FOLLOW-UP TO A FOUL-UP

While I don't intend to belabor the point, there are a few more things to be said about the IRL's DANICA WINS!!!!! news release, which said Patrick's victory in Japan made her "the first female to win a major auto racing event." That statement was heralded not only on IndyCar.com, but was repeated in staff-written stories in the Indianapolis Star, New York Times and elsewhere in the MainStream Media.

This, especially in light of Ashley Force's own historic victory -- AGAINST HER FATHER! -- last Sunday, to become NHRA's first Funny Car female winner.

If you're not up-to-speed on this issue, please refer to the first item in last week's blog, which was posted early as I was on jury duty.

Let me add:

1. For decades, management and staff of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have pretty much demanded respect, based largely on the Speedway's place in history. Fair enough. And yet, the IMS' sanctioning arm essentially showed disrespect to overall motorsports history with its elitist use of the word "major."

2. Even with open-wheel reunification, IMS and the IRL are in NO position to alienate the fans of any other racing series. Or general sports fans with a respect and appreciation for the accomplishments of legendary Shirley Muldowney, and other women.

3. The IRL had THREE YEARS to prepare for a Danica victory, including how to write a news release with factually correct historical references and context. No excuse that the release was written on deadline in the middle-of-the-night is credible -- or acceptable.

NHRA did the right thing in promptly issuing its own release. While congratulating Patrick on her win, the release detailed the long history of female winners/champions in drag racing. And, I was glad to see journalists Susan Wade and Jon Asher stand up to correct the record and take the MSM to task.

Wade, the drag racing correspondent for National Speed Sport News and owner of the 1320tv.com site (to which I contribute Business of Racing video commentaries), did the right thing, journalistically, and contacted the legendary Muldowney for comment.

"It's very hurtful," Muldowney told Wade. "What it does is prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are so many who don't do research. It's truly not fair at all."

That, from a Hall of Fame motorsports pioneer.

Wade wrote it best in her NSSN column (in which I am quoted): "Such ignorance by reporters is shameful."

A bit of MSM redemption came in the April 22 USA Today. An editorial, titled "History in under 6 seconds," read:

"Patrick's breakthrough is just the latest for women in hazardous sports that prided themselves as too tough for girls. It echoes driver Shirley Muldowney's Top Fuel dragster world title in 1977, musher Libby Riddles' victory in Alaska's Iditarod dogsled race in 1985 and jockey Julie Krone's win at the Belmont Stakes in 1993 -- all firsts in dangerous, male-dominated sports."

The next day, USAT had six graphs on pre-Danica female winners, including quotes from Angelle Sampey. However, in a classic win-one/lose-one scenario, a half-page Tissot ad congratulated Patrick on "becoming the first female to win a major motorsports event." That's a step worse than the original IndyCar release, as it widened the scope from "major auto race" to "major motorsports event."

I hope NHRA has contacted the Swiss watchmaker. At the least, the company should apologize to drag racing fans by buying a full-page ad in National Dragster, to praise the accomplishments of Muldowney, Force, Sampey, Melanie Troxel and others.
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Just to show you who is in an "outreach" mode for coverage, I got calls from both Ashley and John Force Sunday night. I interviewed her for 10 minutes and him for 15. Difficult to imagine that happening in most of the other "major" series.

And here's an important note for the MainStream Media: PLEASE pay attention and notice this basic difference between Ashley and Danica. Ashley admits she's "shy" (her word) and, in my Sunday night interview and others I heard, steered her comments toward her Ford Mustang team and the NHRA series -- paying tribute to Muldowney and others.

I just wish Ashley wouldn't hide behind her sunglasses. People (plus TV and still cameras) want to see her. Although I'm not a golfer, I admire Annika Sorenstam's professionalism. Annika (also a winner Sunday) has admitted she, too, is shy. But I noticed that after she attracted national media attention by playing in the PGA's The Colonial five years ago, Annika seemed to relax more in the spotlight, and part of that was putting her sunglasses atop her cap more often, so we see her emotions and expressions. I hope, in time, Ashley will be able to follow Annika's good example.
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To understand the declining standards in American journalism, just look at Time magazine, and managing editor Richard Stengel. To promote its advocacy of a global warming agenda, Stengel had his cover designers manipulate the iconic photo of the U.S. flag being raised at Iwo Jima, a controversial move that outraged various Veteran's groups.

Stengel then was quoted thusly in various business and journalism outlets:

“I didn’t go to journalism school. But this notion that journalism is objective, or must be objective, is something that has always bothered me – because the notion about objectivity is in some ways a fantasy. I don’t know that there is as such a thing as objectivity.”

“[F]rom the time I came back (to Time), I have felt that we have to actually say, ‘We have a point of view about something and we feel strongly about it, we just have to be assertive about it and say it positively.’ I don’t think people are looking for us to ask questions. I think they’re looking for us to answer questions.”

“I don’t even know what rules there have been all along in journalism. There are rules we kind of observed by tradition, but it’s not like you know the legal code or the being a doctor with the way you treat people. We sort of make it up as we go along and I think that is what will continue to happen.”

What a disgrace. Not surprisingly, Stengel has become a favorite on liberal TV talk shows.
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Credit-Where-Credit-Is-Due: Circumstances have delayed me from doing this, but thanks to the following PRers, who helped with my Arizona Republic NASCAR coverage at Phoenix International Raceway:

Paul Corliss, Griffin Hickman, Kerry Tharp, Jason Christley, Kelby Krauss, Joe Crowley, Jessica Rohlik, Amy Walsh, Jon Edwards, Bill Janitz, Mike Davis, Andy Hall, Judy Dominick, Dave Ferroni, Marc Spiegel, Becky Dick, Denny Darnell, Scott Sebastian, Dan Zacharias, Denise Maloof and Marc Abel.

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da from anyone at Roush Fenway, Richard Childress Racing, Penske, DEI, Fox or SPEED, or big-time sponsors such as Lowe's, Budweiser, Miller, Mobil 1, Red Bull and plenty of others.

And the next time I'm told a driver "isn't available" for even a brief interview, I intend to repeat this story: Monday of Masters week, Steve Williams, Tiger Woods' caddy, called me from Augusta National for a 15-minute conversation. (!)

It was fun talking about my Woods-could-have-been-a-great-racer story with Dave Moody on Sirius and Claire B. Lang on XM.
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Kevin Lepage, Larry Gunselman (NASCAR) and Marty Roth (ICS) should be suspended indefinitely for inexcusable driving errors last weekend. "Probation" isn't sufficient in any of these cases. Lepage's apology (via a team statement) was appropriate but not enough for triggering the huge wreck in the Talladega Nationwide race. Gunselman had PLENTY of time to avoid slamming into Dario Franchitti's "door" area, sidelining the Indy 500 winner with a broken left ankle. As for Roth, even I could could steer into the pits -- at the reduced pit road speed! -- without hitting someone.


Here's a link to last Friday's Republic notebook:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/24/20080424racingnb0425.html


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

IRL OWES DRAG RACING AN APOLOGY

I am posting early this week as I'm on jury duty:

* Despite what was written in the Indy Racing League's official news release -- and repeated by Curt Cavin on the Indianapolis Star's website -- Danica Patrick DID NOT become "the first female to win a major auto racing event." Her victory in Japan WAS the first in IndyCar. Congratulations. But to imply that the NHRA Top Fuel victories achieved by the legendary Shirley Muldowney, plus Melanie Troxel, Shelly Anderson, Lori Johns, Lucille Lee and Cristen Powell are anything less than "MAJOR" is ELITIST and factually dishonest. One might have reasonably expected the Star to know better, since drag racing's most prestigious race -- the U.S. Nationals -- takes place not far from its offices. This, once again, proves that some other sanctioning organizations and wide sections of the mainstream news media look down on drag racing as "blue collar" and not up to their white-collar "major" status. What the IRL PR department does not seem to understand is this kind of thing UNDERCUTS THE CREDIBILITY OF ALL ITS "NEWS" RELEASES. (Recall that the League issued a historically inaccurate media bulletin on the unified series before Homestead and, even after being provided with the true facts, did not correct the record.)

UPDATE: A staff-written story on the New York Times' website also refers to Patrick's win, in the headline and text, as the first "major" race win by a female.

I call upon the Indy Racing League to issue a formal CORRECTION and APOLOGY to NHRA, Muldowney, etc., plus all the drag racing fans it has insulted. The Star and all other media outlets who parroted this PR falsehood are required by professional standards to do the same.

* It's a tough economic environment for sponsor searchers. The rising cost to remain competitive translates to requests for more corporate support and even more demands on drivers to satisfy sponsors' needs. Jeff Gordon was promoting Nicorette's quit-smoking program at the Phoenix race when I interviewed him, and this quote is revealing, in part because Gordon has an ownership stake in Hendrick Motorsports:

"I see a side of it most drivers don’t. When I see how much it takes to keep Hendrick Motorsports going, it’s scary. So much of that is dictated by sponsorship and we’re fortunate to have good sponsors. It makes us try to not take things for granted. We’re constantly asking for more so we have to continue to give more."

* Even if you don't normally follow drag racing, I suggest keeping an eye on the developing storm between Don Schumacher and NHRA over the $100,000 fine leveled against the team owner at Las Vegas for a fuel violation. To me, this has the look of something serious -- maybe ugly. Chris Dirato crafted a well-worded statement from crew chief Alan Johnson in defense of his Army Top Fuel team. For the life of me, I can't understand why NHRA was in such a rush to announce this penalty at Vegas. There are good reasons NASCAR waits until mid-week for such pronouncements -- collecting all the facts is one -- and another has to do with not having journalists gathered in one place, ready-and-eager to blow up anything resembling a controversy. Stay tuned.

* For those who still think open-wheel reunification ended all the problems, I offer this media bulletin from the IRL: "IndyCar Series drivers Enrique Bernoldi and Franck Perera, and Firestone Indy Lights driver Sean Guthrie were guests on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference." I bet that had 'em lined up to ask questions!

* Finally, a last comment on the end of Champ Car. Without question, the WORST and most OFFENSIVE decision in the modern history of motorsports was Champ Car's to go ahead with its 2001 race in Germany the weekend after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. The fact is Alex Zanardi should never have lost his legs -- because that race should never have happened. It was virually the only "major" event involving an American sports organization to have gone ahead that weekend. Champ Car's in-over-his-head PR man at the time -- one in a string of many -- said CC management wished it had known sooner that the NFL was putting off its games that weekend. In other words, Champ Car management needed someone else to tell it to do the right thing. To me, that was, and always shall be, an unforgiveable mistake. The Board of Directors should have immediately voted to overturn the decision to race. As far as I'm concerned, Champ Car was dead at that moment. The American sports public -- if not some obvious media cheerleaders, glorying one final time in Long Beach -- would have been better served if the whole thing had ended right then and there.


Here's a link to last Friday's Arizona Republic story on Adrian Fernandez. Be sure to note what Adrian has to say about Juan Pablo Montoya!:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/17/20080417racingnb0418.html

I'm quoted in Robin Miller's "Brief History of CART":
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/miller-a-brief-history-of-cart/



[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

CART: BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the last hurrah for Championship Auto Racing Teams/Champ Car World Series (1979-2008). So, it's time for a little truth telling. I was CART's first full-time communications director (November 1980-December 1983) and spent many years after that involved in some aspect of the organization or series on pretty much a daily basis. I take no one else's word for anything below -- I write from first-hand knowledge:

* One of CART's five founding concepts was "a greater emphasis on media visibility." When I submitted a routine planning memo for approval of CART's first media guide (December 1980), Chairman John Frasco wrote me back: "Why do we need this?"

* At the 1980 awards banquet, Frasco decided while standing at the podium -- literally -- to honor Mexico City race organizer Gustavo Hellmund as "Promoter of the Year." This had not been discussed in advance and so there was no award to present. Frasco loved the parties and fireworks Hellmund put on and wanted other track operators to do the same.

* After Frasco thought he had a deal with Hellmund for a street race in Acapulco, he confidentally told Board members on a conference call, "We're going to have our own Monaco." Of course, the event never happened.

* When Hector Rebaque won the series' first race at Elkhart Lake, in 1982, there was no trophy for him. The track thought CART or PPG provided such hardware.

* When any unsuspecting new CART secretary would ask, "Who's calling?" Pat Patrick would say, "John Cooper." And that's how the secretary would announce the caller.

* When CART's offices (in a building owned by Patrick) were among several burglarized in the early '80s, insiders immediately wondered if another sanctioning body was responsible. But no files were taken and it turned out to be local criminals stealing typewriters, etc.

* When owners decided to replace John Caponigro, it was Barbara Trueman's idea to put John Capels in charge.

* CART's first marketing director quit before his first day on the job. The second marketing director spent his first morning reading files, went to lunch, called in his resignation, and never returned. The third marketing director -- who worked from Frasco's law office, not CART's -- lasted a few months then left under murky circumstances.

* Whatever mistakes he made, Bill Stokkan was right -- and ahead of his time -- in establishing a business office in New York City. Of course, owners eventually closed it down as "too expensive."

* When I introduced myself to new chair Andrew Craig and mentioned I had worked on the staff, he replied: "Oh, you're one of those." That's how he looked-down on most of those whose efforts made it possible for there to be a job for him.

* When Craig was bounced, ESPN2's old rpm2night committed journalism suicide, by agreeing to give Craig the questions in advance of the interview.

* After driver-owner-director Bill Alsup stood up at a Dallas Board meeting and expressed concern that individual team owners were giving conflicting instructions to staff members, Frasco told us not to discuss organization business with Alsup.

* When Steve Weiss came over from Philip Morris with the too-New Yorkish title of "managing director, communications," Weiss told everyone he made the move "because I see the potential in this form of sports entertainment." We all rolled our eyes, because we'd heard the same thing from various here-and-gone staffers for years.

* Robby Gordon described the cheap plastic awards given to drivers at the 1995 banquet as "ice scrapers."

* With Michael Andretti returning to Newman/Haas for the 1995 season, plus Paul Tracy and Budweiser joining the team, Kmart wanted to host a reception before the 1994 banquet. Even though all the details had been reviewed with, and cleared by, CART's banquet coordinator, Craig objected and insisted Kmart's function be canceled. He said it would "interfer" with his other activities. I agreed to take the blame, since Carl Haas didn't want to embarrass Craig with his sponsors.

* Fawning media praise for Craig's "leadership" at the start of the IRL overlooked the fact that, already, some owners had concerns but didn't take action because of not wanting to look weak to Tony George. When I pointed out to several big-time writers that Craig appeared strong because "the most powerful unifying force for any organization is a common enemy," the typical answer was, "Oh."

* Craig's "presentation" at the 1999 Homestead drivers' meeting was well known to media -- drivers came out talking about it. When I asked one media biggie if he was going to write the story, the answer was, "I would if I thought it would do any good." If that had been Mike Helton, the story would have been written faster than Rick Mears got around the ovals.

* Randy Dzierawski. Tara Scott. Mike Hadley. Rena Shanaman. Kim Parker, et al.

* After I introduced the ESPN announce crew at the 1980 Milwaukee drivers' meeting -- the network's first live race telecast -- Al Unser pulled me aside and asked, "What's ESPN?"

* At the 1982 pre-season promoters meeting, Frasco announced: "We'll have two foreign races this season. One in Mexico City. And one in Riverside." Les Richter didn't look amused.

* I struggled for one week to get one telephone installed in the Mexico City press room before the 1981 race. As soon as the checkered flag waved, workers pulled it out. "The race is over. You don't need it anymore," was the explanation.

* During a live interview on a Mexico TV network before the that '81 race, register Barbara Russell dead-panned: "Oh, I love it here. I haven't had this much fun since the last time we raced in Trenton."

There's countless more, to be revealed another time, another day.

-30- CART/Champ Car.
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Here are links to some of my Arizona Republic stories from the last week's NASCAR at Phoenix --

Dale Earnhardt Jr. feature:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/09/20080409dalejr.html

Nationwide Series feature:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/09/20080409nationwide.html

Could Tiger Woods have been a great NASCAR driver?:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/10/20080410tigerdriver.html

Friday notebook:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/10/20080410racingnb.html

Saturday notebook (Jeff Gordon says no Indy 500 for him):
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/11/20080411pirnb.html

Roundtable with Mike Helton, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Ray Evernham and J.D. Gibbs:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/12/20080412pirroundtable.html

Drivers aren't the only ones from open-wheel to go NASCAR:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/12/20080412openwheels.html

Sunday notebook (Dario "sad" Jeff's not going to Indy 500):
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/12/20080412pirnb.html

I'll be doing occasional Business of Drag Racing columns for the monthly Drag Racing Online. Here's a link to the first one:
http://dragracingonline.com/columns/knight/x_4-1.html

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

MORE and MORE

The misses just keep on coming:

* While I interviewed a NASCAR driver recently, his PR person watched from a distance, but continued on with lunch, never once coming over for an introduction or to ask if any background information was needed or to exchange business cards. If I hadn't asked the driver if that was his PRer, and then gone over and introduced myself, I'm certain this "media relations" rep would have left without ever speaking a word to me. (!)

* At this same gathering, I sat near the person who is paid (in part) to field requests from local media for a local motoring business. This person didn't know I have been writing the Friday racing notebook for the Arizona Republic since last October. Didn't know the writer who previously had racing in his portfolio has been covering hockey all season. Let me repeat: This person lives here and the employer in a local company. (!)

* One might bet his/her professional Life that it would be a Lock a local company would be pro-active in trying to get local coverage when it sponsors a car in the local big race. One would be wrong, as proven here in the Valley just last week. I'm still waiting for a call, E-mail, or copy of the news release . . .

* In advance of the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, my friend Mark Armijo sent questionaires to PR people representing 40 drivers. He got 12 responses.

Brian France says NASCAR is an under-covered sport. That might well be true. If the NASCAR chairman really wants to know why, he should ponder the above. And I can provide countless other examples . . . (I can't wait to see how many Cup team/sponsor reps actually bother themselves to make the rounds in the media center this weekend at PIR.)

Yes, I blame the team owners and sponsor managers who hire such people. But, increasingly, I'm going to point to NASCAR. In theory, I understand why a Jody Powell, press secretary in the failed Jimmy Carter presidency, would be brought in as a guest speaker at the PR Summit. Now, though, the NEED is for some "straight talk" speakers willing to lay the issues square on the table. Obviously, if sadly, basics need to be taught.

A good beginning would be understanding good PR starts with establishing good, professional one-on-one relationships with journalists.
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Sign of the (Economic) Times: Target is out as sponsor of Tiger Woods' charity golf tournament. Who is in? Chevron. Tells you where the money is these days.

A young PR person asked me not too long ago what I meant by an "overwritten" news release. Here's an example. (The first sentence alone is about 50 words! Way too-long overall. Way too much overblown, breathless hype.):
http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/04/04/tstewart.prelude.dream/index.html

Considering the state of the American newspaper industry, this site was inevitable:
http://angryjournalist.com/
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In this Thursday's Republic, I'll have a long feature on the "new" Dale Earnhardt Jr. I think you might find some of his quotes interesting from an fan-relationship standpoint. Here are links to today's Republic story on Kasey Kahne, and last Friday's notebook, leading with Casey Mears:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/07/20080407nascar.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/04/03/20080403racingnb0404.html

[ next Tuesday, on the eve of the failed CART/Champ Car sports-business-management experiment fading into history, I'll tell you things I'll bet you didn't know happened in the organization's history . . . ]

THINGS I'VE NOTICED

* Whatever happens in IndyCar from now on -- good or bad -- it's ALL on Tony George. He apparently didn't want to include Kevin Kalkhoven or Gerry Forsythe as partners, so it's Tony's deal 100 percent. That means 100 percent of the credit -- or 100 percent of the responsibility. I hope the Indianapolis news media will keep that in mind.

* I'm not interested in hearing about HD or rotating cameras. Homestead proved the low business priority ABC/ESPN REALLY places on the IndyCar Series. Brienne Pedigo, who still struggles to speak a clear sentence or ask a meaningful question, has been brought back for a second year. Her tenure in the pits should have been briefer than Lisa Guerrero's on the Monday Night Football sidelines. After the pre-produced opening, it was only seconds before Marty Reid got into Danica Patrick/Sports Illustrated and Helio Castroneves/Dancing With the Stars. TV's Danica Obsession is as absurb as ever (never has a sixth-place finisher received so much attention: Dan Wheldon's pass of Scott Dixon for second place was missed as the director focused his cameras on her running around alone in eighth). D.O. reached a new low when viewers were shown a silhouette and Reid said it was Danica's father. Are you sure? For all we could tell, that could have been Barack Obama! And, once again, the network used its own race title, creating a conflict with the "official" sponsor name publicized to the media by the series and track. Like ALMS, which apparently lets GT2-class owners dictate how its races are produced and so the viewer usually doesn't know the overall leader, ICS on TV no longer merits any serious discussion here. Case Closed.

* Equipment is at a premium, and they are trying to make the case that Indy-again-is-Indy (Paul Newman/Roger Penske letter to former 500 ticket-buyers), so what does the ICS do? Force drivers/teams into a four-lap qualifying format. Thereby, among other things, making Indy that-much-less unique. It doesn't make sense!

* THE most tiresome announcer phrase: "It will be interesting to see if . . ."

* It's no secret the public school system doesn't produce students well educated about the facts of history (let alone history's lessons). So, I guess, why should racing be any different? Both the ICS and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing issued news releases last week that were historically inaccurate. I know, because in both cases, I was a small part of the actual history. I provided those involved with the correct facts. As far as I can determine, no correction was issued to the media. (You're welcome!)

* Why is it so hard for publicists to understand that journalists need to receive media guides BEFORE the season starts? (I'm giving ICS a pass this time due to the late reunification timetable.) PR 101, ladies and gentlemen.

* Here's ANOTHER lost art among contemporary PRers: Saying a simple "thank you" to a reporter for a nice story. I'm aware of a few recent articles that made their way into print ONLY because the writer cared enough to make it happen. Some of us used to write a formal thank you note in return. How old-fashioned.

* Not that you'd know it listening to the Fox announcers, but the most important story at Martinsville was the poor attendance. Yes, I know, it was cold -- but there were major sections of empty grandstands.

* For years, it's been an automatic for MRN announcers to say pit crews were adding "two cans of Union 76/Unocal/Sunoco" gasoline. We never heard that much on TV, though. Well, somebody-has-gotten-to-somebody, because the Sunoco reference is now regular on Fox. We hear it almost as often as plugs for T-shirts on Darrell Waltrip's website.
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Judging by my E-mail, last week's blog apparently made the rounds of the Champ Car staff and officials. Common comment: "Don't hold your breath." It turns out several officials care enough to have volunteered their services, and pay their own way, to Long Beach -- just to be a part of Champ Car's "grand finale."

As I wrote, I don't expect the organization to do the right thing at Long Beach. That doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing for somebody -- me -- to say it. (A reminder for those who need it: I was CART's first full-time communications director, from November 1980 through December 1983.)
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Here's a link to my notebook in last Friday's Arizona Republic, featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Arie Luyendyk Jr. By the way, I'll have a major feature on Dale Jr. in the Republic's NASCAR special section, Thursday, April 10:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0327racingnb0328.html


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

CHAMP CAR: DO THE RIGHT THING

Not that I expect this to happen, since beginning with Andrew Craig it seems to have been official policy of CART/Champ Car management to thumb its nose at the workers whose dedication made it possible for the company to exist, but as next month's Long Beach Grand Prix is being touted as the series "grand finale" it would be nice if at least some of those people were invited as honored guests and formally recognized and thanked for their incredible efforts.

The list is long, but here are several names, which I offer based on my own long and personal experience:

Jim Melvin, Wally Dallenbach, Kirk and Barbara Russell, Billy Kamphausen, Bill Luchow, Dick Perry, Dr. Steve Olvey, Dr. Terry Trammell, Cathie Lyon, Lon Bromley, Cheryl Alexander, Greg Passauer, Liz DeLuca, Chuck Greer, Karen O'Brien, Bob and Barbara Funk and a member of the late Nick Fornoro's family.

Is it asking too much for management, at least at the end, to do the right thing?
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I offer this simple reminder to those at SPEED Channel and SpeedTV.com:

Words mean things.

One might not think a media company would need such a mind refresher. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Last year, the network spent a week hyping a joint Ed Hinton-Robin Miller appearance on Wind Tunnel by promoting it as "televised hate." Hinton disavowed himself of that description right at the start of the show. I told him later he did the right thing and it added to the substance and credibility of his comments.

Recently, a .com column was headlined this way: "Hate ‘Lanta: SpeedTv.com's Tom Jensen says the hate is back in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage and that's not a bad thing . . ."

The article began: "In case you didn’t notice, the hate is back in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage. And that is a very good thing indeed."


Just what our world needs: The promotion of hate as a positive. All in the name of entertainment and ratings and readership, of course.

Since they're expanding and hiring at the network, I'll (again) call on the S Channel to follow the lead of ESPN and other media organizations, and hire an Ombudsman to monitor standards and advocate for the public interest. An O might start by explaining why management now allows its "celebrity" announcers to sell corporate ID space on their network-logo clothing.

Somehow, I don't think we'll see sponsor names on the blazers worn by ESPN's Monday Night Football announcers.
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I've been sounding this warning for well over a year. Last week, it was acknowledged in a NASCAR.com column (bold emphasis mine):

"Similarly, NASCAR's early-season ratings increase does not necessarily mean the sport is on a path back to the days of 2001 and '02, when a combination of factors -- Fox's entrance, increased expansion to major markets, the curiosity generated by Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash -- sent television ratings skyrocketing. And it doesn't mean NASCAR is without its media challenges, the biggest of which may not be TV, but the increasing number of daily newspapers that have axed staff-generated coverage of the sport. With profits dropping in that industry, racing with its $200-a-night hotel minimums is an expensive and easy beat to cut. The infield media center at Bristol never seemed as empty as it did last week."
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Here's a link to last Friday's Arizona Republic notebook, featuring Paul Tracy:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0320racingnb0321.html

If you missed it, please check out my new Business of Racing video commentary (on the future of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class) on 1320tv.com:
http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article3.asp?vid=2-20-08/bor_psm&title=Michael%20Knight%27s%20commentary%20on%20the%20state%20of%20the%20Pro%20Stock%20Motorcycle%20class

This is a "must read" on ESPN. Great reporting by Sports Business Journal:
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/58375


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

TIRE-D

The controversy over Goodyear's NASCAR tires reminded me of a great moment.

Prior to the 1988 CART season, I participated in a planning meeting for the Quaker State Porsche team. QS was the primary sponsor, and their marketing communications representative said that since this was a Porsche factory car backed by an oil company, we should never publicly admit to an engine failure. Just call it a "mechanical problem," he suggested, or maybe "transmission trouble."

I gulped hard -- more than once. Before I could say anything, though, Al Holbert stood up.

Literally.

Holbert, the three-time Le Mans winner, was director of Porsche Motorsports North America and the team operated from Al's Warrington, Pa., facility.

"We're not going to do that," Al said flatly. He called such an approach "counter-productive" and "damaging to our credibility."

Next subject.

I couldn't have been more proud of Al at that moment. Not surprisingly, he got it. He understood.

(For those who don't know, Al was one of my closest friends. I covered him for several years while at the Philadelphia Daily News. He recruited me to do the team's PR as it entered CART competition. Eight months after this meeting, Al was killed when his private plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Columbus, Ohio.)

As the Charlotte Observer's David Poole wrote last week, in all the years he's been covering NASCAR, no one from Goodyear has ever admitted to him that one of its tires had failed. While I have no doubt corporate legal counsel long ago helped craft this as the company's official party line, it's a contributory factor to why the current story is being played as it is. The one-reason-fits-all-occasions "cut tire" explanation lost credibility in media centers decades ago. (If not in the network TV and radio booths.) Along with mysterious "debris" cautions.

Yes, controversy sells in the media, and Tony Stewart quotes are always good for that purpose. It can't be ignored that Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett, among others, weren't happy either -- although their words weren't as blunt as Stewart's. As Jarrett pointed out, drivers had expressed their concerns to the appropriate parties -- in private -- before going public.

NASCAR will always say safety is its No. 1 priority. A VERY close second, however, is entertainment. And rock-hard tires on the CoT weren't the ticket for a good show at Atlanta.

Stewart said Goodyear has fallen behind in technology. I think that is accurate. Technology development is costly and a quick Google search reveals the financial and labor issues in Akron in recent years. It's apparent that, with the advent of the CoT, Goodyear can't bring the same tire to perform well on Cup and Nationwide cars. Downforce levels and corner speeds are too different for that to work.

Having had the opportunity to observe both Goodyear and Firestone up-close in open-wheel, the pro-active attitude of the red 'stone group contrasted with what came across as a more laid-back approach by those in 'year blue.

Technology, though, isn't the full story here. To me, it's also a question of management philosophy and engineering methodology. I don't think this is new and the 1985 Michigan and 1998 Nazareth CART races are case studies worth reviewing for those sufficiently interested. As is, for contrast, Belle Isle 1996 and the action taken promptly thereafter.

In NASCAR, tire issues arise at too-high a percentage of the races, and it's been that way for years.

This post-Atlanta quote from Dale Jr. shouldn't be overlooked:

"I'd just like to know how that process goes. I went to Texas and tire tested, but they didn't ask me much, what I thought. So I just sit there and, you know, they got these other guys doing the testing. But the times that I've done it, I didn't feel like my input was observed or looked over too well."

That statement should be a FLASHING RED WARNING LIGHT to those who have supervisory authority over how Goodyear chooses its race tires.

Meanwhile, here are two lessons to be learned:

1. FOR PR PEOPLE: Cookie-cutter explanations don't cut it in today's media world.

2. FOR JOURNALISTS: For further proof that "any publicity is good publicity" is ridiculous and repeated only by those who don't know the first thing about business/image PR, consider two other names in the news last week -- Eliot Spitzer and John Daly.
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FOR THE FANS? It's nice that the American Le Mans Series uses that (minus the ?) as a slogan, but, to me, it doesn't seem to apply to fans who watch on TV. I wrote about this problem last year: In a series with four classes, and in which the "lower" P2 category Porsche RS Spyders are regularly beating the P1 Audis, it is essential for viewers to know the OVERALL running order, not just by CLASS. There is no more basic question in sports than: "Who's winning?"

Too often, ALMS' telecasters don't tell us. I brought this issue directly to ALMS President Scott Atherton late last year. He told me the team owners wanted MORE class-by-class coverage. I would suggest this: If you are going to do TV to suit the competitors, it would cost less just to string together a closed-circuit system in the paddock, and forget trying to reach your customers at home.

Saturday's season-opener from Sebring, on SPEED, was only a slight improvement. Mainly because the Audis had so many problems. Meanwhile, there were persistent audio problems. The pit reporters still don't know how to ask meaningful questions: "How does it feel?" and "What does this mean to you?" don't cut it. "Talk about . . . " isn't a question. Apparently, we're all supposed to know who "Nic" and "Marc" and "Terry" are, no last names spoken. And, less than 15 minutes into a 12-hour run, we were told from the booth that a driver HAD to make a pass "right here, right now."

By definition, endurance races are long. That's how it seems the ALMS TV season will be, too.
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Larry Henry is doing "This Week in Ford Racing" podcats every week. Check this out at: http://www.fordracing.com/ . Plus, on Tuesday and Thursday, Henry has an interview with Craftsman Truck Series driver Colin Braun at http://www.con-wayracing.com/.

On March 11, reporters called into NASCAR's weekly media teleconference for a 2 p.m. conversation with hotter-than-hot Kyle Busch. After 25 minutes of music, Dale Jarrett came on the line. Exactly 61 minutes late, we heard from Busch. With engine noise clear in the background, Kyle said his late model team was testing at Hickory Speedway. At the very end of the call, he offered: "Sorry I was late." Unacceptable. If he was going to be so delayed, journalists deserved the COMMON COURTESY of being so informed. I wonder how Kyle would react if someone kept him waiting 61 minutes without warning or an updated communication? Count this as yet another instance of, well, let's be polite and call it the "undisciplined" way Joe Gibbs Racing handles its drivers. History tell us so. Maybe that's why Kyle said he enjoys the JGR organization more than Hendrick Motorsports.

Tamy Valkosky, of Lowe's Fernandez Racing, showed the right way to handle a bit of crisis communications after a technical violation disqualified Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz from their second-place finish at Sebring. Tamy issued a few graphs of clear, understandable, no excuses, no fluff quotes from co-owner/managing director Tom Anderson.

What happens when a PR firm has a payment dispute with a client? Well, somehow, that news gets out into the press:
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/a1gp-team-usa-ordered-to-pay-judgment-535136-to-pr-firm/
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What's the state of NHRA's Pro Stock Motorcycle class? Watch my new 1320tv.com Business of Racing video commentary on that subject:
http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article3.asp?vid=2-20-08/bor_psm&title=Michael%20Knight%27s%20commentary%20on%20the%20state%20of%20the%20Pro%20Stock%20Motorcycle%20class

Here's a link to last Friday's Arizona Republic notebook, featuring Patrick Long:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0313racingnb0314.html


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

LOCAL NEWS

The economic problems of America's daily newspapers have been discussed here and, more extensively, in the business media. How cutbacks impact local communities reached a new level of attention last week, when a Long Beach councilwoman raised the possibility that the city might remove its advertising from the Press-Telegram.

I think this is so important I'm running the paper's story below, without further comment:

The Long Beach City Council said Tuesday night that it may consider removing city-paid ads from the local daily newspaper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

City council member Tonia Reyes Uranga said the city spends $100,000 in advertisements ran through the Press-Telegram, and that she would like to see where that money is going. The council's concerns come after the Denver-based MediaNews Group, owner of the Press-Telegram since 1997, recently consolidated some of the Press-Telegram's facilities and staff with those of the Torrance Daily Breeze, also owned by MediaNews. Press-Telegram staff who were not immediately laid off were told to go to the Daily Breeze office Saturday for interviews for their same positions.

Many Press-Telegram employees and community members were present at the vote, and held colorful signs saying, "Save Our Jobs" and "Don't Take the Local Out Of Local News."

Long Beach, the fifth-largest city in California and one with a population of nearly 500,000, will now have a paper where many of its staff members, including some management, is based out of the city it covers. The council said it fears Long Beach will lose good local coverage with portions of the Press-Telegram based elsewhere. The portions of the paper that have been moved to Torrance include the copy and design desks. Reporters, photographers, city editors, advertising personnel and Executive Editor Rich Archbold will stay working out of Long Beach in the Press-Telegram's downtown offices.

The Daily Breeze and Press-Telegram will be worked on in Torrance by a single copy desk, according to Austin Lewis, a Press-Telegram copy editor and former managing editor of the Daily Forty-Niner. "It's like one staff putting out two papers. It's not like the Press-Telegram is moving its copy desk to Torrance," Lewis said.

"We need you. We need the hometown news," said Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal about the Press-Telegram at the city council meeting. The vice mayor also said she will be working with CSULB President F. King Alexander "to design a forum with our help to explore local journalism. We need to put heads and hearts together to understand changes in journalism."

Council members Dee Andrews and Patrick O'Donnell said they worked for the Press-Telegram as children. Andrews, who worked at the paper at age seven to deliver papers, said he is with the publication 100 percent. O'Donnell also said the Press-Telegram is the first thing he reads in the morning, and that he is happy to see people standing up and making journalism a priority.

Council member Rae Gabelich said she has watched the demise of the Press-Telegram and there are more ads than news. "Our business is suffering. Every day we have declining revenue," Archbold said. He reassured the council that the Press-Telegram was "here to stay," adding that he would be on the phone a lot more because of the changes. Archbold also said that not one reporter was cut and that he would love to hire more and have a bigger budget, but that they were just not feasible.

Many people at the meeting spoke against the recent changes and MediaNews' CEO Dean Singleton. "(The) loss of the managing publisher is the latest slap in the face," said Joe Segura, union steward of the Southern California Media Guild/CWA Local 9400, in reference to the losses of both the Press-Telegram publisher and managing editor. "We need a local managing editor. We need a local publisher to help protect local coverage."
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Links:

My Arizona Republic notebook last Friday, leading with Ryan Newman:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0306racingnb0307.html

Jeff Gordon story from last week's testing at Phoenix International Raceway:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0308swv-nascar0308.html

My new Business of Racing video commentary on 1320tv.com, on the "new" John Force:
http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article11.asp?vid=dialed_in/bor_force_phoenix&title=Michael%20Knight%27s%20commentary%20on%20John%20Force%27s%20return%20to%20Gainesville,%20new%20mission


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

OPEN WHEEL's OPENING MOVE

The Tony George-Kevin Kalkhoven news conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a useful first step in outreach to heal the wounds of the 12-year American open wheel racing civil war. Not in terms of the few specifics offered, but rather, for the several comments that this glued-together season will be "for the fans."

I could not agree more.

It's going to take a lot more than words to bring back fans left disenfranchised by the battle for power, control and money. But there were a few words that were not, but should have been, sincerely spoken by both George and Kalkhoven -- and this should not be a surprise since I've written this for years:

"I apologize. I'm sorry."

I don't get it, when the high and mighty claim they want to connect with the average folks, but can't bring themselves to say the simple words that everyone understands and appreciates.

"I apologize. I'm sorry."

THAT would have been the way to start that news conference. And when they didn't say it, some reporter should have asked: "Are you sorry? Do you apologize to fans and sponsors?"

Meanwhile, I'll share a bit of intelligence I'm sure has escaped the radar screen of my friends over at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There's already talk of a "pool" over how many May Days it will take before the bitter old arrogance of 1995 and earlier becomes commonplace among IMS staffers and the infamous Yellow Shirts. The theory behind the "pool" is Speedway people will have a "we won" attitude -- and inflict it on what Tony Hulman told me back in 1975 he considered to be his "guests."

I'll repeat what I wrote last week (see below, "The 2 Billion Dollar Blunder"): NO ONE 'WON.' EVERYONE LOST.

(And proof of what I've been saying, that reunification would not automatically solve all the problems, came almost immediately with the end of Forsythe Championship Racing. That put Paul Tracy -- Champ Car's one legitimate star -- on the street.)

If necessary, Tony George had better speak face-to-face with every last person who represents IMS, and make sure they know such an arrogant attitude is unacceptable. A zero-tolerance, one-strike-and-you're-out, policy would be the right move.

As would a clear understanding that the best public/media/corporate image improver that could happen would be for IMS to once again be able to issue an honest news release: "Indy 500 Tickets Sold Out."

That's the No. 1 priority, and wasting resources by again hauling 33 drivers to New York City for a photo-op isn't going to make it happen.
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EXPERT TV COMMENTARY OF THE WEEKEND: This exchange, on ESPN2 Saturday, when Jeff Burton coasted into the pits during the Nationwide Series race --

Andy Petree: "I don't hear the engine running. That's not a good sign."

Dale Jarrett: "No, it isn't."

And then there was Jamie Little's typical tee-hee-hee style interview with Tony Stewart after his crash. Stewart admitted, "I banged my foot up a little bit" -- which DEMANDED a follow-up question on the SPECIFIC extent of Tony's injury. But, instead, Little let out the usual "you're OK" and the viewer was left to wonder.

Please check out my new Business of Racing video commentary, on the "new" John Force, now posted at 1320tv.com:

http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article11.asp?vid=dialed_in/bor_force_phoenix&title=Michael%20Knight%27s%20commentary%20on%20John%20Force%27s%20return%20to%20Gainesville,%20new%20mission
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P.S. -- I want to acknowledge the recent passing of TV and radio executive Tim Sullivan. He was a regular at the Eastern Motorsports Press Association convention in the 1970s and supportive of my early career efforts. Thank you, Tim.

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

2 BILLION DOLLAR BLUNDER

Finally, some GOOD news from the American open-wheel racing front.

And, common sense.

The end of the IndyCar-Champ Car split, announced last Friday, closes of one of the most disgraceful and destructive chapters in modern sports -- and business. The zig-zagging paths taken by Tony George and his advisors, and a succession of inept Champ Car owners and executives, were mistakes of monumental portion.

(Full disclosure for those who need it: I was CART's first full-time communications director, for three years, beginning November 1980. The second full-time employee, after Kirk Russell.)

How great the cost? Let's start with money. Since I'm in Arizona, where Barry Goldwater still towers over John McCain as the state's favorite political son, I'll give a very CONSERVATIVE estimate.

At least $2 BILLION.

That figure includes lost sponsorships, advertising, hospitality and ticket sales; failed races (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Orlando, Dover, Atlanta, Gateway, Montreal, New Hampshire, Charlotte -- the list is longer than the free lunch line in any media center); design, construction and purchase cost of different spec cars and spare parts; massive outlays by competitive engine manufacturers; lawyers; accountants; shareholder value (when Champ Car went public and then bust); Welfare-like payments to teams from the sanctioning bodies; expense for Bridgestone/Firestone to support two tours; eliminated jobs; unsold souvenirs; belly-up specialty publications; shrinking broadcast and print audiences; television rights fees reduced or zeroed-out; TV and radio production charges; duplicate series marketing, promotion, ad and PR campaigns; and other adverse economic impacts, especially in the Indianapolis area.

As my friend Paul Page said during a conversation last weekend at NHRA's Phoenix-area event: "Add in return on investment, and it could be serious money."

The cost in prestige, respect and goodwill is beyond calculation.

Proving, once again, the worth of "conventional wisdom," the broad opinion going back to when CART team owners separated from USAC in 1979 was that group would "win" because of superior business skills. That viewpoint carried over when the IRL was created, as many pro-CARTers disparaged George's intelligence and biz acumen, sometimes in highly personal terms. Well, one of the central truths of the CART era is its great businessmen-team owners ran the organization in a way they never would their own enterprises.

Look at the presidents they hired and the competency of the staff. For most of my tenure, the staff was Russell, Knight and one secretary. Chairman John Frasco told us: "This company has to run lean and mean." Then, under Andrew Craig, a bureaucracy was constructed of bowing-to-arrogance yes-people and dunderheads, especially in such key areas as promoter and sponsor relations, promotions, marketing and communications. The combined competency of a large share of that employee list might have been enough to operate a pizza joint in Pawtucket; certainly not a "major" sports entertainment company.

(Now, I feel badly for a couple of good and loyal employees, Billy Kamphausen and Cathie Lyon, who should promptly be welcomed to fill important roles within George's series organization.)

The 1998 move to sell shares was yet another management disaster. Prudent and proper long-term planning was shoved aside in the name of quarterly results.

One CEO who had a clue was Bill Stokkan, who at least knew enough to open a New York City business/marketing office. I'm sure not saying it was done perfectly, but it was necessary. The Board dumped Stokkan and closed down the NYC operation.

Finally, this discussion can not end without mention of the media's role. I'll put it this way: It was not an era of excellence in motorsports journalism.

Far too-many journos took sides in the political struggle and, as a direct result, objectivity went the way of the Offy. Stories that needed to be told, to bring sunlight to dark dealings, went unreported so as not to give ammo to the "other" side.

The best example: Craig's temper tantrum in 1999 at the driver's meeting in Homestead. That this happened was well-known in the media center -- among other reasons, plenty of drivers came out and talked about it -- but no stories. When I asked one pro-CART leaning writer why, I was told, "I would if I thought it would do any good."

Does anyone doubt that if Mike Helton had done such a thing, it would have been instant news?

There had BETTER be a far higher level of professional and legitimate media coverage of the workings -- positive and negative -- within the unified IndyCar Series.

It says loads about contemporary "journalism" when George and the IRL are declared the "winners."

By ANY meaningful or objective standard, EVERYONE LOST. Any other interpretation is as ridiculous as, well, the last 12 years.

And now what? I fall back on this May 2006 column, which took first place in the AARWBA journalism contest:

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/racing/rn_article_viewer.asp?nid=1898

The breathtaking level of ARROGANCE, demonstrated for too long by too many, better stop right now. The first order of business is to get humble -- and that better show this May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Maybe then, people might forgive, and start to care.
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Here are links to some of my Arizona Republic NHRA stories last weekend, including husband-wife Funny Car rivals Tommy Johnson Jr.-Melanie Troxel; Antron Brown, who has zoomed from motorcycles to Top Fuel; Newsmaker Q&A with Ashley Force; and Funny Car winner Jack Beckman.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0221dragracers0222.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0221racingnb0222.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0223nhra.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0224nhranb.html
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Congratulations to John Force, winner of this year's Justice Brothers Shav Glick Award, for outstanding achievement in racing by a Californian.

This is a MUST Biz of Racing read: How Pepsi landed Dale Earnhardt Jr., from Sporting News, via NASCAR.com:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/02/20/dearnhardtjr.amp.sponsorship/index.html

This from the Feb. 22 Entertainment Weekly:

"Far be it from us to burst anyone's bubble, but you don't win an Academy Award on merit alone. Every year, between October and February, studio-employed strategists mount carefully plotted PR campaigns in the hopes of securing nominations and, ultimately, the Big Win. Back in the 1990s, when then-Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein waged infamously aggressive efforts on behalf of his films, those campaigns became a blood sport. In recent years, a sense of greater civility has returned, at least on the surface. Stumping for Best Picture, however, is still a high-stakes game."

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

WHAT I NOTICED

Daytona observations:

Uhhh, where was the Nationwide Series logo on Camping World 300 winner Tony Stewart's uniform? I, at least, couldn't see it in the designated location. Isn't that MANDATORY? And a little EMBARRASSING for the new series sponsor?

Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier not making the Daytona 500 was an obvious setback for NASCAR's north-of-the-border push. Here's what got my attention even more than that: Villeneuve is now parked due to lack of sponsorship. For all we've been told over the years about what a great racing country it is, the evidence mounts that Corporate Canada isn't on-board with that hype. For years, Paul Tracy has been unable to get native nation backing to replace legislated-out Player's, and now, Indy/F1 champion Villeneuve has the same problem.

Once again, journalists who know less about NASCAR than they do curling decended upon Daytona, with predictable results. On Sunday morning's ESPN The Sports Reporters, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, on the subject of open-wheel drivers in Sprint Cup: "Mr. 'Dancing With the Stars' didn't make it. Mr. Ashley Judd didn't make it." Then, Selena Roberts added to the growing perception of Sports Illustrated's diminished motorsports knowledge, by throwing out the easy and completely superficial "insight" that Danica Patrick might and should give stock cars a try. Even in a Hendrick Chevrolet, with Chad Knaus as crew chief, Patrick would be as competitive in NASCAR as I would be in Olympic figure skating.

Meanwhile, the reporter of a Fox News Radio report on the Daytona spectator scene, which I heard Saturday night, went out of his way to reinforce every stereotype about Southern NASCAR fans.

SPEED's Tradin' Paint needed to start the season with a credibility boost -- and has gotten it -- with David Poole of the Charlotte Observer and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post exchanging opinions with Kyle Petty.

Request: When, for the first time, Brad Daugherty actually says something meaningful, or increases our knowledge about what's happening in NASCAR, please let me know.

Journalism 101: Wind Tunnel had Daytona 500 winning car owner Roger Penske on "live" Sunday night -- and somehow managed NOT to ask the 14-time Indianapolis 500 winner if he had any insight into the status of the IndyCar-Champ Car negotiations.
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I was at Manzanita Speedway Saturday night for USAC's Copper on Dirt Silver Crown, sprint and midget opener. The field of 57 midgets, 45 sprinters and 18 Crown cars was down from last year (continuing the trend seen at Daytona and Pomona) but still a pit packer.

The previous week I did a phone interview with Kevin Miller, the new USAC president, and picked-up the conversation in the pits. (See link to my Arizona Republic story on Miller below.) I won't repeat everything in my article, but Miller has an ambitious plan for change for the 53-year-old organization. I've known just about every USAC prez since Charlie Brockman in the 1960s and, when I've questioned them about ways to strengthen the group, the answer always has been the same: We don't have the money to do those things.

So, of course, I asked Miller. He admitted some of his projects will require sponsorship support, but also said some of his initiatives are in the works, such as Internet solutions. I agree with Miller's assessment that USAC's time-buy TV history needs review, given the "new" media, and that USAC must "live" on the Internet. Including web programming from races with pit reporters.

Here's something else I agree with: Miller said USAC needs to take more "ownership" of its events, including marketing, promotion, a better-organized program of races and between-events entertainment. I know this -- already -- is meeting with resistence from "this is the way we've always done it" promoters. Overcoming this will be one of Kevin's biggest challenges.

One decisive move Miller made last week was to park the controversial and unloved new generation Silver Crown cars in favor of the traditional model. Those superspeedway worthy SC cars were, at least partially, born of a plan to provide tracks -- ISC tracks like Darlington, Kansas and Homestead -- with new "programming" if you will. I note ISC executive John Saunders is no longer on USAC's Board.

I, for one, will be watching with interest at this summer's roll-out of Miller's promised "new USAC." It could be one of the year's most significant stories.

(Meanwhile, congratulations to USAC's loyal communications man, Dick Jordan, who will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in late May. Well deserved.)

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0214racingnb0215.html
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I recommend Jon Asher's latest column on Competition Plus:

http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5204&Itemid=24

I'll be at Firebird Raceway all weekend covering the NHRA action for the Republic and taping a batch of new Business of Racing video commentaries for 1320tv.com.


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

DAYTONA 50

I'll be a guest on Racing Roundup Arizona next Monday (Feb. 18). The show airs from 7-9 p.m. (local time) on 1310 KXAM. It originates from Max's in Glendale. You can listen via KXAM.com or use the Racing Roundup link in the right-hand column.


In recognition of Sunday's 50th Daytona 500, here's my list of my top 50 memories of "The Great American Race":

50. PR rep for Marlboro's CART team getting in the press box for the Winston Cup event.

49. The first major impression left by Toyota -- the Michael Waltrip cheating scandel.

48. Go-or-blow Buddy Baker winning his way in 1980.

47. Politicians cruising for votes -- and campaign contributions -- in the garage area race morning.

46. NASCAR closing the garage area to the media . . . that was back in the old days.


45. Underdog, underfunded, Johnny Benson almost pulling THE upset in 2000.



44. Not getting to see Adam Petty race in the 500.

43. Richard Petty. The King.

42. Lee Petty's inaugural victory in 1959, decided days later following review of finish-line photos.

41. Ken Squier's nationally syndicated radio show at the Hawaiian Inn.

40. Cale Yarborough flipping in qualifying then winning in a backup car in 1983.

39. The First National City Travelers Checks' corporate luau in 1976.

38. A radio reporter admitting to me he was excited to snag a press box credential because "I'll be up there drinking beer and eating those sandwiches."

37. Good times at Down the Hatch, Gene's Steak House and the Chart House.

36. Sitting pool-side with Al Unser Jr. late afternoon before his only Daytona 500 start in 1993.

35. Darrell Waltrip's victory lane dance in 1989. The car owner? Some guy named Rick Hendrick.

34. The old, annual STP media breakfast at the Indigo Inn and the hospitality of Ralph Salvino, Jim Vogrin and Harvey Duck.

33. Sitting with Tony Hulman at a race week sponsor dinner in the mid-1970s.

32. Joe Whitlock's stories from the good old days at the 1979 Wrangler party.

31. Salvino riding on the hood of Petty's car on the way to victory lane in 1981.

30. Bill Broderick's fun, fun, fun annual Union 76 Racing Panel of Experts dinners.

29. Turn four -- "Calamity Corner."

28. Bill Elliott showing 'em how it's done in 1985 and 1987.

27. Ricky Rudd's barrel roll in the 1984 Busch Clash -- then coming back to race the next week. (And winning, at Richmond, the week after that.)

26. Richard Petty's barrel roll in 1988.

25. Benny Parsons lugging CBS' first box-like in-car camera in 1979.

24. Jeff Gordon pounding the hood of his DuPont Chevrolet in delight after winning for the first time in 1997.

23. Junior Johnson.

22. Smokey Yunick's "Best Damn Garage in Town."

21. Leonard Wood turning down my interview request in 1976: "I'm too dang busy." He got publicity for sponsor Purolator by winning a couple of days later with David Pearson.

20. Attending the news conference where Darrell Waltrip said he was "very, very happy" to be driving for DiGard.

19. "Golden boy" Fred Lorenzen.

18. "Golden girl" Linda Vaughn.

17. Dale Jarrett backing-off his radio promise to work with Mark Martin to pass leader Johnny Benson in the closing laps of '00. Martin got hung out and Jarrett got to victory lane.

16. Benny Parsons winning in 1975, then writing a poem about it.

15. CART refugee Scott Pruett whispering into my ear in the garage area in 2000, "These cars drive terrible!"

14. A.J. Foyt slipping out a side door at Halifax Hospital to avoid me and other journalists after an overnight stay following his 1978 flip. Soon thereafter, kidney stones made me an unexpected Halifax patient.

13. My friend, Al Holbert, doing interviews before the 1978 race. The subject? He was a "Yankee with a college diploma."

12. Reporter who had one-too-many leaving his rental car on the beach late one night -- only to discover the next day high tide had captured it.

11. Mario Andretti's tale-happy Ford keeping his competitors at bay in 1967.

10. Great guy Neil Bonnett, a couple of days after winning the 1984 Busch Clash, sitting on a stack of tires outside his garage and doing interviews for two hours. It was his first year with Budweiser and I was working on Bud's PR. "Keep sending 'em over," Neil told me. "Just bring me something to drink once in a while."

9. NASCAR suspends Tim Richmond in 1988 and every reporter in town tries to track him down for a comment. I bump into him in the lobby of the beach-front Hilton.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the winner's circle in 2004.

7. Dale Earnhardt's flat tire on the last lap in 1990, costing him a sure victory.

6. Bobby and Davey Allison -- father and son -- 1-2 in 1988.

5. My 35-minute one-on-one interview with Bill France Jr. in his office the week of the 1978 race, in which he predicted NASCAR would eventually become as popular as baseball and football.

4. David Pearson-Richard Petty coming to the checkered flag in 1976.

3. Last turn, last lap, 2001. Then, watching Dale Jr. hurry over to the infield medical center.

2. The 1979 finish -- maybe the moment that "made" NASCAR. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wreck; Cale, Donnie and Bobby Allison fight; Richard Petty wins.

1. 1998. Dale Earnhardt wins. The entire pit road population celebrates.
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The opening weekend of NASCAR TV coverage calls into question whether there really is such a thing as "broadcast journalism." How any announcer can put a "live" microphone in front of Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch and NOT ask if they had a physical confrontation in the NASCAR hauler after their practice crash Friday is beyond my comprehension. Ditto for mentioning a Cup team owner by name yet failing to say that owner is currently in federal prison. Ditto for the interviews by smiley-gushy pit reporters who sound more like the president of the driver's fan club.

Don't tell me how pretty the pictures were, or how crisp the audio, or the usefulness of the graphics. There's nothing more basic, necessary, or important than straightforward reporting from the "broadcast journalists."

Looks like it's going to be a long season for anyone interested in knowing the NEWS.
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Sad Sign of the Times: Longtime Detroit-area radio man Larry Henry recently was informed his broadcast position had been eliminated. Larry is available for multi-media work or a PR assignment. He can be reached at LarryHenry@pitpassusa.com .
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If you missed it last week, please check out my new Business of Racing video commentary -- explaining how the national economy affects the racing economy -- on 1320tv.com. Here's the link:
http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article4.asp?vid=dialed_in/dialed_in_bor_feb08&title=COMMENTARY:&des=The%20Business%20of%20Racing%20with%20Michael%20Knight

Here's a link to my notebook in last Friday's Arizona Republic, featuring Emerson Fittipaldi on NASCAR, A1 and A2, U.S. open-wheel racing and driving the Corvette pace car at the Indy 500:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0207racingnb0208.html


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

Watch my new Business of Racing video commentary -- explaining how the national economy affects the racing economy -- on 1320tv.com. Here's the link:
http://www.1320tv.com/dialed_in/article4.asp?vid=dialed_in/dialed_in_bor_feb08&title=COMMENTARY:&des=The%20Business%20of%20Racing%20with%20Michael%20Knight



Two recurring issues on this blog -- doing homework and attention to detail -- came into play in a single E-mail I received last week.

The message, from an Arizona publicist, started with: "Welcome to Phoenix." I've called Scottsdale home for 13 years! The E also listed the track's website. When I clicked to that, I discovered it wasn't the right address!

And some wonder why people like me -- and I KNOW I'm not the only one -- are so frustrated with so-called "PR" people?
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Elon Werner, of John Force Racing, has read here about Jim Chapman and sent me this interesting -- and instructive -- note:

"I had a great mentor at the Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Sullivan, who instilled in me the idea that I was a media services representative and I should remember to keep the 'service' in my attitude with all members of the media whether they represent a national outlet or local newspaper."

That's a great reminder for everyone. Thanks for sharing, Elon. Everyone needs mentors like Jim and Kevin. If you have a similar story to share, I'd be happy to receive it.
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I've been fortunate to have some amazing experiences in life. Few were as amazing as my 90-minute conversation with John Force (facilitated by Elon and Jim Chapman Award winner Dave Densmore) the other weekend at Firebird Raceway.

There's no doubt in my mind John is a changed person as a result of Eric Medlen's fatal crash last year and John's own serious injuries. Twice, our talk got quite emotional. John said to me: "I spent my whole life chasing an ET (elapsed time) slip and a trophy. And then I woke up one day and said, 'How can I be that stupid?'" I have no doubt he meant it.

Here's another: "When I got in that (medical) helicopter (in Texas, after last September's accident), I didn't know if I was going to get out at the other end. I was terrified. I've been in other crashes, and I'd jump out and yell, 'Get me a beer.' I was a tough guy. I was full of bleep."

John's a great competitor and, as such, he's in a uniquely difficult position this season. Ford, and all of his other sponsors, want to WIN. But John -- who has a photo of Vince Lombardi in his Yorba Linda, Calif., shop ("I don't want to go against Lombardi. But maybe he never had anybody die on the playing field") -- now says winning isn't the only thing. "This new (safer, stronger) car may not work. If I don't win a race this year, I won't complain. But if I kill somebody, I quit."

Remember, daughter Ashley and son-in-law Robert Hight are among John's Mustang drivers.
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HD Partners' announcement that it intended to acquire NHRA's pro racing assets was one of last year's most important Business of Racing stories. Last week's admission that HD didn't receive enough votes to finalize the $120 million transaction immediately became 2008's No. 1 biz story.

I can't say I was all-that surprised. I couple of business-savvy insiders told me at Firebird word was spreading the deal was in trouble. Even a casual look or listen to daily news reports would let you know investment capital is tight and the national economy is uncertain. Said Eddy Hartenstein, chairman and CEO of HD Partners: “Unfortunately, in the time since we first announced this transaction in May of 2007, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in both the financial markets and the perceived strength of the U.S. economy, which we believe adversely impacted the final outcome of this transaction."

NHRA says it will operate as before. Even though management invested what proved to be a fruitless 18 months into this effort, I hope the drag racing organization will be able to operate BETTER than before. It's likely going to be a tough summer, biz wise, for everyone. One bit of good news was the release that 21 of the 24 races on ESPN2 will air in the prime 7-11 p.m. (Eastern) time slot.
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Here's a link to my notebook in last Friday's Arizona Republic:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0131racingnb0201.html


[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

MORE OF THE SAME

Sorry to say, Racing PR 2008 isn't starting off much better than 2007 ended, as discussed in my Dec. 11 posting in this spec of the cyberuniverse.

At the AARWBA All-America Team ceremony, in the group's January newsletter, and in last week's blog, I thanked -- by name -- PR people who helped us with that event. Unfortunately, and as usual, that worked counter to those who didn't. That list includes someone who touched base with me five hours later than planned -- had to go shopping, you know. I'm still awaiting the common-courtesy of a "thank you" from the person whose boss was honored by AARWBA, someone whose priority seemed to be a parking spot -- and not for the boss.

One of the great disappointments of AARWBA's three Team dinners in Indianapolis has been the lack of outreach from the local PR community. Now, if an event of this sort was coming to my town, I would pick up the phone and call the chairman and say: "It's GREAT you are coming here! What can I do to help?"

I find it noteworthy that Dean Case, who represents MAZDASPEED, got in early and was ready to assist. The locals? MIA.

There are several Indy-based racing companies who employ younger, more inexperienced people on their PR staffs. It would have been nice if at least one of those organizations had thought to assign at least one of those younger staffers to AARWBA. (We could have used the help!) I would say they would have had the opportunity to learn more in a day and an evening than they might in half-a-season of races.

Meanwhile, in the last few weeks, I've received three calls or E-mails from publicists "pitching" me on something for the Arizona Republic. Now, I appreciate that, especially at a time when pro-active PR is rare. In every case, however, they failed to do basic research. The SUPER BOWL is here in the Valley, with the best-attended PGA golf tournament of the year happening this very same week. Newspaper 101 tells you space is tighter than the waistline of John Daly's pants. When I explained that to one agency (typical) rep, the response was, "Ohhh . . . " The same person asked if I was still doing Friday columns for the Republic. I replied, as politely as possible under the circumstances: "Yes, I began again two weeks ago -- with one of your client drivers as the lead item!"

PR done without homework is as bad as no PR.
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It was obvious change was coming to ESPN's NASCAR team. To me, the only question was: How MUCH change?

To my many ESPN friends, I'm sorry to say: Not enough. At least three -- and perhaps as many as five -- other on-air changes needed to be made.

The key word in evaluating the announcer shuffle is: CREDIBILITY.

Dale Jarrett, into the booth while Rusty Wallace goes to the studio, has it. Allen Bestwick brings it -- and it was greatly needed -- to the host role for the race telecasts and NASCAR Countdown. This also plays much better to Bestwick's strength vs. last year's pit reporter job. As I've previously written, Shannon Spake emerged from the wreckage of SPEED's horrendous NASCAR Nation to be a solid contributor, so her promotion to full-time pit reporter (in for Bestwick) is merited.

The entire case-for-increased-credibility, however, went south with the hiring of Nicole Manske as host of NASCAR Now. USA Today described Manske as a "NASCAR TV vet."

What???

No question Erik Kuselias needed to be replaced as Now host -- Congress should pass a law barring him from ever saying the word "NASCAR" again. But Manske, who with her equally fluffy (former) co-host turned The SPEED Report into Entertainment Tonight for racing, brings as much credibility to this assignment as Keith Olbermann did to anchoring MSNBC's coverage of Ronald Reagan's funeral.

There will come a time, as sadly, it always does in motorsports, when Now will have to focus all its attention on the serious -- or tragic. The audience will be served best if Bestwick or Ryan Burr is sitting in the host's chair that evening.
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Last week, I provided a link to my exclusive with Dario Franchitti, in which he revealed he was going to retire from open-wheel racing even if no NASCAR opportunity came along. I believe that is what is known in the trade as NEWS.

Proving once again that ours is a celebrity-driven society, I offer this actual headline from last week:

"Annual NASCAR media tour's hot topic is Ashley Judd"
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In case you missed it, here's a link to my new Business of Racing video commentary on 1320tv.com. It's about NHRA's businessmen-racers: "Before they learned how to speed, they had to learn how to sell."

http://www.1320tv.com/straight_talk/article3.asp?vid=straight_talk/aarwba_dinner_bor&title=The%20Business%20Of%20Racing&des=New%20commentary%20by%20Michael%20Knight

And here are links to my Arizona Republic notebook last Friday and my Sunday story on John Force's return at last weekend's National Time Trials. I spent an amazing -- and sometimes emotional -- 90 minutes one-on-one with Force in his motorhome. Then he personally showed me his new and safer chassis. IMPOSSIBLE to get it all into this story but I'll have more on the 14-time Funny Car champion in future weeks:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/01240125racingnb.html

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/0126nhra.html
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As one who enjoyed the work -- and social company -- of Lou Palmer (and his late wife, Cal), I was saddened to receive Larry Henry's E-mail last week that Palmer died at age 75 in Indianapolis. An Indianapolis Motor Speedway news release accurately described Palmer's "rich, stirring voice" which was heard on the 500 Radio Network for more than 30 years. He was chief announcer in 1988 and '89. Later, Lou served on the CART Radio Network.

Thank you, Lou.

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]