"More times than not, the fan at home does not believe NASCAR."
From a PR standpoint, that's about as damning a statement as you can get. And it didn't come on Twitter or from some anonymous forum poster.
This sentence was the focal point of a column written post-Auto Club 400 by Jenna Fryer, motorsports writer for the Associated Press, the world's largest news-gathering organization. As opposed to Mike Harris, who preceded her on the beat, Fryer does an opinion column in addition to straight news coverage. Her column came out of the controversy of a couple of late-race invisible (at least, to the TV audience) cautions at Fontana, which clearly impacted the final results. Here's a link:
http://racing.ap.org/article/column-nascar-fans-are-buzzing-over-debris-cautions
The column, and the debate it triggered, should have been a Big Time Wake-Up Call to Brian France. And shaken the management of the Integrated Marketing Communications department. As I have said here many times, including just last week, the IMC theory is to PR what global warming is to real science.
It is, by nature, dehumanizing. And certainly not in keeping with how people like Bill France Jr. and Jim Hunter built the NASCAR business. Essential 1-on-1 professional relationships have been all-but neglected as IMC has gone all-in on social media. Traditional and basic media services have been dropped this season -- without notice -- despite the department being populated by more than 40 people. The approach is all about driving traffic on Twitter and other social media outlets. "What's Trending?" is EVERYTHING to them.
I wrote here last week that, sooner or later, this new dehumanized approach would have consequences. Now, let me be clear, I haven't spoken directly with Fryer about her column. I wasn't at Fontana and Higher Priorities meant I didn't closely follow the race on TV. But here's a FACT: Building and maintaining solid professional relationships is what media relations is all about. The NASCAR Industry, largely, isn't doing that. It's stunning to me how few PR people actually make the rounds in the media center, introducing themselves, saying hello, offering information or help, a cell phone number and E-mail address. I personally observed NASCAR's Chief Communications Officer in the Phoenix International Raceway media center but he did not offer the personal touch of coming around to say "hello" or -- God forbid -- "thanks for the coverage." The unspoken attitude conveyed: Well, of course, you're going to cover NASCAR! After all, we're NASCAR!
That's the way it was for decades at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Please note how that has turned out.
The importance of individual human relationships cannot be overstated. Great PR leaders like Jim Chapman didn't have to be told this -- they just knew it. This was one of the greatest compliments I ever received in the decades I lived the 24/7/365 racing PR life: I did the PR for the factory Porsche Indy Car team in 1988. Porsche greatly underestimated the challenge and produced an uncompetitive chassis (later replaced by a customer March) and engine. About a month before his death in an airplane crash, my great friend Al Holbert -- director of Porsche Motorsports North America -- was asked by Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch if he was surprised the national media hadn't been hammering Porsche for its embarrassing performance. While I wasn't present for this interview, I heard later than Holbert credited my own good relationships with the media as one reason. (I say Al's was the main reason.)
Until NASCAR -- at its highest executive levels -- understands that nothing is more meaningful than the sound of the human voice, a handshake, a pat on the back, a face-to-face conversation, I expect more media earthquakes like the AP column.
But will Brian France notice? And change course? First, he has to do some homework and understand what the problem is.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 29: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Roger Penske -- His powerhouse IndyCar team qualifies 1-2-3-4 and finishes 1-2-4-5 at St. Pete. And American racing's most successful team owner speaks out strongly about messing with tires in NASCAR, against IndyCar international events, and calls for car rules stability to 2020 in the name of cost containment in a sponsor-challenged environment.
2. Jenna Fryer -- The Associated Press' motorsports writer's very blunt column about NASCAR's invisible cautions -- intended to cost bad boy Kurt Busch the win at California? -- stirs-up the sanction's fan and Mainstream Media critics. And lays bare the lack of relationship building from the Integrated Marketing Communications department.
3. Mike Helton: -- Is NASCAR's vice chairman and senior racing official about the lower the boom on any Cup crew chiefs for tampering with tires? A huge call -- or no call -- awaits.
4. Sebastian Vettel -- Ends his own, and Ferrari's, long winless streak with pace and strategy in Malaysia. Ferrari remains motorsports' most passion-stirring name. A straight-up season-long Vettel/Ferrari vs. Lewis Hamilton/Mercedes battle is the best thing that could happen to Formula One right now.
5. Jack Beckman -- Fan favorite ends long Funny Car winless streak at the 4-Wide Nationals. Cancer survivors throughout the motorsports world are cheering.
6. Dave Moody -- The first "off" weekend of the Sprint Cup season will provide plenty of opportunity for NASCAR fans to sound-off with SiriusXM's Main Man. How Moody steers the conversation will be a signal of how the season is going.
7. Ricky Craven -- He's the authority for those who get their NASCAR news on ESPN's SportsCenter. Should have gotten a spot on NBC's new crew.
8. Donny Schatz -- The World of Outlaws' Main Main wins twice -- including his first in California since 2012.
9. Don Schumacher -- The Roger Penske/Rick Hendrick of NHRA team owners doubles again with Jack Beckman and Antron Brown at the 4-Wide Nationals. "The Don" is recovering from cancer treatments.
10. Mike Davies -- Fox Sports' field operations senior VP tests a virtual reality software application at Auto Club Speedway. The technology supposedly enables viewers to "experience the event as if they were there." NASCAR's next revenue stream?
[ more next week . . . ]
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
PENSKE, HARVICK 1-2 ON NEW 'MOST INFLUENTIAL' LIST (AND A FEW POST-PIR ITEMS)
A few things coming out of the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway:
Could Formula One help save Danica Patrick's NASCAR career?
I don't see any evidence the Patrick-(crew chief) Daniel Knost pairing is working. And, remember, this is the last year of Danica's contract with GoDaddy.com, which has new ownership, management and marketing objectives since former CEO Bob Parsons signed her last deal. Return On Investment may be declining, based on at least one yardstick (see my March 15 Arizona Republic story http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/motor/2015/03/14/danica-patrick-financially-strong-decade/24760663/ ), and GoDaddy's ad campaign is no longer "Look at me!" But international is a new focus for GoDaddy, and that's where Gene Haas, her Cup team co-owner, comes in.
Haas will field his own Formula One team starting next season, his own play to build international market share for his Haas Automation machine tool business. I guess, if Haas wants to, he could give GoDaddy space on his F1 cars as part of an agreement to keep Patrick's Sprint Cup sponsorship going. It's something to watch for . . .
The next step in NASCAR's slow-crawl toward a high (or, at least, higher) tech future will be seen on steering wheels. No, they won't be F1, or even IndyCar, ish, but more control buttons and a display screen to allow drivers to scroll through a menu of options is evolving. NASCAR will approve more of this.
It's more obvious than ever that NASCAR's Integrated Marketing Communications business model is less service to traditional media and all-in on social media. (Probably proven by last week's PRWeek award.) No more printed copies of media guides or weekly statistical update books. Fewer driver media center avails. Driver-media conference calls no longer a weekly staple. Someone is brought to the media center Sunday morning, but that's only a play to stir-up social media traffic and try to drive-up TV viewership. This dehumanization is sad, wrong, counter to what Bill France Jr. and Jim Hunter fostered, and at some point will have profoundly negative consequences for the sanction. I observed the Chief Communications Officer in PIR's media center but there was no effort to go around and actually TALK to journalists working away on their stories. There is no substitute -- NONE -- for the sound of a human voice, a face-to-face conversation, a handshake, a pat on the back, a personal thank you for coverage. That's all-but gone in today's NASCAR. A price will be paid.
The lack of real-life journalism experience among today's new crowd of team/sponsor "publicists" is costing their clients/employers coverage. They have no clue what journalists' needs are, how to "pitch" a story, develop meaningful story ideas, or build valuable one-on-one relationships with media. Too many think they are doing the job simply because they send out a few Tweets. One rep for an Xfinity series driver, who candidly, I had never heard of, wanted me to interview the driver (I appreciated the outreach) but offered no legitimate news reason why I should. I guess just because he's a race driver. There were about 100 of those at PIR.
And: Back when I was doing PR year-round, I had personal note cards, in boxes of 100, I used to send out hand-written "thank you" messages -- many to reporters for stories they had written. I went through about a box a year, or more. These days, forget notes, too many PRers don't even have the words "thank you" in their vocabs.
Comforting to see that the Forum Folks are right on top of the up-to-the-minute news. In this case, about Sam Hornish and the Indy 500. I had it all Sunday, March 15 in the Arizona Republic:
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/motor/2015/03/14/catching-nascars-sam-hornish-jr/24761087/
Finally, no one at NASCAR or -- especially -- International Speedway Corp. should take the good crowd size at PIR to mean the long-overdue and much-needed facility improvements can continue to wait. Extra people with money to spend in the Valley of the Sun for Cactus League baseball, and near-90 degree weather, contributed to the positive attendance number. As I've written, and said March 13 on SiriusXM, PIR lags far behind the either upgraded or all-new sports venues throughout the Valley. It gives the impression to us locals that NASCAR and ISC take us for granted.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 22: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Roger Penske -- Daytona 500 winning team owner gets a victory at the track he built in Fontana, Calif., courtesy of Brad Keselowski. Now, Penske begins Verizon IndyCar series with powerhouse FOUR driver/car lineup. Could Penske sweep the season?
2. Kevin Harvick -- Eight straight top-two finishes for the defending Sprint Cup champion, THE story and dominant force in NASCAR.
3. Jim Campbell -- Chevrolet's U.S. motorsports VP gets first Sebring podium sweep and first overall win since Jim Hall's Chaparral did it 50 years ago. Plus Corvette C7.R takes first in GTLM class. Not doing too badly in NASCAR, either.
4. Mark Miles: -- Hulman & Co. CEO increases guaranteed Leader Circle payout to $1.25 million per eligible team. Now, he gives condensed IndyCar schedule another try, ending by Labor Day. A lot of teams and sponsors don't like it. What will the bottom line be in terms of TV audience, at-track attendance and sponsor activation?
5. Matt Yocum -- Fox's Main Man on NASCAR pit roads, he provides professionalism and stability amidst a new (and weak) group of pit reporters.
6. Curt Cavin -- Indianapolis Star writer is a primary news source for IndyCar fans. His status is now increased with the series' new deal with USA Today.
7. Chris Berube -- Chevrolet's IndyCar program manager sees his engines and aero kits outpace Honda's in pre-season testing.
8. Jim France -- IMSA chairman reaches six-year extension of strategic alliance with Le Mans' Automobile Club l'Ouest. New Prototype regulations coming in 2017.
9. Chip Ganassi -- Announces two-car Red Bull Global Rallycross Supercar team with sponsor Loenbro (energy services and construction) and drivers Brian Deegan and Steve Arpin.
10. Sebastien Bourdais -- A statement drive at Sebring, essentially lapping the field during his second-half stint behind the wheel of the winning DP-class Corvette. Now onto IndyCar opener in second year with KV team.
[ more next week . . . ]
Could Formula One help save Danica Patrick's NASCAR career?
I don't see any evidence the Patrick-(crew chief) Daniel Knost pairing is working. And, remember, this is the last year of Danica's contract with GoDaddy.com, which has new ownership, management and marketing objectives since former CEO Bob Parsons signed her last deal. Return On Investment may be declining, based on at least one yardstick (see my March 15 Arizona Republic story http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/motor/2015/03/14/danica-patrick-financially-strong-decade/24760663/ ), and GoDaddy's ad campaign is no longer "Look at me!" But international is a new focus for GoDaddy, and that's where Gene Haas, her Cup team co-owner, comes in.
Haas will field his own Formula One team starting next season, his own play to build international market share for his Haas Automation machine tool business. I guess, if Haas wants to, he could give GoDaddy space on his F1 cars as part of an agreement to keep Patrick's Sprint Cup sponsorship going. It's something to watch for . . .
The next step in NASCAR's slow-crawl toward a high (or, at least, higher) tech future will be seen on steering wheels. No, they won't be F1, or even IndyCar, ish, but more control buttons and a display screen to allow drivers to scroll through a menu of options is evolving. NASCAR will approve more of this.
It's more obvious than ever that NASCAR's Integrated Marketing Communications business model is less service to traditional media and all-in on social media. (Probably proven by last week's PRWeek award.) No more printed copies of media guides or weekly statistical update books. Fewer driver media center avails. Driver-media conference calls no longer a weekly staple. Someone is brought to the media center Sunday morning, but that's only a play to stir-up social media traffic and try to drive-up TV viewership. This dehumanization is sad, wrong, counter to what Bill France Jr. and Jim Hunter fostered, and at some point will have profoundly negative consequences for the sanction. I observed the Chief Communications Officer in PIR's media center but there was no effort to go around and actually TALK to journalists working away on their stories. There is no substitute -- NONE -- for the sound of a human voice, a face-to-face conversation, a handshake, a pat on the back, a personal thank you for coverage. That's all-but gone in today's NASCAR. A price will be paid.
The lack of real-life journalism experience among today's new crowd of team/sponsor "publicists" is costing their clients/employers coverage. They have no clue what journalists' needs are, how to "pitch" a story, develop meaningful story ideas, or build valuable one-on-one relationships with media. Too many think they are doing the job simply because they send out a few Tweets. One rep for an Xfinity series driver, who candidly, I had never heard of, wanted me to interview the driver (I appreciated the outreach) but offered no legitimate news reason why I should. I guess just because he's a race driver. There were about 100 of those at PIR.
And: Back when I was doing PR year-round, I had personal note cards, in boxes of 100, I used to send out hand-written "thank you" messages -- many to reporters for stories they had written. I went through about a box a year, or more. These days, forget notes, too many PRers don't even have the words "thank you" in their vocabs.
Comforting to see that the Forum Folks are right on top of the up-to-the-minute news. In this case, about Sam Hornish and the Indy 500. I had it all Sunday, March 15 in the Arizona Republic:
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/motor/2015/03/14/catching-nascars-sam-hornish-jr/24761087/
Finally, no one at NASCAR or -- especially -- International Speedway Corp. should take the good crowd size at PIR to mean the long-overdue and much-needed facility improvements can continue to wait. Extra people with money to spend in the Valley of the Sun for Cactus League baseball, and near-90 degree weather, contributed to the positive attendance number. As I've written, and said March 13 on SiriusXM, PIR lags far behind the either upgraded or all-new sports venues throughout the Valley. It gives the impression to us locals that NASCAR and ISC take us for granted.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 22: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Roger Penske -- Daytona 500 winning team owner gets a victory at the track he built in Fontana, Calif., courtesy of Brad Keselowski. Now, Penske begins Verizon IndyCar series with powerhouse FOUR driver/car lineup. Could Penske sweep the season?
2. Kevin Harvick -- Eight straight top-two finishes for the defending Sprint Cup champion, THE story and dominant force in NASCAR.
3. Jim Campbell -- Chevrolet's U.S. motorsports VP gets first Sebring podium sweep and first overall win since Jim Hall's Chaparral did it 50 years ago. Plus Corvette C7.R takes first in GTLM class. Not doing too badly in NASCAR, either.
5. Matt Yocum -- Fox's Main Man on NASCAR pit roads, he provides professionalism and stability amidst a new (and weak) group of pit reporters.
6. Curt Cavin -- Indianapolis Star writer is a primary news source for IndyCar fans. His status is now increased with the series' new deal with USA Today.
7. Chris Berube -- Chevrolet's IndyCar program manager sees his engines and aero kits outpace Honda's in pre-season testing.
8. Jim France -- IMSA chairman reaches six-year extension of strategic alliance with Le Mans' Automobile Club l'Ouest. New Prototype regulations coming in 2017.
9. Chip Ganassi -- Announces two-car Red Bull Global Rallycross Supercar team with sponsor Loenbro (energy services and construction) and drivers Brian Deegan and Steve Arpin.
10. Sebastien Bourdais -- A statement drive at Sebring, essentially lapping the field during his second-half stint behind the wheel of the winning DP-class Corvette. Now onto IndyCar opener in second year with KV team.
[ more next week . . . ]
Sunday, March 15, 2015
BERNIE, KEVIN, BRIAN 1-2-3 ON NEW 'MOST INFLUENTIAL' LIST
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 15: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Bernie Ecclestone -- The most powerful, influential -- and one of the riche$t -- figures in worldwide motorsports sees his Formula One season begin with more Mercedes domination, Ferrari improvement, Honda disappointment, and the financial struggles of several teams amid debate for (yet again) new car rules, cost controls and more entertainment value. His next move will be . . . ?
2. Kevin Harvick: -- Defending Sprint Cup champion is driving the series' on-track agenda, now with four consecutive Phoenix International Raceway wins and seven straight 1-2 finishes.
3. Brian France -- Green-lights decision to reinstate Kurt Busch and declares Busch Chase eligible. The bottom line is NASCAR is a family business and, ultimately, one man has the final say.
4. Gene Haas -- Gets Kurt Busch back into his No. 41. And announces European base and key hires (team manager, designer, aerodynamicist) for first U.S.-led Formula One team in 30 years. (I was part of PR for the last one, the Beatrice-sponsored Team Haas USA.)
5. Joie Chitwood -- Daytona International Speedway president outlines specific safety improvement plans for July NASCAR event and confirms full SAFER installation for 2016 Speed Weeks.
6. Beaux Barfield -- Sebring is one of the most difficult races anywhere in motorsports to officiate. Barfield's back in IMSA race control after a few years in IndyCar.
7. Dave Allen -- New Auto Club Speedway president gets his first Big Test in charge of this weekend's NASCAR events. And ticket sales will be . . . ?
8. Davey Hamilton -- Indy 500 veteran driver joins USAC as racing executive director; says he seeks to increase series/event sanctioning and business opportunities.
9. Claire B. Lang -- Everyone in the garage area talks with SiriusXM NASCAR channel 90's VERY hard-working reporter. Then she talks to fans post-race -- and that's not always an easy thing to do.
10. Rick Benjamin -- Hosts CBS Sports Network's Trans-Am series coverage starting Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT. Amy Ruman won the Sebring opener in a record-setting field of 69 cars.
Links to all of my NASCAR-in-Phoenix Arizona Republic stories are on Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 .
[ more next week . . . ]
1. Bernie Ecclestone -- The most powerful, influential -- and one of the riche$t -- figures in worldwide motorsports sees his Formula One season begin with more Mercedes domination, Ferrari improvement, Honda disappointment, and the financial struggles of several teams amid debate for (yet again) new car rules, cost controls and more entertainment value. His next move will be . . . ?
2. Kevin Harvick: -- Defending Sprint Cup champion is driving the series' on-track agenda, now with four consecutive Phoenix International Raceway wins and seven straight 1-2 finishes.
3. Brian France -- Green-lights decision to reinstate Kurt Busch and declares Busch Chase eligible. The bottom line is NASCAR is a family business and, ultimately, one man has the final say.
4. Gene Haas -- Gets Kurt Busch back into his No. 41. And announces European base and key hires (team manager, designer, aerodynamicist) for first U.S.-led Formula One team in 30 years. (I was part of PR for the last one, the Beatrice-sponsored Team Haas USA.)
5. Joie Chitwood -- Daytona International Speedway president outlines specific safety improvement plans for July NASCAR event and confirms full SAFER installation for 2016 Speed Weeks.
6. Beaux Barfield -- Sebring is one of the most difficult races anywhere in motorsports to officiate. Barfield's back in IMSA race control after a few years in IndyCar.
7. Dave Allen -- New Auto Club Speedway president gets his first Big Test in charge of this weekend's NASCAR events. And ticket sales will be . . . ?
8. Davey Hamilton -- Indy 500 veteran driver joins USAC as racing executive director; says he seeks to increase series/event sanctioning and business opportunities.
9. Claire B. Lang -- Everyone in the garage area talks with SiriusXM NASCAR channel 90's VERY hard-working reporter. Then she talks to fans post-race -- and that's not always an easy thing to do.
10. Rick Benjamin -- Hosts CBS Sports Network's Trans-Am series coverage starting Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT. Amy Ruman won the Sebring opener in a record-setting field of 69 cars.
Links to all of my NASCAR-in-Phoenix Arizona Republic stories are on Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 .
[ more next week . . . ]
Sunday, March 08, 2015
DO FOX NEWS & SPORTS TALK? (And a Tie at the Top of This Week's Most Influential List)
Just wondering: Does anyone at Fox News speak to anyone at Fox Sports?
Hello?
I can't help but wonder after watching FNC's NASCAR reports on the Daytona and Atlanta weekends.
Some talking head sitting in a studio in Los Angeles "reported" on Kurt Busch's suspension Daytona 500 weekend. And then when Kyle Busch was injured. Did the weekend producers even put 2+2 together that Fox Sports has the NASCAR rights? Why not put Matt Yocum on to provide some real on-site reporting? I guess the FNC correspondent in Antarctica wasn't available.
(This is a journalistically-unsound but regular FNC "gimmick" as I've seen some L.A.-based head "report" on stories in New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., etc. It's credibility-bending.)
Then, when driver Travis Kvapil's car was stolen from a hotel parking lot before it ever got to Atlanta Motor Speedway, it was more appearance-of instead of real reporting. Weekend anchor Julie Banderas, who I think hasn't done any homework since the third grade, repeatedly botched Kvapil's name. I guess it would have been too much work to check how to say "Kvapil" during a commercial break.
FNC boss Roger Ailes -- a legitimate TV genius -- should be very, VERY embarrassed.
For over a half-century Chris Economaki criticized short-track promoters for not keeping the show moving along and thus keeping fans in the stands past midnight. Then, he pointed out, these same promoters would wonder why those with children didn't return or the race results weren't in the paper. I went to USA Raceway in Tucson Saturday night for the only World of Outlaws event in Arizona this season. (See my story on Donny Schatz in last Friday's Arizona Republic, link @SpinDoctor500 .)The opening ceremonies were at 7 p.m. and the checkered flag over winner Brian Brown (six different winners in six Outlaws' A-Mains to start this season) waved at about 9:45. Some of that was car count -- 26 -- but mostly it was clean racing (which, yes, can be exciting) -- no big flips or wrecks -- and a fairly efficient staging process. The show could even have been shorter if not for what seemed to me to be an overly-long track prep process before the features, which no doubt was go buy beer and hot dogs time, and a little extra entertainment then would have been good. We live in a short attention-span society -- baseball is enacting new rules to speed up games -- and so a briskly-paced Saturday night program is SMART and GOOD BUSINESS. I enjoyed it.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 8: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Brian France and Jim Campbell -- Delaware's justice department decides not to file criminal charges against Kurt Busch in the case of alleged domestic violence. And the decision of NASCAR's CEO regarding Busch's eligibility to compete is . . . ? And ditto that of GM's motorsports VP who suspended Chevrolet's relationship with Busch a few weeks ago. NASCAR rules don't allow for unbranded cars. The exact percentage is not clear, but lots of women buy Chevys.
3. Jeff Gordon -- Takes Las Vegas pole, talks about safety, and schedules a meeting this week with NASCAR officials. Gordon has the BIGGEST microphone right now because every media person wants to know what he says during this, his last full-time season.
4. Kevin Harvick -- Sprint Cup champion goes 2-1-1-2-2-1 in his last six races and wins in Las Vegas. Next? Phoenix, where he has been dominant.
5. Lewis Hamilton -- World champion -- and arguably F1's most popular driver -- opens the season in Australia. Will Grand Prix racing's worldwide TV numbers dip again this year? A lot probably depends on if Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz dominate while Ferrari runs as a backmarker.
6. Bryan Sperber -- Phoenix International Raceway president's NASCAR weekend is two weeks later than in recent years. Will grandstands -- typically full for the November race -- be that way vs. baseball Cactus League competition? Will new tire wall inside Turn 4 be tested?
7. Marcus Smith -- Speedway Motorsports CEO announces five-percent decline in admissions revenue in 2014. "Our core fans have been particularly hard hit and certain markets are recovering slower than expected, with underemployment remaining a substantial headwind," he says.
8. Derrick Walker -- IndyCar's competition boss to oversee open test with new aero kits at Barber Motorsports Park. Will he deem it a success or order changes? new class into his International Drag Racing Hall of Fame before the Gators.
9. Jon Asher -- Drag racing's most insightful and influential writer makes his "Insider" season debut on CompetitionPlus.com at the Gators. If you want to know what's REALLY going on, read Asher.
10. Lou Ferrara -- Associated Press managing editor announces deal with technology company Automated Insights to use NCAA game data to have computers "write" some event reports. Plenty of stats come out of NASCAR's races, too, so . . . ?
I'll have stories in the Arizona Republic all week and through the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Read me in the paper, on AzCentral.com, and I'll also post links and updates from PIR on my Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 . Stories will include the "rebuilding" of Roush Fenway Racing, Trevor Bayne, explore how NASCAR's new car rules and electronic officiating could impact the PIR show, look at the marketing of Richard Petty Motorsports and -- of course -- talk to Danica. And more. Thank you.
[ more next week . . . ]
Hello?
I can't help but wonder after watching FNC's NASCAR reports on the Daytona and Atlanta weekends.
Some talking head sitting in a studio in Los Angeles "reported" on Kurt Busch's suspension Daytona 500 weekend. And then when Kyle Busch was injured. Did the weekend producers even put 2+2 together that Fox Sports has the NASCAR rights? Why not put Matt Yocum on to provide some real on-site reporting? I guess the FNC correspondent in Antarctica wasn't available.
(This is a journalistically-unsound but regular FNC "gimmick" as I've seen some L.A.-based head "report" on stories in New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., etc. It's credibility-bending.)
Then, when driver Travis Kvapil's car was stolen from a hotel parking lot before it ever got to Atlanta Motor Speedway, it was more appearance-of instead of real reporting. Weekend anchor Julie Banderas, who I think hasn't done any homework since the third grade, repeatedly botched Kvapil's name. I guess it would have been too much work to check how to say "Kvapil" during a commercial break.
FNC boss Roger Ailes -- a legitimate TV genius -- should be very, VERY embarrassed.
For over a half-century Chris Economaki criticized short-track promoters for not keeping the show moving along and thus keeping fans in the stands past midnight. Then, he pointed out, these same promoters would wonder why those with children didn't return or the race results weren't in the paper. I went to USA Raceway in Tucson Saturday night for the only World of Outlaws event in Arizona this season. (See my story on Donny Schatz in last Friday's Arizona Republic, link @SpinDoctor500 .)The opening ceremonies were at 7 p.m. and the checkered flag over winner Brian Brown (six different winners in six Outlaws' A-Mains to start this season) waved at about 9:45. Some of that was car count -- 26 -- but mostly it was clean racing (which, yes, can be exciting) -- no big flips or wrecks -- and a fairly efficient staging process. The show could even have been shorter if not for what seemed to me to be an overly-long track prep process before the features, which no doubt was go buy beer and hot dogs time, and a little extra entertainment then would have been good. We live in a short attention-span society -- baseball is enacting new rules to speed up games -- and so a briskly-paced Saturday night program is SMART and GOOD BUSINESS. I enjoyed it.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 8: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Brian France and Jim Campbell -- Delaware's justice department decides not to file criminal charges against Kurt Busch in the case of alleged domestic violence. And the decision of NASCAR's CEO regarding Busch's eligibility to compete is . . . ? And ditto that of GM's motorsports VP who suspended Chevrolet's relationship with Busch a few weeks ago. NASCAR rules don't allow for unbranded cars. The exact percentage is not clear, but lots of women buy Chevys.
3. Jeff Gordon -- Takes Las Vegas pole, talks about safety, and schedules a meeting this week with NASCAR officials. Gordon has the BIGGEST microphone right now because every media person wants to know what he says during this, his last full-time season.
4. Kevin Harvick -- Sprint Cup champion goes 2-1-1-2-2-1 in his last six races and wins in Las Vegas. Next? Phoenix, where he has been dominant.
5. Lewis Hamilton -- World champion -- and arguably F1's most popular driver -- opens the season in Australia. Will Grand Prix racing's worldwide TV numbers dip again this year? A lot probably depends on if Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz dominate while Ferrari runs as a backmarker.
6. Bryan Sperber -- Phoenix International Raceway president's NASCAR weekend is two weeks later than in recent years. Will grandstands -- typically full for the November race -- be that way vs. baseball Cactus League competition? Will new tire wall inside Turn 4 be tested?
7. Marcus Smith -- Speedway Motorsports CEO announces five-percent decline in admissions revenue in 2014. "Our core fans have been particularly hard hit and certain markets are recovering slower than expected, with underemployment remaining a substantial headwind," he says.
8. Derrick Walker -- IndyCar's competition boss to oversee open test with new aero kits at Barber Motorsports Park. Will he deem it a success or order changes? new class into his International Drag Racing Hall of Fame before the Gators.
9. Jon Asher -- Drag racing's most insightful and influential writer makes his "Insider" season debut on CompetitionPlus.com at the Gators. If you want to know what's REALLY going on, read Asher.
10. Lou Ferrara -- Associated Press managing editor announces deal with technology company Automated Insights to use NCAA game data to have computers "write" some event reports. Plenty of stats come out of NASCAR's races, too, so . . . ?
I'll have stories in the Arizona Republic all week and through the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Read me in the paper, on AzCentral.com, and I'll also post links and updates from PIR on my Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 . Stories will include the "rebuilding" of Roush Fenway Racing, Trevor Bayne, explore how NASCAR's new car rules and electronic officiating could impact the PIR show, look at the marketing of Richard Petty Motorsports and -- of course -- talk to Danica. And more. Thank you.
[ more next week . . . ]
Sunday, March 01, 2015
BAD BUSINESS & BRIAN FRANCE (Plus Harvick, Logano, Buck atop new 'Power Players' Most Influential list)
News headlines last week provided cautionary tales for how business mixes with competition in motorsports. This is something I've been signaling for attention for many years.
Chartwell Investments, the minority owner of Richard Childress Racing, says it wants to sell. Chartwell is a private equity business, meaning it buys into companies to make money, then sells when it decides maximum value has been gained. The clear message, to me, is Chartwell has scanned the sponsorship landscape and believes it's not likely to return to the pre-2008 financial collapse levels. At least, not anytime soon. From a dollars-and-cents standpoint, the best of the deal has been attained, so it's time to cash out and move on. I can't say this is a surprise because, one look at the blank fenders especially in the Xfinity and Truck series, and even Big Time Cup organizations like Roush scratching to get fully-funded, should tell you the racing sponsorship economy remains tenuous.
I was covering NHRA here in Arizona during Daytona weekend. I wrote a long Arizona Republic story ( you can find the link on my Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 ) about John Force's struggles to keep his family business in business. Force says he never expects to get back to what he had, sponsorship-wise, due to the econony. Pro Stock class winner Rodger Brogdon admitted he didn't decide to bring out his self-owned, self-funded car until a few weeks before the season. He owns and operates a Texas company called RoofTec, and Brodgon admitted in his post-race winner's media availability that it takes 800,000 shingles, 400 18-wheel truckloads, to run a $1.5 million Pro Stock program. (!!!) Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders-Stevens, who lost to Brogdon in the Arizona finals, only has funding for 15 of the season's 24 Mello Yello events. Even powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing lost Valvoline as a sponsor and has two of its Funny Car drivers, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr., funded via Terry Chandler as a way to raise awareness for Infinite Hero Foundation and Make-A-Wish, respectively. (No donations are used to pay for racing.)
Finally, it took Kyle Busch's foot-and-leg injuries to get International Speedway Corp. to understand the PR bomb it dropped with all the hype of $400 million in grandiose spending on "injectors" and "neighborhoods" and such while big sections of the track were unprotected by SAFER barriers. That commitment to completely line the oval should have been made in the original "Re-Imagining" announcement.
I say Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood immediately realized the ramifications and went to the media center to own-up and promise fixes. That was a stand-up thing to do because it's difficult to think of any other major motorsports executive who wound admit to a mistake. There would be a dozen lawyers and "communications experts" warning Brian France not to, for example. Chitwood's stance was legitimate, but NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell's wasn't. The bottom-line is it's NASCAR's responsibility to make sure its tracks are as safe as possible -- or no sanction agreement. Period. O'Donnell came across as a day late, a few million $ short, and not pro-active enough. That was NASCAR in this situation.
Now, Busch is in pain, Joe Gibbs' team doesn't have its driver, his sponsors don't have the marketing benefit of Busch's on-track success, promoters don't have his name to help sell tickets, TV networks can't use him for pre-race "hype the show" spots, and fans don't get to see Kyle do his thing. Point that finger of responsibility straight and directly at NASCAR. No one else.
As Speedway Motorsports Inc. CEO Marcus Smith said to the Charlotte Observer: "We rely on NASCAR's guidance on that. We have installed SAFER barriers wherever they have asked us to put it."
Of course, tracks could be much more pro-active, too. But take Indianapolis, Pocono and Dover out of the mix and all those Big Money decisions are made at a corporate level higher than track president. Speedways get plenty of TV money but, you know, NASCAR could help fund a complete and mandatory SAFER program out of its cut.
Jeff Gordon pounded an unprotected wall Sunday at Atlanta and said: "I don’t think we can say any more after Kyle’s (Busch) incident at Daytona. Everybody knows we have to do something and it should have been done a long time ago. All we can do now is hope they do it as fast as they possibly can.”
A star driver is sidelined. A true superstar could easily have been Sunday. That's bad business -- a concept Brian France should understand.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 1: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Kevin Harvick -- In a completely appropriate use of his platform as Cup champion, Harvick describes Kyle Busch's injury at Daytona as a "wake-up call" regarding track safety. Talladega, Atlanta and Kentucky speedways quickly announce new SAFER or tire barriers. International Speedway Corp. issues a statement that all of its tracks will be evaluated.
2. Joey Logano -- Daytona 500 winner does well on national media tour. NASCAR and the industry hope he will bring in more younger-demographic fans.
3. Richard Buck -- Sprint Cup series director faces heat for the Atlanta qualifying inspection line fiasco. NASCAR talks non-stop about making events more entertaining for fans, and collects billions from TV partners, yet its system doesn't get Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and others on-track for even one lap. And from his previous experience in non-NASCAR series, including CART, Buck must know how essential it is to get more SAFER barriers up at all tracks.
4. Joe Gibbs -- Engineers deal with his sponsors, Toyota, plus Ford and Front Row team to put David Ragan into the No. 18 until Kyle Busch can return.
5. Dave Moody -- Everyone in radio knows afternoon "drive time" is the most cherished slot, and "The Godfather" got it -- for four hours without a co-host -- on SiriusXM NASCAR's channel toward the end of last season. Moody's not afraid to call out uninformed national media NASCAR critics . . . or to challenge the statements of his callers. He's the closest there is to "appointment" listening in racing radio.
6. David Letterman -- Welcomes Joey Logano as a guest and that's a reminder motorsports will lose a big friend in the national mainstream media/entertainment arena when Letterman retires later this year. Late Show has been an important opportunity to gain the attention of non-core racing fans.
7. Roger Penske -- Daytona 500 winning team owner begins his latest racing-as-business adventure with partner Dick Johnson and driver Marcos Ambrose with a 12th place in a Ford Falcon in Australia's V8 Supercar series.
8. C.J. O'Donnell -- Hulman Motorsports chief marketing officer announces multi-year official marketing partnership with USA Today Sports Media Group. Targeted advertising, special sections and increased digital coverage and collaborative editorial effort with the Indianapolis Star are planned.
9. Michael Shein -- Managing partner of Chartwell Investments, minority owner of Richard Childress Racing, announces the private equity business is looking to sell its stake in the team.
10. Robin Miller -- His "Mailbag" on Racer.com is one of the most entertaining reads every week and, sometimes, the source of good ideas. It's THE outlet for the remaining thin core of IndyCar fans. Even some -- but not all -- at 16th and Georgetown read it.
The World of Outlaws makes its only Arizona stop of the season Saturday night in Tucson. Look for my story on Donny Schatz in Friday's Arizona Republic (AzCentral.com).
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Chartwell Investments, the minority owner of Richard Childress Racing, says it wants to sell. Chartwell is a private equity business, meaning it buys into companies to make money, then sells when it decides maximum value has been gained. The clear message, to me, is Chartwell has scanned the sponsorship landscape and believes it's not likely to return to the pre-2008 financial collapse levels. At least, not anytime soon. From a dollars-and-cents standpoint, the best of the deal has been attained, so it's time to cash out and move on. I can't say this is a surprise because, one look at the blank fenders especially in the Xfinity and Truck series, and even Big Time Cup organizations like Roush scratching to get fully-funded, should tell you the racing sponsorship economy remains tenuous.
I was covering NHRA here in Arizona during Daytona weekend. I wrote a long Arizona Republic story ( you can find the link on my Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 ) about John Force's struggles to keep his family business in business. Force says he never expects to get back to what he had, sponsorship-wise, due to the econony. Pro Stock class winner Rodger Brogdon admitted he didn't decide to bring out his self-owned, self-funded car until a few weeks before the season. He owns and operates a Texas company called RoofTec, and Brodgon admitted in his post-race winner's media availability that it takes 800,000 shingles, 400 18-wheel truckloads, to run a $1.5 million Pro Stock program. (!!!) Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders-Stevens, who lost to Brogdon in the Arizona finals, only has funding for 15 of the season's 24 Mello Yello events. Even powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing lost Valvoline as a sponsor and has two of its Funny Car drivers, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr., funded via Terry Chandler as a way to raise awareness for Infinite Hero Foundation and Make-A-Wish, respectively. (No donations are used to pay for racing.)
Finally, it took Kyle Busch's foot-and-leg injuries to get International Speedway Corp. to understand the PR bomb it dropped with all the hype of $400 million in grandiose spending on "injectors" and "neighborhoods" and such while big sections of the track were unprotected by SAFER barriers. That commitment to completely line the oval should have been made in the original "Re-Imagining" announcement.
I say Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood immediately realized the ramifications and went to the media center to own-up and promise fixes. That was a stand-up thing to do because it's difficult to think of any other major motorsports executive who wound admit to a mistake. There would be a dozen lawyers and "communications experts" warning Brian France not to, for example. Chitwood's stance was legitimate, but NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell's wasn't. The bottom-line is it's NASCAR's responsibility to make sure its tracks are as safe as possible -- or no sanction agreement. Period. O'Donnell came across as a day late, a few million $ short, and not pro-active enough. That was NASCAR in this situation.
Now, Busch is in pain, Joe Gibbs' team doesn't have its driver, his sponsors don't have the marketing benefit of Busch's on-track success, promoters don't have his name to help sell tickets, TV networks can't use him for pre-race "hype the show" spots, and fans don't get to see Kyle do his thing. Point that finger of responsibility straight and directly at NASCAR. No one else.
As Speedway Motorsports Inc. CEO Marcus Smith said to the Charlotte Observer: "We rely on NASCAR's guidance on that. We have installed SAFER barriers wherever they have asked us to put it."
Of course, tracks could be much more pro-active, too. But take Indianapolis, Pocono and Dover out of the mix and all those Big Money decisions are made at a corporate level higher than track president. Speedways get plenty of TV money but, you know, NASCAR could help fund a complete and mandatory SAFER program out of its cut.
Jeff Gordon pounded an unprotected wall Sunday at Atlanta and said: "I don’t think we can say any more after Kyle’s (Busch) incident at Daytona. Everybody knows we have to do something and it should have been done a long time ago. All we can do now is hope they do it as fast as they possibly can.”
POWER PLAYERS for the week of March 1: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Kevin Harvick -- In a completely appropriate use of his platform as Cup champion, Harvick describes Kyle Busch's injury at Daytona as a "wake-up call" regarding track safety. Talladega, Atlanta and Kentucky speedways quickly announce new SAFER or tire barriers. International Speedway Corp. issues a statement that all of its tracks will be evaluated.
2. Joey Logano -- Daytona 500 winner does well on national media tour. NASCAR and the industry hope he will bring in more younger-demographic fans.
3. Richard Buck -- Sprint Cup series director faces heat for the Atlanta qualifying inspection line fiasco. NASCAR talks non-stop about making events more entertaining for fans, and collects billions from TV partners, yet its system doesn't get Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and others on-track for even one lap. And from his previous experience in non-NASCAR series, including CART, Buck must know how essential it is to get more SAFER barriers up at all tracks.
4. Joe Gibbs -- Engineers deal with his sponsors, Toyota, plus Ford and Front Row team to put David Ragan into the No. 18 until Kyle Busch can return.
5. Dave Moody -- Everyone in radio knows afternoon "drive time" is the most cherished slot, and "The Godfather" got it -- for four hours without a co-host -- on SiriusXM NASCAR's channel toward the end of last season. Moody's not afraid to call out uninformed national media NASCAR critics . . . or to challenge the statements of his callers. He's the closest there is to "appointment" listening in racing radio.
6. David Letterman -- Welcomes Joey Logano as a guest and that's a reminder motorsports will lose a big friend in the national mainstream media/entertainment arena when Letterman retires later this year. Late Show has been an important opportunity to gain the attention of non-core racing fans.
7. Roger Penske -- Daytona 500 winning team owner begins his latest racing-as-business adventure with partner Dick Johnson and driver Marcos Ambrose with a 12th place in a Ford Falcon in Australia's V8 Supercar series.
8. C.J. O'Donnell -- Hulman Motorsports chief marketing officer announces multi-year official marketing partnership with USA Today Sports Media Group. Targeted advertising, special sections and increased digital coverage and collaborative editorial effort with the Indianapolis Star are planned.
9. Michael Shein -- Managing partner of Chartwell Investments, minority owner of Richard Childress Racing, announces the private equity business is looking to sell its stake in the team.
10. Robin Miller -- His "Mailbag" on Racer.com is one of the most entertaining reads every week and, sometimes, the source of good ideas. It's THE outlet for the remaining thin core of IndyCar fans. Even some -- but not all -- at 16th and Georgetown read it.
The World of Outlaws makes its only Arizona stop of the season Saturday night in Tucson. Look for my story on Donny Schatz in Friday's Arizona Republic (AzCentral.com).
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Sunday, February 22, 2015
PENSKE WINS DAYTONA; TOPS 'POWER PLAYERS' LIST
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 22: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Roger Penske -- Second Daytona 500 win gives him shot at "Double" with Indy 500 and adds to his corporate image of success.
2. Joey Logano -- He'll be the Face of NASCAR this week on the national media tour. NASCAR and its industry partners hope he'll draw-in fresh fans from a younger demo.
3. Gene Haas -- What will he do with his self-owned and self-sponsored No. 41 Cup car for the rest of the season? Haas said he stood behind Kurt Busch as his driver, but NASCAR ruled otherwise. And Chevrolet said no. The team has other sponsors on its other cars and they all are, at least indirectly, impacted by this.
4. Joie Chitwood -- Daytona International Speedway president says track made a mistake not having SAFER barrier where Kyle Busch crashed. International Speedway Corp. cannot justify spending $400 million on elevators and escalators and other fan goodies but not having SAFER barriers all the way around the outside and inside walls. What happened needs to be the example learned from by all other tracks.
5. Mike Helton -- As Brian France steps back with the Daytona spotlight turned off, NASCAR's now vice chairman stays on the circuit as the senior on-site racing official. First order of business: Getting all the national series on a calmer course after 10 days of crashing at Daytona.
6. Richie Zyontz, Artie Kempner, Barry Landis -- The three senior at-track production people face the task of keeping the Fox and Fox Sports1 presentations interesting and fresh for viewers who continue on with NASCAR post-Daytona 500. There are new and continuing stories to be told and these three will make the final decisions on what's important and what is unplayed or even ignored. Now in the Xfinity series, too.
9. Mark Miles -- IndyCar's CEO tells media day gathering he wants to expand to 20 races, starting one week after the Super Bowl, and ending by Labor Day.
10. Don Schumacher -- Mega NHRA team owner -- he's to drag racing what Roger Penske is to IndyCar and Rick Hendrick to NASCAR -- doubles in Phoenix with Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan in Funny Car. "The Don" continues to recover from cancer surgery.
(See Twitter @SpinDoctor500 for links to my Arizona Republic stories from last weekend's NHRA Carquest Auto Parts Nationals.)
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
1. Roger Penske -- Second Daytona 500 win gives him shot at "Double" with Indy 500 and adds to his corporate image of success.
2. Joey Logano -- He'll be the Face of NASCAR this week on the national media tour. NASCAR and its industry partners hope he'll draw-in fresh fans from a younger demo.
3. Gene Haas -- What will he do with his self-owned and self-sponsored No. 41 Cup car for the rest of the season? Haas said he stood behind Kurt Busch as his driver, but NASCAR ruled otherwise. And Chevrolet said no. The team has other sponsors on its other cars and they all are, at least indirectly, impacted by this.
4. Joie Chitwood -- Daytona International Speedway president says track made a mistake not having SAFER barrier where Kyle Busch crashed. International Speedway Corp. cannot justify spending $400 million on elevators and escalators and other fan goodies but not having SAFER barriers all the way around the outside and inside walls. What happened needs to be the example learned from by all other tracks.
5. Mike Helton -- As Brian France steps back with the Daytona spotlight turned off, NASCAR's now vice chairman stays on the circuit as the senior on-site racing official. First order of business: Getting all the national series on a calmer course after 10 days of crashing at Daytona.
6. Richie Zyontz, Artie Kempner, Barry Landis -- The three senior at-track production people face the task of keeping the Fox and Fox Sports1 presentations interesting and fresh for viewers who continue on with NASCAR post-Daytona 500. There are new and continuing stories to be told and these three will make the final decisions on what's important and what is unplayed or even ignored. Now in the Xfinity series, too.
9. Mark Miles -- IndyCar's CEO tells media day gathering he wants to expand to 20 races, starting one week after the Super Bowl, and ending by Labor Day.
10. Don Schumacher -- Mega NHRA team owner -- he's to drag racing what Roger Penske is to IndyCar and Rick Hendrick to NASCAR -- doubles in Phoenix with Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Matt Hagan in Funny Car. "The Don" continues to recover from cancer surgery.
(See Twitter @SpinDoctor500 for links to my Arizona Republic stories from last weekend's NHRA Carquest Auto Parts Nationals.)
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Sunday, February 15, 2015
JUNIOR & JEFF MOST INFLUENTIAL ON DAYTONA 500 WEEK 'POWER PLAYERS' LIST
In an annoying and business illogical decision, NHRA has again scheduled its Phoenix-area national event for this weekend, directly opposite the Daytona 500. As usual, I'll be covering the straight-liners for the Arizona Republic ( AzCentral.com and I'll post story links on Twitter: @SpinDoctor500 ). So I'll let those on-site in Daytona Beach generate all the sound-and-fury in advance of the Great American Race. However, since NASCAR likes to call this stock car racing's Super Bowl, I just hope one of his executive suits doesn't convince Brian France to display the red flag after 250 miles and bring out Katy Perry and the sharks. Considering France OK'd the TV showbiz-over-common sense Daytona qualifying rules, though, I wouldn't rule out anything.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 15: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon -- NASCAR's annual most popular driver and defending Daytona 500 winner usually has the bright spotlight alone. Not this week, though, with arguably fan-favorite No. 2 Gordon beginning from the pole what he says will be his last Great American Race and full-time season.
3. Brian France -- The chairman and CEO is tops on the NASCAR list just about any week, but the focus now is on Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon. France must hope for a legitimate Great Race -- after the controversial Daytona 500 qualifying rules -- to propel his much discussed "momentum" from last season, especially with a lame-duck title sponsor.
4. Darrell Waltrip -- Like "Mr. Boogity" or not, what he says on Fox -- and he says a lot -- helps shape living room and office debate about what's right and wrong in NASCAR racing.
5. Jenna Fryer -- As chief motorsports writer for the Associated Press, the world's largest newsgathering organizaton, her words inform fans globally. And are very important to everyone within the racing industry.
6. Gene Stefanyshyn -- NASCAR's VP of innovation and racing development faces his biggest test with Big Stage debut of his gizmo electronic pit road officiating system. It sure better not create any controversy.
7. Rick Hendrick -- Have no doubt, he is far-and-away the most influential Sprint Cup team owner. His unprecedented on-track success -- now including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on Daytona's front row -- is just part of that story.
8. Joe Gibbs -- Ups his ante with Carl Edwards creating a four-driver Cup stable. Pairing of Edwards with Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin will put more scrutiny on Gibbs' reputation as a people motivator and team builder.
9. Chad Knaus -- The Cup garage's smartest and most cunning crew chief -- he forces everyone else to wonder if they are working and thinking hard enough -- starts his calculations with new rules to get Jimmie Johnson that record-tying seventh championship.
10. Danica Patrick -- She begins third full Cup season at one of the events where she can have the best result. To maintain her celebrity status, and with GoDaddy sponsorship not confirmed beyond this year, she needs just that.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 15: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon -- NASCAR's annual most popular driver and defending Daytona 500 winner usually has the bright spotlight alone. Not this week, though, with arguably fan-favorite No. 2 Gordon beginning from the pole what he says will be his last Great American Race and full-time season.
3. Brian France -- The chairman and CEO is tops on the NASCAR list just about any week, but the focus now is on Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon. France must hope for a legitimate Great Race -- after the controversial Daytona 500 qualifying rules -- to propel his much discussed "momentum" from last season, especially with a lame-duck title sponsor.
4. Darrell Waltrip -- Like "Mr. Boogity" or not, what he says on Fox -- and he says a lot -- helps shape living room and office debate about what's right and wrong in NASCAR racing.
5. Jenna Fryer -- As chief motorsports writer for the Associated Press, the world's largest newsgathering organizaton, her words inform fans globally. And are very important to everyone within the racing industry.
6. Gene Stefanyshyn -- NASCAR's VP of innovation and racing development faces his biggest test with Big Stage debut of his gizmo electronic pit road officiating system. It sure better not create any controversy.
7. Rick Hendrick -- Have no doubt, he is far-and-away the most influential Sprint Cup team owner. His unprecedented on-track success -- now including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on Daytona's front row -- is just part of that story.
8. Joe Gibbs -- Ups his ante with Carl Edwards creating a four-driver Cup stable. Pairing of Edwards with Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin will put more scrutiny on Gibbs' reputation as a people motivator and team builder.
9. Chad Knaus -- The Cup garage's smartest and most cunning crew chief -- he forces everyone else to wonder if they are working and thinking hard enough -- starts his calculations with new rules to get Jimmie Johnson that record-tying seventh championship.
10. Danica Patrick -- She begins third full Cup season at one of the events where she can have the best result. To maintain her celebrity status, and with GoDaddy sponsorship not confirmed beyond this year, she needs just that.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Sunday, February 08, 2015
USELESS UNLIMITED (and Junior No. 1 on this week's Power Players list)
Longtime readers know I think the NASCAR All-Star race is the most meaningless event of an already overly long season. To summarize what I've written before:
Originally created to generate publicity for stock car racing back when the Indianapolis 500 was all dominant, that reason ceased to make sense with the IRL-CART split. The TV types then changed their tune and said it was "for the fans." Begging the question: Who were all the other races for? All credibility was lost when Kenny Wallace was named an "All-Star." Then it supposedly became a "Saturday night short track shootout" throwback. As recent years have proven, that doesn't translate. There is simply too much money, too much prestige, at stake in winning the actually Cup series championship for the smart guys to take a chance on getting hurt in an EXHIBITION. It's a waste of a weekend better left open to serve as someone's rainout backup.
This Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, though, is rapidly running a close second to All-Star on the meaningless list.
Originally, it made sense. Monty Roberts, Busch beer brand manager, opened the tap for the first Busch Clash in 1979. It was a special event for the previous season's pole winners only, racing 50 miles, with no pit stops. The concept was brilliant in its simplicity -- the media and public instantly understood what it was all about. Now, just to get more cars and names into the field, there are multiple ways to become eligible for the Unlimited field.
The main purpose now is to provide TV programming and give reporters something to write/talk about as a device to generate "buzz" (and that's all the NASCAR PR executives care about anymore) and attract eyeballs for the Daytona 500.
What legitimate racing purpose does the Unlimited serve? Don't tell me prep for the D500 because the drivers and teams have plenty of track time to do that, including the increasingly devalued qualifying races, since only a couple don't make the 500 in a time of fewer entries. And here's a true secret straight out of the garage area: Even if someone thinks they have a useful advantage, car-wise, they aren't going to show too much of it in the prelims for fear NASCAR will make a rule change to avoid stinking-up the all-important Big Show.
The memory of Jeff Gordon getting upside-down a few years ago in this points-less exhibition is not a pleasant one. Just imagine if he had been hurt! Wasting money prepping and then wrecking cars also doesn't add-up in a continued sponsor-challenged period.
And, in case you haven't noticed, the grandstands are not exactly sold out, either.
I know somebody's going to say NASCAR's testing ban -- no running at Daytona, especially -- makes the Unlimited important. I would caution against over-emphasis. The Unlimited is staged at night -- different weather and track conditions -- than the 500. More useful than in recent years, maybe. And the Grassy Knoll conspiracy bunch might respond by saying that's just the point: Testing wasn't allowed, in part, to ramp-up the hype for this Saturday night.
I'd say we could do without both: The conspiracy AND the Unlimited.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 8: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight. (UPDATED MONDAY TO REFLECT BOB POCKRASS' MOVE TO ESPN.COM .)
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Stock cars are headed to Daytona. No other explanation needed.
2. Lesa France Kennedy -- With the spotlight bright on pre-Daytona 500 events, the full-range of track business issues -- ticket sales, sponsorships, corporate hospitality activity, concessions, merchandise -- will be largely influenced by International Speedway Corp.'s CEO. And those results will significantly guide how analysts view the overall industry.
3. Kevin Harvick -- His long-awaited Cup championship in hand, he begins season-long role as an official leader in the garage area, with the media, and the American public.
4. Donny Schatz -- With Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell no longer full-timers as the new World of Outlaws season begins, Schatz -- whose 26 wins last year beat the next guy by 12 victories -- is who people talk about when they talk sprint car racing.
5. Mike Joy -- For the 15th straight year he's the broadcast quarterback in the Fox booth. And if you think it's easy telling the story while giving Darrell Waltrip running room, you're wrong.
6. Jay Adamczyk -- With NASCAR's on-track season set to start, his Jayski.com -- which has been called racing's version of The Drudge Report -- remains a daily must-visit and helps focus what those in the industry and grandstands are thinking and talking about.
7. Joie Chitwood -- Only the second person to serve as president of both Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he has to improvise a satisfactory interim facility experience for fans before Daytona's $400 million "re-imagining" project is finished for 2016.
8. Chad Seigler -- Former Sprint Nextel executive promoted to Charlotte-based NASCAR business development vice president. A key early task: Securing a new Cup title sponsor.
9. Richie Gilmore -- Championship winning engine builder promoted to president of ECR (Earnhardt Childress) Engines to oversee daily operations, including engine lease programs. ECR Engines have more than 200 race wins in various series.
10. Bob Pockrass -- Announced Monday he's joined ESPN.com from Sporting News. The hardest worker in the media center. With Chad Knaus, maybe the hardest worker in NASCAR. Sometimes it seems he knows more about what is happening than some NASCAR executives.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Originally created to generate publicity for stock car racing back when the Indianapolis 500 was all dominant, that reason ceased to make sense with the IRL-CART split. The TV types then changed their tune and said it was "for the fans." Begging the question: Who were all the other races for? All credibility was lost when Kenny Wallace was named an "All-Star." Then it supposedly became a "Saturday night short track shootout" throwback. As recent years have proven, that doesn't translate. There is simply too much money, too much prestige, at stake in winning the actually Cup series championship for the smart guys to take a chance on getting hurt in an EXHIBITION. It's a waste of a weekend better left open to serve as someone's rainout backup.
This Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, though, is rapidly running a close second to All-Star on the meaningless list.
Originally, it made sense. Monty Roberts, Busch beer brand manager, opened the tap for the first Busch Clash in 1979. It was a special event for the previous season's pole winners only, racing 50 miles, with no pit stops. The concept was brilliant in its simplicity -- the media and public instantly understood what it was all about. Now, just to get more cars and names into the field, there are multiple ways to become eligible for the Unlimited field.
The main purpose now is to provide TV programming and give reporters something to write/talk about as a device to generate "buzz" (and that's all the NASCAR PR executives care about anymore) and attract eyeballs for the Daytona 500.
What legitimate racing purpose does the Unlimited serve? Don't tell me prep for the D500 because the drivers and teams have plenty of track time to do that, including the increasingly devalued qualifying races, since only a couple don't make the 500 in a time of fewer entries. And here's a true secret straight out of the garage area: Even if someone thinks they have a useful advantage, car-wise, they aren't going to show too much of it in the prelims for fear NASCAR will make a rule change to avoid stinking-up the all-important Big Show.
The memory of Jeff Gordon getting upside-down a few years ago in this points-less exhibition is not a pleasant one. Just imagine if he had been hurt! Wasting money prepping and then wrecking cars also doesn't add-up in a continued sponsor-challenged period.
And, in case you haven't noticed, the grandstands are not exactly sold out, either.
I know somebody's going to say NASCAR's testing ban -- no running at Daytona, especially -- makes the Unlimited important. I would caution against over-emphasis. The Unlimited is staged at night -- different weather and track conditions -- than the 500. More useful than in recent years, maybe. And the Grassy Knoll conspiracy bunch might respond by saying that's just the point: Testing wasn't allowed, in part, to ramp-up the hype for this Saturday night.
I'd say we could do without both: The conspiracy AND the Unlimited.
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 8: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight. (UPDATED MONDAY TO REFLECT BOB POCKRASS' MOVE TO ESPN.COM .)
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Stock cars are headed to Daytona. No other explanation needed.
2. Lesa France Kennedy -- With the spotlight bright on pre-Daytona 500 events, the full-range of track business issues -- ticket sales, sponsorships, corporate hospitality activity, concessions, merchandise -- will be largely influenced by International Speedway Corp.'s CEO. And those results will significantly guide how analysts view the overall industry.
3. Kevin Harvick -- His long-awaited Cup championship in hand, he begins season-long role as an official leader in the garage area, with the media, and the American public.
4. Donny Schatz -- With Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell no longer full-timers as the new World of Outlaws season begins, Schatz -- whose 26 wins last year beat the next guy by 12 victories -- is who people talk about when they talk sprint car racing.
5. Mike Joy -- For the 15th straight year he's the broadcast quarterback in the Fox booth. And if you think it's easy telling the story while giving Darrell Waltrip running room, you're wrong.
6. Jay Adamczyk -- With NASCAR's on-track season set to start, his Jayski.com -- which has been called racing's version of The Drudge Report -- remains a daily must-visit and helps focus what those in the industry and grandstands are thinking and talking about.
7. Joie Chitwood -- Only the second person to serve as president of both Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he has to improvise a satisfactory interim facility experience for fans before Daytona's $400 million "re-imagining" project is finished for 2016.
8. Chad Seigler -- Former Sprint Nextel executive promoted to Charlotte-based NASCAR business development vice president. A key early task: Securing a new Cup title sponsor.
10. Bob Pockrass -- Announced Monday he's joined ESPN.com from Sporting News. The hardest worker in the media center. With Chad Knaus, maybe the hardest worker in NASCAR. Sometimes it seems he knows more about what is happening than some NASCAR executives.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Sunday, February 01, 2015
OF STANDARDS AND STANDINGS (Forrest Lucas tops this week's Power Players list)
The only racing last weekend was that to get in front of the big-screen HD TV to watch the Super Bowl, so -- after some brief thoughts -- let's get right to the new Power Players list as NHRA's Mello Yello season begins at Pomona:
Following the New England Patriots' portion of the absurdity that Super Bowl Media Day has become, ESPN host Steve Levy complimented his fellows who hold microphones or pads and pens because not every question was about deflated footballs. Really? That's praise-worthy?
Levy's comment once again reinforced how dumbed-down the media has become, because if there were true journalism standards, any more than one or two questions on that subject would have been criticized as unprofessional and trivial. But, of course, all the national network news shows at one point or another last week LED with this very minor story. The world is going to hell but this was the top story for Brian Williams and the rest of news-as-showbiz crowd. Oh, how our major media organizations have declined. Sports Illustrated last week let go all of its remaining staff photographers. (Most of the top writers are gone, too; so will my 40-plus year paid subscription come the next renewal notice.) The over-the-top over-coverage of last week's snow storm in the Northeast -- yes, there is an East Coast Media Bias -- is another example . . . talk about trivial nonsense, CNN put a reporter on the road in what it called its "BlizzardMobile." Ridiculous.
Point the finger to the incredible rise of social media for a lot of this downfall. Does the new technology have its place? Of course. Should it be allowed to dominate traditional professional editorial decisions? Of course not. I say the NFL could do away with most of the pseudo-reporters credentialed to Media Day and it wouldn't hurt the Super Bowl TV ratings one damn bit. I realize all of this likely can't be reversed, but that doesn't mean standards should be flushed in the name of "What's Trending?".
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 1: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Forrest Lucas -- The Lucas Oil founder is drag racing's most expansive and loyal sponsor -- series, teams, tracks, events -- and now backs John Force Racing. Where would NHRA be without him?
2. Rick Hendrick -- Personal leadership, strong executive management -- and some good timing -- work again. Chase Elliott to take over the No. 24 from Jeff Gordon with NAPA $. Success starts at the top. The team's future is as secure as anything can be in auto racing.
3. John Force -- His family business has survived, financially, to race another season. That's essential to NHRA because he remains drag racing's biggest star.
4. Courtney Force -- She's the one drag racer with the ability and appeal to greatly grow NHRA's audience and media coverage, but it will take wins and a Funny Car championship to add to her "It" factor. And that needs to happen within the next 2-3 years.
5. Mike Dunn -- What racing's best TV analyst has to say on ESPN shapes opinions about NHRA drivers, teams, sponsors and tracks. Nobody does it better.
6. Peter De Lorenzo -- Former ad man's 15-year-old Autoextremist.com is THE weekly word on the auto industry (especially now during Car Show Season) and how it all translates to the dollars-and-cents of motorsports. Politically-correct industry insiders claim not to read him. They do.
7. Gordon Kirby -- America's most-read international motorsports journalist as U.S. editor for England's Motor Sport, plus Racemaker Press author, and weekly GordonKirby.com column offers sharp opinion and perspective on issues across the racing spectrum. His words impact what Europeans believe is true about American motorsports.
8. Tony Stewart -- Buys and merges the midwest All Star Circuit of Champions and Renegade sprint cars series, creating longer-term strength and stability. Don't anyone think circumstances of the last two years have changed his love of short track and dirt track racing, especially sprint cars.
9. Terry Chandler -- She personally sponsors the Funny Cars of Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman to bring awareness and donations to Make-A-Wish and Infinite Hero Foundation, respectfully. Chandler pays the bill to go racing; no contributions are used to field those teams.
10. Bobby Bennett -- Publisher/editor of CompetitionPlus.com, the foremost website for INDEPENDENT drag racing journalism. (Full disclosure: I'm a CP.com columnist.)
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Following the New England Patriots' portion of the absurdity that Super Bowl Media Day has become, ESPN host Steve Levy complimented his fellows who hold microphones or pads and pens because not every question was about deflated footballs. Really? That's praise-worthy?
Levy's comment once again reinforced how dumbed-down the media has become, because if there were true journalism standards, any more than one or two questions on that subject would have been criticized as unprofessional and trivial. But, of course, all the national network news shows at one point or another last week LED with this very minor story. The world is going to hell but this was the top story for Brian Williams and the rest of news-as-showbiz crowd. Oh, how our major media organizations have declined. Sports Illustrated last week let go all of its remaining staff photographers. (Most of the top writers are gone, too; so will my 40-plus year paid subscription come the next renewal notice.) The over-the-top over-coverage of last week's snow storm in the Northeast -- yes, there is an East Coast Media Bias -- is another example . . . talk about trivial nonsense, CNN put a reporter on the road in what it called its "BlizzardMobile." Ridiculous.
Point the finger to the incredible rise of social media for a lot of this downfall. Does the new technology have its place? Of course. Should it be allowed to dominate traditional professional editorial decisions? Of course not. I say the NFL could do away with most of the pseudo-reporters credentialed to Media Day and it wouldn't hurt the Super Bowl TV ratings one damn bit. I realize all of this likely can't be reversed, but that doesn't mean standards should be flushed in the name of "What's Trending?".
POWER PLAYERS for the week of February 1: This week's 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Forrest Lucas -- The Lucas Oil founder is drag racing's most expansive and loyal sponsor -- series, teams, tracks, events -- and now backs John Force Racing. Where would NHRA be without him?
2. Rick Hendrick -- Personal leadership, strong executive management -- and some good timing -- work again. Chase Elliott to take over the No. 24 from Jeff Gordon with NAPA $. Success starts at the top. The team's future is as secure as anything can be in auto racing.
3. John Force -- His family business has survived, financially, to race another season. That's essential to NHRA because he remains drag racing's biggest star.
4. Courtney Force -- She's the one drag racer with the ability and appeal to greatly grow NHRA's audience and media coverage, but it will take wins and a Funny Car championship to add to her "It" factor. And that needs to happen within the next 2-3 years.
5. Mike Dunn -- What racing's best TV analyst has to say on ESPN shapes opinions about NHRA drivers, teams, sponsors and tracks. Nobody does it better.
6. Peter De Lorenzo -- Former ad man's 15-year-old Autoextremist.com is THE weekly word on the auto industry (especially now during Car Show Season) and how it all translates to the dollars-and-cents of motorsports. Politically-correct industry insiders claim not to read him. They do.
7. Gordon Kirby -- America's most-read international motorsports journalist as U.S. editor for England's Motor Sport, plus Racemaker Press author, and weekly GordonKirby.com column offers sharp opinion and perspective on issues across the racing spectrum. His words impact what Europeans believe is true about American motorsports.
8. Tony Stewart -- Buys and merges the midwest All Star Circuit of Champions and Renegade sprint cars series, creating longer-term strength and stability. Don't anyone think circumstances of the last two years have changed his love of short track and dirt track racing, especially sprint cars.
9. Terry Chandler -- She personally sponsors the Funny Cars of Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman to bring awareness and donations to Make-A-Wish and Infinite Hero Foundation, respectfully. Chandler pays the bill to go racing; no contributions are used to field those teams.
10. Bobby Bennett -- Publisher/editor of CompetitionPlus.com, the foremost website for INDEPENDENT drag racing journalism. (Full disclosure: I'm a CP.com columnist.)
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
Sunday, January 25, 2015
IMSA's SELF-INFLICTED MEDIA WOUNDS (and Jeff Gordon is No. 1 on This Week's Power Players List)
Week two of my new Power Players list is below. There will be plenty of time for thoughts on Jeff Gordon (some current NASCAR TV announcers can officially start to feel nervous about being replaced) as the season progresses. But first . . .
The challenges in elevating the status of sports car racing in America are enormous. I've been around long enough to remember the 1970s when IMSA was bolstered by John Bishop's leadership, a small but largely solid staff, the support of Bill France Sr., and the terrific backing of R.J. Reynolds' sports marketing group and Camel's title sponsorship. There was some excellent racing and some good times, too.
I predicted the first year of the combined ALMS/Grand-Am series would be difficult and it certainly was. Whatever goodwill was created by unifying sports car racing quickly fell to self-inflicted wounds, including inept officiating and a variety of organizational errors. Season two of the Tudor watches (not even remotely bringing an RJR-esque effort to the task)-entitled series opened last weekend with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, won by Scott Dixon, Kyle Larson, Tony Kanaan and Jamie McMurray.
Even though this is a series strongly influenced by NASCAR's philosophy and people, one of the largest hurdles to be overcome is achieving consistent season-long media coverage that goes beyond the motorsports websites. Putting the leadership together to make a real go at this goal was one of those bad mis-steps of 2014. And, I'm sorry to say, IMSA itself is responsible for another self-inflicted wound on the media front as the 2015 tour hits the road.
This may appear to be a real "inside baseball" thing, but remember, this blog is written primarily for those within the industry. As ridiculous as this may seem, it is a true fact: IMSA has made it more burdensome for legitimate media to obtain a season-long "hard card" credential than it is to get a credential for the World Series or Super Bowl.
Think about the incredible stupidity of that for a minute . . .
Again this year, to obtain that pass, media must fill-out an overly long series of forms, at least compared to other series. If you choose to print the forms IMSA sends by E-mail, you MUST print it in COLOR. (!) Perhaps worst of all, media have to get an IMSA license, making each journalist an "official member" of the sanctioning body. That is crap and completely inappropriate and unethical.
I am reliably told all of this bureauracy has been mandated by insurance risk assessors. Are we to believe there is more risk in IMSA than in NASCAR, IndyCar or NHRA, all of which have a much simplier credential process? If they need to reduce risk, here's a suggestion: Stop allowing TV announcers and cameramen onto "hot" pit roads. There's no other major U.S. series doing that, and I don't care what the TV types say, it's not necessary for a quality production. Or good reporting. Jamie Howe proved she couldn't get it right even with access to pit road, wrongly reporting a driver change at an ALMS Mosport event some years ago, even though she was standing right in front of the car!
When journalists cover baseball or football or basketball or hockey or golf or tennis or horse racing or track and field or skiing or boxing or whatever, they do not become a member of the ruling organization. I am especially surprised -- and very disappointed -- that series President Scott Atherton, who began his career as a Domino's Pizza marketer in CART and then issued media credentials as a racetrack manager, doesn't know better and didn't put a stop to this obvious mistake. This is the reason I declined the opportunity to be issued an IMSA credential this season. Call it a One Man Protest if you wish, but PR and Media Relations 101 tells me my position is the right one, and IMSA/Atherton's is flat-out wrong. Hey, Scott: Stop The Madness!
Roger Penske (Atherton's old boss) told me decades ago that self-inflicted wounds are the most painful, because they can be avoided. As a sports car fan, and member of the Jaguar team that finished 1-2 in the 1990 Daytona 24, I am going to hope this isn't a sign of another troublesome IMSA season. But I'm not confident.
And, finally, also on the IMSA media front, the opening two hours of the Rolex 24 on Fox broadcast network were highly unsatisfying. Bob Varsha not calling the action? Justin Bell -- who is to sports car racing what Rutledge Wood is to NASCAR and Will Buxton is to Formula One (hint: that's not a positive) -- instead of Tommy Kendall? (Dorsey Schroeder was definitely missed.) Later, on cable, the horrendously bad Howe back on pit road? The whole production struck me to be in line with what I've observed as a bad recent stretch across all the Fox networks. (Last week on Fox News, Chris Wallace wined about not being invited to an off-the-record pre-State of the Union White House media lunch while Shep Smith, who was there, lamented about not sampling the wine. As if any viewer gave a bleep. Talk about egomania and being out-of-touch with the audience!) It all doesn't bode well for the rest of the IMSA TV season, unless the production "Big Thinkers" get their act together before Sebring. But two precious hours on over-the-air network TV resulted in Opportunity Lost.
POWER PLAYERS: The 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports for the week of January 25, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Jeff Gordon -- Along with Bill France Sr. and Jr., Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, one of the five most consequential figures in NASCAR history, because he crossed-over from sports to the popular mainstream culture -- Saturday Night Live, Live with Regis and Kelly, etc. -- a major player in NASCAR's rocket-ride growth period and beyond.
2. Chip Ganassi -- Record sixth Rolex 24 victory in 12 tries -- any baseball player would like to have that .500 batting average -- now aims for co-winner Kyle Larson's first Sprint Cup victory and securing move-of-the-race driver Sage Karam a full-time IndyCar ride.
3. Jim Utter -- The Charlotte Observer's motorsports writer is key in shaping opinion in NASCAR's hub, is a new Hall of Fame voter, and will be prominent in this week's annual Media Tour.
4. Ross Tannenbaum -- President of Fanatics Authentic does 10-year deal with NASCAR and major teams to be primary retailer at all Sprint Cup series events that will evolve into a climate-controlled superstore retail center (phasing out trailers) for all merchandise.
5. Scott Dixon -- Underappreciated due to IndyCar's popularity decline and his low-key personality, but leader of the Rolex 24 winning driver lineup is arguably American motorsports' most relentless driver, setting an example for racers everywhere to follow.
6. Jamie Allison -- Ford racing director's brand-important EcoBoost engine shows speed, efficiency and reliability to finish first in the Rolex 24 with Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, a very Big Win for the Blue Oval.
7. Tino Belli -- IndyCar's aerodynamic development director begins initial inspection of bodywork kits submitted by Chevrolet and Honda after homologation deadline.
9. Ben Geisler -- World of Outlaws' chief marketing officer spearheads search for new title sponsor to replace STP with 90-race sprint car season opening Feb. 13 at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida.
10. Winston Kelley -- Executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame rolls out red carpet for new HoF class, including Bill Elliott, and that positive regional and national publicity might give the financially-troubled facility a much-needed bounce.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
The challenges in elevating the status of sports car racing in America are enormous. I've been around long enough to remember the 1970s when IMSA was bolstered by John Bishop's leadership, a small but largely solid staff, the support of Bill France Sr., and the terrific backing of R.J. Reynolds' sports marketing group and Camel's title sponsorship. There was some excellent racing and some good times, too.
I predicted the first year of the combined ALMS/Grand-Am series would be difficult and it certainly was. Whatever goodwill was created by unifying sports car racing quickly fell to self-inflicted wounds, including inept officiating and a variety of organizational errors. Season two of the Tudor watches (not even remotely bringing an RJR-esque effort to the task)-entitled series opened last weekend with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, won by Scott Dixon, Kyle Larson, Tony Kanaan and Jamie McMurray.
Even though this is a series strongly influenced by NASCAR's philosophy and people, one of the largest hurdles to be overcome is achieving consistent season-long media coverage that goes beyond the motorsports websites. Putting the leadership together to make a real go at this goal was one of those bad mis-steps of 2014. And, I'm sorry to say, IMSA itself is responsible for another self-inflicted wound on the media front as the 2015 tour hits the road.
This may appear to be a real "inside baseball" thing, but remember, this blog is written primarily for those within the industry. As ridiculous as this may seem, it is a true fact: IMSA has made it more burdensome for legitimate media to obtain a season-long "hard card" credential than it is to get a credential for the World Series or Super Bowl.
Think about the incredible stupidity of that for a minute . . .
Again this year, to obtain that pass, media must fill-out an overly long series of forms, at least compared to other series. If you choose to print the forms IMSA sends by E-mail, you MUST print it in COLOR. (!) Perhaps worst of all, media have to get an IMSA license, making each journalist an "official member" of the sanctioning body. That is crap and completely inappropriate and unethical.
I am reliably told all of this bureauracy has been mandated by insurance risk assessors. Are we to believe there is more risk in IMSA than in NASCAR, IndyCar or NHRA, all of which have a much simplier credential process? If they need to reduce risk, here's a suggestion: Stop allowing TV announcers and cameramen onto "hot" pit roads. There's no other major U.S. series doing that, and I don't care what the TV types say, it's not necessary for a quality production. Or good reporting. Jamie Howe proved she couldn't get it right even with access to pit road, wrongly reporting a driver change at an ALMS Mosport event some years ago, even though she was standing right in front of the car!
When journalists cover baseball or football or basketball or hockey or golf or tennis or horse racing or track and field or skiing or boxing or whatever, they do not become a member of the ruling organization. I am especially surprised -- and very disappointed -- that series President Scott Atherton, who began his career as a Domino's Pizza marketer in CART and then issued media credentials as a racetrack manager, doesn't know better and didn't put a stop to this obvious mistake. This is the reason I declined the opportunity to be issued an IMSA credential this season. Call it a One Man Protest if you wish, but PR and Media Relations 101 tells me my position is the right one, and IMSA/Atherton's is flat-out wrong. Hey, Scott: Stop The Madness!
Roger Penske (Atherton's old boss) told me decades ago that self-inflicted wounds are the most painful, because they can be avoided. As a sports car fan, and member of the Jaguar team that finished 1-2 in the 1990 Daytona 24, I am going to hope this isn't a sign of another troublesome IMSA season. But I'm not confident.
And, finally, also on the IMSA media front, the opening two hours of the Rolex 24 on Fox broadcast network were highly unsatisfying. Bob Varsha not calling the action? Justin Bell -- who is to sports car racing what Rutledge Wood is to NASCAR and Will Buxton is to Formula One (hint: that's not a positive) -- instead of Tommy Kendall? (Dorsey Schroeder was definitely missed.) Later, on cable, the horrendously bad Howe back on pit road? The whole production struck me to be in line with what I've observed as a bad recent stretch across all the Fox networks. (Last week on Fox News, Chris Wallace wined about not being invited to an off-the-record pre-State of the Union White House media lunch while Shep Smith, who was there, lamented about not sampling the wine. As if any viewer gave a bleep. Talk about egomania and being out-of-touch with the audience!) It all doesn't bode well for the rest of the IMSA TV season, unless the production "Big Thinkers" get their act together before Sebring. But two precious hours on over-the-air network TV resulted in Opportunity Lost.
POWER PLAYERS: The 10 most influential people in the Business and Politics of Motorsports for the week of January 25, as selected by long-time journalist/publicist and industry insider Michael Knight.
1. Jeff Gordon -- Along with Bill France Sr. and Jr., Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, one of the five most consequential figures in NASCAR history, because he crossed-over from sports to the popular mainstream culture -- Saturday Night Live, Live with Regis and Kelly, etc. -- a major player in NASCAR's rocket-ride growth period and beyond.
2. Chip Ganassi -- Record sixth Rolex 24 victory in 12 tries -- any baseball player would like to have that .500 batting average -- now aims for co-winner Kyle Larson's first Sprint Cup victory and securing move-of-the-race driver Sage Karam a full-time IndyCar ride.
3. Jim Utter -- The Charlotte Observer's motorsports writer is key in shaping opinion in NASCAR's hub, is a new Hall of Fame voter, and will be prominent in this week's annual Media Tour.
4. Ross Tannenbaum -- President of Fanatics Authentic does 10-year deal with NASCAR and major teams to be primary retailer at all Sprint Cup series events that will evolve into a climate-controlled superstore retail center (phasing out trailers) for all merchandise.
5. Scott Dixon -- Underappreciated due to IndyCar's popularity decline and his low-key personality, but leader of the Rolex 24 winning driver lineup is arguably American motorsports' most relentless driver, setting an example for racers everywhere to follow.
6. Jamie Allison -- Ford racing director's brand-important EcoBoost engine shows speed, efficiency and reliability to finish first in the Rolex 24 with Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, a very Big Win for the Blue Oval.
7. Tino Belli -- IndyCar's aerodynamic development director begins initial inspection of bodywork kits submitted by Chevrolet and Honda after homologation deadline.
8. John Force -- Team successfully tests near Phoenix and he responds to controversy about the Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car bodywork he'll run this season -- and reveals daughter Ashley is contracted as emergency backup driver for not only her dad, but also sisters Courtney and Brittany and brother-in-law Robert Hight -- in my CompetitionPlus.com exclusives (also on Twitter @SpinDoctor500).
9. Ben Geisler -- World of Outlaws' chief marketing officer spearheads search for new title sponsor to replace STP with 90-race sprint car season opening Feb. 13 at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida.
10. Winston Kelley -- Executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame rolls out red carpet for new HoF class, including Bill Elliott, and that positive regional and national publicity might give the financially-troubled facility a much-needed bounce.
[ new list and more next week . . . ]
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