winston-Salem deserve our praise for being true to their ideals and their chosen way of life. NASCAR’s lucky to have them whether they choose to admit it or not.
]]>CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ on the Ropes -- by John R. Andres/SMM Editor-in-Chief
http://speedwaymotorsportsmagazine.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry100227-150635
Rumor has it that the Fontana February race date will be given to another track, presumably Kansas Speedway, by as early as next year. It’s been a long time coming and at this point appeals from ACS will not be met with much enthusiasm from the powers that be. No one can quite put a finger on how things got to this point but one thing is clear, two NASCAR races in Southern California is one too many.
I began covering the Fontana races in 2004 and the stands for both races were packed year in and year out until 2007. You could cut the excitement then with a knife. During that time, the community got behind the events by staging downtown parties that rivaled the one offered in downtown Charlotte. The City of Ontario did the same and it was clear to all that NASCAR coming to town was a big deal. Somehow somewhere things changed and these events went by the wayside. In some ways it seemed ACS began to focus upon a demographic that had nothing to do with the core group that supported these races in the past. Subsequent track improvements included a fan zone that featured a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, park landscaping and a stage providing those with a need to party a place to go but something was missing. It isn’t clear what Puck has to do with NASCAR or any other form of racing but someone at ACS must have thought the track was going to be primarily serving the IndyCar crowd. An In/Out Burger stand would have been more widely accepted than standard West Hollywood wine and cheese cuisine. Within a year the place took on a corporate feel that lacked the verve and the roughness that Fontana has always been secretly proud of and the people that were once willing to put their hard earned cash up for grabs to prove it found other ways to spend their Sundays.
I don’t want to completely disregard the fact that discretionary cash for most NASCAR devotees is less available and that overall the TV ratings and attendance has suffered at other tracks as well. I also don’t want to leave the impression that one restaurant is the cause for poor attendance. It’s a combination of factors that Track President Gillian Zucker and her staff haven’t been able to figure out yet. Maybe someday they’ll find the key that opens the door but until that happens, the first race of the season will likely remain a thing of the past.