Sofa Sideline – Post Banquet
I thought I would turn over a new leaf and not complain about the banquet
because it is what it is, however, after several discussions with the rank and
file members of the racing world, I thought I’d add my two cents worth.
My thought is pretty much the same – the banquet was poorly produced and
little consideration given to the actual ways of the world of racing. James
Woods (emcee) was not good. The speeches were not good. The music was not good.
The non-appearance of drivers outside the top ten was not good. As the evening
progressed, the flashes to the middle seating section where there were numerous
empty seats were not good.
How to fix this problem? Many suggestions have been offered up; I’ll throw in
my thoughts here as well. First and foremost, I have to respond to the reporter
who often takes pot shots at New Yorkers and their alleged indifference to the
world of racing. I can’t speak for New York City, but if this gentleman would
take a drive, oh I’d say about a hundred miles north, he might be amazed at the
number of fans he’d find. In fact, he might see just about as many t-shirts,
license plates, ball caps as in many places down south; maybe more.
NASCAR hires a big time producer, but fails to remember that if you don’t
have someone who knows about racing, or apparently, was unable to take the time
to review previous years tapes to see where the problems lay, you wind up with a
fiasco such as we saw a couple of weeks ago.
So to fix it; maybe go back to the banquet style; it seems to promote a more
comfortable atmosphere. The main ingredient in create a better show – let the
drivers speak for themselves; do not write the script. Any spontaneity or ease
of delivery that had succeeded in making an occasional appearance over the past
couple of years was long gone. The realization that the sponsors have to be part
of the mix is a given; but let the drivers figure it out. Then at least only a
portion of their presentation is frozen, not the whole thing. Most of these guys
have great, outgoing personalities and if allowed to shine during the awards
ceremony, would certainly prove more beneficial to all parties than what we’ve
been seeing. And skip the music and ballet (???). If you need filler, throw in
some history of the sport or showcase tracks, fans, the winning teams, and the
charity work; i.e. Richard and Kyle and their efforts. It would be more
realistic as to what the world of racing is about.
In the book of rules to live by, first and foremost, be yourself. Don’t try
to be something you’re not. And, particularly in this case, race folks are
great; what’s not to like!
But it’s over with, and maybe next season will work out better; NASCAR has to
be listening and hopefully will take heed.
Other notes:
It seemed to take forever, but it’s finally official that John Andretti
signed his contract with Petty Enterprises and will be back in the number 43
next season.
It looks as though the Wood Brothers got the better end of the deal in the
driver switch. Elliott Sadler is a "fun" person and has certain
capabilities as a driver, but time will no doubt prove that he’ll probably not
be much of a contributor in the true sense of a team member. Dale Jarrett will
wind up carrying the ball much of the time. Michael McSwain (who reportedly was
instrumental in bringing Sadler to this team) jumped ship, moving to the Gibb’s
team and Bobby Labonte, does not help the situation.
Already hearing reports that the feedback provided by Ricky Rudd to the Wood
Brothers has been impressive and it wouldn’t be any surprise if Rudd is in the
mix for the championship in 2003. Putting together a stellar pit road crew will
be of key significance here. Ricky Rudd is a class act and hopefully, will get
the credit and ride he deserves.
In the quest for the "young" gun type driver, some interesting
choices for replacement drivers have been made this season. Some will no doubt
survive, but it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if there were driver changes
not too many races in. I guess I prescribe to the notion that there should be
more seat time in other series with capabilities demonstrated by winning races,
poles, top-five finishes, etc. before the move is made.
Holiday Season:
It seems that everywhere you turn there are complaints that there is no
longer an off-season. That’s probably pretty much true, but hopefully over the
next couple of weeks, everyone will take a couple of weeks off to enjoy the
holidays and spent some time with their families.
Best wishes to everyone for a happy and safe holiday season!
That’s it for now.