The Cup Scene Daily

NASCAR had a less than stellar season in 2007 some say. TV ratings were down and empty seats were aplenty. Heading into 2008 what are the biggest issues facing NASCAR? Can they fix what ails them? How?

By Amy Hair

Tomorrow is the big night for the top ten Busch fellows. I haven’t taken the time to check and see who the MC is…but dang, I sure hope it’s not another comedian/actor.

When I watch the Cup Series Awards each year, I am always amazed at who ends up on the stage attempting to talk about our fellows using humor and throwing in attempts at knowing something about NASCAR. Are the Busch boys in for the same “treat”? I’m not saying the guest host’s aren’t good at their craft, I’m just saying maybe there needs to be a little revamp of this whole awards thing.

I did think it was just me, but nope…every fan board I read has comments on the lame combination that is presented at the ceremony. Heck, even Jeff Hammond was fussing about it. So, I’m not saying I’m any good at planning these million dollar events, but goodness…there has to be a way to improve both the presentation and the opinions of these shows.

I wonder if the fellows up on stage think the same thing. Or are they being wined and dined and treated so phenomenally that they don’t notice or take the time to critique it like we do? That’s probably a good thing. I do hope though that while we may think the ceremony is a little less exciting than dirt that our guys are at least having a great time. They usually look like they are. But imagine if we could make it a little more fun for those boys…

Instead of that lady with the very odd voice that announces the fellows as they come out on the stage, let’s have their crew chiefs give the intro’s, or someone else on the team…heck, you know there’s got to be someone on each of those teams that could make a crowd laugh with a just a few personal comments about their favorite driver.

And let’s replace the talented comic that doesn’t know squat about NASCAR with someone that knows the sport, loves it and wants the rest of the world to know how awesome it is. Sure, some of the jokes we’ve heard were funny, but…well, let’s just say we could do a lot better. I’m thinking the reason we have them on the show at all is because it’s one of the ways to entice the fans and others to watch the show in the first place. You know, as the casual fan is flipping channels he sees the comic that’s hosting so he watches the show just to see him…now that’s kind of lame, but hey, it’s show biz.

So who would we put up there in front of the world to entertain and keep our fellows from getting too nervous before they give their canned speeches? Well let’s see…one possibility would be Humpy Wheeler. I think he would be awesome, he’s got amazing stories about NASCAR in his head and don’t you know he’s probably got a whole bunch in there that he hasn’t shared yet. He’s met everyone, he’s respected by most all and he’s liked…even loved by a large amount of NASCAR’s dedicated fans and participants. And dang, that man not only knows the guts of NASCAR but he’s got just enough of a sense of humor to make everyone feel comfortable and more relaxed than any of these other guys that have attempted to MC the show.
Can we expect any changes? Nah…but we can dream right? Tell me it wouldn’t be cool to settle in to watch the awards because you couldn’t wait to hear some of those stories that no one has heard yet? Stuff from the past, from the garages…and from meetings that we are never privy to. Heck yeah…I’d watch that and I wouldn’t even run the DVR up to my favorite driver and then just turn it off, I’d watch the whole darn thing.

Awards shows in general are usually pretty pitiful in my opinion. The talent is always good but the whole package of presentation is pretty yuck. Maybe if we fix the NASCAR awards we can be the example, the leader of what a great ceremony should be, that would be great huh?

But wait! We’ve got a whole year to work on fixing this thing for the Cup fellows. Hmmm…I just may have to see if I can get an appointment with the powers that be and see if they’d be willing to change this thing up a bit. I’m sure a lot of fans would be willing to see something a little different next year and who knows what the fellows being honored would think, they just might enjoy hearing a few stories from someone they admire.

Well, at any rate, we’re about to finish up this season with a few awards and a few more checks. I could think of worse ways to finish the season than being honored like that. So let’s do it, roll out the red carpet and bring on the cameras, because no matter how we may nit pick the thing apart, we’ll watch it anyway just because we’re dedicated NASCAR fans…and that’s what we do.

By Amy Hair,Senior columnist,Cup Scene Daily

Tonight’s the night that these ten fellows have been waiting all year for. They’re surrounded by the glitz and excitement of New York City and a whole wad of fans that are completely different than what they’re used to seeing at the tracks.

To top off all the partying and appearances, the drivers and all those attending the ceremony are going to be dressed in fancy clothes and they’ll have even fancier dressed ladies hanging on their arms. And before the night is over, our drivers, of which some would rather just be having a beer on their back porch, will have to stand up and say a few rehearsed words with hopes of not stumbling over the vowels or sounding like they’re scared to death of the podium they’ll be standing behind. And after it’s over, as nerve wracking as it might be for some, if you ask them, they’ll all say they’d do it again every year if they could.
Now next week we’ve got the Busch Series banquet and award ceremony. And guess what? We’ve got six of our Cup boys in that top ten that will be honored over there. But hmmm…what would happen if next year we did things just a tad different…you know, stirred things up and made things maybe a little less questionable over there. Yeah, this is the part where I make people mad, but heck, it’s practically the off season and not many people will read this so ask me if I care.

The Cup boys don’t belong in the Busch (soon to be renamed) Series. Heck, it’s crazy…they work like dogs for years and years to get to the top series and they finally make it. Dang, that must be one of the most amazing feelings of accomplishments to stand on pit road minutes before your first Cup ride…holy cow! So tell me what kind of rush you get when you traipse back into the Busch Series and you know in your gut beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a better driver than the majority of the guys out there. Great you say? Yeah…must be like a college senior going back to his high school and crashing the final exams just so he can show how good he is. And while he’s strutting around like a rooster the guys that would have come out top in the class are now just mediocre due to Mr. Rooster’s ego trip.

I suppose if there was a little tweaking of some sort that allowed those Busch boys a real chance at winning or taking the Championship I’d be less ugly about it, but the way it sits right now it just doesn’t seem fair you know? Sure, the Busch contenders will have to race these guys when they get to the Cup Series, so the practice is good. But dang it, these guys are trying to earn a living while they’re working their way up, and knowing they might not get the chance to make it to the top earning spot because the big boys are playing around in there must just kind of stink.

It’s kind of like being on the kick ball team with the best kid in class. It doesn’t matter if you’re almost as good, or if you’ve had almost as many home runs…the best kid’s on the team and that’s who they’ll cheer for and want on their team over and over again.

Yeah, I know, racing has never made the claim of being fair in how the guys get to the top. However, they do try to promote fairness out on the track, just not in how they actually get there. Does it matter? Not much apparently because most of the racing world is fine with having the different levels of skill all mixed together. It’s just me and a handful of others that it really bugs.

I guess I should be just fine with it simply because if it was an issue, the Busch drivers, the real Busch drivers, would have gathered together by now and said something to the powers that be. But I don’t see that happening, so for now, we’ll just go to the ceremonies next week and cheer all the guys…the Cup fellows and the Busch boys. Each one has earned the right to be there based on the rules and regulations of the current game, so that’s cool. Besides, it will be fun watching them and wondering which one in the bunch just happens to think the way I do…because you know there’s got to be at least one…yep, at least one.

By Amy Hair,Senior columnist,Cup Scene Daily
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This time of year we are getting ready for the big celebration that will take place this Friday in New York City that will honor the sport of NASCAR. Actually it’s going to pretty much a party to zero in on the top ten fellows as they get wined and dined and honored and bowed to and finally given a big fat check to top off their year of fighting and clawing to get to the top.

Many of the fellows will be asked what their most memorable moment was from the 2007 season. Lots of them will pick a win that they are proud of, some will remember an amazing move on the track that they surprised even themselves with, and some will just be glad they’re there to be asked the question.

For me personally I find myself slipping all the way back to the beginning of the 2007 season. Actually it wasn’t even officially the beginning; it was during the testing session at Daytona in January. It’s a closely watched test session simply because it signifies the onset of the season. Most everyone in the media and the fans alike are curious what kind of power and new plans are going to emerge out of each garage as we anxiously await that first green flag. And it’s the first time in a few months that we manage to get our fellows all together again.

That testing session was my first behind the scenes visit of the sport I love, and it brought to light more information and intriguing facts than I could have ever imagined. I watched as teams worked in synchronized motion to try and get their cars tweaked to perfection. I watched even closer as the men and women whose words I read everyday where right there doing what they do best…asking questions, observing, and writing words to express it all.

Mixed in with the fast and furious days of scurrying from garage to garage, an event occurred that brought most of the madness to a halt, at least for a short time. My editor, Greg Engle, and I were in the media center with the rest of the folks when a strange aura began to move through the room. Heads were lowered, voices became whispers, and laughs were hushed. I watched as each person seemed to gravitate to the folks they knew best, putting arms around each other, nodding with understanding…vulnerability was being displayed by the same men and women that under normal everyday circumstances only share enough to acknowledge each other’s existence and certainly nothing involving emotion.

Within a couple of minutes I found out the reason for their sadness. One of their beloved, Benny Parsons, had lost his battle with cancer and had passed away shortly after the garages had opened up for the repetitive business of testing. Tears were shed and the usually quiet media center was now quiet in a different way…with a low buzz with whispers and sniffles being heard above the hum of computers. The sounds of the infamous keyboards soon filled the air as these dedicated folks attempted to do what they do best…fill the land of media with thoughts and stories about their friend, their mentor, their idol. And they did just that. Between tissues and moments of somber contemplation, Benny’s friends and coworkers typed all they could remember about his accomplishments, his dedication to the sport, and his amazing ability to befriend almost all in that room.

It was a privilege to sit among these folks as they poured their hearts out onto paper for the entire world to read. While the days continued to be filled with loud motors, fussing fellows and eager fans, that morning was perhaps the one that told me what most people out here in the land of fans tend to forget. Al l these folks involved in this sport, both team members, drivers, announcers and yes, even the media personalities are neither super stars nor heroes anywhere except in the eyes of their beholders. In their living rooms and their back yards they are just like the rest of us. While their careers and choices through life have taken them down different paths than some of us, they still find themselves hurting, loving and missing special people in their lives, just like all of us that watch them.

While I have a whole book full of memories from this year’s adventures of watching NASCAR, this one touched my heart in a way that needed to be shared once again. Through celebrations and honoring of the best, we must never forget to remember those that shared themselves with us. Benny was a genuine lover of life, friends, family and yes…racing.

As we close this season and prepare to open a new one, I hope we don’t forget to pause for a minute and remember the things that really count…the friends, the moments of sharing and the glimpses of people’s hearts that we only get to see once in awhile, because when the racing is over and the garages are closed, that’s the stuff that really matters.

By Greg Engle,Editor, Cup Scene Daily
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ORLANDO Fla.-I originally published a version of this commentary after the conclusion of the 06’ season.

Amazing to see how little has changed over the course of the 07’ season.
Here we go again with a few changes that I’ve observed this year.

I spent 23 years in the United States Army. One thing I used to hear was that soldiers would whine about the sunshine.

Meaning of course that soldiers would complain about anything and everything, no matter what. And so it goes with a segment of NASCAR fans.

In the so-called ‘NASCAR Nation’, there are many fans that’ll bemoan just about anything connected to the sport they

allegedly love. And thanks to uncle Al Gore’s Internet they can find a multitude of platforms to do so. From fan sites to

blogs, the disgruntled fan can find a stage to air their collective disparaging remarks. Then suddenly they’re expert

analysts who find fault in everything about the sport of NASCAR in addition the sanctioning body itself.

Problem with these sunshine patriots is that most of the time they are way off the mark. And the issues where they may have a

point or two are directed at no one in particular. They whine to whoever will listen, and most often fellow fans take their word as gospel.

It’s time for a little exorcism boys and girls.

One of the issues that get a great deal of fodder is one that I happen to agree with wholeheartedly. The price an average fan has to pay to attend a race in person is becoming way out of control. Ticket prices are going through the roof, and a night’s stay in a Motel ‘4’ (that’s a hotel by the way that isn’t even up to the standards of a Motel 6), is ridiculous. Although I’m blessed with an expense account, I know first hand that even a substandard room on race weekend can cost enough to make a manager at a Ritz-Carlton raise an eyebrow, and that is just plain wrong.

To me there is a difference between making an honest living and gouging a middle-class race fan that just wants to attend a race.

So what can be done high-ticket prices and outrageous hotel bills? Don’t blame or expect NASCAR to do anything about it. That’s seems to be where most of the whiners direct their energy. NASCAR is in the business to stage races, that’s it. Yes the parent company does own tracks, but not all of them. Yet there are the collective whiners crying to the world that a ticket costs as much as a car payment and that staying somewhere during a race weekend is akin two months pay. Again they have valid points and I agree with them in principal, but I wonder, when is that last time they aimed their anger at the people who could actually address the issues?

How many of the disgruntled, disenchanted and downtrodden have ever written, or called for that matter, a track president? Those are the people who could affect change. A track president is the one person who stands to gain or lose the most by attendence or the lack thereof. A track president lives in the local community and by addressing the high prices for tickets as well as lodging they could start to see fewer and fewer empty seats come race day.

Let’s suppose that this track president were to reach out to a local government and point out that fewer out of town race fans mean fewer tax revenues and that fans who balk at high prices for hotel rooms during a race weekend would rather stay home. Perhaps the local government could then talk to and work with the local hoteliers. Too far fetched you say?

In my home state of Florida several years ago, citizens got together to complain that hotels and gas stations were charging three or four times the normal prices whenever a hurricane came near. Hotels and gas stations gouged people who were forced to evacuate unmercifully. The evacuees in turn complained to the state and the state enacted a law preventing the practice. Could this not be done on a local level? If a city or county knew that they could attract more fans and more tax revenue by telling local establishments to hold the line, perhaps in the end everyone would win.

If NASCAR truly is a nation, then its citizens need to get together and let themselves be heard to the right people instead of simply whining amongst each other.

Another favorite topic for the whiners is declining TV ratings. And its true that TV ratings are down this year as they were in 2006.

But campers none of the people seem to mention two very important facts; NBC pretty much screwed itself out of the contract last year and decided in turn to screw the fans on the way out the door. And in the last few years with the glut of cable stations coming on board meaning more choices for Joe sports fan to watch, ratings are down for all sports, not just NASCAR. But of course some would have you believe that NASCAR is on its way to an early grave.

Another point to make now that 2007 is in the books. ESPN now has an entire season under its belt. Their coverage, in my opinion, needs a lot of tweaking. But being the pros they are they’ll look at the areas they need to work on and fix them. In terms of ratings being down again, here’s something to consider; NBC carried the same races in 2006 that ESPN did in 2007. Now as much as they like to, ESPN doesn’t have the reach that NBC did. So I think to compare the 2007 ESPN ratings to the 2006 NBC ratings is a bit unfair. Of course they’re going to be down. But now that ESPN has some races in the books, the benchmark has been set; if the 2008 ratings for the second half of the season are down, then the boys in Daytona need to start worrying.

Then there’s the Car of Tomorrow. It’s ugly, not one driver I met this year seems to think otherwise and I have to agree. But drivers and most NASCAR fans applaud the safety innovations designed into the car and god forbid we should have another Daytona 500 like we did in February 2001. No one wants that and the Car of Tomorrow incorporates the latest in safety and will help prevent another Earnhardt tragedy from ever happening again. And what’s so bad about that?

Let’s go back in history a bit. When the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series first hit the track in the early 1990’s most of us looked at the big boxy trucks and wondered what that hell NASCAR was thinking. But the truck series has evolved into one of the closest, most competitive and exciting racing series in the world. And as the series has developed so has the truck. The truck’s themselves have become racier in appearance over the years and seeing them on the track no longer looks strange. So it will go with the Car of Tomorrow. Sure it will take a while for us to get used to seeing them, but eventually the Car Of Tomorrow will become the norm. And since NASCAR has designed them to act much in the same way as the trucks, I’m looked forward to seeing them race.

And I wasn’t disappointed. The races where the COT competed were close, competitive and the car showed you could frankly knock the hell out of it and it would still keep ticking. NASCAR also listened to the owners and decided to scrap the phase in of the COT and make it the full time machine in 2008; smart move. Although it seems that the bigger teams are relying more and more on technology outside the track to improve the performance of their COT’s. Not many changes can be made to a COT at the track. A driver has less and less input and teams are looking more and more to engineers to find ways to improve performance. And no matter what NASCAR does they probably won’t be able to police that.

One of the things that makes me chuckle is when I hear that NASCAR has in some way determined the outcome of a race in some form or fashion. I can tell you after seeing all the people involved in a garage area, that NASCAR could no sooner control the outcome of an event then the man on the moon. There are just way too many people who would stand to benefit by exposing any type of plot, not to mention those who would come out on the losing end in a scenario. You really think that a driver who has never run better than 20th would stand to be told that they couldn’t contend for a win just so driver ‘X’ could? Of course not, their competitive spirit would eat them alive. And NASCAR would be paying out more hush money that the current National debt. So boys and girls, this dog don’t hunt. And by the way there was no shooter on the grassy knoll in Dallas.

None of this stuff compares however to the holy grail of the whining nation- the Chase.

According to them, Brian France (who to some is the anti-Christ), has single-handedly destroyed NASCAR. First he closed Rockingham, then he took away a date from Darlington, got rid of Winston and to top it all off he changed the very point system that had been in place since time immortal. The way some of them think about the old point system, it’s almost has if Moses himself handed it on two stone tablets to Bill France Jr.

NASCAR did make changes to the Chase this year; and I think the outcome was nothing like they expected. Could more changes be on the near horizon? I hope not, at least for this coming season. Let it play out one more year. With the COT now being the full time car, and the driver changes that will happen during the off season, it will be interesting to see how the tweaks instituted this year will play out next year. Will the Hendrick domination continue? Or will other teams knowing that they now have to take the COT seriously, step up and get their programs on course?

My parents owned a furniture store in North Carolina when I was growing up. My dad being an expert sales manager, used to force his salespeople to call every customer they sold after the customer accepted delivery, without exception. When a salesperson asked why (and one always did), my dad would say ‘because if you sit back and wait for the customer to call, then the only ones you’ll hear from are those who are unhappy. Rarely does a customer go out of their way to call and say how much they like us, we only hear from them when the think theirs a problem.’

A point here, one of the things I learned in the furniture business is that problems do occur although rarely and most of the time they can be cleared up with a phone call and turn out to be no problem at all.

When the salespeople in my family’s stores would call their customer, every customer, after delivery they found out that 90% of them were happy and content with their purchase. They only ones who took the time to call and complain were those of the smaller minority.

I think you see my point.

So sharpen your pencils boys and girls, I’ll be steeling myself against the onslaught of backlash from you. And I know it will come, because as I look out my window, I see that the sun is shining.

No surprise here. After being offered $70 million worth of incentives from the local government, Bruton Smith has decided he won’t move Lowe’s Motor Speedway after all.

Smith had threatened to move the speedway out of its current location in Concord North Carolina after city officials said he wouldn’t be able to build a $100 million on the property due to noise concerns.

The former Charlotte Motor Speedway has been the site of NASCAR races since 1960.

Do you think he was serious about moving it? Or was is all just a ruse to get money from the city?

By Amy HairContact

If Grant Lynch, the Track President of Talladega has his way, our beer throwing clan that pelted Jeff Gordon’s car last Saturday night will be banned from all the tracks on the circuit. Sound good? Well…this seems to be one of those situations that has a lot more gray than it has black and white. Sure, throwing an object and hitting someone else’s property is a no-no. In fact, throwing anything at a moving car is pretty much a felony in most states…you end in up in the big house instead of at the big track for something like that.

So should the circumstances matter?  After all, these guys that threw the cans were more than likely on their last leg of consciousness before the brew took over and laid them down for a seriously long alcohol induced nap right? Should that matter? Nope…that excuse doesn’t even come close to being valid in my book.

Were these fans temporarily blinded by their seemingly valid dedication to something that at that moment took total control of their being? Uh…who cares…it doesn’t matter, still not a valid excuse.

Personally I’m thinking these “fans” that showed their behinds to millions of people are probably sitting back reading all this stuff and wondering what the heck is going on.  People have thrown stuff before…they didn’t get in such big trouble, so what’s the deal? 

The deal is we’ve had two straight weeks of this ridiculous behavior, and the bigger deal is that each time, there were more cans sailing through the air. The possibility of this becoming a trend is more than just a passing chance…unless it’s halted right now.

So how are they (the racing honcho’s) going to stop it? So far they have penalized the culprits that they managed to catch, and that is good…setting examples works well in most instances. But here, in the land of NASCAR, where we have upwards of 200,000 people all crammed together side by side, all excited, all having the time of their lives, and about 2/3 of them cruising on a belly full of brew…this becomes one huge challenge as to how to patrol them without chasing them away.

If we ban the coolers and the contents from making it through the gate, that will present another interesting situation. Lots of fans would rebel and not come to the races simply because they have emptied their piggy banks to buy tickets, pay for hotels and meals, and then having to pay upwards of $7.00 - $10.00 bucks to quench a parched throat might just throw them right over the edge.  Some people are already teetering on top of that fence, so this would pretty much make them consider a different venue to occupy their vacation days…and that’s a shame.

So what’s the answer? There doesn’t seem to be one. Perhaps the local policemen that are working the track for extra cash could make sure about 70% of them are over by the start finish line so that when the unfavored winner starts his burn out, they could actually nab the pitchers before they let loose of a loaded can, or grab them soon after. A couple weeks of this, with more arrests and more build up from the press might simmer things down a bit.

So what if the hurlers were doing this only because it was Jeff Gordon? Now how pitiful would that be?  Heck, I’d pay for someone to round up those bozos and chuck them right into a cell because that is just plain ignorant.  It’s okay to have a favorite driver and to not like others, but jeepers… throwing things to make your point? What point would that be? That you’re immature? Oh yeah….I already got that point. Come on now folks…I think that is something my kids did when they were about three years old.

Well, there doesn’t seem to be an easy answer, but in reality, this is a straight forward, black and white, no gray issue.  Right is right, and wrong is wrong, plain and simple.  Throwing stuff is wrong, it hurts the integrity of the race, and even worse, it could hurt a person. 

What do you say we head into Richmond and put this whole can throwing thing behind us…literally.  Since most of the bad boys and girls that hurled were showing their behinds, they need something to cover them up…so instead of throwing the cans, just lasso those suckers around your waist and let them hang back there…cover up that behind that no one wants to get a glimpse of anyway.  In the meantime, we’ll settle in for the race, and when the winner crosses the finish line, the rest of us will act like we were brought up someplace other than in a barn.  Oh, there are still plenty of seats for those that want to cross over into the intelligent realm, as I’m sure the seats that are reserved for the stupid will begin to fade away rather quickly.

By Greg Engle Contact

Long time radio talk show host Don Imus was fired by both MSNBC and CBS recently for making an inappropriate comment. The comment was wrong, and he apologized like he should have. But because, in my opinion, the left wing media in this country wanted to silence a right wing conservative they seized the moment, carpe diem.  They lent an air of credence to certain members of the black community and allowed them to bring Imus down. Despite the fact that those same black leaders have made racist comments themselves in the past and have time and time again done more damage to their own people and culture then we ‘white folk’ ever will.

But the left-wingers saw an opening; jumped on the only bandwagon they could find and rode Imus out of town. The true and in fact only, winners in all of the mess were the young women basketball players who handled themselves with dignity and grace under pressure. They are truly great representatives of their team, their school and generation and should be applauded.

So what the hell does this have to do with NASCAR?

I’m a big defender of free speech. Spent 23 years defending that right, among others, while I was in the military. But with that free speech comes certain responsibilities. You can’t run into a crowded theater and yell ‘fire’ for example. You can’t liable someone, nor spread falsehoods about a person just because you don’t like them or disagree with their point of view. And if you happen to make your living from commenting or voicing your opinion on a national level, you have to maintain a certain set of standards: there are certain subjects and people who are off limits, they have to be.

There are also people who should never be publicly trashed or humiliated because that’s not what they signed up for; the women on the Rutgers basketball team didn’t and the family members of a NASCAR driver didn’t either.

When a NASCAR driver works their way into the sport, part of what they expect is to be thrust in the public eye. It’s part of the gig; they know that they will be giving up certain parts of their privacy; hence the reason that when one of them makes even the slightest error off the track, the media is quick to pounce. An example of this would be Kyle Busch’s brush with the law a few years ago when he was ticketed after squealing his car’s tires while leaving a drive through. No big deal, it happens every day. But because he is Kyle Busch, the Associated Press had a news alert sent out seemingly within moments after the fact and Busch finally had to issue a statement. Stupid? Of course, but it’s all part of being a driver in NASCAR.

But it’s not part of being a NASCAR family member.

And that’s where Jimmy Spencer crossed the line. Spencer is a former driver who will most likely never race again. He’s decided to remain connected to the sport by lending his knowledge as a commentator for SPEED TV. 

Sunday on SPEED’s pre race show there was a discussion of the ongoing contract negotiations between Dale Earnhardt Junior and his current team, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the organization that his late father founded. When speaking of Earnhardt Junior’s sister and business manager Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, Spencer said the following:

“Kelly Earnhardt Elledge, I’m shocked she kept her middle name. I mean you’re married, you know, why keep Earnhardt?” Spencer said.  “I think her ego is so big, I think she’s backing Teresa and Max in corners. She’s not a good negotiator.”

That comment viewed by many, including myself, as a sexist one, would be bad enough, however Spencer added:

“She’s not a good negotiator. I think she… if she worked for anybody else they’d probably fire her.”

From my knowledge, Mrs. Earnhardt-Elledge is a smart savvy businessperson who has done an admirable job of handling the affairs of one of the biggest names in sports. And as for the negotiations, I strongly feel that it is irresponsible for the media (and I include myself in that) to try and pry into the daily affairs of a family, or a team. Certainly the outcome will be news, but for us to speculate or try and badger information out of that family is just plain wrong.

Spencer is of course speaking would he may consider his opinion and he’s entitled to it, but it provides a good insight into the mind of Jimmy Spencer; as well as the lack of his responsibility on his part. 

I am the host of a nationally syndicated radio show that airs in over 100 markets across the United States. It’s NASCAR related and although I love nothing more than ‘pushing the envelope’; I know that there are certain people and topics that are off limits; and I know what my responsibilities are to my listeners. My commentary on the sport and the people that participate in it should be fair, balanced and if I have a bone to pick with someone, I offer that person the opportunity to present their side. My rule is, if I think I will have to be apologizing for something I said, then it’s best not to say it.

Bottom line; you and I can stand on a street corner all day long and call Al Sharpton an idiot, but don’t ever try to do it on my show (Even if he were somehow connected to NASCAR).

Spencer, like Imus, issued an apology later that night, saying he “kind of took it personal and he is sorry for what he said to Kelley.” But the damage was already done; words spoken on live airwaves are like bullets from a gun, once they are fired you can’t take them back.

 Dale Earnhardt Junior was offered a chance to speak on SPEED TV Sunday, he declined and rightfully so. By even making mention of Spencer’s comments in any way from a member of the Earnhardt family would have in some measure lent an sir of creditability to the comments.

One of the sad consequences of the Imus debacle is that the bar has now been set higher, the standards have been raised. Those of us who make our living in the media have to abide by those higher standards along with the codes of decency set forth by our society.

Those higher standards now apply to all of us. And right or wrong, by forcing Don Imus out of a job because of something he said, all national media personalities must now face more scrutiny and must be held accountable for what they say.

Imus lost his job because of what he said; perhaps Jimmy Spencer needs too as well.
 

By Amy HairContact

I just love Texas! I was born there, but don’t remember a thing. No, I wasn’t fall down drunk at an early age, my Dad was in the Air Force and we moved away when I was about a year old.  But I’ve often wondered if part of the reason I love the things I do is because I was born in the big ole’ state of Texas.It’s a given, I love cowboys…but so do a million other women right? So that’s not really a Texas trait.  I love farms and cows and steers with big horns. There’s something about a big muscular Longhorn standing out in the pasture that makes a person stand proud…and those are usually found in Texas.

Of course there is that wonderful Lone Star BBQ, and five alarm chili. Yep, it doesn’t get much better than that. There are cook offs, fry-offs and festivals for every occasion imaginable. There are Turkey Trots and Watermelon Thumps…I’ve never seen a turkey do much more than hunt and peck, but I guess if you chase him enough he could manage a quick trot. I wonder what you do at a Watermelon Thump after you thump them all. But these things appear to be very popular, so they must be fun. The kicker though is the Jalapeño eating contest. Now I love spice, but it takes a special person to down those hot little slippery suckers one after the other and not implode.  It makes my eyes burn and my stomach tense up just thinking about it.

Then there are ghost towns to explore and the wild Wild West adventures from El Paso that call for lots of story telling. Stories full of cowboy’s I’m sure…hmmm.

But what really makes me jump up and down when I think about Texas these days is the fact that the men that occupy my brain most of the time are all going to be climbing into their beautiful stock cars, flipping their engine switches and bringing the most beautiful sound in the world to a crescendo inside the Texas Motor Speedway.  Oh yeah, as much as I would love to explore all the things that Texas has to offer…if I can only visit for a short time, the Speedway is where you’ll find me.

And this week should be full of more chapters in the book of NASCAR. We’ve got things going on like…Toyota and their teams fighting to stay alive, Mark Martin coming back after a few weeks off, the saga of DEI and Jr’s on going contract negotiations. We’ve got the Hendricks stable going full throttle, daring anyone to give them a run for their money. And with Texas being a fairly new track to NASCAR (only twelve Cup races have been run there), we’ve got every viable driver thinking they’ve got what it takes to take their first win…or to be the first one to take two wins there.

So, in order to balance this out, I think I’ll just grab a BBQ sandwich, with a side of chili, take a picture of the turkey as he trots by the watermelon thumpers, offer the Jalapeño diners some crackers to take the burn away, and grab a book full of wild west ghost stories. Then I’ll ask that cowboy over there if he’s up for an afternoon of hot racing that will include a few yeehaws. 

Anyone care to join us?  We’ll meet you there…because everyone knows Texas is always full of thrills. Oh, and that saying…“Everything is bigger in Texas” is indeed very true. Just look at pit road on Sunday with our men all lined up facing the flag. And when the military planes fly over, take a look around and tell me your heart doesn’t feel so full you’re sure it’s going to explode with patriotic pride.  Yep, NASCAR and Texas…both are big names in America, and both hold big places in my heart.
 

By Amy Hair Contact

Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing).  Just what in the heck does this dang rule encompass anyway???

I read, re-read and read one more time the penalty that was handed down to Juan Pablo Montoya by NASCAR…he has been fined $10,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 because of an inappropriate gesture made during a practice session this past Thursday (4/19/07) at Phoenix International Raceway. Montoya was in violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the NASCAR Busch Series rule book.

My first reaction?  It was probably the same as a zillion fans out there…WHAT THE HECK??? So I decided I must be missing something…after all, NASCAR is trying to be more consistent…right?

Back in 2004, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was penalized with a loss of 25 championship driver points and a $10,000 fine for an inappropriate post-race comment during the live national television broadcast of the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway; he said the ugly poop word. Guess what rule he broke?  Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing).

In April of 2005, NASCAR fined Shane Hmiel $10,000 and docked him 25 driver points for making an obscene gesture that appeared on live television via Hmiel’s in car camera.  Rule number? Yeah, you guessed it… Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing).

Now tell me…does this Section 12-4-A have about a thousand little clauses in there somewhere?  I mean, if the same section can cover every different action out on the track, how is it determined which little clause is appropriate for each little action?

Tell me what the difference was between the actions that Hmiel did and what Montoya did…one was in car and one wasn’t?  Big hairy deal…they were both on camera…period.  So maybe the difference is one was in practice and one wasn’t?  Good grief!

Wouldn’t it be nice if the word consistency that is thrown around in the NASCAR world was actually used? 

So, let’s say there is some kind of “exception” to the rule…that JPM’s penalty was handed down based on criteria that is laid out in black and white somewhere in that huge Section 12-4-A.  Then why aren’t the fans privy to that information?  Seems to me there would be a lot less negative kickback every time these penalties are handed out if an explanation was included.  It doesn’t seem like it would take too much, an extra sentence maybe…that’s all.  Something in black and white would not only help us understand, but it would probably keep a lot more of the fan base on NASCAR’s side so to speak. 

After every penalty, the fan boards light up and the debates begin…where is the consistency? How did they decide to award a fine and take no points?  Why does one guy get probation (whatever the heck that is) and the other doesn’t?  Why didn’t JPM get points taken away when Hmiel did?

Alas, these are all questions that will probably go unanswered…but it still irks me that it could all be set straight with just a little bit of clarification and….heaven forbid…a little bit of consistency.

And if by chance NASCAR is considering sharing their wisdom, it would be more than appreciated if they’d also clarify just what probation is…at least a hint would be nice.

I really do love NASCAR, but the way they run the rule house just needs a little bit of tweaking. And yes, I know they are striving for consistency, but jeeper’s guys, can’t we figure out a way to get there without doing this zig zag routine?  Straight and narrow, black and white, right and wrong…seems like a lot of people already understand the concept. Aren’t there conferences that teach this sort of thing? Hmmm….maybe we need to take up a collection and send a few of the fellows from the big scary hauler on a weekend trip.

At any rate, I’m still waiting for the day when a driver messes up and I already know what the penalty will be…you know, like when a little kid gets told that if he hits his sister he’s going to have to spend 30 minutes in time out. And an hour later he hits his sister and bang! Mom snatches his little behind up and puts him in time out for 30 minutes and not a minute less.  From then on, no matter what the circumstances, he knows that if he hits sis, he gets time out…doesn’t matter if he just gives her a shove that sends her to the ground, or if he hauls off and belts her in the arm…he’s going to serve time out, every single time.  Sounds kind of consistent to me….imagine that.