A CHANCE FOR INDYCAR

Last week I explained key Business of Racing reasons why the Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Monaco Grand Prix needed great races. In that battle, Indy easily won.

OK. Now what will the IndyCar series do with it?

The first of several tests comes this weekend, as ABC televises the reborn Detroit Grand Prix. Will the record number of lead changes and celebrity mainstream media star Dario Franchitti's win move the needle to an improved ratings number?

It had better. Although Detroit most likely will be another follow-the-leader, not pass-the-leader, temporary road course parade.

But that is just one test. Will Indy give IndyCar a bounce that lasts the rest of the season? Just what are the series' plans -- and capabilities -- to take advantage of this opportunity? How will this gift be used to increase ticket sales, sponsorships, general media coverage (no, I'm not talking about the Indianapolis media cheerleaders) and build a TV audience that is at least acceptable instead of embarrassing?

The industry is waiting for those answers. And results.


Here's a link to my story in last Friday's Arizona Republic, which also was posted on the USA Today website. It's the unhappy and disturbing story of IndyCar crewman Eric Scheumann, injured when hit by JR Hildebrand's car last October at Kentucky Speedway. Paul Tracy sent me a kind text in praise of this article. The Indianapolis media cheerleaders won't report this but the so-called "real" fans should be concerned about what they learn here:
http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Sports/2012-05-25-PNI0525spt-Indy-safetyART_ST_U.htm

P.S. -- Memo to Beaux Barfield: You had one week to get back to me on my request for an interview for the above story. That's part of your job. Not the most important part, but absolutely part of it. You didn't -- and that is UNPROFESSIONAL. As is, as I've unfortunately come to expect, the ICS so-called "PR" department. Wake up, Randy Bernard. Stop wasting time on nonsense like a race in China and fix your internal issues. It's a people business. You don't have the right people.


I got four awards in the 2011 American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association's annual journalism contest. The results were announced Saturday in Indianapolis.

Last year's controversial blog posting "Untenable" got a second-place award in the web log category. My CompetitionPlus.com "Drags, Dollars & Sense" column won first place in the online column writing category. That was for a controversial July 2011 offering advocating that drag strips improve their appearance to create individual identity, such as Fenway Park enjoys. The long piece Mark Armijo and I did for the Arizona Republic on the history of Arizona racers in the Indianapolis 500 took second place in the newspaper feature category. A column I did for National Speed Sport News on the repaving of Phoenix International Raceway took second in the newspaper column category. Thank you to all who helped make this success possible and to my readers for taking the time to read what I write.

Congratulations to Mark Armijo who won the newspaper newswriting category for his Republic story on Jeff Gordon's win at PIR.


Congratulations to my friend Paul Page, 2011 winner of the Bob Russo Founders Award for dedication to auto racing. The award was presented to Page by Russo Award Chairman Bill Marvel during the AARWBA Indy breakfast. Russo, the late racing journalist/publicist/historian, founded AARWBA in 1955. He died in 1999 at age 71. The Russo Award is presented for “profound interest, tireless efforts and undying dedication to auto racing as exemplified by Russo throughout his lifelong career.”

Previous Russo Award winners include: 2005 – Michael Knight; 2006 – Wally Parks; 2007 – Chris Economaki; 2008 – Bob Jenkins; 2009 – Shav Glick; 2010 -- Bill York; 2011 -- Bill Marvel. A permanent plaque with all winners’ names is on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center. The award is sponsored by Collene and Gary Campbell, the sister and brother-in-law of the late Mickey Thompson.


FAST LINES: I laughed when Orlando Sentinel columnist George Diaz, in comparing IndyCar and NASCAR, wrote that the Izod-sponsored IC is the one wearing "Polo shirts vs. tank tops." While it points (again) to the not-paying-attention-to-the-details/not-working-to-develop-professional-relationships IndyCar PR department, it's also a serious pointing of the fingers to Izod, which, unlike what PPG or Winston did, doesn't have a serious and on-going PR presence focused on its entitlement . . . As expected, Jean Alesi and Simona de Silvestro were black-flagged within 10 laps at Indy because of the embarrassing lack of horsepower from the Lotus engine. Yet Indy's official boxscore listed their reason for retirement as "handling." Race results are important historical documents which should be HONEST more than politically correct . . . With Rusty Wallace going into the NASCAR Hall of Fame (congratulations!), I hope Miller will run the No. 2 later this season in a special Wallace/HoF graphics design . . . Smart move by NASCAR to add a media award to its HoF ceremony, named in honor of the first two recipients, broadcasters Ken Squier and Barney Hall . . . And best wishes to Dick Berggren, who I have known for many years, who ends his Fox pit-reporting career Sunday at Dover. Always well prepared for any assignment, Dick is a true pro -- not many like him left . . . I bet Darrell Waltrip's blood pressure went up when Wallace went into the Hall in his first year of eligibility, as DW had to wait until his third try . . . One of the least surprising things I've heard in a LONG time is that TV ratings for the NASCAR All-Star race were down double digits . . . With the name "Infineon Raceway" null and void as of June 1, the track temporarily will just call itself "Sonoma" while potential replacement naming rights are negotiated. I can't think of any other major track that went for any period of time without a formal and proper name . . . A PR Disgrace: The Health and Human Services Department awarded $20 million PR contract to agency Porter Novelli to promote ObamaCare -- which could be thrown out by the Supreme Court in June. You tax dollars at waste.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

CHRISTMAS IN MAY

It's that time again: It's the most important weekend of the racing year -- and it's even more important this time around.

Formula One is showcased at the Monaco Grand Prix, it's most glamorous locale. Even a casual observer who sees a short video clip of the race on local TV immediately recognizes the site and the event. A Monaco victory is special -- consider neither Jimmy Clark or Mario Andretti ever won it -- and guarantees the winner worldwide prestige for the rest of his career. In what has been an interesting F1 season, with surprise wins by Mercedes and Williams, the folks paying the bills in Austin, Tex., surely could use for Monaco to come through with a sensational race amidst the spectacular setting and the beautiful people. That would help drive public and media interest in what has been a most troubled situation at Circuit of the Americas, set to host the world championship's return to the U.S. come November.

Over in Indianapolis, Randy Bernard and Co. surely need The Greatest Spectacle in Racing to be all of that -- and more. They need the thus-far disappointing new car-engine package to produce a boffo show. They need exciting competition, with dramatic passes and daring moves, right from the green flag. They need the advertising power of Honda and Chevrolet to promote the winner and jump-start the rest of the season. They need all of this to help overcome the still lingering loss of Dan Wheldon (the first time since 1946 winner George Robson was killed in a racing accident that those circumstances prevented the previous year's winner from defending) and the tepid TV ratings and overall media coverage. A yawner-of-an-Indy 500 -- or worst, a bad or tragic one -- will only serve to speed-up a series on the edge of a severe downward spiral. And I'm not sure IndyCar can survive another one of those.

Down in Charlotte, our NASCAR friends surely would welcome the big headlines a Dale Earnhardt Jr. (oh-so-close last year) or Jeff Gordon (who has to win races to have any hope to make the Chase) would generate. It's been a mixed Sprint Cup season to date, void of last season's first-time winners, and with Big Names like Junior, Gordon and Carl Edwards not steering into victory lane. As Fox's coverage has gone even more Over The Top with the verbose Waltrip brothers, the ratings haven't kept up 2011's positive bounce. With new broadcast rights negotiations on the horizon, that needs to change.

Whether your individual focus is on Monaco, Indy, Charlotte or your local short track, I hope you enjoy motorsports' Christmas Day. And, at the same time, understand its profound Business of Racing consequences going forward.


Please look for my pre-Indy 500 story in this Friday's (May 25) Arizona Republic. If you are not in the state to buy the paper, find it at AzCentral.com . It's on a topic you probably haven't read about elsewhere and, certainly, something that would not be touched by the Indianapolis media cheerleaders. There are some things going on that should be of concern to competitors and "caring" fans, alike.


FAST LINES: The standards of American journalism were lowered yet again last week with the disturbing/provocative covers of Time and Newsweek. It's clear -- it's no longer about groundbreaking reporting, solid information, or good writing. The ONLY thing that counts now is getting noticed. Our society, as a whole, is damaged by this increasingly accepted mindset. How sad . . . MSNBC mouth Chris Matthews was a contestant on a celebrity edition of Jeopardy last week. Matthews, whose ego tells him every second of every day of every month of every year that he's the smartest person in any room he's in, finished last. Sarah Palin, enjoy a well deserved laugh . . . Sign of the Newspaper Times -- It's shared beats (Phillies, Sixers, etc.) at my old paper, the Philadelphia Daily News plus the Philadelphia Inquirer. They have the same ownership. NASCAR coverage will be split between writers from both . . . Eleven of my nominees made the final voting list of 24 for the next International Motorsports Hall of Fame class . . . Yet another example of how unimportant Indy 500 qualifying has become -- Last Friday's USA Today had three NASCAR stories; zero on Indy. This should have been yet another slap-in-the-face to the IMS and ICS PR departments (and the executives who are supposed to oversee them) to wake-up and get with it -- but then, they have had thousands of those already . . . "Nice" to see IndyCar race director Beaux Barfield had time for Twitter on pole day but not to respond in a timely manner to multiple requests for a phone interview . . . Last Friday's Wall Street Journal had a lengthy story on the ultra high-end residential real estate buying spree by Bernie Ecclestone's two daughters in London and California -- the numbers are staggering . . . John Daly is taking a time out from his The Daly Planet blog, a sign of his frustration with the Fox NASCAR TV production. I'm disappointed, but certainly easily understand where he's coming from. Darrell Waltrip calling out the fans (otherwise known as his CUSTOMERS), basically saying they don't know what they want, is one of the most significant Business of Racing stories of the season.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

COMMENTS on the NEWS

A LEGEND PASSES: As a kid, I mail-ordered a "Cobra -- Powered by Ford" T-shirt and dreamed of owning one of Carroll Shelby's (above, left, with Edsel B. Ford II) legendary beautiful/brutish creations. I never did, but did have a Cobra Mustang. I admired Shelby, who died last week at 89, for many reasons. I consider his taking on and beating mighty Ferrari at Le Mans one of the five greatest American racing accomplishments -- EVER. Shelby's name came to symbolize American automotive performance, but I also was a fan of his annual chili cookoff and his status as a heart transplant survivor of two decades. I met Shelby through my friend, the late Bill Yeager, another heart transplant recipient. Carroll Shelby will forever be an American automotive and motorsports icon and I'm honored to say I knew him. Thanks, Shel, and God Bless.

With apologies to longtime readers who have seen these words before: This coming Saturday night is my least favorite and, to me, the most meaningless race of the year. I refer, of course, to NASCAR's Sprint All-Star contest. To restate my position: When this event was hatched by R.J. Reynolds' sports marketing crackerjacks in the mid-1980s, it made a ton of sense. It was a Big Money/Loose Rules exhibition designed to draw attention to NASCAR from a then-dominant Indianapolis 500. And, in those early years, it did have its moments, such as Darrell Waltrip blowing-up his motor at the checkered flag and Dale Earnhardt's now-legendary (so-called) "Pass In The Grass." But those days are long gone and the race's purpose long, Long, LONG ago ceased to exist, what with the boat anchor plunge of Indy, as NASCAR rocketed to the heights of American sports. This stopped being an "All-Star" race a few years ago, when Kenny Wallace was added, and the continuous format gimmicks have produced more laughs than quality competition. I say again -- There is NO REAL REASON to stage this show. I'd much rather see a open weekend created that could provide a rain date for another track and the prize money could easily be added to the end-of-season fund. I doubt this means much to the drivers anymore, either. No doubt Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Carl Edwards would rather have a points-paying Cup win this season -- ANY points-paying Cup win -- than the All-Star trophy. Time for this dinosaur of sports marketing to be remembered no where else but the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It's become all hype and no substance.

So, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch didn't like Darlington Raceway promoting last Saturday night's Sprint Cup race using last year's post-checkered flag tangle as the promotional point. I sympathize with them in the sense that's not what Harvick needs with Budweiser and certainly not what Busch needs with M&M's and Joe Gibbs Racing after what happened at Texas last fall. But, given the economy and today's anything-goes attitude when it comes to selling tickets, one could have easily guessed this is what Darlington was going to do. My suggestion, not just for Harvick and Busch, but for all drivers: If you are concerned about this kind of fallout, don't behave badly in the first place.


As a general rule, I think it's a good idea to put a fresh pair of eyes on things, to provide often-needed context and perspective. I hoped that's what Car and Driver would do in its June issue. The mag had longtime journalist Peter Manso scope-out the Daytona 500. What is needed with a story like this, though, is rock-solid editing, because the writer isn't an expert on all the nuts-and-bolts of the subject matter. I've expressed concern in this space before about the editing at C&D and it's happened again. On just the first page of Manso's story, there are three factual errors: A reference to the following week's "500-mile race in Phoenix" (it's 500k), a statement that NASCAR is America's No. 2 sport "fractionally behind the NFL" (fractionally only in Brian France's dreams), and the inclusion of Tide on a list of major team sponsors (hasn't been for years). And that's just on the first page. There are more. Manso's epic ends with his apparent belief that Bristol never was remodeled because he writes about it being a "rough-and-tumble place(s) . . . where you can still rub paint . . . " These kind of mistakes undercut the credibility of the entire article -- and the entire magazine. I'll repeat a question I previously asked here of editor Eddie Alterman: Who is actually EDITING your magazine? (Which I have been reading since the early 1960s.)


In the early years of the Driver of the Year award -- especially when Jim Chapman ran the program -- there was no question that the honor meant just that: The recipient was Driver of the Year. No longer. So many other organizations have decided to anoint their own top driver that the award has been diluted and the title confused. Proof: When Ron Capps beat Robert Hight in the Funny Car final at Atlanta, Capps said he "tweeted when they gave Will Power the first quarter Driver of the Year thing. That’s a pretty stout group of guys voting for that thing — I mean it’s Mario Andretti, ‘Snake’ (Don Prudhomme) — and it irritated me that they didn’t give him that . . . " The problem is Andretti and Prudhomme didn't vote for the first-quarter DoY (a media panel did), those two racing legends are on the committee that determines Speed's version of the year's best. It would be in the best interests of the entire motorsports industry to return to the days of one clear and distinctive DoY award -- but I know that's not going to happen.

I hope all the open-wheel fan chatroomers who regularly bash NASCAR for its competition gimmicks will be intellectually honest enough to hold IndyCar to their same sacred standard. In what is, in effect, an admission that the new chassis-engine package isn't performing up to expectations, officials are permitting extra turbo boost which might add up to five MPH in lap speeds -- but only for the final day of practice and both qualifying days. Not the race, though, because of engine reliability issues. This is a showbiz gimmick -- and proves that the Powers-That-Be admit that SPEED DOES MATTER at Indianapolis, at least in terms of buzz, ticket sales and media coverage.

I became a race fan because, as a kid, I became a fan of Jimmy Clark and Colin Chapman. The Lotus Formula One and Indy 500 teams, to me, were icons of the sport. A personal hero of mine, Mario Andretti, won the 1978 world championship in a Lotus for Chapman. In 1984 I had the personal thrill of a behind-the-scenes tour of Lotus' base at Ketteringham Hall, in Norfolk in the U.K., when Budweiser Concorded me there on a one-day trip to scope-out their proposed CART team. I got to see everything there except upstairs -- I was told no one went up there because Chapman's ghost roamed those halls. (The sponsorship didn't happen and neither did the team.) I said to Gordon Kirby the other year it personally offended me to see the Lotus name and colors on a spec IndyCar, given Chapman's genius at innovation. The passing around of the legendary Lotus name to an assortment of F1 teams because of money and lawyers has been another offense. And, now, there's the current IndyCar engine mess. I would urge Chapman's heirs to publicly rebuke those responsible for the situation, which has disgraced the Chapman legacy. I would encourage fans of Chapman and Clark to do the same. I just did.


Dufus David Gregory, who has done all he can to dumb-down the standards at Meet The Press since taking over from the late Tim Russert, couldn't change the subject fast enough when legendary former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw said on the show the other week that the glitzy annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner is hurting the way the public views the credibility and legitimacy of the news media. "It's time to rethink that," said Brokaw, citing the black-tie event's emphasis on Hollywood celebrity guests and over-the-top partying with politicians and their operatives. "If there's ever an event that separates the press from the people they're supposed to be serving, symbolically, it is that one," said Brokaw. "That's another separation between what we're supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing, and I think that the Washington press corps has to look at that . . . it's gone beyond what it needs to be." Gregory -- one of those who considers himself a media celebrity, having defended an on-air dance with Katie Couric with the explanation that "I think people like to see different sides of my personality" -- immediately changed subjects, guilty as he was of showboating at the dinner's podium. Brokaw's words are worthy of consideration by all journalists, whether they cover Washington or Daytona or Indianapolis or Pomona. Sure, we all -- me included -- enjoy a good time. But, with the economy these days, too many of our readers or listeners or viewers don't have that opportunity. As Brokaw noted: "I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian Embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people."

[ more next Monday . . . ]

WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN MAY

May is Race Month in America.

History teaches us it will get pretty wild and crazy -- if not outright ridiculous. In that spirit, here are some things to watch for the next four weeks:

Amidst chatroom angst of less than a full Indianapolis 500 field, Robin Miller will peddle "33 Is Just a Number" T-shirts from the trunk of his car. Not as a profit-making venture, mind you, but as a tribute to his hero and the quote's author, Tony George.

Someone will ask Larry McReynolds what "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" really means. "Well, I don't rightly know," Larry will answer. "But I tell you what: It sure sells a lot of T-shirts." Which, of course, is the point.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway PR spinners will try to hype-up the pointless NASCAR All-Star Race as the place where Sprint Cup drivers "will get revenge." You betcha.

The Indianapolis Star will interview Danica Patrick with a pre-determined storyline: "Do you miss not being at Indy?" DP will give a politically-correct answer even though she knows she won't be back in the 500 anytime soon. The Star and the chatroomers will give her meaningless comments great weight.

The World of Outlaws and NHRA -- especially the Funny Car class -- will continue to offer excellent -- and completely unpredictable -- racing entertainment. The mainstream media will continue to not notice.

Tony Kornheiser will predict Memorial Day weekend's two big winners: Parnelli Jones at Indy and Cale Yarborough at Charlotte.

Some pundits in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's media center will wait-out a rain delay by chatting about the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Tex. Someone will wander over and point out that the GP is scheduled for the same day as NASCAR's Chase is settled in Homestead, Fla. -- the first time the "experts" will realize this insane conflict exists.

The Austin promoters will ask Bernie Ecclestone to do a news conference with American journalists. "I'm a very busy man. My time is your money. That will be an extra $1 million," responds Bernie.

Sports Illustrated, ESPN and USA Today will offer lengthy, gushing and excuse-filled features on Danica's NASCAR adventure. Elsewhere, Courtney Force will be much more competitive and media friendly but will receive a tiny percentage of Danica's press.

The best Month of May coverage will come from Gordon Kirby, Steven Cole Smith, Al Pearce, Holly Cain and John Daly.

No matter the issue, controversy or problem, everything at Indy will be great, wonderful and fantastic, according to objective, hard-hitting "broadcast journalists" Dave Calabro, Kevin Lee and Mike King.

Fans will complain long and loud about the ESPN on ABC Indy 500 telecast but -- once again -- ESPN on ABC will ignore the opinions of its core viewership.

Fox will expect fans to sit through 600 miles at Charlotte and then not let viewers actually see their favorite driver take the checkered flag.

ESPN2's expert NHRA reporter Jamie Howe will be told to interview Allen Johnson and will ask him questions about Al-Anabi Racing, not knowing any better that the Pro Stock driver isn't Top Fuel team manager Alan Johnson.

Jamie Little, told to do a story on Lotus, will drive over to the botanical gardens adjacent to the Indianapolis Zoo.

Marlo Klain will say "there were more people at my wedding" than at Indy's No Bump Bump Day.

Bryan Herta's publicist will issue a "news" release heralding, in the first sentence, that the team is "proud" and "excited" to have qualified for Indy's 10th row.

Multiple NASCAR Internet writers will report "exclusively" that Jean Alesi is in intensive training to make his Sprint Cup debut in the 2013 Daytona 500.

Some Mensa member chatroomer will suggest that Steven Tyler sub for Jim Nabors at Indy.

During his Q&A with fans the day before the 500, someone will ask Roger Penske if he's going to fire Ryan Briscoe and replace him with Danica. Nicole Briscoe will not report this on NASCAR Now, but five ESPN.com writers will breathlessly chase after Danica at Charlotte to get her reaction.


This is an absolulte MUST READ column by John Daly from last week. (Amen!)
http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2012/05/spin-zone-tv-bait-and-switch.html


It's been five years since HD Partners announced a $100 million-plus deal to buy NHRA. What would drag racing be like today if that had happened? I imagine that in my May "Drags, Dollars & Sense" column on CompetitionPlus.com:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/21040-knight-oh-what-might-have-been

[ more next Monday . . . ]

OF BRIEFCASES and BRANDS

When Budweiser seriously went NASCAR racing in 1984, with owner Junior Johnson and drivers Darrell Waltrip and Neil Bonnett, I set up the PR operation. I hired Bob Latford to go to all the races and handle the day-to-day details. My other mandates from Bud were: 1) Address DW's image problem (he was routinely booed during driver intros in those days); 2) Try to change the media's perception that two-car teams couldn't work in what was then Winston Cup (none had been truly successful at that point).

The high-profile, two-car sponsorship by The King of Beers upped the ante in NASCAR in several ways. Business of Racing pressures and expectations were a relatively new thing in the garage area, at least on that scale. About the only thing drivers used to carry back then was a helmet bag. (In our modern era, so-called PR people now have that "honor.") But people like me, and the Bud brand and sports marketing directors and managers would come through the gate carrying briefcases. Years later, Waltrip admitted old-school drivers like him would cover their faces and laugh at the sight of the briefcase carriers, and call such people "sillies."

These days, of course, drivers routinely have expensive leather briefcases, and also tote around iPads and laptops. That's what the BUSINESS of being a NASCAR superstar requires. Trust me, the times of giggling and pointing fingers at the "sillies" is ancient history, right there with white cotton driving uniforms and open-face helmets.

This came to mind last week, when Forbes proclaimed Jimmie Johnson America's Most Influential Athlete for the second consecutive year. Forbes says Nielsen and E-Poll surveyed over 1,100 adults about dozens of well-known athletes to measure their likeability and whether they are considered influential to marketers.

"Influential," of course, is subjective. Forbes admits it can mean different things to different people. Forbes' story noted that "some may see an athlete as influential in his sport, while others see him as crossing over and being influential in society at large." This year's best example of that is Tim Tebow, who rocketed to No. 2 in the rankings.

Wins and championships certainly define Johnson's on-track career, but have no doubt, Mr. 2-Time as Forbes champion is a significant definer of his off-track career. Johnson admitted as much: "Not only is it very good for me and my career and what I do in the race car and my brand, I think it's very good for NASCAR as well." Emphasis mine: "My brand."

Considering Johnson's historic run of five consecutive Sprint Cups ended in 2011, and thus changed the nature of his media coverage, perhaps retaining the Forbes crown was a bit of a surprise. To me, though, it's absolutely no surprise that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s long winless streak helped contribute to his plunge from third to seventh in the rankings. The news was even worse for Jeff Gordon. Despite a return to victory lane three times, Gordon dropped off the list completely. Contributing factors: A major shift from corporate to cause-marketing sponsorship. And Pepsi and Chevy aren't activating their relationships with Jeff the way they once did.

Forbes wrote that Johnson's "talent and guy-next-door demeanor endears him to fans, as well as to marketing chiefs of brands like Chevrolet, Quaker State and Lowe’s . . ." But a clear reflection of the NFL's status as America's dominant most popular sport came with quarterbacks taking six of the top 10 "poll positions."

Remember that come Chase and Countdown season.


For all of the success that has come to the Petty family, there sure has been a lot of hurt, too. I found last week's official statement from Victory Junction (a camp for sick children founded as a tribute to the late Adam Petty) terribly sad. A dispute with the VJ Board of Directors punted Pattie Petty (Adam's mother, Kyle's wife) to what was called a "goodwill ambassador position as Chairwoman Emeritus." The statement, issued in the name of Victory Junction COO Austin Petty (Pattie's son) referred to VJ having "extremely high ethical standards" and referenced his mother's situation as one that "involves ongoing negotiations between an employee and employer." I bet there are a lot of empty chairs around the Petty family dinner table. SAD. (Full disclosure: I've donated money and commercial time to VJ.)


Congratulations (I think) to my friend Gordon Kirby, marking 40 years of motorsports coverage. Read his reflections here:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2012/the_way_it_is_no332.html


FAST LINES: Take note, NASCAR and IndyCar fans -- The World of Outlaws' points lead has changed SEVEN (7!) times already this season . . . Congratulations and have a great night to Kenny Bernstein, John Force and Richard Childress, who will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega this Thursday. (I'm a Hall voter and all three were on my ballot.) NHRA announcer Bob Frey will present Bernstein, NHRA President Tom Compton will do the honors for Force, and NASCAR President Mike Helton will be standing up for Childress . . . Let me tell you the group not complaining about the lack of Sprint Cup wrecks, which has set off some in the media and grandstands -- Car owners . . . As is being proven more and more often in racing, letting some people have a Twitter account is akin to handing some people a loaded gun . . . How desperate is ABC to get eyeballs on its Sunday morning news program? It invited The Mad Hater to be on the media panel.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

F1 NEEDS 'AMBASSADOR' ANDRETTI and GURNEY

This is supposed to be the season when Americans are reawakened to Formula One. That, of course, is because the world championship is scheduled to return here in November at the new -- and still controversial -- Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

So far, I can't say I've seen much interest. (Too bad since there have been an unusual four different winners for four different constructors in the first four races.) The news out of CotA has been at least as much negative as positive, what with management issues and construction delays. Bernie Ecclestone buddy Tavo Hellmund got the rights to the event but then had a falling out with the CotA main investors and -- surprise! -- a lawsuit followed. The track's money men worked out their own deal with Bernie and work is said to be "on schedule." (Whatever that means.) This much I'll bet you on: For the opening F1 race, the facility won't have nearly all the upscale features heralded in those heady early days of the project.

What with the early season GPs happening in places like Australia and China, the time zone differences have left U.S. TV viewers with the choice of watching in the middle of the night, or replays up against other motorsports programming. Bernie and the FIA went ahead with the Bahrain GP last weekend, taking a big check despite internal political turmoil. There were protests and at least one team, Force India, was affected. As I wrote last week, it was a mistake for F1 to go. I'm writing this before everyone and everything is scheduled to be packed-up and shipped-out. I'm hoping that happened safely. If so, Bernie and Boys will say "Told You So!" as they smile at the nice fat bank deposit. Sorry, that doesn't make it right.

A bit of welcome good news filtered out of CotA last week. The track has teamed up with Pirelli (and are "excited" about it according to the lead of the "news" release) in a much-needed promotional partnership.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect is a road show featuring the Lotus show car and driving simulator. According to CotA, the tour will include visits to Montreal, the Monterey Classic Car Show, Denver, Chicago, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Cleveland, South Florida and Austin. A Formula Expo has been announced in Austin for June 16-17 and is supposed to include the chance for the public to meet some F1 drivers.

Considering America's ticket buying public knows as much about the drivers as they do rugby stars, and that the U.S. media has precious little access to interview the likes of Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg and friends to build name recognition here, I'm surprised and disappointed CotA hasn't taken what -- to me -- is an obvious step.

Why not hire Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney as official "ambassadors" for the event? Both are household names everywhere. Both are legends. Both are respected figures in the history of Formula One (Mario, of course, being the 1978 world champion.) Both are great with fans and the media. Mario is based on the East Coast and goes to most of the IndyCar races. Dan is on the West Coast and heavily involved in the DeltaWing Le Mans project.

Mario and Dan would give potential ticket buyers credible people to deliver the sales pitch. They'd give media legitimate spokesmen to interview. The list of positives stretches from Monaco to Melbourne.

I can't believe CotA hasn't already brought Andretti and Gurney into the fold. Now's the time. It should be part of Austin's Formula for Success.


Fred Rhue -- a name you might not know or remember but should -- died last week. It was Rhue, as vice president of automotive finishes for PPG Industries, who helped make Business of Racing history by authorizing a then-unprecedented $1 million point fund for the 1981 CART series. It was Rhue who also was wise enough to hire Jim Chapman to run PPG's CART series sponsorship. That business union resulted in landmark things like the PPG pace cars, the all-female PPG pace car driving team, the PPG hospitality tent (where deals were made and relationships formed) and a major sponsorship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As CART's first communications director, I got to know Fred well. I liked him a lot and respected him even more. He was a gentleman and a very smart business guy. His daughter, Becky, married driver Scott Brayton, who she met as Scott was racing in the CART series at that time. Thanks, Fred, for all you did. God Bless.


FAST LINES: The Long Beach Grand Prix and NHRA's 4-Wide Nationals are supposed to be two of the most important races of the year, yet both were covered only in USA Today's notes column. And ALMS' round in LB got zip -- not the way to start for the series' new PR director . . . Interesting timing -- NASCAR's visit to the White House last week came on the same day President Obama took on the oil industry. Tony Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet was displayed with prominent Mobil ID. It was also tax day . . . Congratulations to Corinne Economaki, the former National Speed Sport News publisher, now executive director of the North Carolina Motorsports Association. The NCMA Board chose well and chose wisely.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

CATCHING UP

This week, let me catch up on a few items . . .

I always find it interesting how people choose to spend their money. In the case of Texas Motor Speedway, for last weekend's NASCAR weekend, track boss Eddie Gossage unveiled his new TV studio-like set in the media center (right). Impressive, certainly, but perhaps a surprising use of the capital improvements budget. "It is important that Texas Motor Speedway always be first, best and most creative in all aspects and how we present ourselves to the world through the media is another tool," said Gossage. "There is no one else in professional sports, not to mention motorsports, that has such a set in its press room. It is a big step forward for not only 'The Great American Speedway,' but for auto racing as well." Special drafting chairs position those on the set at the right height to show their sponsors more prominently. Texas, of course, is an SMI-owned track. I keep waiting -- and hoping -- ISC will OK the funds to upgrade Phoenix International Raceway's infield facilities, including garages, media center, medical building and parking. That's surely needed -- more, I wonder, than the latest spending on Michigan International Speedway.

I can't say who sent me the E-mail, other than it was a journalist reporting on both NASCAR and IndyCar, but the point was made that the PR people who need to be reading this blog the most are the ones who don't. Which is not a surprise.

On a related note: As I noted the other week, no team or sponsor or track or sanction should employ a PR representative without proof he or she has, at least, passed a basic Newswriting 101 course. Journalists don't care that someone is "proud" or "excited" about a new sponsor -- it would be NEWS if they WEREN'T happy. That's about as basic as it gets. Unfortunately, Bryan Herta Autosport and Circuit of the Americas don't get it. Herta's new publicist was back at it again last week, with a lead graph of a so-called "news" release that the team is "proud to announce" sponsorship of an Indy Lights car. Graph three told us said sponsor is "so excited" about the deal. CotA, meanwhile, was "proud to announce" a new investor. Too bad those involved don't understand what a turn-off this is to legitimate media. In my case, it leads to an immediate push of the "delete" button.

Formula One should not go to Bahrain. The reasons are so obvious I don't know why this is still an issue. Well, check that, I do know: MONEY.

Here we go again: Jeff Gordon NEEDS a win.

And, now, so does Jimmie Johnson. (You thought this category was reserved for Dale Jr.?)

Roush Fenway's Nationwide program is hurting for sponsors (Trevor Bayne wasn't even entered at Texas), so it was a bad move when winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. thoughtlessly used a Terrible Towel to cover over sponsor IDs on his uniform in victory lane Friday night. Where are the PR people who are supposed to be observant enough to notice this sort of thing?

In a similar vein, it was disrespectful for Michael Schumacher to sit with his uniform pulled-down for the world feed TV interview after China GP qualifying. I'm surprised the FIA would put up with this since it's so concerned about its image. A fine would be meaningless but I'd penalize Schumacher and Mercedes one world championship driver's and constructor's point.

I didn't watch much of the Texas Nationwide race, only flipping on occasionally. I didn't even think about where Danica was running until 50 laps to go. She was 20th at that time and finished eighth.

I'm about ready to admit standards of what is acceptable are gone. In the worst move since video of Carl Edwards' flip into the Talladega catch fence was used to sell tickets and promote TV viewership (remember, people were injured), Fox hyped Sunday's morning news program all week with word that host Chris Wallace would offer a "touching" tribute to his late father, Mike Wallace, the TV news legend. Respect went out the door in the name of an extra ratings point.

So Howard Beale has filed a $70 million lawsuit against his former employer Al Gore's lefter-than-Daytona's turn one network, which counter-sued The Mad Hater. Count me as one who is cheering for this to go all the way to trial, even though I'm sure it will be settled for an undisclosed amount. I can't help but wonder what the evidence-gathering process, known in legalese as "discovery," might reveal about both Keith Olbermann and Gore -- personal stuff they don't want in the public domain.

How out of touch with reality is ESPN's Michael Wilbon? He described the horrendous, disrespectful version of our National Anthem played before the NCAA men's basketball final as "authentic." I guess so -- if you ignore almost 200 years of American history. Apparently Wilbon's ego has gotten so big it covers his ears.

I don't like that CBS bends over and permits Augusta National to dictate journalism (for fear of losing the prestigious broadcast rights), but I will say this about the Masters' telecast: How refreshing to watch a sporting event where the announcers know to park their egos and allow the event and the athletes their rightful place in the spotlight. Was anyone at NASCAR paying attention? Just wondering . . .

Whit Watson, the TV lightweight who will forever be remembered by racing fans as the NASCAR know-nothing ESPN inexplicably had host rpm2night the night Dale Earnhardt was killed, showed up on The Golf Channel's Masters coverage. Nit Whit was paired with obscure tour player Notah Begay and formed one of the worst TV combos in recent memory. Not Dan Rather-Connie Chung terrible, mind you, but B-A-D. CNBC's Melissa Lee-Simon Hobbs is another bizarre pairing, making you wonder what those high-priced network execs and producers are thinking. The late Mark Haines and Erin Burnett were boffo together on CNBC. I'd say today's best duo are Fox News Channel's Martha MacCallum and Bill Hemmer.


I think Jeg Coughlin Jr. is the best pure driver in NHRA's Pro Stock class. He's back after a one-year hiatus and his family's Jegs.com mail order business is an important part of the Business of Drag Racing. My April "Drags, Dollars & Sense" column on CompetitionPlus.com is 10 Q&As with Jeg:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/20794-knight-talking-business-with-jeggie

USA Today explains how the New York Yankees media train their players. I've used some of the tools described in the story. A lot of people in racing should pay attention to what is revealed here:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/yankees/story/2012-04-12/Yankees-player-media-training/54238364/1

[ more next Monday . . . ]

THE KING's THINGS . . .

(An old tradition continues anew here, transferred from another venue.)

When I'm King of the Racing World . . .

Ferrari will design, build and enter a car in the Indianapolis 500.

And win.

Melanie Troxel will have a locked-in, rock-solid five-year sponsorship in either Funny Car or Top Fuel (her pick) with a good activation/PR budget so she can truly become the on-and-off-track star she should be.

Max Papis will win a Sprint Cup race, setting off one of the most emotional winner's circle sessions in racing history.

Several swarrow cactus plants will be planted under the white line exiting turn 2 at Phoenix International Raceway to discourage drivers from cutting down on the apron to pass. Make them step-up to the challenge of the dogleg.

T. Wayne Robertson will be elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Ditto, Linda Vaughn.

Rush Limbaugh will be grand marshall at the Daytona 500.

Ditto, Sarah Palin.

NHRA will go all-out with manpower, ideas, effort and budget for one season in the PR/national media relations/publicity arena. The results will be so good Tom Compton will want to -- no, NEED to -- come back for more.

Mario Andretti will wave the checkered flag at the Austin and New Jersey U.S. Grands Prix.

Michael Schumacher will win another Formula One race -- then immediately retire -- for good.

There will be a truly American Formula One team -- U.S. owners, designers, crew, chassis, engine, sponsors and drivers.

After he retires from full-time NASCAR competition, Jeff Gordon will win the Rolex 24, Sebring, and Le Mans.

Steve Kinser will drive a Tony Stewart-owned car in the Indy 500.

Mark Martin will win the Daytona 500 or Sprint Cup championship.

There will be ONE American sports car series, with races at the classic venues like Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America, Daytona, Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta. And, yes, Indianapolis.

Said series will have a robust prototype class, with strong factory participation, and a separate GT class. That's it -- one race, two classes. Anything more is too confusing even for ardent fans (anyone who tried to understand Sebring this year knows that I'm saying is true.)

The World of Outlaws will have a solid, season-long TV package, including live and delayed telecasts.

Road America will be a permanent fixture on the IndyCar schedule.

Roger Penske will have NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car teams.

Penske will field Porsche's new prototype at Le Mans, with an All-American driving lineup -- Scott Pruett, Brad Keselowski, Patrick Long and Graham Rahal.

Pruett will be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline: "America's most underappreciated racer."

The specific, factual cause of Jimmy Clark's fatal accident will be determined once and for all.
The moment he retires from driving, Dario Franchitti will go into the IndyCar TV booth.

Jim Chapman will be inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Hall of Fame.

Public relations people will figure out the "old school" way of building solid one-on-one relationships with the media is the RIGHT way. That means actually TALKING to journalists.

The mainstream media will figure out that drag racing is the most AMERICAN of all motorsports.

One NASCAR weekend will go by without one mention of "Danica".

I'll do my best Tony Hulman impression giving the "start your engines" command somewhere before moving on to that Great Speedway Media Center in the Sky.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

A LITTLE HONEST REPORTING REVEALS THE FACTS

Over the last year, a lot has been written and said about the possibility of the IndyCar series returning to Phoenix International Raceway. The overwhelming majority of it inaccurate because it was not properly "reported" from the standpoint of real journalism.

Last year, in the midst of this fog, I was the only reporter to actually interview the three key players: PIR President Bryan Sperber, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, and ISC President John Saunders. When I wrote here and said elsewhere there would be no 2012 race, it was because I had bothered to go out and actually gather the FACTS. (How basic is that?) To this day, a few of the most serious offenders, co-opted by Bernard, still have not even tried to interview Sperber. Another one did FINALLY outreach to Sperber -- basically because he was embarrassed into it.

OK, what's new on this front? Here's the latest, as of last Friday, as reported by me in the Arizona Republic:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/30/20120330could-indycar-make-return-pir.html

I'd say it's about time for a bunch of media people (Kevin Lee, you're on the pole) -- and a bunch of chatroomers -- apologize to Sperber after bashing him last year for supposedly refusing to talk to Bernard. I say that because their man Randy is now "on the record" as having apologized to the PIR prez.

It's a sad commentary on the state of fandom that a story like this is twisted into a chance to criticize NASCAR, PIR, ISC, safety, Las Vegas, each other and, yes, me. Fans are entitled to their own enthusiasm, but not their own "facts." The most laughable from the chatrooms was the one that former PIR owner Buddy Jobe kicked-out CART because he didn't like Carl Haas controlling the catering. I worked for Carl at that time -- he had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY CATERING BUSINESS. So-called "fans" who anonymously push out this kind of junk only hurt the sport they claim to love.


The headline in last Friday's USA Today sports section -- Fox considers converting Speed to general sports network -- might finally shed some useful light on the big management changes at the motorsports channel late last year.

"That Fox might convert its Speed channel, now . . . in 82 million households, to a general sports network would simply create another Lilluptian to tie down Gulliver-like ESPN . . .," read the story. Which went on to suggest they go after Major League Baseball's cable rights after the 2013 season.

Whatever one thinks of Speed's collection of automotive "lifestyle" programming -- I don't watch a second of it -- one also has to wonder: What would happen to the auto racing event and news coverage? I'm sure NASCAR, and probably Formula One and Grand-Am would continue. As for all the others . . . ???

FAST LINES: I recently had the pleasure of meeting writer Steven Cole Smith. If you aren't reading his excellent stories in AutoWeek and elsewhere, you should be. His April 2 AW piece on the mess that was trying to understand Sebring proves my point . . . It's a pleasure to say Tommy Kendall is a friend of mine. But here's a memo to the Twitter crowd offering the "idea" of TK in the IndyCar announce booth. It's been tried -- TWICE. Which is not to say he shouldn't be there. It's just to say this isn't new . . . Since nothing seems too outrageous to be true in today's "real" news world, it's hard to imagine some PR people still think it's OK to put out fake April's Fool "news" stories figuring people will get that it's a joke. This is stupid and should end . . . Speaking of stupid, how many references were made to Martinsville hot dogs last week? Enough of that, too . . . So now Keith Olbermann has been fired by Al Gore! What's next for The Mad Hater? An anchor gig on Al Jazeera would seem perfect. Or, if he wants back into "sports," play-by-play of pro wrestling. Best move for Olbermann: Partner with a fellow Worst Person in the World, Andrew Craig. They deserve each other.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

NON-NEWS SHOULD COST 'TEAM'

The IndyCar season began last weekend, after an off-season during which we learned that a track can be too good for racing (something I've never heard before having been in the sport for more than four decades), that Dallara's quality control systems aren't what they should be, that the car builder doesn't have the respect of its suppliers the way one would expect, that there are new rules and rules makers (and judges), and that the financial viability of many events isn't sound -- especially oval races.

The Big Talking Point for 2012 is engine manufacturer competition. Chevrolet won Round 1, in St. Pete, with Helio Castroneves.

One off-season news item that crackled my Business of Racing antenna had to do with a revision to the series' TEAM program. Others have written at length regarding the details of this deal, which pays $1.2 million to included teams. When Newman/Haas Racing announced it would not compete in '12, that left open two spots. Randy Bernard decided to establish some standards, including what a potential participant could bring to IndyCar in terms of sponsor activation and media exposure. I say that's entirely justified.

The problem is, some of Randy's teams don't have a clue how to get media coverage. The old-school art of "pitching" story ideas seems as foreign as Rubens Barrichello to a lot of people. Some don't even know the basics of writing a proper news release. Of particular irritation to me is the winning team whose new "publicist" constantly sends out useless non-news releases that always begin by saying the team is "proud" or "excited" to announce something or other. I got another one of these last Thursday during the run-up to St. Pete.

Clue I: It would be NEWS if the team WASN'T "proud" or "excited."

Clue II: Successful publicists know news releases are written for the media, not team owners or sponsors.

Stuff like this is a complete waste of the media's time. As soon as I see something like this, I press "delete." And I know I'm not the only one who does the same.

Note to Randy: Any "professional" IndyCar team that can't prove it has a publicist who has passed a basic Newswriting 101 course should not get one single cent.


Sorting out racing penalties is always a messy affair -- the 1981 Indianapolis 500 forever being the ultimate example -- but the outcome of Hendrick Motorsports' appeal of NASCAR penalties to its No. 48 at Daytona is instructive. Or, it should be.

Come this off-season, NASCAR should revise its National Stock Car Commission structure and policies. The three panelists, selected from an established list, are not announced in advance (fine with me) but as soon as I saw that John Capels and Leo Mehl were on the Hendrick case, it was no surprise at all that the original penalties were upheld. Beyond their other resume items, both are old-school/tradition-bound former sanctioning body executives. Of course they were going to side with NASCAR.

It's time to reduce the total number on the commission list. It's time to say no more than one member per hearing can be linked to any one group. (Examples: No more than one former sanctioning official, no more than one former driver, no more than one former team member, etc.) And, in all phases of the case, at least one of the "judges" should be made available to the media immediatley afterwards so the ticket-buying public can understand why the decision was made. That's called transparency -- and it's greatly needed in racing's messy penalty appeal process.

Meanwhile, see this week's "Unconventional Wisdom".


FAST LINES: ABC kicked-off its IndyCar coverage by telling the media it would focus on "story-telling." Hmmmm. See my Sept. 6, 2010 blog, which won an International Automotive Media Awards gold medal for commentary . . . If, like me, you need a one-stop reference book, then you need the National Speedway Directory. There's a listing for just about every track in the U.S. and Canada, plus sanctioning organizations, publications, schedules and museums. Go to http://speedwaysonline.com/to order . . . Per what I wrote last week, NHRA has added 20 pounds to the Harley-Davidson bikes . . . As a follow-up to what I wrote last week, one of the top teams in all of American racing now has its PR people compile reports after each race detailing interviews, media contacts, etc. I'm surprised they are just starting to do this as I was routinely doing such reports for clients back in the 1980s. But I see this as welcome progress and will continue to press the decision-makers for more -- and better -- "service" to the media . . . I just received a letter from "Friends of Rick Hendricks" asking for my vote for the 10-time NASCAR Cup champion for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Twice in the letter he is referred to as "Hendricks." Embarrassing.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

HOW OBVIOUS IS THIS?

It's called customer service. And there's not enough of it throughout American business these days, including the lack-of-service from auto racing PR people to their customers, the media.

I've experienced this -- AGAIN -- in recent weeks. I wouldn't need the fingers on one hand to count the team/sponsor/sanction PRers who called in advance of the NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway and the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. That exact number would be THREE. In total.

And how many actually came by the Arizona Republic work areas at those two events to say hello and offer help? That exact number would be NINE. In total.

Now, I've spent a little time myself in the racing PR game. Could someone please explain to me how someone can be paid to be a "publicist" and yet never speak to media covering an event?

This problem isn't new, but it is getting worse. As I've said before, I blame the team owners and sponsor managers who apparently pay so little attention they don't realize how badly they are being represented. And, believe it or not, my experience is some of the biggest teams/sponsors are the worst offenders.

It used to be a company would hire it's own PR rep, or contract with an agency, to service the media in support of a sponsorship. While there was always the problem of some agency person "pitching" a racing story one minute, and soap the next, the system usually worked because the sponsor had direct control over its representation and that provided accountability.

A lot of the time, anyway. But not always. Before last October's Arizona Nationals, I received an E-mail (in response to one I had sent a week earlier) from Ford's agency rep, asking if I'd be on-site at the event that began the next day. !!! Nothing like doing your homework well in advance to know what media will be there to work with! At least that was better than Ford's on-site "representation" at PIR the other week -- three days came and went without one word from the automaker's transcriber (who provided material in a user-unfriendly format) -- who sat just a few feet away from the Republic's area.

Actually TALK to journalists? Hell, why would he think THAT was important to do?

Some years ago, team owners decided to create in-house PR staffs -- a new profit center for them. Shame on the sponsors who blindly went along with this. These team people take their orders from the owner, who more often than not, doesn't want the driver bothered with such nonsense as interviews that might help produce publicity for the bill-paying sponsor. (Gotta carry the driver's helmet, you know.) This is how the system started to fall apart. That, and the reckless practice of allowing driver business managers to make PR decisions which they are unqualified to make. From a media standpoint, I'll say this loud and clear: That is a something that is to be resisted at every turn.

The humanity is disappearing from this sport, and in general, our society. Way too many people think 140 characters on Twitter represents professional relationship building. As I said to a senior NASCAR official in a private, one-on-one, face-to-face conversation at PIR: There will NEVER be a substitute for the sound of the human voice, a handshake, a look in the eye.

THAT is professional relationship building.

If you need more proof, read this: http://dkconcepts.com/fortheloveofracing/publicist-publicity

As the late Maine U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith once said: "There is nothing more effective than a handshake and a little conversation."

When -- if EVER -- will racing's PR people learn this basic truth? I am, and will continue, working on this issue at high levels of the sport's decision-making chain.


FAST LINES: The Formula One season opened with some of the ugliest cars in the series' history and Ferrari in disarray -- both BAD news for the Business of Racing . . . The film Senna is now available on DVD. Learn more at http://www.sennamovie.com/ . . . Troubled Circuit of the Americas didn't renew its funding for Rick Benjamin's The Checkered Flag post-Formula One show on SiriusXM. That, of course, makes no sense since this is the payoff year after last season's investment in trying to build American interest in F1 -- but that's the way it's been with the CotA project since Day One . . . Speed's horribly over-produced opening for the Australian Grand Prix, featuring six former world champions, was just the latest example of this trend to grotesquely overdo things in TV. KISS . . . The news that Paul Brooks is ending his long tenure with NASCAR as senior vice president and president of NASCAR Media Group is a very important story and comes at a time when the media landscape is changing almost daily and talks are underway for a new TV deal for 2015. Despite the Daytona 500's impressive Monday Night NASCAR prime-time TV total audience, ratings through three races are down from last year's uptick season, a worry . . . Will the automakers who turned down the chance to power the DeltaWing turn out to be biz savvy or PR blind? Nissan took the plunge and the radical car made some demonstration laps at Sebring last weekend . . . Hendrick Motorsports' penalty appeal was denied, which is what most often will happen when two of the three panelists are former sanctioning body executives . . . Good for IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway they have a deal with DreamWorks Animation for a July 2013 animated feature film, Turbo. But it's ridiculous for the media cheerleaders to be pumping this up like it's going to do for that series what Days of Thunder did for NASCAR. Those of us with good memories recall some of these same people predicting that's what Driven would do for Champ Car.


[ more next Monday . . . ]

WRETCHED EXCESS

It's standard practice at every NASCAR race: Drivers high in the point standings, or otherwise newsworthy, are made available to the media for group sessions either in the press room or at their haulers. It's known in the biz as a "media avail."

It was no different at Phoenix International Raceway the other week, where I was part of the Arizona Republic's coverage team. Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, etc. fielded questions. I was there for some of these sessions and not for some others, but had a chance to review transcripts.

To me, the most noticeable thing was not any answer. It was the questions. At virtually every avail, somebody asked a Danica question.

It was absolutely ridiculous. And embarrassing.

If many of those involved would actually bother to step back and take a look at the situation with a wider perspective, they might realize the truth of what I just wrote. But too many -- and too many of the organizations they represent -- are so caught-up in the Danica "story" (by the way, just what is that "story" right now?) they have lost almost all perspective and judgement of what is legitimate news.

In fairness, there also were a lot of questions about Brad Keselowski's Tweeting during the Daytona 500 red flag. More of what I'll hearby anoint as "cotton candy journalism."

Mark Martin made fun of the nonsense when, at the end of his pole winner's news conference, he referred to himself as a "Tweeting fool."

No wonder every public opinion poll shows such low standing for the media. And, despite what way too many of them think, this applies to sportswriters -- not just news reporters.

Let's get serious, folks.

PLEASE!


Speaking of ridiculous, add to the list all this chatter that Rubens Barrichello will do for the IndyCar series what Nigel Mansell did for CART.

Let me tell you, as someone who was deeply involved as the Newman/Haas team publicist when Nigel was here, there is NO -- ZERO -- COMPARISON.

Mansell came to America as the reigning Formula One world champion -- an unprecedented switch of series. He also could be controversial, charming, and had a flair that led to more than one headline calling him "The People's Champion."

Now, I like Rubens. I think he's a good guy, a good driver, and a welcome addition to the U.S. sporting scene. But he's not what Mansell was and to suggest otherwise is as dumb as all the Danica questions at NASCAR news conferences.

The "deep thinkers" like to point at all the Twitter followers Barrichello has. My questions: Just how MANY of those followers are in America? In IndyCar race market areas? Where they might actually buy tickets or move the TV ratings needle?

Mansell moved both meters. That's the point -- from a Business of Racing standpoint -- the only one that counts.


FAST LINES: Sports Business News picked-up my Republic notebook item on Matt Kenseth being the "Best Buy" in NASCAR . . . Pathetic, but true -- There are still media people and chatroomers talking about Jimmie Johnson and/or Tony Stewart driving in the Indy 500. They've said "no" how many ??? times now? And, in Johnson's case, if his wife didn't want him to do it before, why would she be in favor now, after the events of Las Vegas 2011? Enough already . . . Since I've been writing about, or otherwise around, Roger Penske since the 1970s this caught my attention -- Saturday, May 26 (day before the I500) will be "Legends Day Honoring Roger Penske" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's the 40th anniversary of Penske's first I500 win, with Mark Donohue. There will be a Q&A and autograph session . . . The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the No. 1 sporting event to attend in the world, according to a new National Geographic book. (The Olympics are No. 2.) No other auto racing event made the list . . . Four new members (including Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Jeff Belskus) have been added to the Hulman & Co. board of directors, bringing the total to 11. The only question is: Does this strengthen or weaken Tony George's hand?

[ more next Monday . . . ]

PHOENIX WEEK IN REVIEW

I'm posting Sunday night after covering the Subway 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. I've listed a selection of links below if you'd like to read some of my Arizona Republic stories.

One important bit of news coming this week is the Hendrick Motorsports' appeal of NASCAR penalties to Chad Knaus, etc. My impression -- from what I was told off-the-record last weekend, and reading between the lines of some on-the-record comments, as well as assessing body language, is whatever penalty Knaus and team may end up with will not be to the degree originally announced.

Monday notebook (Monday Night NASCAR TV, etc.) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/04/20120304nascar-more-weeknight-racing-after-daytona-500.html

Monday, Jimmie Johnson sidebar --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/04/20120304nascar-jimmie-johnson-phoenix-loose-wheel.html

Sunday Q&A with A.J. Allmendinger --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/03/20120303qampa-nascar-sprint-cup-driver-aj-allmendinger.html

Sunday notebook (Kurt Busch, jet dryers, etc.) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/03/20120303nascar-kurt-busch-hoping-phoenix-racing-will-help-him-rise.html

Sunday, Sadler wins Nationwide race --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/03/20120303nascar-nationwide-phoenix-elliott-sadler.html

Saturday notebook (Chad Knaus, etc.) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/02/20120302nascar-chad-knaus-surprised-by-suspension.html

Friday notebook (Roger Penske, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, etc. You won't read this lead anywhere else) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/02/20120302nascar-phoenix-roger-penske-switch-ford-sprint-cup-series.html

Thursday notebook (Matt Kenseth, Kenny Francis, Rusty Wallace, etc.) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/29/20120229matt-kenseth-best-buy-nascar.html

Wednesday notebook (Track prep, fuel injection, etc.) --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/28/20120228nascar-pir-delays-wont-slow-us.html

[ more next Monday . . . ]

DANICA's DAYTONA

BILL FRANCE Jr. HONORED: The late NASCAR president had a statue unveiled last week outside Daytona International Speedway. Jim France (left), Betty Jane France, Brian France and Lesa France Kennedy are in front.


UPDATE: I'll be on SiriusXM NASCAR radio Thursday at 1 p.m. ET with Rick Benjamin and Chocolate Myers.


As Trevor Bayne proved last year, there's a certain appeal to surprise winners.

With all due respect to John King and James Buescher, however, that didn't apply to their Truck and Nationwide victories at Daytona International Speedway. Not, at least, as it pertains to what I wrote here last week -- NASCAR's need to launch its season in the boffo way it did in 2011. At first glance, the Daytona 500's first-ever rainout and delay to Monday afternoon seemed to put a KO punch to that hope.

Until, that is, more rain pushed the race to Monday night. PRIME TIME on Fox. As I post this, the ratings aren't in, but if in fact they do turn out to be HUGE, will NASCAR and ISC give serious consideration to a permanent rescheduling to PT? (Especially if it's not up against the Academy Awards.) With the The Great American Race's move off the President's Day holiday weekend, that could well be a problem for ticket-buying fans, but something no doubt we'll read and hear about a lot more.

Congratulations to Matt Kenseth -- no surprise, there -- for winning a sometimes crazy, sometimes bizarre, sometimes routine Super Bowl of stock car racing.

Upon further review in my trained and experienced mind, though, I'm not sure how much it all mattered. It was Danica's Daytona -- and that had been ordained by the media Lords before the first wheel turned near the Florida beach.

All one had to do was watch the opening minutes of Fox's Budweiser Shootout telecast to know what was coming. Even though she wasn't in that race, it didn't take Fox a minute to showcase her, right there live-and-in-person on the set. Dear Danica was guaranteed to be making her Daytona 500 debut -- thanks to some owner points game playing -- and Fox had decided it was high time it grabbed its share of Danica away from the loving attentions offered by ESPN since 2005. Krista Voda's early Tuesday a.m. interview of a crashed-out (for the third time in three races) Patrick put a bow around the whole package.

Not that it was anything other than business-as-usual over at ESPN. "She's a better race car driver now than I thought she'd be three years from now," gushed ESPN reporter Marty Smith, obeying orders from Bristol not to miss any opportunity for breathless hype.

The most honest reaction of all Speed Weeks came from Allen Bestwick, when Danica was wrecked in Saturday's Nationwide opener. "Oh, no!," moaned Bestwick, undoubtedly echoing the thoughts of network management as visions of viewers clicking away raced through their heads.

Sunday morning, on ESPN Radio's Coach and Coleman show -- always the place for intellectually lightweight sports talk -- it was NASCAR/Danica conversation that made Brad Daugherty sound like a real racing expert. Oh, the agony for hosts like these two -- and all of the ESPN networks -- having to divert time and space away from its precious NBA for NASCAR.

(Over on Fox Sports Radio, four hours into the rain delay, a host whose name I didn't get said come the green flag Daytona fans "would be so drunk they won't remember what happened." Yes, I said this was on FOX. ESPN-like discipline to follow?)

Other than poses and sound bites, Danica did contribute video highlights which TV's bad-taste bottom-feeders delighted in. The various angles of Patrick's last-lap qualifying race crash were replayed by Speed almost instantly and, seemingly, on a continuous loop. I don't know about you, but when she hit the wall, I wasn't sure Danica would climb out OK. Which made the immediate use of her in-car camera, looking right at her, troubling to me. It was the most exploitive use of racing video since Carl Edwards flipped into the catch fence at Talladega a few years ago -- and remember, that left spectators injured. The legitimate news value of the video quickly gave way to the grotesque imperative for hype.

If you want a bottom line assessment of how ridiculous much of this got, just consider the amount of time wasted talking about how Danica positioned her hands when she was going to hit the inside wall at the end of the qual race. Much ado about nothing.

Except when it's about Danica and NASCAR. Unless you're a Patrick fan, it's going to be a long season. The media Lords and their obedient "journalists" will make sure of that.


Mark Armijo and I will have coverage of this weekend's NASCAR races at Phoenix International Raceway in the Arizona Republic. Below is a link to my Sunday NASCAR preview, and the rest of our work will begin Tuesday. My now traditional Sunday Newsmaker Q&A will be with AJ Allmendinger. If you aren't in AZ to buy the paper, see our stories at http://www.azcentral.com/ . Thank you.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/26/20120226nascar-2012-story-lines.html


Posted a little early, but here's my March "Drags, Dollars & Sense" column on CompetitionPlus.com . It's about the future of the Arizona Nationals:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/20376-knight-nhra-largely-to-blame-for-az-nats-shortcomings

[ more next Monday . . . ]

AND SO IT BEGINS

Last year's NASCAR season got off to such a great start one might have thought NASA was pushing the buttons and the starting line was at Cape Canaveral, not Daytona.

Think how those first three weeks went: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 pole, out-of-no where Trevor Bayne put the Wood Brothers' No. 21 back into victory lane at the Great American Race and impressed America during his media tour with a humble, God-fearing personality. Toss in Michael Waltrip's 10-year anniversary of his D500 win with a Truck series checkered flag and Tony Stewart's Nationwide series triumph. Then, onto Phoenix where Jeff Gordon got back on track with an ultra-popular victory over Kyle Busch.

Taken as a whole, Brian France couldn't have planned it much better. Or paid anyone to orchestrate it. And that rocket launch beginning provided momentum that carried through the long, LONG season. Add in five first-time winners, Tony Stewart's Chase glory, the end of the Jimmie Johnson era, and a Homestead for the ages and it wasn't surprising some key TV numbers showed a much needed boost.

One year later, France and NASCAR and the sport and the industry need it all to happen again.

One year of uptick will quickly be forgotten if the storylines aren't compelling, the racing good (or better) and the Business of Racing metrics still headed north.

Sure, a Junior or Gordon or Stewart (or, yes, Danica) victory in the Great American Race would be very good for biz. But, as Bayne proved last February, someone else can power the stock car sport to heights if it's the right he/she with the right personality and a personal story that the national media believes it just HAS to tell -- because it will attract viewers and readers.

I'm sure Brian and Co. are giving that a lot of thought this week. And hoping for another electric start for the Sprint Cup season. A wild Budweiser Shootout (too many wrecks for my taste), close Kyle Busch-Tony Stewart finish, and ESPN darling Carl Edwards on the pole isn't a bad beginning.


Here are links to three of my Arizona Republic NHRA stories from last week:
Friday, Courtney Force --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/16/20120216nhra-driver-courtney-force-great-expectations.html

Sunday, Jack Beckman Q&A --
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/19/20120219nhra-arizona-nationals-jack-beckman.html

Monday, new NHRA venue in Arizona?
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/02/20/20120220nhra-future-firebird-international-raceway-question.html


FAST LINES: The fans spoke and ESPN and NHRA woke-up, with live streaming returning to ESPN3 starting with the Arizona Nationals. Congratulations, folks, you did it . . . There will be an IndyCar test this week at Phoenix International Raceway. Don't automatically assume that means the series will return to PIR in 2013. But it will help show if the new track configuration and open-wheel cars are suitable for each other . . . NHRA's Arizona Nationals featured all teammate finals: John Force Funny Cars, Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuelers, and Summit team Pro Stockers . . . NASCAR did something last week I suggested to NHRA years ago. On the eve of the Sprint Cup season, Brian France E-mailed a note of thanks and appreciation to the news media. That's the kind of gesture that is remembered.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

FILLING THE VOID

This past weekend marked the annual transition on the American sports scene. The NFL -- the dominant U.S. sports league -- wasn't playing after a record-setting Super Bowl. What to fill the void?

Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Pebble Beach stepped forward. If all you paid attention to was ESPN, well, you would have thought the only game in town was the NBA. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The "Association" is the most over-covered sports league in this country. The fact that an unknown New York Knicks' player -- and it meant everything it was a New York guy -- had one good week was good timing for the All-Basketball-All-The-Time crowd. It took about five seconds for the shallow Jeremy Lin-Tim Tebow comparisons to flow from the media "experts." There was some baseball "hot stove" league chatter, involving the New York Yankees.

NHRA started at Pomona. It's only the first of 23 races but I have a growing sense of dread that this year's marketing philosophy is based on giving reverse gear a try. No one is going to convince me parking Larry Dixon for Khalid alBalooshi is good for the sport. Ditto Melanie Troxel on the sidelines. I'm as interested as everyone else in how Courtney Force races (look for my story on Courtney in this Friday's Arizona Republic), but she can't be expected to carry the Full Throttle series on her own shoulders. The print version of the all-important media guide was discontinued without consulting with the media and now we find out the live streaming on ESPN3 ain't happenin'. It does not bode well for a successful NHRA season, despite John Force's win to open the campaign.

NASCAR was on the sidelines, having moved Daytona back to avoid a potential Super Bowl conflict if the NFL had gone to an 18-game schedule. That changes this week as pre-Daytona 500 activities rev-up. Brian France is hoping something as headline-making as Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning the pole will happen again this year.


Here's a link to my February "Drags, Dollars & Sense" column on CompetitionPlus.com: Drag racing doesn't need any more John Forces --
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/20111-commentary-only-one-john-force-needed


Good News (for a change): A print version of National Speed Sport News will return March 23 as Speed Sport Magazine. The rights have been acquired by Turn 3 Media LLC, consisting of my friend and well-known broadcaster Ralph Sheheen (who will be publisher), Curt Moon and former Speed TVer Joe Tripp. Mike Kerchner returns as editor.

The http://NationalSpeedSportNews.com website continues. Print subscriptions are $24.95 with a digital edition for $12.95. Good luck and great fortune to all involved.


Mark Armijo and I will be covering this weekend's NHRA Arizona Nationals for the Arizona Republic, starting this Thursday. Look for my feature on Courtney Force Friday and my Q&A with Jack Beckman Sunday. If you're not here (100 years as a state) to buy the newspaper, check us out at AzCentral.com.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

GUIDE-LESS

In the early 1970s, in the early years of Pocono International Raceway, the press box was a slapped-together wooden structure that could seat 30 reporters. However, no matter where you sat, it was impossible to see the entire 2.5-mile tri-oval.

Now, understand, this was before the days of routine live TV coverage and monitors where replay-after-replay could be reviewed. Those of us covering on deadline -- I was by this time at the Philadelphia Daily News -- needed to be able to see what happened as it happened.

On one of the all-too-often rain days ("Poc-No-Go" we called 'em), a group of us met with track owner Dr. Joseph Mattioli, whose funeral was last week. We told him of our problem and someone wisely explained, "It's like trying to cover a baseball game without being able to see first or third base." Doc Mattioli got a little defensive and said, "What about Indianapolis? You can't see the whole track there either." As politely as possible, I told him that Pocono International Raceway wasn't the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and that what they could get away with at Indy wasn't what Pocono could get away with.

Pocono made improvements over time -- and everyone benefitted.

I was reminded of this last week, when NHRA announced there would be no hard copies of its 2012 media guide, only an online version. In justifying what was obviously a cost-saving move, NHRA noted that other sports had already gone all-digital. Quoting directly from the media notice:

"Thanks to increases in technology in recent years, it has become more practical for sports teams and leagues to eliminate printed copies and make their media guides available in digital-only formats. As many of you know, this has been an ongoing trend in major sports leagues since as far back as 2009. Many teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, major colleges, and the PGA Tour no longer print media guides."

With respect, I'm sorry to tell you this, NHRA, but you're not the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, major college or the PGA Tour. You're an ultra-niche sport that has struggled for many years to get on-going, consistent, national media coverage. And, as I've written many times, I don't think that's right -- I believe NHRA is an under-covered sport that deserves more than it gets.

For NHRA to try to explain-away a bean-counting -- not a media relations -- decision by comparing itself to truly Big Time sports teams and leagues shows it's out-of-touch with reality. Fine if football and baseball and golf think they can properly service media needs by going online only. NHRA can't. That is a cold, hard, honest FACT.

What's enormously frustrating to me is, for several years now, I have been encouraging NHRA to be more pro-active in developing good one-on-one relationships with key media. I don't mean E-mails -- I mean picking up the phone and actually TALKING with journalists. There is no substitute for the sound of the human voice but NHRA, maybe more than any of the other important racing sanction organizations, has continued to slip into the de-humanized world of E-mails, texting, Twitter and so forth. I guess the budget for phone calls got cut along with the media guide budget because, at least with me, the phone hasn't been ringing.

If -- IF -- the appropriate NHRAers had worked to foster such relationships -- and then actually bothered to pick up the phone and ASK -- it would have taken maybe 10 minutes to realize what a Big Mistake discontinuing the printed guide was. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway discovered just that last year. Anyone who has ever been under deadline writing pressure knows it's much easier -- and faster -- to pick up a printed guide and find the needed information than it is to store a story, go to a website or another file, navigate through it to find the needed page and information, then click out of that and go back to the original story. Add to that the slow and inconsistent Internet connectivity at many tracks -- already burdened by the large file size of photos and video -- and that just slows the process down even further.

Let me guess: NHRA, having saved peanuts on a printed media guide, isn't going to turn around and invest substantial dollars on trackside Internet upgrades.

I'll say it again: NHRA deserves more national media coverage than it gets. Already struggling mightily to make gains on that front, it just made a dumb bean-counting decision that will make it more difficult to cover the Full Throttle series. And give media looking for a reason not to cover drag racing another excuse.

As Roger Penske told me 30 years ago, self-inflicted wounds are the most painful -- because they could have been avoided. NHRA just hurt itself with a needless, self-inflicted wound.

If only someone would have asked first.

[ more next Monday . . . ]