IT's the ECONOMY

I'll be a guest next Monday (Nov. 3) on Racing Roundup Arizona, for the start of NASCAR week here. That will also mark the beginning of RRA's 12th consecutive year on the air. Congratulations to (host) Jamie and (producer) Betsy Reynolds. The show airs 7-9 p.m. (AZ time) on 1310 KXAM radio. You can listen on http://KXAM.com or http://RacingRoundup.com .


NASCAR finally confirmed that Camping World will take over for founding series sponsor Craftsman next year in the Truck series. The announcement pegged it as a seven-year deal. The PR line is the Trucks will deliver "over $100 million worth of exposure."

The key quote was this from Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. (I've added bold emphasis.)

“With the state of the current economy, Camping World’s main objective is to communicate our brand in the most cost-effective manner and to promote affordable, family fun. Additionally, we feel strongly that this sponsorship will dramatically increase our customer base in experiencing our entire product offering. We expect this relationship to not only benefit the teams and fans, but we will put a special emphasis on supporting the four auto manufacturers in selling more trucks and the Truck series sponsors to yield the same return on investment that we’ve enjoyed. Camping World will work diligently to promote the four manufacturers and team sponsors by positioning them as preferred product providers to the four million RV enthusiasts we currently serve.”

With Dodge already having announced the end of its Truck support, and Ford limited to technical help to Roush Fenway, this is good news -- if it actually happens. And works.

Meanwhile, here are some of NASCAR Chairman Brian France's comments about the economy, during the Camping World announcement Q&A:

"We're off, but only in sort of single digits as it stands now. We tend to fare much better than other industries thankfully. That's because sports are so culturally ingrained to fans. It's one of the last things that they want to not participate in."

"We're fortunate. We are nervous like everybody else. We're taking every precaution we can in terms of getting costs out of our system on behalf of the team owners, on behalf of the track operators. But this is also a time when you can't freeze either. You've got to still be aggressive and still push hard your product."

"I think the number is going to be close to between $80 and $100 million of new money that is predicted to flow into NASCAR from a team sponsorship in '09. Now, that's lower than we've traditionally had as a rate of increase. But nonetheless, with the backdrop of the economy we're living in today, it's fairly good.

"Most of the teams in the Sprint Cup level are well-funded. There are obviously some teams that aren't, but there are always teams that aren't. Some of that is based on performance, not necessarily the economy. So teams that tend to perform consistently well tend to do very well in the sponsorship area as you would think.

"But is it tighter? Are teams looking to be more creative? Sure. Are teams nervous or not hearing from their current sponsors about doing one thing or another thing differently or less? Sure. That's just the nature of it. Every industry is looking around trying to get more value, trying to get more out of something that they're already doing or may do in the future. That's just the nature of dealing with and depending on corporate America to the level that NASCAR does."
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Since I agree with everything Jeff Burton says here, I am just going to reprint his voice-of-reason comments from last weekend at Atlanta:

“Well I think that’s actually in a broader context, if you listen to some financial analysis the mood of the country has more to do with the economy than the economy has to do with the economy. I’m not sure I buy that. I’m not an economist, I don’t know. But it just seems to me that the economy, you can’t ignore it.

“You can’t ignore that people are being laid off, unemployment rates are rising, inflation is rising, stock market its doing what it’s doing, the bail-out and all that stuff. It’s such a big story that I think it would be wrong for us to just act like it’s not happening. More importantly is the people who are buying the tickets, they know what’s happening because they’re the ones that are getting furloughed and their wages are going down. I think that not talking about it isn’t beneficial. I do believe that our sport, as probably most sports, we have a tendency to beat this story into the ground, but on the same token, it is there. It’s not something that we’ve created by any means.

“The only thing that we can do as a sport, in my opinion, is what we have to do, we have to make a compelling reason why people need to come watch a race and why they need to tune into it on television. If we do that, then we’re going to have better days when the economy is good. We’ll have bad days when the economy is bad because I’d venture to say that our sport, if you look at what we race for, what it takes, what it costs us to spend a year to race vs. the purse that we receive, I would be willing to bet that we’re pretty low. The purse is maybe 25 percent, 35 percent at the most of what we have to raise to do what we have to do.

“So we have to have corporate America, if we don’t have it we can’t succeed. So it impacts us, because if the corporations can’t spend the money and the people can’t afford to come watch it, then there’s teams that don’t have it. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away but I do believe we will beat a story in the ground.”
********************************************************************With the help of this Jimmie Johnson quote, from Atlanta, I hope we've rested the "any publicity is good publicity" falsehood forever. His reference is to the severe NASCAR penalties to the No. 83 Toyota Cup team for rules violations:

"The old saying that 'Any press is good press' is wrong in this respect. When you have that negative press on your team, it does put question marks in people's minds, and that is something that takes a long time to overcome. I've lived it firsthand. It's a tough thing to overcome."
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Two "amusing" TV moments from Atlanta: 1) Ryan Newman not knowing the name of the sponsor of his winning Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet after the Truck race. 2) Sunday, when it was reported that Michael Waltrip had an electrical "short in his helmet," ESPN's Andy Petree said something to the effect that "that's been going on for a while. Just kidding, Michael."
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Have you PAID for your media workspace lately? Check this out from the Chicago Sun-Times:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/obama_campaign_selling_chicago.html

[ more Blogging the Chase next Tuesday . . . ]

NET WORTHS

"Win on Sunday. Sell on Monday." That's the most historically significant statement in Business of Racing history.

Corporate $ponsorship and technical $upport budgets, which have a combined value into the billions$, have been approved with this bottom-line argument. It was first used (at least as far as I know) by the Detroit automakers.

But with show rooms becoming ghost towns, I'm sad to say there's going to be more walking-around room in the pit and garage areas.

The auto manufacturers' financial troubles -- and those of their local dealers -- have been a primary focus of media attention. Pretty much uncommented upon, though, is the huge position automotive retailing occupies in the portfolios of some of racing most important players.

For example purposes only, consider Roger Penske, Rick Hendrick and Bruton Smith.

According to the Penske Automotive Group's website, PAG operates 308 retail auto franchises, representing more than 40 different brands, and 27 collision repair centers. Quoting from corporate information: "Penske Automotive, which sells new and previously owned vehicles, finance and insurance products and replacement parts, and offers maintenance and repair services on all brands it represents, has 161 franchises in 19 states and Puerto Rico and 147 franchises located outside the U.S., primarily in the United Kingdom. Penske Automotive is also the exclusive distributor of the smart fortwo through its wholly-owned subsidiary smartUSA Distributor LLC. smartUSA operates 69 smart centers across the U.S. Penske Automotive is a member of the Fortune 200 and Russell 1000 and has approximately 16,000 employees."

I counted more than 60 dealerships listed on Hendrick's site, in at least 10 states. Included are a Jeff Gordon Chevrolet in Wilmington, N.C., Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego, Terry Labonte Chevrolet in Greensboro, N.C., and Darrell Waltrip Honda and Volvo in Franklin, Tenn.

PRNewswire materials show Smith's Sonic Automotive with about 166 dealerships in at least 15 states. Under this umbrella are Arnold Palmer Cadillac stores in Charlotte and Pineville, N.C.

Most of the "name" brands are offered by the above, among them Acura, Audi, Jaguar, Lexus, Land Rover, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, BMW, Maseratti, VW, Bentley, Hummer, Dodge and Jeep.

It's a different level, but rookie NHRA Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III's family has sold Fords in Rhode Island since the 1960s.

In my current Drag Racing Online.com "All Business"column, I reference that one of the sub-issues affecting the general racing economy is the huge net-worth hit no doubt taken by a bunch of team owners.

And then there are the various investment firms that have bought into NASCAR teams in recent years. The underlying financial health of those concerns surely could spill-over into team operations.

These days, working to maintain existing sponsor relationships is a full-time and highly-stressful job. Let alone trying to secure any fresh deals. No doubt, some owners have their hands full just trying to keep a solid foundation under their own core businesses, a priority over racing.

That's a factor worth watching.
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Considering how the elite New York and Washington D.C. media have back-handed John McCain during this campaign, as they (led by NBC -- would Meet The Press have given Colin Powell its stage for a McCain endorsement? I think not.) fall all-over-themselves for Barack Obama, this posting on The Drudge Report on the eve of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City serves as a cautionary tale. Here's the way it ran on Drudge:

DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON AUG 30, 2004 21:18:05 ET XXXXX

MEDIA ELITE TOAST MCCAIN AT ELITE EAST SIDE BOITE

"Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain hosted a hyper-exclusive birthday party for himself at La Goulue on Mad Avenue on the eve of the convention, leaving no media icon behind.

"WASHINGTON POST reports Tuesday how guests included NBC's Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert, ABC's Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Ted Koppel and George Stephanopoulos, CBS's Mike Wallace, Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, CBS News President Andrew Heyward, ABC News chief David Westin, Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, CNN's Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield, MSNBC's Chris Matthews, CNBC's Gloria Borger, PBS's Charlie Rose -- pause here to exhale -- and U.S. News & World Report publisher Mort Zuckerman, Washington Post Chairman Don Graham, New York Times columnists William Safire and David Brooks, author Michael Lewis and USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro.

"They and others dined on lobster salad, loin of lamb, assorted wines, creme brulee, lemon souffle and French tarts."

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

MESSAGES

Talk about sending the wrong message.

Kyle Busch, at his pre-Charlotte media availability, was asked if the national -- no, make that worldwide -- economic crisis caused him to worry about the overall health of NASCAR.

"I don’t really pay attention to any of it to be honest with you. I don’t have money invested in anything or any of that stuff. To me, it seems like it’s a bad thing because everybody says it is and it’s in the dump. I don’t necessarily notice it much, I mean I’ve got my own race team and stuff, and yeah, the costs are high for fuel and taking the hauler around and all that stuff. It seems to be OK for us."

It's beyond me how anyone could not pay attention. I guess Kyle was too focused on driving to notice all those empty grandstand seats and camping areas at Talladega. I assure you Toyota and all his sponsors noticed and, yes, are paying attention. As are NASCAR fans, who, ultimately, make Kyle's comfortable lifestyle possible. Great for Kyle if he doesn't have any worries -- but NASCAR Nation does.

I mark this as another example where the people who supposedly are there to look out for the best interests of Kyle, his team and sponsors, are MIA.

I've been asking motorsports' powerbrokers about the economy since the summer of '07. Sharp people I've spoken with, including Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham, Jack Roush, Kenny Bernstein and Don Schumacher have expressed concern.

At Lowe's Motor Speedway, Gordon was asked the question again.

"It’s a scary time right now. We see strong teams struggling to get sponsorship. With the economy the way it is and sponsorship being so significant in our sport, I know that Rick Hendrick and I have had several conversations that were a little nervous. We’re very fortunate that we have our sponsors tied down for several years and that’s extremely important at this time. But even that doesn’t guarantee anything in an economy like this.

"We’ve got to not only try to do our best to perform and keep those sponsors, but we’ve got to do our best to cut costs as well and make sure that we’re not being exuberant in anything that we do. So we challenge everybody at the organization to watch those numbers and also we challenge ourselves as teams and drivers to make sure that we keep the performance up.”

Gordon recently unveiled his new black graphics design for the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet on NBC's Today show, hoping to rocket-launch sales of new souvenirs (just in time for the holiday shopping season). I'm sure Jeff grasps how tough the environment is, even considering the ultra-passionate nature of NASCAR fans.

The point here, however, is Jeff sent the proper signal to those not as economically fortunate. He gets it. He wants the public to understand he knows it's tough out there and appreciates their continued support. Jeff Burton did it, too, after winning Saturday night.

That was the right message.

P.S. -- Given the wretched excesses of Formula One, Peter Windsor would have done well to ask Ron Dennis about the effects of the global economic crisis on racing's richest series during their pre-Japanese Grand Prix interview on SPEED. And sought out other owners and manufacturer movers-and-shakers for comment. Elsewhere, considering the financial challenges faced by many NHRA fans, ESPN2's pre-Virginia Nationals feature on a driver's expensive toys was inappropriate for the times. I've said for a few years that ESPN2's NHRA presentations are racing's best-produced shows, but some cracks are starting to show. Sunday night, the gimmicky "Stat Man" took time away from racing for some numbers that promoted ESPN's Monday Night Football game. Unacceptable.

P.S. II -- Last week I noted drivers who no-showed for scheduled interviews on Phoenix radio stations. Add Clint Bowyer to the list. I'm told he didn't call-in for an arranged segment on the Valley's MRN affiliate Oct. 8. It's time for the managers charged with the responsibility to obtain maximum value for team sponsorships to get with it and pay attention -- especially in this economy! Oh, and when qualifying was rained-out last Thursday, just how many "publicists" used the "down" time as an opportunity for their drivers to do phone interviews with radio or print media? Just wondering . . .
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In recent weeks, I've noted the lack of attention drivers too-often display in pre-race drivers' meetings. There is another side to that story, it seems -- at least in NASCAR -- as evidenced by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s comments last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway:

“I don’t like doing it (asking questions) in front of all the other drivers. It’s really a soapbox that I don’t really like to climb on to, and if I was to give Regan (Smith, penalized for passing below the line at Talladega on the last lap) any advice, I’d tell him to go ask that question of them guys (officials) personally hours prior to the race or before the race. That’s how I’d do it if I had a question that I’m curious about, I go ask it myself. Standing up in front of everybody in the drivers' meeting, a lot of times, you don’t get the real answer. When they have to give you the answer in front of everybody, a lot of times you’re better off to go get it behind closed doors, and hear exactly what you need to hear.”

A reporter asked Junior if that approach didn't defeat the purpose of the meeting. His brief answer said plenty:

“Who are you kidding?”
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NHRA and Coca-Cola unveiled the new logo for the 2009 season, when Full Throttle energy drink takes over the title sponsorship from Powerade. FT has said it will be more aggressive than P in promoting the series -- which is greatly needed. The announcement cited "at-track activation, out-of-home media support, online presence, retail programs and sampling." I'd say the second and fourth items on that list are the most important in trying to grow the sport.

Please note I've added Paul Page's blog to my recommended list in the right-hand column.
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We can see when a driver/car combination is faster. We can see when the gap between positions opens or closes. We can see when a crew performs a faster pit stop.

Which brings me to the ALMS' Green Challenge, which officially debuted the other week at Road Atlanta. As a manufacturer-participation-inducing technical exercise, and olive branch to the environmentalists, I grasp the value. I get that. That's fine. The press release says a Porsche was the P class winner and a Corvette in GT. How would we know if the ALMS didn't tell us? We can't see the factual elements of this competition.

Like the NFL's quarterback rating system, or the one NASCAR promotes in Sprint Cup, the mathematical formula used to make these determinations is so byzantine as to be not understandable by the media or public. Thus, it will be limited to specific interest-group publicity materials, and automaker advertising. It's not a tool to attract the general public.

I have a feeling the series would tell me: No worry. That's not our demo.
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Life on the Campaign Trail: John McCain may be trailing in the polls, but a CBS reporter says the Republican's media relations operation is much more efficient than Barack Obama's -- and even claims the Democrat's campaign plane smells. (!) Read it for yourself:
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/07/politics/fromtheroad/entry4507703.shtml
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AARWBA will present John Force with its Comeback Award during a ceremony in the Shav Glick Media Center at Pomona on Saturday, Nov. 15. The 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion returned to the winner's circle this season after his serious injuries last fall. Shirley Muldowney, A.J. Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, Al Unser, Neil Bonnett and Scott Pruett are among the previous honorees. I'll be there to participate and talk about the January 10 39th All-America Team ceremony, presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, which will return to California for the first time in four years. Site: The Hilton in Ontario, Calif. Go to http://aarwba.org/ for ticket/table/program ad information.

[ more Blogging the Chase next Tuesday . . . ]

SEEING the LIGHT

OK, Carl Edwards triggered the second "big one" Sunday at Talladega, but I'm happy to say he's seen the light. Or he's getting -- and taking -- some good advice.

I've noticed for a few weeks now that, when Carl is approached for his live ABC/ESPN TV interviews, he either takes off his sunglasses, or pushes them up on his head.

He lets us see him.

As I've written before, drivers have been getting so covered-up with big sunglasses, cap, and now also those damn Terrible Towels, well, they are so concealed, I'm not sure they could be ID'd in a police lineup. (No, that is not an excuse for drivers to be allowed to walk around with their uniforms pulled down, which looks sloppy, unprofessional, and is disrespectful to fans and sponsors who lose value.) The eyes may -- or may not -- be the window to the soul, but they sure help reveal the personality.

Many drivers have sunglasses "deals" -- I don't know if Carl does or not -- but his approach serves both needs. The company gets a little TV time and the folks get to feel closer to the person.

Fans need to see and sense more of a connection with their heroes. Well done, Carl. Keep it up. And, I hope, others will take note.
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Sunday produced a noteworthy contrast in what we -- the viewers -- got out of our racing TV experience.

Talladega fans didn't need an Amp Energy drink to feel revved-up, but I wonder if it would have helped some of the announcers. As I've repeatedly spotlighted in this space, too many pit reporters are poor questioners. Sunday, I got very tired of the trite, "What did you see from your perspective?" "From your perspective" seems to be the new "at this point in time" as needless words microphoner holders junk into their sentences. And, let's just be honest about it, the checkered flag call was embarrassing -- Dr. Jerry Punch didn't know the "out-of-bounds" rule, Andy Petree had one opinion, Dale Jarrett another. When Punch said he was looking into the adjacent NASCAR officials' booth for an answer, well, I felt sorry for him. What a downer.

I wrote here several weeks ago, in the aftermath of Helio Castroneves' blocking penalty at Detroit, about what I've observed too often over the years: Drivers not paying attention at the drivers' meeting. This might have come into play again after 'Dega, when various drivers said they had different understandings of the below-the-yellow-line rule. That's ridiculous and unacceptable. According to what I've been told and read, some drivers sought clarification on what was legal on the last lap in individual conversations with officials, but no one asked questions when the subject was raised in the pre-race meeting. Now, I realize everyone wants to seek an advantage -- in this case, knowing something a competitor doesn't -- and that NASCAR loves to keep things vague to provide ample room for "judgment calls." This, however, was a safety issue and Punch's inability to inform the fans with certainty was unfair to us.

Later, Jeff Gordon did his annual co-host gig on Wind Tunnel. It was a boffo hour -- fun and informative and entertaining. Tommy Kendall's question about how close Jeff actually came to joining the BAR Formula One team was enlightening. Jeff admitted discussions had taken place and said he thought the team wanted an American driver. I can add a little follow-up to this: Jeff's right. When Gordon didn't pursue the deal, BAR tried to sign Jimmy Vasser.
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AMEN!: According to Sports Business News.com, ESPN will make a "concerted effort" to add live sports event coverage "while cutting back on scripted series, reality shows, original movies and other types of more general sports entertainment."

John Skipper, ESPN's vice president of content, was quoted this way: "We have found that what sports fans really care about, and why they come to ESPN properties, is to watch live games."

I could not agree more.
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HEADLINE NEWS (or not): SBN.com also reported last week that an increasing number of daily newspapers have put NHL coverage on ice as a way to reduce costs.

Examples: The Palm Beach Post has ended staffing of the Florida Panthers. The Los Angeles Times is using just one beat reporter to cover both the Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. Road games won't be attended on a regular basis. The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the League's prestige teams, but the Inquirer's beat writer took a buyout when shifted to NFL reporting, and quoted the sports editor as calling hockey "an irrelevant sport." At least early in the season, the Arizona Republic isn't traveling with the Coyotes.

So, motorsports isn't alone battling for space . . . but I continue to believe racing is (or has the strong potential to be) a far bigger generator of revenue, in terms of sales and advertising, than some sports which have been judged as essential to cover. But publishers have to be made to realize that -- and get their sales people to act accordingly.
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Here's my suggestion for those who still believe "any publicity is good publicity."

See last Thursday's AP story (among many others) about Helio Castroneves.

Then ask Roger Penske.
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Recently, it was a bad week for racing coverage in Arizona. Atlantics driver and former Malcolm In the Middle star Frankie Muniz no-showed on a long-scheduled appearance (re-confirmed the day before) on Racing Roundup Arizona. No explanation offered. Two days later, Kyle Busch was promoted as a guest on the morning talk show on the Valley's MRN affiliate. You guessed it: Kyle's call never came. Oh, the lack of professionalism, and common courtesy, in our society.
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Here's a link to my new "All Business" column in the October Drag Racing Online.com. It deals with the effects of the Wall Street crisis on motorsports:
http://dragracingonline.com/columns/knight/x_9-2.html
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As chairman of the AARWBA All-America Team ceremony, I've strived to make the event more valuable and newsworthy for members and guests. Last year, we added the pre-dinner Shav Glick Newsmakers Forum, an opportunity for drivers/teams/sponsors/tracks/sanctions to make brief announcements. That was a success and we'll do it again before the 39th annual ceremony, Saturday, January 10, at the Ontario (Calif.) Hilton.

I'm pleased to share with you that, this time, we'll spend the day on a "field trip." Saturday morning, AARWBAers will board NHRA-provided transportation for a visit to John Force Racing, in Yorba Linda. We'll have breakfast, tour the 14-time Funny Car champion's facilities, hear from John, and have plenty of time for one-on-one and small group interviews with John, daughter Ashley, Robert Hight and others. After that, it's on to Pomona, for an afternoon of media racing. NHRA drivers will teach Drag Racing 101 and then we'll have elimination rounds in Pontiacs, NHRA's official vehicle. NHRA will have awards for the winner and runner-up. Then, back to the Hilton, with plenty of time to get ready for the 5:30 p.m. Forum, pre-dinner reception co-hosted by ESPN and MAZDASPEED, and the 7 p.m. dinner and ceremony presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Legendary announcer/broadcaster Dave McClelland will MC.

This is a great opportunity both for AARWBA members and NHRA. I thank NHRA and JFR. Now's the time to make your plans to attend: Go to http://aarwba.org/aarwba09.htm to order tickets, reserve tables and advertise in the program book. A special AARWBA room rate is available at the Hilton.

I have accepted AARWBA President Dusty Brandel's appointment to serve as national vice president on an interim basis. This will provide continuity of leadership following Mike Hollander's death. I'll serve until a new national VP is chosen by the membership in regularly scheduled elections later this year and will not be a candidate.

Thanks to the many who have written in reaction to last week's posting, remembering Paul Newman, Mike Hollander and Al Holbert. If you didn't read it, please scroll below.

[ more Blogging the Chase next Tuesday . . . ]

REMEMBERING FRIENDS

WITH PAUL: In the pits at Long Beach, 1993.

A racer.

That's how I'll remember Paul Newman.

Unlike other celebrities who rocketed in-and-out of the motorsports' scene like Haley's comet, engaged only for endorsement or promotional reasons, Paul was as serious about racing as any champion or winning driver. Which, of course, he was. Newman, however, is best remembered as the original co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing, which dominated the Champ Car era of American open-wheel competition with the likes of Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Sebastien Bourdais.

I'll leave it to others to recount the facts and stats of Paul's incredible life, which cancer brought to an end Friday, at age 83. What I have to offer is personal perspective from my time, 1984-1987; 1989-1995 as Newman/Haas PR director.

* As Mario was closing in on the 1984 PPG Cup, Paul sought a good vantage point to watch the race at Laguna Seca, because you couldn't see much more than a passing flash from pit lane. ESPN operated from the roof of the media center and I arranged for Paul and his acting/racing buddy Michael Brockman to watch from up there. Paul returned the courtesy by going into the booth for a "live" interview with Bob Jenkins. Paul didn't travel with an entourage and was happy enough that I left him with a good view and a six-pack of Budweiser in a small cooler.

* In those days, heavy traffic on limited access roads made it pointless to try to rush out of Laguna after the race. So, a few of us sat in the motorcoach, watching a Ronald Reagan-Walter Mondale presidential campaign debate on TV. Paul and Mario were on opposite ends of the political spectrum and they reacted pro-or-con to what Reagan and Mondale had to say. Afterwards, Paul and Mario agreed it would be best never to discuss politics again, in order to preserve their friendship.

* On Monday, March 30, 1987, Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the movie, The Color of Money. Paul didn't attend, but had asked Mario to go and accept the Oscar for him, if he won. Andretti agreed. The idea was scotched when officials told Newman only Academy members could do so. But, six days later, Paul joined Mario in victory lane at Long Beach.

* The 1992 Indy 500 was a terrible day for Newman/Haas. Mario crashed and had foot injuries. Jeff Andretti, driving for A.J. Foyt, had a hub failure and the accident left him with severe leg injuries. Michael dominated the race but broke in the closing laps. At Methodist Hospital, late that evening, Paul quietly mentioned he was hungry. I offered to get him something. To break the tension in the waiting room, he said: "Where can we go and get an All-American junko burger, you know, the kind with grease running out of it?" Our friend Bill Yeager suggested a dive near the Speedway called the Beverage Inn. The three of us went over and, in as unlikely a place as you could ever imagine to see a Hollywood legend, Paul enjoyed a burger and a Bud.

* It was Paul who coined Mansell's journey from Formula One world champion to CART PPG Cup titlist in 1993 as "The Great Adventure." Paul was at Phoenix International Raceway for Nigel's first test -- witnessed by 90 media from nine countries. At Long Beach, Mansell was a second quicker than anyone, and during qualifying Paul looked at that massive gap on the timing monitor and whispered to me, "That's embarrassing." I replied, "No, that's the way it should be." He smiled and laughed and said, "You're right! That's the way it should be!" Those with a keen eye could notice that, for years later, during Hollywood ceremonies, Paul was wearing his '93 championship ring.

* I was there at Indy in 1995 when Paul and Carl Haas sat down with Tony George in the heated atmospherics of the last pre-IRL/CART split 500. There's no need to recount the specifics now, other than to say Paul's concern was not racing politics, but to make sure the Speedway would allow quality food to be served to his mechanics in the garage area. Tony agreed. While Paul was CART's most vocal and passionate advocate, he became a believer in a reunified IndyCar Series, and, last March, allowed his name to go on a letter to previous Indy 500 ticket buyers, asking them to come back. It's a happy thing that Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal were able to win for Paul's team in the first reunified season. And that Tony George and the Speedway properly acknowledged Paul's passing.

* Paul knew I enjoyed researching racing historical trivia, and on many weekends he'd ask me, "What have you got for me?" I'd share some informational nugget and he'd delight in it . . . then go off and stump Roger Penske or Bobby Rahal or Chip Ganassi.

I once asked Paul for some guidance. He kindly took me into the privacy of the team motorcoach and taught me this: "Know your audience." And that humor was a powerful device to communicate a serious message.

For that, his kindness, and the great opportunity just to be around him, I say thank you to Paul Newman: A racer.
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Michael F. Hollander was my computer guru. He put up with my dumb questions about the Internet, told me what equipment to buy, and how to make it all work. When I hit a technical brick wall, he coached me via telephone on how to fix it. I couldn't have created this blog without his overly generous help.

Hollander, 61, died last Wednesday of cancer. Everyone who has ever written about racing online owes him a moment of respect and a silent prayer, because it was Mike who effectively invented online race news reporting. All the way back in the dark ages of 1979, he began posting real-time race news worldwide via the CompuServe Information Service. In September 1983, that evolved into the Auto Racing SIG and later into The Motor Sports Forum.

I remember, in the early 1980s, occasions when the AP's Mike Harris and I would have to argue with track PR directors to issue Hollander media credentials -- simply because they didn't know there was such a thing as online journalism.

Mike later authored two books and helped racing clients, including the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, while working at agencies. He was the longtime AARWBA western vice president and then national VP. His efforts on behalf of AARWBA members were incredible, including editing the All-America Team program book, and producing all the awards ceremony visuals. Mike was presented the Dusty Brandel President's Award, for service to AARWBA, two years ago. The truth is, he could have gotten that honor every year.

Mike was a Navy veteran, who served in Vietnam, and received numerous decorations.

A member of the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers, Mike was able to travel from California to the great race last May, and attended the traditional AARWBA members' breakfast. I sat near him in the IMS media center race morning, watching the Monaco Grand Prix on TV, and -- as usual -- he was online, telling me about news from around the world.

Mike Hollander was a pioneer. It's almost impossible to remember a time when online motorsports journalism didn't exist. He made it happen for the rest of us. Thank you, Mike.
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Publicist Ron Meade, an original staff member of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, died last week. Going back to the 1970s, Ron was of assistance to me in a variety of roles, at Daytona and in sports car racing. I always appreciated his help.
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One of my very closest friends, Al Holbert, was killed 20 years ago when the private airplane he was piloting crashed moments after takeoff from Columbus, Ohio. It was Sept. 30, 1988. He was only 42. Over 1,000 people attended his funeral.

I covered Al extensively while at the Philadelphia Daily News, as the three-time Le Mans winner and multiple IMSA champion's Porsche dealership and team were based in nearby Warrington, Pa. Al is mostly remembered for his sports car excellence, but he also finished fourth in his only Indy 500 appearance, and was a respected driver in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.

In '88, I handled the PR for the Porsche CART team, which Al ran as director of Porsche Motorsport North America. I told him several times that he was too nice a person to be involved in racing. One lesson from Al's life is he proved good people can be successful. One of the greatest gifts I've ever received came from Al: His trust in my ability.

Two days before his death, over lunch, we shook hands on a partnership in a PR/promotions/marketing company. That dream died with Al. Above, we're in one of our very typical candid one-on-one conversations, this at Pocono, that summer. I miss Al to this day. God Bless. (Photo courtesy of Dan R. Boyd.)


[ more Tuesday, Oct. 7 . . . ]

TAKING THE HEAT

SETTING THE PACE: USA Today published a special section last week in recognition of the 35th anniversary of Title IX, the act widely regarded as having opened the door for greater participation by women in sports. Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, was prominently mentioned. Today, Mazda is a leader in providing opportunities for female racers in a variety of road racing classes. This nicely-composed image from Mazda PR rep Dean Case, taken at Road America, shows (left to right), Kristy Kester, Star Mazda; Deborah Loth, MX-5 Cup; Natalia Kowalska, Star Mazda; Laura Olson, MX-5 Cup; Simona De Silvestra, Atlantic; Ashley Frieberg, Skip Barber series.


Sports Illustrated called-out Kyle Busch last week. In a story by Mark Beech, noting that Busch bolted from New Hampshire Motor Speedway "without comment," Beech took up the popular notion that Kyle has matured now that he's with Joe Gibbs Racing. In his story, headlined "Adults Only," Beech wrote: "For all of Busch's claims to personal growth . . . he has yet to completely shed his reputation as a punk on wheels."

Tough stuff.

Engine failure put Kyle into the garage at Dover. While waiting to see if enough repairs could be made so he could make laps, Busch did emerge from the hauler to speak with ABC and gathered reporters.

In his Friday media session, four-time champion Jeff Gordon was asked why he always makes himself available post-race. According to a Chevrolet-provided transcript, Jeff answered:

“I don’t know, it is just the way we have always done it. While there are moments that your frustration level gets the best of you and you may need some time to cool down before you say something that you wish you could take back. With that in mind, we have just always done it that way. I think you have respect for the media; they are a big part of this sport. Whether you have a good day or a bad day, you have got to talk about both sides. You can’t just only come out when you have a smile on your face and everything is going your way. Sometimes you have to answer the tough questions too, whether you like it or not. I think we have always tried to respect the media. They have been good to us and we try to give them that same courtesy back.”

Meanwhile, Busch fell to last in the Chase standings, while Tony Schumacher's record-setting run in Top Fuel came to an end in the final round in Texas. Busch did dominate Saturday's Nationwide race at Dover. While I believe Scott Pruett -- who clinched the Daytona Prototype championship Saturday -- deserves Driver of the Year consideration, along with Scott Dixon, it's more likely that honor will go to either the NASCAR or NHRA driver. In the last two weeks, the momentum has shifted to Schumacher.
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Boy, am I GLAD I wrote last week's blog, "Taken for Granted." It triggered some E-mails from some unexpected corners of the media universe. People told me their own stories of what one high-powered journalist called "neglect" from the president and publicist of the track she frequently works.

I would politely suggest scrolling below for a re-read. It obviously should be a BIG wake-up call for a LOT of people. More than I realized.
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I was out at Manzanita Speedway Saturday night to see Jim McGee's induction into the Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame. I worked with Jim at Newman/Haas Racing in 1993 and '94 during the days of "Mansell Mania." As one who was behind the closed garage doors, I can tell you, Nigel could not have won the '93 PPG Cup without Jim as team manager. It was Jim who talked Nigel through the elements of oval racing (Mansell won four consecutive ovals) and how to compete within the CART system. Jim has long ties to Arizona, including his time working for Clint Brawner and Bob Fletcher. That's Jim (left) and his Hall of Fame plaque with writer Mark Armijo, a member of the Hall committee.
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Congratulations to Cathie Lyon, who becomes executive director of CARA Charities effective Oct. 1. Cathie takes over for Mary Lou Bogner, who is retiring after serving as exec director since 1993. Cathie (along with Billy Kamphausen and a few others) served greatly and loyally to CART/Champ Car for many years -- and should have had a job in the IRL after reunification.

I'm sure Cathie's positive energy will benefit the good work of CARA. Learn more at http://www.caracharities.org/
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Check back here next week for some important news about an exciting new element we'll add to the January 10 AARWBA All-America Team ceremony, presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. New location is the Hilton in Ontario, Calif.

I will be contributing to the Arizona Republic's advance and NASCAR race-weekend coverage at Phoenix International Raceway in November.


[ more Blogging the Chase next Tuesday . . . ]

TAKEN FOR GRANTED

Even though my home is in the highly-desirable golf destination of Scottsdale, I don't play. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in the sport. One of the great days of my sportswriter life was to follow Jack Nicklaus for 18 holes from inside the ropes. And, I find the golf industry fascinating from a business perspective.

The other week, the LPGA announced that, as a requirement of membership, players would have to speak English. At least adequately enough to interact with media, fans, officials and sponsors. With Annika Sorenstam (I'm a fan) on the way to retirement and the tour increasingly dominated by Asian players, I agreed with this decision. As I have tried to tell assorted sports car sanctioning executives over the years -- with frustration but not success -- journalists need to talk to the athletes to write and broadcast stories. In over 40 years in-and-around racing, I've yet to see a reporter interview a car, no matter how eye-catching the Ferrari or Porsche or Acura or Corvette or Audi may be.

In truth, the LPGA's decision was more about cash than publicity. Corporate types pay for the fun of teeing-it-up in a pro-am with one of the professionals. It's not such a good investment when you can't speak with your playing partner. Considering that South Korean television rights constitute a major revenue stream for the LPGA, one would think the policy was duly considered.

Unfortunately, as has so often been the case under the current commissioner -- the LPGA's equivalent of Andrew Craig -- this backfired like a '49 Ford. The rule wasn't officially announced, but leaked out from offended parties. Quite predictably, the empty suit TV talkers jerked their knees as if struck by a Big Bertha, calling for the ACLU (which is so left it ought to have its headquarters inside turn one at California Speedway) to get involved. Such "informed" commentary, sadly, overlooked the fact that countless legal rulings have upheld the right of organizations to establish reasonable and legitimate membership requirements.

Last week, the LPGA backed off. They handled the matter like a 5 iron in a thunderstorm, but I cheer the attempt to actually set some standards.

Which brings me to the Chase 5.0, which opened with Greg Biffle's victory last Sunday at New Hampshire.

Even with the dark clouds hanging over Detroit, NASCAR is in a stronger position than most sports orgs to weather our national economic storm. (But the announcement that NASCAR Holdings is buying Grand-Am has potential important implications, as I'll explain in upcoming weeks.) That does not mean attracting attention (or selling tickets) for the Chase races is as easy as a one-foot putt.

Filling seats is almost entirely a local job. Let's just say some tracks do it better than others. There are race "organizers" and then there are (a few) "promoters."

And then there are those who take the media and coverage for granted.

That is an astounding reality.

I understand that might seem hard to believe, especially in today's challenging media environment, but I'm here to tell you it's true. For all the level of "sophistication" the racing business supposedly has these days, I know this: In the 1970s, when I was at the Philadelphia Daily News and covered all the big events at Pocono, Dover, Trenton and Watkins Glen, people at those speedways (two didn't even have full-time PR directors!) knew enough to do meaningful relationship-building with key journalists.

Did it take a little work? Yes! Maybe some extra effort? Absolutely! Was it worthwhile? You better believe it!

Think about that, please. There were PR people more than 30 years ago who knew more and did more than some in the contemporary crowd. (!) Some today consider a few lame words transmitted via a lazy E-mail is good enough. I guess they don't have the strength to pick up the telephone even when good manners and good business demands it.

Say what you will about the antics at Charlotte and Texas, but no one thinks the promoters there take media coverage for granted. It's as natural as breathing for them to walk through the media center to say "hello" and "thank you." Some others would need a brain transplant to get that thought.

I'd like to see NASCAR put an addendum on its sanction agreements. Maybe NASCAR can't legislate common sense. But it surely can mandate higher standards. At least the LPGA had the right idea.
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NHRA's playoffs began last Sunday with what, by all indications, was an ultra-successful debut in the Carolinas at Bruton Smith's new drag palace. To repeat what I've said before, I consider drag racing to be an under-covered sport. So I'll be including the Countdown to One in Blogging the Chase. With Kyle Busch's problems at New Hampshire, and Tony Schumacher's record-setting victory (seven in-a-row, 12 this season, 28 straight rounds, 53 in his career) in Concord, the Army Top Fuel driver should have moved ahead in the Driver of the Year competition. In addition to Drag Racing Online.com and the other sites I mentioned in this space the other week, a good way to follow the Countdown is via ESPN2 NHRA anchor Paul Page's blog: http://paulpage.tv/

* I'm continually impressed with the regular updates John Bisci, the PR manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, provides NHRA team/sponsor publicists to help them do their job. And help publicize the two Powerade weekends at The Strip. Bisci is one of the VERY FEW current-day track publicists who understands that reaching out and generating goodwill among the teams and sponsors by sharing his local knowledge is smart -- and good business.
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Here's a link to my new "All Business" column in the September Drag Racing Online, headlined: "Crafting a Public Image".
http://dragracingonline.com/columns/knight/x_9-1.html
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I'm not big on surprises, but . . . I've been notified that I won a gold medallion for commentary and a bronze for interviewing in the International Automotive Media Awards. The gold was for my "The Bottom Line" column, on the state of the Indy 500, that was published in the May/June 2007 Race News magazine. The bronze was for my Brian France Q&A in the Nov. 11, 2007 Arizona Republic.

[ more Blogging the Chase next Tuesday . . . ]

ELITE ACTIONS

For the third consecutive year, I'll Blog the Chase, starting next week.

For now, though, I can't go without expressing concern for the outrageous double-standard and elitist treatment too many in the media have directed at Sarah Palin. The governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential nominee's life story includes family, hockey mom, hunting and snowmobiling -- not the priorities in the media's Georgetown and New York social hubs.

Showing how truly out-of-touch with the American people the media elites are, I have heard several pundits say Palin is not qualified because she's never appeared on Meet The Press or other Sunday talk shows. MSNBC's Chris Matthews -- whose own combination of ego and arrogance is matched in my experience only by Andrew Craig -- literally screamed on-the-air last week that Palin "MUST" appear on such a show (the obvious implication being his). Matthews looked miffed when Pat Buchanan informed him he could not "order" her to appear!

There's a lot to say -- and learn -- from how the media has acted in recent weeks. I'll get into that in detail in the next few weeks.

[next Tuesday, Blogging the Chase . . . ]

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

The decisions of decision-makers led the sports news last week.

1. The LPGA mandated that all of its players must speak English as a condition of membership. I agree with this and will explain why and the good example it sets for others in the near future. However, as has been common under the current LPGA executive team, the news was mishandled PR-wise by the tour office -- creating an unnecessary controversy.

2. Milwaukee Brewers’ pitcher CC Sabathia lost a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates because the official scorer ruled "hit" instead of "error" on a ball fielded by Sabathia. Having covered a game or two in my career, I definitely would have called "E-1."

3. Over on Belle Isle, IRL competition boss Brian Barnhart got in the spirit of the start of football season, and threw a penalty flag for an illegal block. That forced Helio Castroneves to yield the lead -- and, ultimately, the victory -- to Justin Wilson.

What fascinated me came in the post-race comments from various drivers. Depending on who was doing the talking, normal policy outlined by Barnhart in the drivers' meetings did or did not specify a warning would be issued before a penalty. This reminded me of what happened after the 1981 Indianapolis 500 debacle, when USAC took the win away from Bobby Unser and awarded it to Mario Andretti, because Unser violated the blend line rule exiting the pits. After months of hearings, a panel overturned that call, and Unser was again the winner.

That time, too, different drivers had different versions of what was said in the drivers' meeting. Not only did Unser vs. Andretti hear it differently, so did Johnny Rutherford vs. Gordon Johncock, to cite two of the sport's biggest names of that era. How to explain this?

Having not only been in, but also participated in, dozens of CART and IROC driver meetings over the years, I can tell you this: It's amazing how many drivers don't pay attention, and how often they do it. I've watched and listened as drivers talked about girls, vacations, motorcycles, boats and airplanes -- all while officials were reviewing rules and race procedures.

I don't know what Barnhart did or didn't say in Detroit. Or what individual drivers did or didn't do during the meeting. I do know this: It is every driver's responsibility to know the rules, and that means paying attention. If you aren't sure, ask in front of everyone else -- so you have witnesses -- to reduce the chance of a misunderstanding.
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When Jimmie Johnson spoke at the National Press Club recently, he was asked if NASCAR fans were more likely to support John McCain or Barack Obama. Johnson said he felt the Republican better fit the NASCAR demographic.

Now we learn, at least according to the AP, that vice presidential nominee (and Alaska governor) Sarah Palin's husband Todd is a four-time winner of what it called "the world's longest snowmobile race." The story said the Alaska event is 2,000 miles in distance.

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

REMINDERS

This is a good week to follow a little of my own advice: 1) Pay attention to something that might be educational; 2) Don't take anything for granted.

This is Mac Tools U.S. Nationals weekend, NHRA's biggest and most prestigious contest. To repeat what I've written previously, in my opinion, drag racing is an under-covered sport. Why? Because too many media people look down on it as too blue collar. One day at a Powerade Series event would introduce them to the most American of America's motorsports, attention-grabbing raw power, and some of the most interesting personalities in any sport, any where. Say "hi" to John Force and he'll gladly fill your notebook. (Tony Schumacher, shown here, is in a three-way race with Kyle Busch and Scott Dixon for Driver of the Year.)

PR people from IndyCar, NASCAR and road racing could learn a ton by cruising around an NHRA pit area. Especially the ability of any fan to get an autograph from any driver. And, drag racing PR people actually say "YES!" to journalists' requests. Let the record show in two of the last three years, NHRA team/sponsor publicists (Susan Arnold and Dave Densmore) have earned the Jim Chapman Award.

Let me be clear: NHRA -- the organization and the series -- faces many, many challenges. But ESPN2 has extensive coverage of the Nationals, including Monday's finals. Your loss if you don't check it out.
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In the right-hand column I maintain links to a few sites that I am connected with in one way or another. There are other places I visit, enjoy, and use as a resource. I don't want to "assume" you know about them, although I realize that's likely. But, just in case, here are some I want to be sure to commend to you:

Jayski -- The Drudge Report of racing sites, focusing on all-things NASCAR. Like Matt Drudge, Jay Adamczyk is an Internet success story, turning his hobby into a business (now owned by ESPN). I look at it at least once a day:
http://www.jayski.com/

Autoextremist -- Peter De Lorenzo's often-controversial commentaries on the auto and motorsports' industries. Agree or disagree, Peter is frequently on-point, and his weekly offerings come on Wednesday:
http://www.autoextremist.com/

Daly Planet -- Analysis of the TV scene is one of my favorite pursuits. Veteran broadcast executive John Daly has the NASCAR telecasters under his microscope daily:
http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/

Gordon Kirby -- The longtime open-wheel and road racing journalist and author is one of my regular Monday reads:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/

Competition Plus -- Although I'm affiliated with two other drag racing sites, Drag Racing Online and 1320tv (links at right), I check out CP -- mainly to see what my friend Jon Asher has to say. If you have any interest in the straight-line sport, 1320tv, DRO and CP all are musts.
http://www.competitionplus.com/
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BAD PICTURE: SPEED viewers didn't see the ALMS P2 class lead change on the last lap Sunday at Mosport, because the director cut away from the racing to show trite images of waving checkered flags and the usual Audi pit crew celebration. That meant the audience also didn't see the hotly-contested GT2 class finish. ALMS wants us to care about its multi-class format yet TV didn't show three of those winners cross the finish line. (!) It's a basic part of the job for the director to ANTICIPATE the action and cut to the most newsworthy picture. I wonder if any of the network's production executives, or series management, even noticed . . . or (yet another) amateurish Jamie Howe interview, this time with GT1 winner Jan Magnussen.

GOOD IDEA: At a time when meaningful creative thinking is as hard to find as a Thomas Eagleton for Vice President button, thumbs-up to ESPN. Yesterday, post-Olympics, the net placed a full-page ad in USA Today admitting, "For 9 nights, we weren't watching us either."
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DIS-CONNECTED: If you didn't see NASCAR team co-owner Felix Sabates' quotes (courtesy of SceneDaily.com) about the departure of ChevronTexaco as a sponsor, well, I'll post them here without comment:

“Texaco was a great sponsor for a long time, but for the last year they really have been disconnected with the sport. They have focused on other things. We really didn’t get much support from them. The money wasn’t all that great."

“For us, it was a blessing that we can go out and find somebody who can pay us some real money.”

“Texaco was a liability for us because out of loyalty to them, we weren’t aggressively looking to replace them. We kept hoping they maybe would wake up one of these days and decide they need to be in NASCAR. The company, I feel bad for them, they only made $6 billion last quarter."

“The Texaco management is disconnected from racing. All the new people don’t know what a race car looks like.”
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Two reminders:

* If you can, please join me in supporting the NASCAR Foundation's blood donation and bone marrow drive on Thursday, Sept. 11. You can participate at many Cup tracks. I'll do so at Phoenix International Raceway.

* The 39th AARWBA All-America Team ceremony, presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, will be Saturday, January 10, at the Hilton near the Ontario, Calif. airport. Specific details forthcoming. ESPN will again be a pre-dinner reception co-host. The Jim Chapman Award, for excellence in motorsports PR, will be presented. Go to the AARWBA site (right column) for table/ticket/ad information.

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

REINVENTING the (TV) WHEEL

Since last week's recounting of business history in the aftermath of the IRL's new cable TV deal with Versus, I've heard from four people with significant insight into this subject: Two reps from current IndyCar teams, one from a former team looking for sponsorship to get back in, and the former program manager of a former major team sponsor which is a consumer products company.

This slice of insider opinion confirms what I wrote: The perception of less exposure value "vs." what was available via ESPN is a dollars-and-cents concern. This is based strictly on total available eyeballs rather than total air time. I best can summarize with this quote from a current team's sponsor finder, currently trying to keep one corporate backer, and looking for at least one more:

"I'm hoping someone (from the IRL) will be able to convince me my job just got easier, not harder."

There's no point in my repeating last week's observations -- if you didn't have a chance to read them, please scroll down to "Perception 'Versus' Reality." An interesting theme that has been picked up by those who have been in contact with me, however, goes something like this:

"Is there anything the IRL and Versus can do to add value?"

Yes.

Dare to be different.

This is an opportunity for both the series and the network to INNOVATE (which, before the age of spec cars, was an Indy hallmark). It's a chance to be BOLD and EXPERIMENT with new ways to present racing on TV. Frankly, fewer households gives the IRL and Versus the flexibility to try fresh ideas and fresh faces (at least a few -- read that, not Indy-based -- it's supposed to be a sport with national interest so more outside-Indiana perspective would be refreshing), something that would be more difficult to do on ESPN. Plus, Versus has promised a lot more air time, so space is available.

See last week's blog for a few suggestions. More:

Panel programs are increasingly popular, so how about a segment or two pre-race (or on the qualifying show) featuring journalists, pundits and industry insiders debating the issues of the day? It doesn't have to be a McLaughlin Group free-for-all to be fun, lively, opinionated, informative and yet respectful to Tony George and his series. But the panelists MUST have credibility, not selected only for big mouths or the media outlet they represent. (As we have seen too often on NASCAR Now and Tradin' Paint.) Larry Henry would be a fair traffic cop/moderator.

Even a casual look at the chatrooms proves fans are interested in how and why sponsors choose teams and drivers; an experienced business-knowledgeable reporter could explore that and many other topics. (Note that business reporting is now an established element of Olympics, Super Bowl and even Daytona 500 coverage.)

We're a People-magazine/photo-op/celebrity-driven society and those kinds of profiles could be done much better than ever attempted. And, let's be honest, the folks are always interested in the paddock chatter about driver and team rivalries, who's happy and who's mad, who's "in" and who's "out," etc. It IS possible to present that part of the IndyCar "experience" to the public in a legitimate and civilized way.

Sponsors and teams should be pro-active and powerful advocates of a new approach. Generating buzz can generate added value for the Versus package.

This much is clear: Repeating the same old formula is an expressway to obscurity.
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The other thing people have been asking me this past week: Did any of the involved parties explain the why or the validity of the "500" label put on the ALMS Road America race?

The answer: NO. Am I surprised? NO.
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News Conference 101: Announce the key NEWS elements in the opening statement, BEFORE taking questions. In the case of Tony Stewart confirming Ryan Newman as his Cup teammate in 2009, that meant how many years they agreed to, and the status of sponsorship for Newman's car. Neither was addressed up-front last Friday at Michigan.

That's called not understanding what the media needs, and not paying attention to the details. Or basics.

Not surprisingly, Ed Hinton of ESPN.com was the first to show his journalist bona fides. And, despite the machine-gun nature of SceneDaily.com's Bob Pockrass' query, it was completely legitimate, and Stewart's retort was less-than-respectful -- and unworthy of the conference room laughter. Here's a question that SHOULD have been asked of Newman, but wasn't: Given what happened to Dario Franchitti, aren't you concerned about signing with a team that doesn't have full-season sponsorship for your car firmly in place?
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Sad $ign of the Time$:

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN1427376520080814?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=23&sp=true

Meanwhile, over at the Los Angeles Times, Eddy Hartenstein is the paper's new publisher. You might recall Hartenstein's HD Partners made a bid to buy the assets of NHRA's pro racing operations, but the deal fell through.

I want to acknowledge the passing of Leroy Sievers, the broadcast journalist best known as executive producer of ABC News' Nightline. Sievers died of colon cancer at age 53. In May 1994, I worked closely with Sievers when he field-produced a Nightline for Ted Koppel on Mario Andretti's last Indianapolis 500. It was the most intense -- and I would say THE most satisfying -- professional experience of my career. Leroy reminded me several times that, no matter all our work, the show could get canned if a major world news story broke. Fortunately, we had the entire half-hour the Friday night before the race, a priceless publicity achievement. I still display in my office the Nightline cap Sievers gave me.

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

PERCEPTION 'VERSUS' REALITY

In an unfortunate bit of timing, two days before the IRL announced last Thursday that Versus will replace ESPN as its cable TV outlet, Sporting News Today published an interview with NHL Players Association executive director Paul Kelly. He was asked about Versus, which took over the hockey league's rights from ESPN starting with the 2005-2006 season. Kelly's quote:

"The players want the greatest exposure possible, particularly in the United States . . . We've got a majority of our guys living and playing in the U.S. They are not satisfied with the nature of the coverage at the national level in the U.S. While we would love Versus to rise up and become what ESPN is in terms of programming in homes, hotels and sports bars -- the reality is they're not there."

The talking points from both the league and network on what is said to be a 10-year deal put heavy emphasis on increased promotion and, especially, more air time. Specifically: Each telecast will be at least three hours with extended pre-race coverage; one-hour previews the day before with qualifying highlights; Indy 500 qualifying shows; 10 hours of ancillary programming each season including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Centennial Celebration in 2009, '10 and '11.

The TPs failed to mention that Versus is in about 23 million fewer households than ESPN.

All of this reminded me of when CART management left ESPN for Speed Channel. I'm certain current IRL executives don't know the background of this history, so let me share a bit of that.

In a February 2002 announcement, CART execs revealed Speed as its new cable network for 12 races. The emphasis was that all races would be "live," with a higher level of production value, lots of additional programming, including Saturday qualifying and even a Derek Daly-hosted Friday night show. The word "tonnage" was tossed around quite a bit -- that teams and sponsors and fans would enjoy what was measured as a "61 percent increase" in total TV coverage.

That was CART's message to its teams and sponsors. The problem, of course, was Speed's smaller household penetration compared to ESPN. And people knew it. When the sponsor finder for one of CART's top teams tried this out on one of his two primary corporate backers, the reply went something like this: "I don't care if CART is on 24/7/365, if people aren't watching, and don't get the channel, it doesn't have value to us -- especially at the level we've been paying." The possessor of one of racing's best business minds emerged from a group meeting with CART reps and promptly told me, "People came away laughing at them."

While not a perfectly straight line, connecting the dots between this network switch and the decision of (at least) two primary team sponsors to get out of CART is a fairly easy exercise.

Below, you will find a link to my new Drag Racing Online magazine column, titled "The Reality of Perception." I make the point that NHRA has to be very pro-active in getting out and "selling" the validity of 1,000-foot racing to media and fans. I would say the same basic applies to the IRL, which, it must be noted, is being paid by Versus as opposed to CART's time-buy on Speed. History, which is what Indianapolis is supposed to be all-about, teaches us the "tonnage" argument alone will not convince sponsors who care more about total eyeballs than net hours.

Gentleman, start your sales pitch.
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As an example of the challenges that face the IRL, I offer two examples:

1. Cox is the cable provider in the Phoenix area, my home location. Versus is not a part of Cox's basic package, meaning those who don't pay extra won't even have the possibility of stumbling across IndyCar races while channel surfing.

2. The on-screen programming guide here lists channel 169 as "OLN." That refers to Outdoor Life Network. The network changed its name from OLN to Versus back in April 2006. (!)

A final thought . . .

At the risk of sounding elitist -- as the AP's Jenna Fryer did on a recent ESPN2 NASCAR Now roundtable when she said "those of us with NASCAR (media) hard cards" understand Tony Stewart; the direct implication being the opinions of journalists without a season pass are less valid or valuable (for the record, I have a hard card) -- I hope and respectfully suggest that Versus strive for a more, dare-I-say, "sophisticated" presentation of the IndyCar Series.

In what rulebook does it say the formula of an ex-driver in the booth, a female pit reporter and Indianapolis-centric microphone-holders is mandatory?

It's time for an approach that demonstrates a more expansive mindset.

It's time for a thoughtfully-constructed mixture of old and new "faces."

Especially with all the additional air time that Versus has promised, there should be a place for journalists and industry insiders knowledgeable about and willing to speak to important issues such as racing politics, business, the dynamics of sponsorship negotiations/ROI/activation, rules development, race control decision-making, the history of all-of-the-above, and even respectful-but-legitimate commentary on the "scene."
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ALMS at Road America was last weekend, which means it's time for my annual call for truth-telling:

The race was again officially labeled as a "500." It's insulting enough when the "500" tag is put on events that are measured in kilometers (and not listed that way) when the general public assumes such numbers refer to miles. It's worse when "500" bears no apparent representation of anything. The sports cars contested four hours at Elkhart Lake. That was 102 completed laps around the circuit whose published length is 4.048 miles. You do the math. That's not 500 miles. That' not 500 kilometers. Not even close. So, I ask, it was "500" WHAT?

Shame on everyone involved -- track, title sponsor, series, sanctioning body, TV network and media -- which again propagated this without explanation.

It's an issue of credibility.
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I've often said PR people everywhere can learn from politics. So, what can we take from John Edwards' confession last week?

What to do: Edwards followed the pattern that the best time to dump-out bad news is on a Friday night. The fact that it matched with the Summer Olympics' opening ceremonies, when the media and public were distracted, was even better.

What not to do: Edwards' statement raised as many questions as it answered. Worse, it -- and too many responses in his ABC Nightline interview -- were horrifically self-serving.

* He conducted the affair while his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, was in remission. (As if that made his actions any less painful to her.)

* ". . . being 99 percent honest is no longer enough." (It was NEVER enough, not when you are a candidate for POTUS.)

* That the story was published in a "supermarket tabloid." (Which proved to be accurate.)

* That the affair took place only "for a short period." (Quantity is not the issue.)

* Refused to say "yes" or "no" to the simple question of if that's him in the newspaper's photo holding a baby. (Exhibit A in why people distrust politicians.)

* "If you want to beat me up -- feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare . . . " (Yes, let's feel sorry for a presidential candidate who lied on the campaign trail.)

Edwards, the empty-suit ambulance-chaser, was correct about this: He believed "I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic."
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Here's the link to my August "All Business" column in Drag Racing Online, referenced above:
http://dragracingonline.com/columns/knight/x_8-1.html
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Due to budgetary cutbacks, the Arizona Republic has discontinued publication of my weekly Racing Notebook. Last Friday's (link below) was the last and I'm told the available space will be filled with wire copy. I may continue to contribute to the paper's coverage of local motorsports events. For the last 10 months I attempted to help keep readers of the state's largest newspaper informed of important news in all the major series -- NASCAR, but not just NASCAR -- and I'm disappointed that won't continue. We even broke a few stories along the way. My thanks to Republic sports editor Mark Faller and assistant SE Dave Lumia for their support and kind words about my work.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/08/07/20080807racingnb.html

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]

WHAT NASCAR DID RIGHT

I intentionally waited a week before commenting on the Debacle at the Brickyard, because I wanted to soak-in as much of the punditry as possible. Depending on who was talking or writing, NASCAR was at fault, or Goodyear, or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or two of those three, or all of the above, or George W. Bush (just kidding). I heard Brian France blamed for the new car, Tony George for diamond-grinding the track, and Goodyear for not bringing enough tires.

Now that the emotional fog has lifted, I would say this much is clear: NASCAR and Goodyear were inattentive, surprisingly so, since it was INDY and the first Allstate 400 with the CoT. Too much was taken for granted even though evidence that the track would "rubber up" should have been discounted since that history was with the old car. Pointing the finger at IMS was ridiculous as no new work had been done on the surface since the 2007 event. IMS -- actually IMS and its paying customers -- were innocent victims of NASCAR/Goodyear brain-fade.

Brian France isn't -- and has never claimed to be -- a "technical" guy. He didn't design or develop the CoT. Yes, as chairman, he's ultimately responsible for those hired to do the job, but to finger him for the CoT's problems is silly. Commentators who don't like the CoT should point specifically to NASCAR's tech guys if that is their complaint. The "not enough tires" yap was equally silly since a reported 400 sets of Pocono-spec tires were brought in (but not used), just in case.

The best analysis came from Bob Margolis, on Yahoo.com, who correctly stated that NASCAR is the only major series in the world with on-going tire issues. I'm not an engineer, but I think it's increasingly obvious the CoT requires a wider tire, and quite possibly a taller one, too.

After all the media sound-and-fury, it's time to say there are two things NASCAR did right:

1. They offered an apology. People usually respect it when a mistake is admitted. I'm still waiting for Tony George and the assorted CART/Champ Car executives to say they're sorry for making a mess of American open-wheel racing.

2. They did the best that could be done under the circumstances. The reality is there are going to be days when things go very wrong. That's not an excuse; it's a fact. When it happens, the obligation of the sanctioning body is to keep the drivers as safe as possible and put on the best possible show for the fans. NASCAR did that at Indy. The 400 wasn't fun, but the show went on, running to the full advertised distance. Given the demands of the Cup schedule, the size of the crowd, and the amount of time needed to understand and fix the problem, postponement wasn't an option as it was for CART at Michigan in 1985. That happened when a 500-mile race was pushed-back a week so Goodyear could build bias-ply tires to replace radials that weren't holding up. CART officials showed exactly how NOT to do it at Texas in 2001 and Australia in 2002. As did Formula One at Indy in 2005. In those cases, officials made the situation worse.

NASCAR shares responsibility with Goodyear for ruining Cup's second-most important event of the year. But it's fair to recognize two important things they did right.
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* Ooops, He Did It Again: For the second time in the last three Rolex Series shows on SPEED, Leigh Diffey blew the call of the race winner. Friday, at Montreal, Diffey shouted Darren Law as the winner. Only, Law ran out of fuel yards from the checkered flag, and finished third. Inexcusable, especially since this was a delayed telecast, although I'm sure it was done "live-to-tape." (Equally inexcusable was no post-race Law interview.) Even Bob Varsha acknowledged this mortal sin of broadcasting. On Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, when Felipe Massa's first-place Ferrari broke with three laps to go, Varsha said: "I'm not going to do a Leigh Diffey" and call the winner too soon. (!)

* And Some So-Called 'Big Time' Racing Teams Have Nobody: The Green Bay Packers hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer as a consultant for one month to guide them through the Brett Favre media circus. Just goes to show you how "small time" many motorsports operations really are.

* Jim Chapman Wouldn't Believe We'd Ever See This: During a news conference in Indy, Tony Stewart's 2009 sponsors were announced. Old Spice will continue its association with Stewart. Alex Keith, GM of Procter and Gamble Beauty, North America Deodorants, proudly pointed out the "creative use of Tony Stewart’s arm pits in our television advertising."

* Finally: The transcript doesn't reveal the name of the questioner, but at that same news conference, someone finally asked Stewart about Gene Haas. He's the other half of Stewart-Haas Racing, and currently serving prison time for a tax-evasion conviction related to Haas Automation Inc., and not the race team. I'll just print Stewart's answer here as provided:

“Obviously Gene is a partner. We’ve looked at the situation. Obviously there was no way we would not look at the situation. There was a mistake in the company, from what we understand, and the admirable thing about the whole thing is that Gene took responsibility for it. And you don’t ever want to see anybody in that position. But at the same time to see somebody that saw a flaw in it and that a mistake was made and for him to take full responsibility for it, I think is something that’s pretty admirable.

“There’s nothing positive about that, but at the same time there’s a lot more cases that are out and are more negative than the situation that Gene is in there.”
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REALITY CHECK: The other week I pointed out that enough-is-enough with the wretchedly managed airlines, citing U.S. Airways' new policy to charge for WATER. The Wall Street Journal had a story about this last week: $2 per bottle. Oh-so-generously, the carrier will "provide water and drinks for passengers in cases of medical emergency and during extensive delays." Thankfully, the airline isn't looking for passengers to drink tap water from the plane's bathroom.

"Frankly, that's just not classy," was the comment from U.S. Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant.

Neither is that quote. Or the way U.S. Airways treats its customers.
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Here's last Friday's Arizona Republic notebook, leading with Johnny Benson:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2008/07/31/20080731racingnb.html

[ more next Tuesday . . . ]