20th ANNIVERSARY of MANSELL MANIA

(In recent weeks I've been interviewed by Robin Miller, for a story that appears in the May issue of Racer, and by John Oreovicz, for an Indy 500 program story. Both are on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Mansell Mania. I lived Mansell Mania first-hand, as PR director for Newman/Haas Racing. The following was published in another forum in September 2003, remembering the 10th anniversary of Nigel's historic PPG Indy Car World series championship. That year also represented the high-water mark for the Indianapolis 500, certainly in terms of worldwide media coverage and TV ratings. Now, another decade later, and with Indy 500 activities underway, it's worth another read.)


Paul Newman called it "The Great Adventure" and the greatest thrill came on Sunday, Sept. 19, 1993.

Nazareth seemed the least likely locale to host sports history this side of Cooperstown, but those who were at the less-than-a-mile Pennsylvania oval that day saw -- in my opinion -- one of the five most significant achievements in racing's modern era.

Nigel Mansell won the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix that afternoon by almost a lap to clinch CART's PPG Indy Car World Series championship. The Formula One title had yet to be determined, so for one remarkable week (until Sept. 26), Mansell possessed both of the world's premier open-wheel crowns.

Others talked about going for such glory. Mansell did it.

Some big-name motorsports executives and pundits didn't believe Carl Haas could get the 1992 world champion's signature on a multi-million-dollar contract -- rich, but far below F1 standards -- that would force him to trade Monaco for Milwaukee and share street courses with superspeedways. But give the often-underappreciated Haas, whose business smarts are longer than his cigars, credit: He had the vision to see the stars were aligned -- Mansell was at odds with Frank Williams and enjoyed family life away from the Isle of Man at his magnificent Clearwater, Fla., estate -- and the opportunity was at hand to bring the Brit Ferrari fans proclaimed Il Leone (The Lion) to America to replace the off-to-McLaren Michael Andretti.

Mansell came to CART with much more than the record-setting nine Grand Prix victories and 14 poles he attained in the Williams-Renault enroute to the '92 title, which he locked-up in August (!), the earliest that had been done since Jackie Stewart in 1971. Even his rivals conceded Nigel was bold and brave (Sports Illustrated termed him the world's "most daring" driver) and that style stirred the public's passions. Mansell Mania, as it was known, was no PR gimmick.

Let's look back on some decade-old snapshots-in-time.

In January, Mansell made his official debut for Newman/Haas Racing on the Phoenix mile. Typically, such a test might have attracted three or four reporters, but for this occasion, 90 media from nine countries were in attendance. Haas whispered to team publicist Michael Knight, "I think this might be bigger than we thought." About 200 interview requests were in-hand before the season started. Knight analyzed it as "auto racing's first 24-hour news cycle" and months later, thinking back on the Fleet Street tabloid scribes' nothing-is-too-sensational mindset, confessed, "I've learned to feel very sorry for Princess Diana."

In Australia, two months thereafter for his initial CART event, Mansell was the fastest qualifier on the streets of Surfers Paradise. After the race-morning warmup, he quietly took aside chief mechanic Tom Wurtz, and handed him a thick wad of cash. "Regardless of what happens today, the boys have done a fantastic job. Make sure they have a good dinner." This continued throughout the year and the entire team enjoyed many a fine filet mignon courtesy of Mansell meal money. (Nigel preferred to eat and retire for the night as early as possible.) Carrying the red No. 5 he made famous in F1, Mansell fell to fourth after the green flag, but soon found his footing and was in the lead by lap 16. Just before one-third distance, he was called in for a stop-and-go penalty for passing under a local yellow (Nigel said he never saw it), but team manager Jim McGee exploited a rulebook loophole and ordered the Kmart Lola Ford-Cosworth to be refueled and new Goodyears fitted. (CART eventually changed the rule.) Mansell regained the top spot after Emerson Fittipaldi's second pit stop, but had to stretch his fuel, and the engine began to sputter entering the last chicane on the final lap. He finished five seconds in front of Fittipaldi and became the first driver ever to claim both the pole and win in his Indy Car debut. Following a quick examination of his numb foot at the circuit's medical tent (a military-style field hospital provided by the Australian army), Mansell was taken by golf cart to the media center. This normally would have been about a three-minute walk, but even with a dozen soldiers clearing a path, it became a 15-minute trip as hundreds of rabid fans cheered and sang and chanted Mansell's name and waved Union Jack flags. Remembering that scene, Knight told ESPN's SportsCenter his thought was, "This is what it must have been like when Elvis was king." (One of Mansell's private pilots had actually worked for Presley.)

Back in Phoenix in April, Mansell was nearly a second quicker than the field in Saturday practice, when he spun backwards and punched a hole in the concrete wall between turns one and two. He was airlifted to a local hospital and kept overnight for observation because of a concussion. In England, the BBC interrupted regular programming for a news flash. Nigel flew home to Florida the next morning as teammate Mario Andretti came back from two laps down to win his 52d -- and last -- race.

In Long Beach, two weeks later, Mansell returned to earn another pole and finished third. Secretly, he made regular visits to the CART medical trailer, where doctors drained fluid from his lower back. This was an injury from the Phoenix crash and, in 10 more days, required surgery which forced Nigel to miss the Indy 500 rookie orientation program.

Mansell had never been inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until he received his doctor's OK to practice. Wednesday, May 12 was a breathtaking whirlwind, as Nigel took the mandatory physical exam, met with USAC officials, rode around the Brickyard in the pace car with Mario Andretti, completed his five-phase rookie test, and eventually stopped with the day's fourth fastest lap, 222.855 mph. The photographers' queue spilled over into Tony Bettenhausen's pit, which was adjacent to Nige's, and the press room had been expanded to accommodate the global journos. Mansell's late-afternoon news conference was, according to then-IMS PR director Bob Walters, "the most packed we had the entire month -- even more than Fittipaldi's, after he'd won." Mansell brought down the house by relating, in an English accent version of a Texas drawl, the advice he'd received from A.J. Foyt: "Just watch it, boy!" The media swooned, which is as rare as a writer turning down a free St. Elmo steak. Shav Glick of the Los Angeles Times summed it up this way: "In my 25 years of reporting motorsports, nothing I have seen matches Mansell's talents in switching from Formula One road racing to Indy Car ovals, particularly at Indianapolis, where he was running unbelievable speeds on his first day at the track -- even though he had never seen it before." Bob Markus of the Chicago Tribune added: "There are athletes who grab pressure by the throat and throttle it into submission. There are athletes who aim for the moon and reach for the stars. There are athletes who give the people what they want and then give them more. Make your own list, but put Nigel Mansell on it." In the 500, his first oval race, Nigel led 34 laps but inexperience on a restart with 16 laps remaining dropped him to third place. The $10,000 from Bank One (whose corporate Pooh-Bah mispronounced both ends of the recipient's name in making the announcement) as Rookie of the Year was pocket cash for Mansell, but the honor was meaningful. "This is an award you only get one chance to win," he remarked.

At Milwaukee, a week later, Mansell passed Raul Boesel for the lead with a spectacular move in turn four with 19 laps remaining. This time, he knew how to handle a restart with three to go, and became an oval winner.

A veteran of F1's tire wars, where qualifying rubber had a one-lap useful life span, Mansell was willing to go-for-it-all on those now-or-never occasions. On Detroit's Belle Isle, Nigel made a few of his mechanics recall Babe Ruth's mythic "called shot" home run, by calling the lap he'd drive the quickest. It was good for another pole . . . and just one of several times he radioed the team in advance of a fast lap.

Mansell hadn't tested at Michigan International Speedway, and found the track surface, bruised and beaten by winter weather, not to his liking -- and said so. In just his second 500-mile race, he led 222 of the 250 laps (including the last 167) and won by nine seconds over Newman/Haas mate Andretti, averaging above 188 mph. Of course, there was drama. The Michigan bumps and G-loads and long distance and August heat gave Nigel, like other drivers over the years, a headache. Aspirin was dissolved in the water bottle given Mansell on his last two pit stops, but that distressed his stomach, and he got sick inside his helmet with about 20 laps to go. Earlier in the weekend, he was introduced to Dale Earnhardt (there for the IROC event), and the two quickly developed a mutual admiration society.

Next, in seven days, Mansell marked his 40th birthday with a victory in New Hampshire. It was perhaps CART's most exciting race before use of the Hanford Device. On another mile oval he had never before seen, Nigel grabbed the pole, and fans sung "Happy Birthday" during driver intros. Mansell and Paul Tracy were the only leaders, with Fittipaldi always right there, and Nigel dropped to third during one pit sequence when Wurtz had trouble securing the right-front wheel. Nigel told the crew not to worry, and broke the tension by whistling as he went down the front straight, under yellow. With just four laps remaining, he made an amazing outside-line pass in turn two, and in the winner's circle said: "This is pure racing at its best. I've been in some races where I've been wheel-to-wheel at 200 mph with Ayrton Senna and that doesn't even come close to what we've done today."

Nazareth was Mansell's fifth victory of his historic campaign -- and fourth straight on an oval (!) -- and some of his rivals barely disguised their jealousy of his wealth and world-wide fame. Bobby Rahal's oft-quoted remark: "He puts his pants on one leg at a time, same as I do." David Letterman, however, was an unabashed fan, and welcomed Mansell on his late-night show as "the Michael Jordan of auto racing." Fittipaldi was Nigel's favorite, and even though they had a couple of on-track disputes, Mansell would admit, "I like and respect Emerson too much to be angry with him."

Gene Haskett, then general manager of Michigan Speedway, watched how crowds responded to the Englishman. "Whatever mystique is, Nigel has it," he commented. A few reporters actually made the supreme effort to attend a Kmart store autograph session, to see Mansell Mania for themselves. This is how Forrest Bond described his experience in RaceFax: "Aware of the size of the gathering, Mansell seemed anything but hurried . . . He was, throughout, attentive to each, thoroughly focused on the person before him, frequently joking and obviously enjoying himself. He held babies in his arms, kissing them for photographs that will long remain treasured items in the family album. He was, in short, as far removed from the stereotype of the arrogant and aloof F1 driver as one could imagine. It began to dawn why the Brits have taken him so to their hearts, for he truly has the touch." Dave Kallman's view, in a front-page Milwaukee Journal story: "If his business were music instead of racing, he'd be at least John, Paul, George and Ringo." Even Autosport's Nigel Roebuck, a sometime critic, had to offer a bow: ". . . the magnitude of his achievement can hardly be exaggerated . . . he has shaken everyone with his ability to turn left at colossal speeds. In traffic, particularly, he has had no peer on the ovals. Hats off."

In December, Mansell went to New York City, to be honored as Driver of the Year. He walked through Central Park before the awards luncheon and was amazed that Bernie Ecclestone ever considered it as a Grand Prix site. At the ceremony, Winston Cup titlist Earnhardt made a surprise visit, and admitted, "I had such a blast watching him race in F1. Then he comes over to Indy Cars and kicks tail again. I'm not sure I'd want him to come to NASCAR." Even though Rusty Wallace won 10 times, Benny Parsons conceded, "I have no problem with Mansell as Driver of the Year. The attention he brought to our sport was incredible." USA Today named him one of the "93 Most Compelling People of '93."

In retrospect, it's obvious 1993 was CART's greatest season, with unprecedented levels of public interest and U.S. and international news coverage. Ticket sales were good, sponsorships were strong, and nobody was worried about bad TV ratings. (And announcers didn't feel it necessary to hype-up drivers not household names in their own households.) It is nothing short of stunning to contemplate how far this once proud and mighty series has fallen.

Consider one final fact: Mansell usually took on fields of 28 or 29 cars, driven by undeniable talents such as Fittipaldi, Andretti, Rahal, Al Unser Jr., Danny Sullivan, Arie Luyendyk, Robby Gordon, Roberto Guerrero, Teo Fabi, Scott Goodyear and Scott Pruett. Now, one short decade since, CART has desecrated Mansell's Rookie of the Year stats by using them to sell Sebastien Bourdais. The Frenchman goes up against 10 fewer entries, which are steered by the likes of Rodolfo Lavin, Tiago Monteiro, Patrick Lemarie, Joel Camathias, Alex Sperafico, Roberto Gonzales, Alex Yoong, Geoff Boss, Mario Dominguez, Mario Haberfeld, and Gualter Salles. It is a bogus comparison, made in desperation, one sadly repeated by those in the anti-Tony George media who apparently have chosen to ignore the journalistic imperative of context.

Ten years ago, Mansell Mania made CART king. It was, indeed, "The Great Adventure." Cheers, Nigel.

***********************************************************************

I sent this out on Twitter last week, but here's my new CompetitionPlus.com column: Yes, NHRA, legitimate/informed criticism can be a healthy thing. I've gotten lots of interesting reactions to this column.
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/25017-michael-knight-will-some-every-truly-understand-journalistic-freedom

[ more next Monday . . . ]

AMERICA's RACE MONTH

I'll say it again this year as I have for many, many years:

May is America's race month.

Talladega, Darlington, Charlotte, Laguna Seca, Englishtown, Indianapolis, Monaco (counts since there is again a U.S. Grand Prix), the 500, the 600, and short-track action from coast-to-coast.

It's a time to enjoy the racing. Celebrate the stars. Appreciate the fans.

Within the industry, it's also a time to step-up, work harder, do better. Given that May turns the light bulb on to motorsports in newsrooms around the country, and given the coverage challenges faced by many series, NOW is when the MAXIMUM PROFESSIONAL effort needs to be made.

People have GOT to raise their game.

It doesn't cut it when I get a release saying a driver is going to compete in all five USAC Silver Crown pavement races but not one single date or location is listed. Or when I get post-race recaps from a NASCAR Truck team on Monday or Tuesday for races that happened Friday or Saturday. Or releases with the usual tripe about a driver is "excited" and "looking forward to" a race -- instantly deleted here.

People should not be writing NEWS releases if they haven't passed a basic News Writing 101 course. Proper news releases are written for the benefit of the media, not the ego of sponsor bosses. And then these people wonder why their stuff isn't used!

It continues to be a head-shaker at how many publicists don't update their distribution lists. I know of some writers who haven't covered the sport in years who still get releases while those who have assumed those duties don't. Ditto for updating lists for media events, press conferences, etc. It's nuts-and-bolts, non-glamorous, but important basic work. This is called paying attention to the details. It's one thing PR people are paid to do.

Finally, May is a good time for reflection, especially by those organizations who show little or no appreciation to those who have provided years and decades of good help -- sometimes far beyond the reasonable call of duty. ABC/ESPN and the Penske Racing and Goodyear so-called "PR" people top my current list of non-appreciaters. As I have pointed out for a long time -- in the example of Jim Chapman (as important a Business of Racing figure at the Indy 500 as there ever has been and who should be in the Speedway's Hall of Fame) -- this is a people business. That personal touch and demonstration of gratitude will never, ever be replaced by an E-mail, Tweet or IM.

Shame on those who collect a PR paycheck who don't get that. Or simply refuse to make the effort. 

[ more next Monday . . . ]

CONSIDER THE SOURCE

Following-up on what I wrote about here last week:

Where the media-in-general got into Big Time Trouble (read that: MISTAKES) in covering the Boston Marathon bombings was the over-use of unnamed sources. A very high percentage of "breaking news" and "exclusive" reports were based on anonymous sources. And, as we saw and heard, many of them did not have the true facts.

Anyone experienced in reporting on such an event should know the most-informed source of information comes from the top or those in charge. In Boston, the FBI quickly assumed jurisdictional command, and that meant the local police instantly became the least in-the-loop source. Sure, there's something to be said for "local knowledge," but when the feds take over, they husband the information. People like CNN's embarrassed and discredited John King should have known that. But, if you look back, you'll see how many of these inaccurate reports cited "local law enforcement sources." 

It was like cocktail party chatter: One person tells something to someone else, who tells another as if he/she were the one in the original "know," and it just keeps spreading. The second "source" really possessed no facts, just ears to hear what someone else said, and a mouth (and ego) to repeat it as if gospel.

I'll also bet you that when "federal" sources were mentioned in Boston stories, that meant congressional staffers. Honest and experienced reporters should understand people in this group often don't know anything happening outside their own office, always have their own agenda, and are usually looking to grease the path for a better job. The bad info that comes from congressional staffers is legendary and journos who went with this clearly don't know the business very well.

I wrapped last week by saying the sports journalism community is affected by the same problems as their news-side friends. Even a casual review of NASCAR reporting of recent years shows the trend toward the more sensational, the showbiz dramatic, get-it-out-first (and, in some cases by certain people), hope it turns out to be right. Social media has come to play a big role in this. I can tell you from first-hand conversations some of these press pass holders are obsessed with how many Twitter followers they have and that leads to shoving out stuff without proper verification.

Back when I started at the Philadelphia Daily News in 1974, the rule -- and this included sports -- was for at least two separate, and independent from one another, sources. Three were better. Well, that standard is as out-of-date in current journalism as a fountain pen. Far too often, one person saying one thing to one reporter is considered good enough to go with.

Therefore, you -- as a news consumer -- must be aware of whose byline is on the report. Has that person proven to be accurate over a significant time? Or a rumor repeater? Someone actually out there talking to the newsmakers or just copying off press releases and pit notes? Does he or she give an indication of the "quality" of the source? Warning: sourcing from a "garage area insider" is not sufficient for comfort. Sourcing from a driver, car owner, crew chief, track operator or other significant player is much better -- and believable.

It's all about who you can trust and who has credibility.

Full disclosure: I've been an anonymous source for racing stories many, many times over multiple decades. I understand the game, having been on both sides of the competitor/media fence. My own policy that applies to anything I report here or in other outlets is this: I only go hard with information from a single source if I know, for sure, that source has direct and first-hand knowledge of the situation. If not, or I'm not convinced, I've got to have at least one other source and independent of the first.

Yes, go ahead, call me old-fashioned.

But before believing what you read or hear, please do yourself a favor, and consider the source. The sad reality is not enough journalists these days do so.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

JOURNALISM 911

About two months ago Rasmussen Reports conducted a national telephone survey which showed 42 percent of Americans don't trust the news media. If you think that number is shocking, well, 12 percent believe the news reported by the media is not at all trustworthy. 

The "news" coverage of last week's Boston Marathon bombings show why.

I was in a position to be able to flip from NBC to ABC to CBS to Fox News to CNN to ESPN to CNBC and, God forgive me, even a little MSNBC. Victims of the violence in Boston weren't the only ones who needed to call 911. The American viewing public, the consumers of information -- and thus the customers of the networks -- should have been calling Journalism 911.

(Or, as I did on Twitter-- @SpinDoctor500 -- calling them out.)

What a disgrace. Yes, print media had its failings, too, but for now I'm talking TV.

The need to fill air time -- and the insane imperative to be "first"  (right or wrong be damned) -- led one talking head after another to embarrass a once proud profession with bad, wrong, inaccurate, false information. Now, the rush to "report" -- and get it wrong -- isn't new. When President Reagan was shot in 1981, ABC News told its audience that Press Secretary James Brady had died of his wounds. When that proved to be inaccurate, an angry (and well respected) anchor Frank Reynolds admonished his producers and reporters, “Let's nail it down, let's get it right.”  

Given that the attack took place at an important and iconic sporting event, ESPN correctly pre-empted other programming and went with a live newscast. I wasn't surprised old pro Bob Ley was a calming and informative presence. Maria Bartiromo smoothly went from telling what was happening in Boston to saying what impact it had on the stock markets (CNBC is a business channel.)

I had it with CNN when its national security analyst Peter Bergen said the attack could have come from a right wing, anti-tax group. John King, his own show recently canceled and fighting to save his career and impress new boss Jeff Zucker, was front-and-center with his "exclusive" that an arrest was about to/was made. It was a bad, Bad, BAD day for CNN because its historical reputation has been as the network of choice for Big Breaking news.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews (the man obviously needs help) also pointed to the right wing. FACTS? NONE! This immediately reminded me of when leftists accused Sarah Palin has having some responsibility for the Tucson shooting that involved Rep. Gabby Giffords.

Over at Fox News, prime anchor Shepard Smith repeatedly said he wouldn't engage in speculation, but then his producers provided him with one guest after another who did just that. The following day, anchor Megyn Kelly was reversing herself about every 15 minutes: An arrest is imminent. An arrest has been made. No arrest has been made. She should have left the set that day feeling very, Very, VERY embarrassed and excuses about "this is cable" were nothing but CYA. In fact, when Bill Hemmer followed her, he began by saying, "We're going to take it slow and get it right," which came across to me as a rebuke of Kelly. On Bill O'Reilly, Kelly described what happened as "unfortunate." To say the least!

Noted control freak O'Reilly complained for two nights that Boston wasn't a "tragedy," all the while network promos for his show asked viewers to watch him for the latest on the "tragic events." Monday, O'Reilly asked guest Peter King, the New York congressman, to come back the following night. King said yes. Next night, no King, and no explanation. We all could have done without Sean Hannity's knee-jerk finger-pointing. That was predictable and he should have been parked that night (and Friday) for a straight news show. In fact, shockingly, self-absorbed Hannity started to get into details of how a home-made bomb could be created, and had to be warned off that talk by a guest. It was bad, Bad, BAD for Fox News because it's the top-rated cable news network.

It used to be huge news stories like this one were an all-hands-on-deck situation. But Smith disappeared off his normal shows Wednesday and Thursday. Martha MacCallum, perhaps Fox News' most empathetic anchor and just back from a vacation, wasn't seen until Friday.

Tuesday, Fox News was the only network not to provide live coverage of President Obama's remarks on the defeat of gun control legislation. This was during The Five -- a few seconds of the president were shown, then it was right back to the yappers. It was an unbelievable lapse of news judgment, but reflective of the current cable TV mentality, where what the pundits say is considered by management as more important than what the actual newsmakers say.

As far as I can tell, CBS was the only one to get it right.

For all the excuses made for all of the mistakes, the truth is there is no true excuse. It's a sign of the times in the media. With the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination coming this November, I will point you to watch what was reported by CBS, NBC and ABC that day in 1963. No pundits, no speculation, just confirmed FACTS.

If all of these networks, and the major journalism schools and organizations, don't conduct a full-scale analysis of all that went wrong -- and then take concrete corrective measures -- that will be yet another signal that the death of real journalism is at hand. In particular, Zucker and Fox News President Roger Ailes had best strongly address their internal problems.

April 15 and 16 were days which will live in infamy for journalism.

And if you think credibility and trust aren't problems for the sports journalism community, too, you are wrong.


Here's the problem for NASCAR and the NASCAR media: On one hand, we're told the drivers have become too corporate, only say what their sponsors like. On the other hand, when someone like Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski launches on the sanction post-Texas, Fox's Larry McReynolds' reaction: "He (Brad K) needs to figure out that the less you say, the better off you’ll be. What he said the other night at Texas can do nothing but hurt him."  Which is it? Make up your mind, guys.


From Bob Margolis:
http://sledgehammerblog.com/2013/04/17/a-confession/


I thought it was a terrible mistake -- a slap in the face of the rest of the racing world -- when some continued to issue routine news releases in the days after Dale Earnhardt's death. But the worst I've seen since then came last week when the company that sells HANS devices cited NHRA Super Gas driver Derek Sanchez's fatal accident at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to encourage use/sales of its safety product. The release cited Sanchez by name and noted he was not wearing a HANS.  I know HANS President Jim Downing was and is frustrated that all drivers don't use such a safety device. But I'm nearly shocked Downing would authorize and allow his name to be used in such an insensitive document. Disgusting. I don't know whose idea this was, or who wrote it, but the listed contact is Gary Milgrom, a HANS VP. Other than a public rebuke, though, I'm not sure what consequence will follow.


[ more next Monday . . . ]

B & P of R

HIGH FLIER: Looks like Courtney Force got one of the last Blue Angels' VIP flights. The Navy last week canceled the Blues' performances for the rest of the year due to budget cuts. I arranged and was there when Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi flew with the Blues in 1997 -- A Great Day -- and Great PR for all involved. (Photo courtesy of John Force Racing.)

As I've said for years, you can't claim to be an in-the-know racing fan without knowing something about the Business and Politics of Racing. Sure enough, B & P of R elements ran through a number of last week's major news stories:

Texas Motor Speedway's one-year title sponsorship with the National Rifle Association was a lock to be a hot potato from the moment it was announced. Not surprisingly, the media asked NASCAR drivers about it, with Brad Keselowski saying,"I really just wish Tony Stewart or someone would throw a helmet or a punch so it wouldn’t be a story." As timing would have it, the NRA 500 ran the same week the U.S. Senate took up new gun control legislation and thus was a major national news story. Sen. Christopher Murphy (D, Conn.) played to his liberal contributor base by writing a letter to News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, asking that Fox Sports not televise the race. One reason cited was the track's tradition is for the race winner to fire trophy six-shooters (blanks) in victory lane. The letter was, in its own way, as ridiculous as the one from PETA to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway calling for the Indy 500 winner not to drink milk. Apparently the good people of Connecticut, still understandably moved by the Sandy Hook school shootings, have elected themselves a senator not familiar with basic constitutional and commerce issues. Bottom line: You can say the letter was as appropriate for a Connecticut politician as the NRA deal and pistol tradition are for a Texas sporting event. But it does show us sponsorship can be a tricky, controversial, matter -- that problem didn't leave racing with the tobacco companies. The ever-increasingly politically correct NASCAR is reviewing its sponsorship policies.

On another NASCAR front, the pit stop contest that has been staged in Charlotte before the All-Star race was canceled due to lack of sponsorship. Now, I'm all for a chance for the crew members to have their moment, but the appropriate way to do that is the Carb Day contest before the Indy 500 or the old Unocal challenge that used to be held at Rockingham. Moving the competition into a sterile sports arena took away the essential racetrack atmosphere needed to make this make sense -- and feel right. I've said for years the All-Star race should be scrapped because its original purpose -- putting NASCAR into the national media during May when the Indy 500 used to dominate -- no longer exists. The pit stop contest was just more TV programming filler and never made sense in that setting. Bottom line: The modern economic reality is there are limits to how much NASCAR the public wants to watch . . . and how much sponsors are willing to pay. Best bet would be to renew the contest next year as part of a major race and at a big venue, like Daytona, Las Vegas or Texas. Better yet would be to let tracks bid for it and rotate it on a yearly basis. 

While Izod officials decline to discuss the status of the company's IndyCar series sponsorship after this season, they are all-too-happy to talk-up their new and aggressive promotions and sponsorships in golf. Sports Business News detailed that program last week. Bottom line: When the seemingly inevitable announcement comes, will the chatroomers call for an Izod boycott as they did so many of the companies that bailed-out on CART/Champ Car starting in the late 1990s due to lack of meaningful Return on Investment? (None were driven out of business.) Last week I asked a former open-wheel racing Big Time sponsorship manager if he knew of any major decision his employer made based on chatroom chatter. His answer: "No. There aren't enough of them to make a difference."  And, a former GM of a speedway that hosted NASCAR and CART pointed out to me anyone can be considered an "expert" on these forums simply by posting a lot. Too bad for Izod they didn't think to pull the plug last week, as the chatroomers were otherwise busy commenting on an inappropriate, anonymous post about a prominent national motorsports writer -- A fine example, indeed, of the Internet sewer.

Red Bull Formula One said there will no longer be team orders. Bottom line: See ya, Mark Webber. And, possibly, team principal Christian Horner, who obviously is not able to control his drivers. 

NASCAR published the format for the July 24 Mudsummer Classic Camping World Truck series race at Eldora Speedway's dirt track. It includes qualifying heats and a feature separated into segments. Bottom line: Cost saving rules for teams and a track with no SAFER barriers.

Twitter: @SpinDoctor500

[ more next Monday . . . ]

THE DANGEROUS EXPECTATIONS GAME

It's sure difficult to live up to expectations. 

But, then, it depends on how you play the expectations game. A presidential candidate can actually claim a "win" by losing but doing better than expected in a primary election. It's happened plenty of times -- Bill Clinton went a long way toward becoming No. 42 by besting the pundits' predictions in the 1992 New Hampshire primary.

For close to a quarter-century Indy Car racing has been looking for a CEO "savior" to lead it to the promised land. I -- and you -- are still waiting. It's absolutely a case of "here we go again" as Hulman & Co.'s new non-family boss, Mark Miles, contemplates who will run IndyCar. We've already tried lawyers, marketing gurus, car owners, mechanics, promoters, biz guys, family members and even a cowboy.

I'm saying it might be time for a different approach. How about Miles himself taking on the "savior" mantle and hiring some experienced, racing savvy administrators to handle the more routine and day-to-day matters? Some solid, if not rock-star spectacular, managers seems to make a lot of sense to me.

Meanwhile, a case study on raising expectations to unrealistic levels is in front of us in the form of NASCAR's Gen-6 Sprint Cup car.

Lay that square on Brian France. The NASCAR chairman talked-up this car as not only as good looking as Jennifer Aniston but also as results-oriented as Warren Buffet's investment advisor.

Going back to mid-season last year, France put the bar at metrics such as more side-by-side racing and more passing and more "Wow" moments. He had the sanction go all-in on Gen-6 with the media and public and that's why in an Arizona Republic story earlier this year about competition VP (and Gen-6 point man) Robin Pemberton, I wrote: "The person under the most stress to succeed in NASCAR this year might not be a driver."

The car and the drivers and crew chiefs trying to figure it out  haven't reached the France-established level. Not yet. We live in a society with little patience. A thrilling Texas and Talladega are looking more and more like a near "must" for NASCAR to keep its expectations game going.   I think the smartest thing I've heard this year came from Clint Bowyer during an interview I did with him in February. Let me quote the 5-Hour Energy Toyota driver.

“The thing is, society changes. It’s like in motorcycle racing: When I grew up, throwing the thing sideways was the biggest ‘wow’ factor you could get. Now, a double back-flip doesn’t even impress people.

“NASCAR might have had 100 passes back in the day, and that satisfied the fans. If there’s 1,000 passes today, that doesn’t necessarily capture the audience and keep them enthused. It’s hard to create what society asks for, no matter what you do.

“People grow to expect bigger and better and more, and that’s a difficult thing to deliver when racing at 200 mph.

“To me, that’s a ‘wow’ factor all it’s own.”

In talking about the stomp to Bristol ticket sales since the track was changed from NASCAR's beatin'-and-bangin' Coliseum to two lanes, Jimmie Johnson said:

"For the longest time we didn't think the racing was all that good from a competitor's standpoint. But, we had a sold-out event here with a long waiting list. They change it, drivers are happy, the track is very racy, but you can't sell out the spring race. Last year's race, we were all fighting for one lane which was at the top instead of the bottom. Somebody throws a helmet and it's considered a good race. So, I'm not sure racing and entertainment kind of go in the same piece."

Well said by both Bowyer and Johnson. I agree.

It's essential for racing's Powers-That-Be to consider how their words and actions will impact the expectations of fans, sponsors, drivers, owners, promoters and media BEFORE actually speaking or doing.

I'm not sure much of that is going on, though.


My new CompetitionPlus.com column is about what live TV means to NHRA and includes some revealing Business of Racing numbers:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/24661-michael-knight-what-live-tv-means-to-drag-racing


I'll have a notebook in this Friday's (April 12) Arizona Republic or find it at AzCentral.com or on Twitter: @SpinDoctor500

[ more next Monday . . . ]

ROBBY GORDON's LATEST ADVENTURE

Robby Gordon's new Stadium Super Truck series debuts this Saturday night (April 6) at University of Phoenix Stadium. I'll be there covering for the Arizona Republic but since the race will run past the deadline for the print edition please go to AzCentral.com to read my race story.

I've talked to Robby a few times in recent weeks and will have a story in the Republic this Friday to preview the event. I won't write here what will be in that story but the business model Gordon has created for this series (sanctioned by USAC) is of interest.

Let's just say Robby's not too enchanted by the current NASCAR business model, so after a few years of running his own team, he's parked his Cup car. His Charlotte (there's a test track there available to any series driver) shop builds and maintains all of the Traxxas Slash-esque trucks and entrants pay a franchise fee (first 30 are locked-in but 16 are expected at Phoenix) for what is essentially a turn-key operation. Individual teams can then sell their own sponsorship deals. Arie Luyendyk Jr. is partially funding his effort via fan contributions at www.ArieTruck.com . Jegs.com is backing Ricky Johnson. Jeff Ward and Justin Lofton are confirmed and JJ Yeley told me during the Phoenix NASCAR weekend that he's in, too.

There's no auto manufacturer participation right now. That's not to say there won't be in the future. I'll explain that more in Friday's story but Robby did emphasize to me he wants a series where drivers competing elsewhere can come without a commercial conflict.

There's $60,000 in prize money at each of the 12 events with $500,000 to the series champion. Gordon has a deal with NBC and NBC Sports Network for delayed coverage. Other venues include Long Beach, the Los Angeles Coliseum and NFL stadiums Soldier Field, Georgia Dome, Metro Dome and Cowboys Stadium, among others.

The series, of course, is modeled largely on the popular one Mickey Thompson operated in the 1980s. Gordon (and Jimmie Johnson) ran there. Gordon's group essentially runs the whole show, including setting-up and cleaning-up the track.

Given his own off-road history and "my way" attitude (I did the PR for Robby's Meijer-sponsored team at the 2004 Indy 500 when he was doing the Double with Richard Childress), I'm not surprised Gordon has taken this on. He's explained to me why he thinks the time is right and why there's a place for yet another racing series. We'll all get a first chance to evaluate it all this Saturday night. 


Since there's no live TV of Gordon's Stadium Truck race I'll plan to do a little Tweeting of news/results from University of Phoenix Stadium. I'll also Tweet the links to my Friday advance and Saturday night race stories. @SpinDoctor500

[ more next Monday . . . ]

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS?

Oh, how the mighty fall -- and fast.

Of course the Indianapolis 500 is the best example in motorsports -- from the all-time high of (Nigel) Mansell Mania 20 years ago this May to a race largely of nobody drivers in 1996 while the "stars" ran at Michigan in CART's U.S. 500. Indy -- and the open-wheel series no matter who is in charge -- has never recovered.

But there are many other examples. Boxing and horse racing quickly come to my mind. And, in an example ripped from today's headlines, there is NBC's Today show. The departure of two consecutive popular female co-anchors, a badly miscast replacement, and her botched removal (done so badly one might have thought the IMS Corp. had pulled the plug) for a lightweight dropped the highly-profitable morning show from the No. 1 position which had seemed as constant as death and taxes to behind ABC's Good Morning America. It says here Matt Lauer (who was in over his head as a reporter on Robin Leach's old Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) will never recover his standing with morning TV's core female viewership.

NASCAR got itself into trouble with the woeful Car of Tomorrow and its unloved rear wing, as out-of-place in stock car racing as Michael Moore at CPAC. Spectators and viewers were turned off and the sanction's latest attempt at a comeback is rooted in the showroom-esque Gen-6 car.

All of the above, and plenty more, should serve as a case study for the High and Mighty National Football League.

Obviously scared by the suicides of players and former players and lawsuits and the tide of public and scientific and medical opinion, the NFL is rapidly rewriting its rulebook to try to deal with concussions and brain injuries. What arguably was the sport's most exciting play, the kickoff return, has been neutered into boredom. Quarterbacks and receivers have extra protection from those classic "hard hits." And, last week, came word that running backs won't be allowed to initiate contact with a lowered head as Hall of Famers have done for decades.

Don't misunderstand: I'm all for safety -- in every sport. But the NFL, which so dominates TV ratings and thus TV rights fees, commercial rates, sponsorships, media coverage and other categories, does risk alienating fans as it transforms itself into a "safer" game. Rush Limbaugh already is influencing his sizeable audience with such talk.

No one will admit it, but . . . I guarantee you smart executives connected to other sports series and leagues are at least thinking of how they might grab some of the NFL's mojo -- and money -- if the public votes "no" on kinder and gentler football.

Hello, Brian France, Mark Miles, Tom Compton and Scott Atherton?


Formula One can be cold, cruel, bizarre and byzantine. Add to the mix corporate team ownership, politics, Eurozone regulations and God-only-knows how many lawyers and you get this, a disclaimer posted at the end of the Mercedes team's press releases. (Thanks to Tim Wohlford for alerting me to this.)

This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current views about future events.  Thewords "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should" and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our most important markets; a worsening of the sovereign-debt crisis in the euro zone; a deterioration of our funding possibilities on the credit and financial markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, political unrest, industrial accidents and their effects on our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities; changes in currency exchange rates; a shift in consumer preference towards smaller, lower margin vehicles; or a possible lack of acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to achieve prices as well as to adequately utilize our production capacities; price increases in fuel or raw materials; disruption of production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes, or supplier insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization measures; the business outlook of companies in which we hold a significant equity interest; the successful implementation of strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes in laws, regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending governmental investigations and the conclusion of pending or threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and uncertainties, some of which we describe under the heading "Risk Report" in Daimler's most recent Annual Report. If any of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or if the assumptions underlying any of our forward-looking statements prove incorrect, then our actual results may be materially different from those we express or imply by such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made.


The Izod IndyCar series certainly needed a good start to its new season and got one with an entertaining street race in St. Pete. Now, the real question: Did it translate to TV ratings? The fact that NBC Sports Network's presentation of the Australian Grand Prix got roughly half the audience last year's race on Speed did is a cause for concern. Of course, it all was overshadowed by the Denny Hamlin-Joey Logano finish in California.

 
Must read Gordon Kirby salute to a great guy:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2013/the_way_it_is_no376.html


Last week on Twitter: I did two breaking news alerts on Robby Gordon's new Stadium Truck series plus a memory at the start of the 20th anniversary of (Nigel) Mansell Mania: @SpinDoctor500

[ more next Monday . . . ]

DESTINATION NBCSN

NBC Sports Network made its first full-season rebranded debut as a Big Time motorsports media destination last weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. The next step comes with this Sunday's (still, barely) "Izod" IndyCar season opener in St. Pete.

I have serious concerns with the choice of Leigh Diffey as anchor of both series. His is a presentation best consumed in small servings. So how he'll play out almost weekly over two series . . . well, in fairness, I'll reserve judgment for now. It's a mistake, however, for NBCSN to have retained Mr. Irrelevant: Wally Dallenbach Jr., and moved Jon Beekhuis to the pits. We've seen Beekhuis as a pit reporter before and it should be obvious -- even to Mr. Irrelevant (who showed at Fontana he doesn't even bother to learn the rules) -- that Jon is better positioned upstairs. 

The best news I've heard in some time came with word that Monaco will be shown live on the NBC broadcast (not cable) network. With the announcers and key production people actually on site (lame duck Speed didn't even send its crew to Austin, Texas.) To the best of my memory live network Monaco will be a first and that offer no doubt was a big selling point with Bernie Ecclestone and Co. in grabbing the rights away from Speed (soon to be Fox Sports 1.) The Big Issue will be if the production will boost the name-recognition value of F1 drivers in this country.

Ratings and household audience, of course, are what counts. Combining the majority of events of both open-wheel tours on NBCSN will be a meaningful Business of Racing story over the upcoming months.

However, I ultimately expect that NBCSN will be a bidder for a piece of the next NASCAR contract. Certainly in Sprint Cup. Who knows? Maybe even the Nationwide series, which has gone from "a diamond in the rough" for ESPN to an obvious annoyance to be worked around -- especially come college football season.

As for IndyCar -- after hosting its major pre-season media day at an obscure (if nice) road course in the open-wheel hotbed of Alabama (it did make logistical sense) -- comes the green flag for a series still without clear-cut leadership or a clear-eyed vision for its future. Despite legitimate calls from fans and cheerleader media for a focus on the actual racing, those who actually pay the bills (team owners, track operators) or are needed to pay the bills (corporate sponsors) know the No. 1 most important overriding issue remains the ownership and management of the series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. The leaked portions of the embarrassing Boston Consulting Group's out-of-touch-with-reality report sure didn't help. That document was so way-out it might as well have been written on Pluto.


Which leads me straight to this: Let me suggest it's time for racing execs to stop wasting Big Money on outside consulting firms. With the Boston Consulting Group debacle still fresh-in-mind, last week brought SME Branding's "United SportsCar Racing" name (boring and something anyone could have thought of in five minutes) and logo (conveys nothing to anyone except, perhaps, hard-core sports car fans -- look at the NBA or baseball logos and you immediately visualize the sport) for the ALMS/Grand-Am series in 2014. The presenting SME partner described them as “modern, aspirational, authentic, unique, exciting.”  I'll give him points three and four. ALMS President Scott Atherton said: “When it came to the branding of our newly merged entities, we felt we had one chance to get it right – and now we believe we have done just that." Sorry, Scott, NO. Will you still consider this name a good choice three years from now? NO, it won't make sense, quite possibly forcing another name change and another round of public confusion (New viewer: "United? Does that mean there was a time when it wasn't united?" That split history is best forgotten) and expense. That's the truth despite the self-serving claptrap from the Branding exec about "a long-term proposition.”
(Yes, I know, a fan contest was a part of this process.)

Question: How much cash business will this new name, logo and branding generate? That, my friends, is the REAL Business of Racing issue at play here.

There will be five classes, which I consider at least one too many for a public which has signaled that simplicity counts a lot, but I know this has to be to maintain car counts. Zip announced about series sponsorship or TV. In a way, it's nice that the traditional IMSA name was retained for the sanctioning body, but given the obvious realities I'd have put it under NASCAR sanction.   


P.S. 1 to last week's blog: One other minor detail: Brad Keselowski's Nationwide series sponsor is a company with headquarters in SCOTTSDALE! Making the professionally inexcusable truly professionally incomprehensible.

P.S. 2: I promised to name the names of those who, on a positive note, have provided good PR assistance to me this year. In random order:

Elon Werner, Dave Densmore, Megan Englehart, Drew Brown, Anthony Vestal, Jeff Wolf, Scott Woodruff, Tom O'Connor, Joe Crowley, Jennie Long, Kristi King, Kelly Wade, Jon Edwards, Ryan Barry, Dave Ferroni, Jennifer Jepson, Stacy Pearson, Amy Konrath, Nancy Wager and John Chuhran.

And some others who have gone at least a little out of their way to be extra cooperative, helpful or kind:

Jeff Gordon, Mike Helton, John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Courtney and Brittany Force, Antron Brown, Danica Patrick, Ron Capps, Larry Dixon, Jack Beckman, Del Worsham, Clint Bowyer, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Jack Roush, JJ Yeley, Michael McDowell, Dave Rieff and Alan Reinhart.

Thank you, all.


Based on a couple of recent E-mails, I see the need to restate how I'm using Twitter: 1. As a old-fashioned ringing-bells headline news alert service; 2. As a way to raise awareness and distribution of my media activities; 3. As a blog between blogs when the situation demands. Examples of all three happened last week. @SpinDoctor500


Flip a coin on what's been the biggest PR disaster of the last two weeks: The White House canceling visitor tours or NASCAR fining Denny Hamlin.


Why drag racing fans should be mad as hell. My new CompetitionPlus.com column:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/editorials/24422-michael-knight-why-drag-racing-fans-ought-to-be-mad

[ more next Monday . . . ]

A CHAMPION'S RESPONSIBILITY

The "responsibilities" of being a champion have been in discussion in the major racing series for a long time. We talked about it even when I was CART's first communications director starting in November 1980. During that time I was lucky to work with two first-class champions in Johnny Rutherford and Rick Mears.

A review of racing history shows some have taken the duty more seriously than others.

These days, it's a much more pressing issue. The national economy, multi-million dollar sponsorships and broadcast contracts, TV ratings, at-track attendance, souvenir sales and the bursting social media scene have demanded it. That's known as the Business of Racing.

Consider all the 2012 post-season talk about Brad Keselowski. Very savvy and active on the social media front, Brad K's youth and more-relaxed style had people calling him NASCAR's champion for a new generation. Remember, this is the guy who got Roger Penske to wear jeans (once, anyway) and produced some memorable post-Homestead interviews after enjoying his sponsor's product in celebration of the Sprint Cup. (Brad admitted to a "buzz.")

People wondered how Miller beer and Ford and NASCAR's Integrated Marketing Communications Department would use Keselowski in the media and ad campaigns. That was a different sort of "buzz."

But the responsibilities of champion extend beyond the driver who hoists the trophy. I would argue they extend to his team and maybe even his sponsor. At least, to a sponsor who "gets it."

Which brings me to the other week's Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. As I have since 2007, I was covering for the Arizona Republic. I'll skip the specifics but at both PIR and the previous weekend's NHRA Arizona Nationals, I spent a lot of my own time on what I'll call "political PR." I did so because it was good business and the smart thing to do. Happily, a handful of people in both series understood and it was Mission Accomplished.

But, once again, I was dismayed at the non-performance of the majority of the NASCAR PR community. Including that of the Cup championship team.

It is clear too many of these people don't bother to do basic homework. You'd be amazed at how many didn't (or still don't) know that the Republic newspaper is connected to AzCentral.com to Channel 12, the NBC network TV affiliate in Phoenix. The Republic is the state's largest newspaper. AzCentral.com is the No. 1 site for news, sports and entertainment info. Channel 12 moved out of its own studios and into the Republic building downtown. Put it all together and this is the state's largest newsgathering organization.

Considering the size of the market, and it's demographic diversity, and the fact that NASCAR Chairman Brian France's first racing job was running a track in Tucson and he has been quoted by me in print that that means he has an extra special interest in the success of motorsports in Arizona, one might reasonably think the NASCAR PRites-at-large would make an extra special effort here on behalf of their sponsors and the industry as a whole. I see no evidence that happens. (Of course there are a few exceptions, and they stand out, believe me. Fair is fair and I'll acknowledge them by name here soon.)

The spotlight of that failing, at least for this past race, is on the championship team. Apparently beer, motor oil and cars aren't sold in AZ. Ditto trucks leased. I say that because there was not a PR word from the title team to Arizona's biggest newsgathering operation.

There is no legitimate explanation because there is no legitimate excuse. Penske's multi-billion dollar empire was built, in basic part, on the fundamental of making sales calls. But his in-house so-called "PR" operation seemingly doesn't know a fundamental part of the job is to make such sales calls -- talk with the media. But when the person in charge, upon his occasional media center visits, talks to some but completely ignores others (a fact duly documented by several Jim Chapman Award committee members), is willfully ignorant and/or not respectful of historic good coverage, and oblivious to how it makes common sense to outreach to past, current or potential media "customers," it all adds up.

(Another case of the supervisors not supervising and the overseers not overseeing.)

Jim Chapman, who knew and respected Penske (and vice versa), would be shocked and left aghast.

These guys didn't bring their A Game to a huge market, one NASCAR's boss is on record saying is of special interest to him. (Being responsive to that is what is known as Good Politics.) What they brought was their F Game.

Bad business? You bet.

Poorly representing, and not delivering maximum value to paying-the-bill sponsors? Yes.

Not fulfilling the responsibilities of champion? Absolutely.

[ more next Monday . . . ]

OF PIR and REALITY

The backflip is back.

Two hectic NHRA and NASCAR race weeks are over in the Valley of the Sun. I'm linking some of my Arizona Republic stories below -- please go to www.motorsports.azcentral.com for more from me, Mark Armijo and others. Even if you think you read everything there was to read about Danica Patrick during Daytona, please see my Q&A with her, which got spectacular "play" in Sunday's paper. The questions asked were of SUBSTANCE -- and you might find her answers about the responsibility of being a role model, the media, and other things of interest.

Meanwhile, two things happened in the past week to prove yet again how far some highly paid (and hyped) people are out-of-touch with real-world reality:

I sent out a Twitter about the absurb proposed IndyCar schedule from Boston Consulting Group, as reported by the Associated Press. Why bother suggesting things that by contract -- and common sense -- aren't possible, certainly in the near-to-mid term? This is supposed to be a serious business organization? Just ridiculous.

Then, Sunday, on ESPN Radio, Bob Ryan and Mike Lupica chatted that the most important story of the year -- not just in sports, but everything -- is the Dennis Rodman visit to North Korea? Really? Two mouths living in their own, isolated, self-important world.

Monday notebook (Danica crash, etc.):

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130303danica-patrick-nascar-pir-crash-turn-four.html

Sunday Danica Q&A:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130301danica-patrick-embraces-her-differences.html

Kyle Busch wins Nationwide race:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130302kyle-busch-wins-again-at-phoenix.html

Saturday notebook (Danica, Junior, Yeley and IndyCar):
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130301danica-patrick-not-expecting-daytona-results-phoenix.html

Thursday: Gordon, Bowyer return to scene of brawl:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130227dust-has-settled-at-phoenix-international-raceway-but-has-feud.html

[ more next Monday . . . ]

HEADLINES and HYPE

DOES THE NATIONAL MEDIA KNOW WHO THIS IS?: Courtney Force in victory lane at Pomona. (Photo courtesy of Ron Lewis.)


I'm not going to do what so many "journalists" do these days -- write about what I don't know about. I'm just home from the NHRA Arizona Nationals and haven't yet watched a tape of the Daytona 500. So I'm not going to comment on The Great American Race.

For now, I'll just stand on this story from Sunday's Arizona Republic. ESPN already has used John Force's first quote :
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130223courtney-force-gets-win-danica-patrick-gets-press.html

Here's a link to my story on the Force racing dynasty from last Friday:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130220fear-courage-will-force-daughters-stare-down-danger-nhra.html

And, if you're hoping Ashley Force Hood will be back driving anytime soon, read this on CompetitionPlus.com:
http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/24267-force-hood-has-no-secret-plan-for-return-


It's NASCAR week in Phoenix. Mark Armijo and I will have the Arizona Republic's coverage starting Tuesday. That's AzCentral.com on the web. I'll have notebook every day starting then, plus a Kurt Busch feature on Thursday. Look for one of my infamous Q&As Sunday -- with Danica Patrick. Yes, I'll Tweet as time permits and legitimate news demands. @SpinDoctor500 .


FAST LINES: Good move by NHRA to return to a print version of its media guide after online only last year. Take note, Indianapolis Motor Speedway . . . Will someone in ESPN management please tell Tony Kornheiser to shut the bleep up about auto racing? Cranky Korny puts his foot in his mouth every time he talks motorsports. Last week he said Danica Patrick had to drive "four laps" to win the Daytona 500 pole. Legit question: How many other sports does he yap about without knowledge? . . . The Adam Carolla and Juliet Huddy segments on The O'Reilly Factor are so vacuous they'd be just right on Around the Horn . . . I wrote here at the time that CNN's Candy Crowley should have been suspended from all political coverage through the end of the election after her unprofessional and biased performance as a presidential debate moderator. Well, last week, one of the Commission on Presidential Debates co-chairs, Frank Fahrenkopf, finaly admitted selecting Crowley was a "mistake." 

[ more next Monday . . . ]

BUSY WEEKS

What a busy couple of weeks these are going to be!

While most of the racing world will be focused on Daytona and the start of the NASCAR season, a scheduling decision beyond my control (and approval) means I'll be watching NHRA's Mello Yello series Arizona Nationals at Firebird Raceway this weekend. Then, next weekend, NASCAR comes to Phoenix International Raceway for Cup, Nationwide and the first U.S. Mexico series events. That will be 12 straight days I'll be in the paper.

I'll be covering for the Arizona Republic (that's AzCentral.com) along with Mark Armijo. And, yes, I'm sure I'll be doing a little Twittering -- but only as time and REAL news allows and calls for. For those so inclined, that's @SpinDoctor500 .

I'll have an NHRA notebook this Thursday and a Brittany Force feature Friday before the on-site racing coverage begins. PIR week I'll be doing notebooks starting Tuesday and a Thursday Kurt Busch feature. Mark will have feats beginning Tuesday before we head to the track.


See Unconventional Wisdom above for what I consider to be a total media disgrace at Daytona. (Rapidly approaching cable TV level, which made Marco Rubio reaching for a water bottle into a disqualifier for high office.) This is what "reporting" has dumped into and apparently, based on recent hiring/staffing decisions, what media Powers-That-Be want.

While a lot of space and airtime has been wasted on this, Dale Jr.'s new potato chips and so forth, what quite possibly might be the most significant NASCAR story in at least a decade has been covered but, too often, not placed into necessary context. That's the new, so-called "Gen-6" car. THAT was the elephant in the room -- what will happen with NASCAR if this car doesn't stir the passions of fans? -- in the interview area.

It should be obvious to those paying attention (and it seems many are not) that NASCAR is Betting Big on this car. Brian France has set the bar high, saying he's looking for more lead changes and more "Wow moments." What happens if that doesn't happen? If the TV ratings and ticket sales and overall water-cooler buzz don't reflect a re-energized fan base and a wider public interest? I would think the NASCAR chairman's next move might be drastic, including on the staff front.

It's a huge story impacting stock car racing's short, medium and long-term future. Where are those stories?


Here are links to two Arizona Republic stories. Last Friday's Q&A with Earnhardt, and Sunday's Cup season preview focused on the new car:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130213qa-with-nascars-dale-earnhardt-jr.html?nclick_check=1

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/20130212nascars-newest-car-model-distinction.html

[ more next Monday . . . ]

SCHEDULING HEADACHES

It sure can be frustrating to be a racing fan -- or journalist.

I believe I was the first one to point out in a national forum -- on Rick Benjamin's old SiriusXM Formula One show in late summer of 2011 -- that F1's return to the U.S. at Circuit of the Americas the following November was scheduled in direct conflict with NASCAR's Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I said that, in terms of domestic media attention, it would be a "local" as opposed to the "national" event it rightly should have been. It was an easy prediction and, sure enough, that's exactly what happened -- no matter what you might have read elsewhere recently about CoTA's "massive" coverage. Big crowds, happily, yes. Big American news stories, sadly, no.

D-U-M-B!

The scale is different, but Arizona race goers are about to face a similar stupefying predictament.

NHRA's Arizona Nationals at Firebird Raceway go Feb. 24. That happens to be the same day NASCAR will put on a little event known as the Daytona 500. It's also one week before Cup and Nationwide drivers will be at Phoenix International Raceway.

Having worked for two series (CART and IROC), I don't need any lectures about the challenges of piecing together a schedule. I understand. But . . . 

The loser, at least in terms of media coverage for series and team sponsors, will be NHRA. That reality was as obvious as the Arizona sun from the moment NHRA released the Mello Yello calendar. Considering the importance many companies place on this market -- large and demographically diverse -- that Glendora would be willing to subtract from the publicity, promotional and marketing value of a Phoenix-area event is impossible to justify. 

Now, last year's on-site attendance at Firebird was impressive and an increase from 2011, so local interest has been demonstrated. Of course, those people didn't have to miss watching the Daytona 500 or face the financial challenge of buying tickets to races two consecutive weeks. Sure, some will DVR Daytona, but honestly, such a huge race -- featuring the official debut of Cup's new car -- is best and most enjoyably viewed live, not delayed.

As I've said many times, drag racing is an undercovered sport, and its participants deserve better. Better, certainly, than what they surely will get with the Arizona Nationals -- an event NHRA continues to treat like a second-hand step-child -- on the same day as the Daytona 500. With NHRA negotiating to obtain the Firebird lease, one can only hope that will soon change.


Two Arizona Republic stories coming from me this week. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be in the Valley to promote the March 3 Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. I'll do a Q&A with him scheduled to run Friday (Feb. 15). On Sunday (Feb. 17) will be my NASCAR preview, focusing on the new Sprint Cup car. (This would normally run the Sunday before PIR but NHRA is here.) I'll no doubt have a Twitter or two from my talk with Junior: @SpinDoctor500 . Those two stories will also be available at AzCentral.com .


Super Bowl Blackout P.S. -- CBS should have had a news division correspondent and producer on standby and ready to react when the lights went out. Ex-jock sideline announcers obviously didn't have the journalistic chops to report the breaking news -- and it showed. No excuse for the network, at a sporting event that is major national news, not to be ready for any such hard-news situation. And, on the PR front, while the NFL likes to control every aspect of the Super Bowl "message," a Superdome spokesman (who, one would assume, had the best knowledge of the facility and its operations) should have been quickly available to talk to the TV audience.


A good suggestion worth trying: A reader asked if I'd use my new Twitter capability to write blog-worthy items that happen between blogs. OK, that makes sense to me. I'll give it a go (on a limited basis, as the news demands) and thanks for the idea. @SpinDoctor500


[ more next Monday . . . ]

PARNELLI's STORY

Let me just say it straight: As a Matter of Fact, I am Parnelli Jones is one of the two or three best motorsports' books of the last decade.

And that's no surprise. I've admired writer Bones Bourcier's work for years and it's impossible for me to think anyone could have done a better job telling Parnelli's iconic story. Bourcier is one of those blessed souls who has a knack for something and has been able to be successful at it -- as Jones was.

Talk about the right man for the job: That's Bones Bourcier writing about Parnelli Jones. 

Bourcier's "trick" for this effort is to include an "eyewitness" account after every chapter, adding a nice perspective and context, from the likes of  A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Tony Stewart and others. (Mario Andretti penned the foreword and afterword.) Almost every book I read has pages or chapters which fail to keep me engaged. Not this one. Of course, credit for that rightly goes to Parnelli -- he's one of those rare people everyone knows simply by a first name -- whose road to becoming one of racing's all-time greats is a classic American success story. Grit, determination, talent, teaming up with the right people, and a little luck made him a winner in everything he raced. In a remarkably brief career -- which, thankfully, was his own choice.

One amazing fact I was reminded of in the book: Jones never spent a night in a hospital as a result of a racing accident. He came close after his car caught fire in the 1964 Indy 500 and he famously bailed-out on pit road. But, think about that, in racing's most dangerous era, Parnelli -- as tough a racer as there ever was -- avoided tragedy that got others, as recounted hard cover in a bit under 300 pages with marvelous photos from Jones' own collection. And, remember, Parnelli was doing this in risky sprinters and midgets, as well as Indy, NASCAR and USAC stockers and sports cars. And even in off-road competition.

Like most people, I guess, I best remember Parnelli at the Indy 500 -- especially his 1963 win (happy 50th anniversary!), 1964 bail-out, and near-miss in 1967 in the STP turbine. It's incredible to think he only ran Indy seven times and, no doubt, left a lot of great winning opportunities on the table there. He ran at the front in roadsters, rear-engine cars, and the turbine. But I also recall his heroic drives in sprint cars, on the dirt, in the Trans-Am series (still love those Grabber Orange Ford Mustangs!) when that was probably the best series in the country, as an Indy and championship-winning team owner, and his try to field a Formula One entry for Andretti. I respect Parnelli as one of the early drivers-as-media-celebrities, remembering him on Johnny Carson, magazine covers, in print ads and TV commercials. He not only could drive -- he could sell.

Here's one of my favorite quotes, especially considering Parnelli's aggressiveness behind the wheel:

"Sometimes it seems like A.J. is still in the middle of his old rivalries with Mario, Bobby Unser, and probably a few more guys. Foyt's a friend of mine, and I wish he'd see that life is a lot more enjoyable once you just let those things go.

"I've seen guys hurt, seen guys killed, seen some terrible things. We all have. And to me, once you've passed through that dangerous phase of a race driver's life, I think you ought to love life more. When you've survived the stuff we did, you ought to smell the roses every day and enjoy yourself."

A proper telling of racing history needed -- demanded -- Parnelli's bio.

A race fan -- or someone who simply appreciates the  wonderful telling of a Great American Life -- couldn't spend a better $39.95. Do something nice for yourself -- order at www.coastal181.com or 877-907-8181.


I first met Rusty Wallace in April 1980. We had dinner, along with several other media people, at a Benihana in Philadelphia a few days before a USAC stock car race at Trenton Speedway. I was at the Philadelphia Daily News then and Wallace had just gotten national attention by finishing second in a Winston Cup race at Atlanta, driving for Roger Penske. I think everyone at the table agreed that we couldn't help but like Rusty right away, and a very fun evening it was. Yes, that was back in the days when Rusty had that Big Red hair!

Later that year I left newspapering to become CART's first communications director, but the opportunities to be around Wallace remained. I'd catch-up with him at Daytona or Michigan or Indianapolis and he was often one of the all-star drivers I got to work with when I was PR director for the IROC series. Rusty has always -- and I mean ALWAYS -- been very friendly with me, very cooperative with requests for his time, and as recently as last November at Phoenix International Raceway gave me two great items for my Arizona Republic coverage: He said Danica wasn't ready for full-time Sprint Cup and predicted PIR was just the place for "Boys, Have At It" action to return. We'll see about his first comment, but with the infamous Jeff Gordon-Clint Bowyer crew brawl in the garage area, Rusty called it right on (and helped me look good by headlining that possibility in that day's paper.)

So, with Rusty about to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame (watch it live Feb. 8 on Speed), I just have to take this opportunity to say congratulations. I'm glad I was around to see all of Wallace's NASCAR career. Even more, I'm glad I got to know him.


Interesting from AdWeek: What it costs to be on a NASCAR car --
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/your-brand-here-146795


A Gordon Kirby must read: Scott Pruett on the future of the combined U.S. sports car series --
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2013/the_way_it_is_no369.html


New @ Twitter: @SpinDoctor500

[ more next Monday . . . ]