Repercussions from LVMS

Attending the NASCAR testing sessions at LVMS was a greatly anticipated event for many Las Vegas NASCAR fans. Those hardy souls that attended this year had many challenges.

The weather was a huge issue for both drivers and fans. Near hurricane force winds played havoc with drivers on the track, and fans in the stands. As a fan, trying to take pictures in 47 mph winds ended up being an exercise in frustration.

The second day had relief from the wind, but the temperatures were miserable up in the grandstands. For two brief periods, the sun beat strong enough for the heavy duty jacket to be unzipped, but the rest of the time was spent with the jacket zipped, muffler wrapped and blanket covering the legs.

The greatest challenge came from the track operators themselves. For some inexplicable reason, the operators first released PR that claimed the Neon Garage would be open to fans. Then, on January 3rd, a newsletter to 'insiders' claimed that was information was wrong, and the Neon Garage would be closed to fans. To add to the confusion, the website at LVMS.com showed a public info release dated on January 9th with a photo caption stating that the Neon Garage WOULD be open to the public.

I sent an email to the motor-sports writer at the Las Vegas Review Journal, Jeff Wolfe, with the above information. He checked into it, and discovered that the Neon Garage was indeed closed, and expressed thanks to me, as he had heard it would be open.

This misinformation coming from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media office is deplorable. If a mistake was made in the original PR, it should have been loudly corrected with all available outlets. When the local writers are surprised by it, that tells me that the media department is either falling down on the job, or does not care what kind of fallout may happen.

LVMS, and Bruton Smith, have enjoyed sell outs at this venue for years. Rising ticket prices, hugely overpriced food items (at a track where no coolers are allowed), handicap parking that is routed out of the track in a direction that takes 5 hours to arrive back at the strip are issues that will irritate customers enough to not come back, and may cause failing box office returns in the near future. Adding this irritant will not help the cause.

(Let us not even discuss how much warmer fans would have been down in the Neon Garage, as opposed to the grandstand.)

But the real victim in this bad communication? Not only the angry fan, but the person in the gift shop who had to endure the anger of customers who arrived at the track, expecting entry into the Neon Garage. I heard one VERY peeved fan taking it out on the sales shop associate. While the associate was right in claiming to not be the one who made the decision, she was the only person available, and became the target. As a retail manager, I think she did an admirable job of deflecting anger, even when the anger was misplaced!

While the media folks and the track operators sit in their warm ivory towers, the front line in the gift shop took the ire of the customer. Shame on Bruton and Chris Powell! Shame! They did not bother to answer fan inquiries, and they let the gift shop sales person take the flack. And if they don't have a sell out this year, or next...they might want to reexamine some of their not-so-fan-friendly practices.

And for what it is worth, I am driving to Fontana tomorrow, for two days of testing. There, for a five dollar charity donation, I will be allowed in the infield bleacher area. Are you listening, SMI?

Tony Stewart, Again and Again!

The July race at Daytona has traditionally been a 4th of July extravaganza, complete with wonderful fireworks as the winner enters Victory Lane. This year, there were fireworks of a different nature starting in turn 4 of the 15th lap.

Denny Hamlin was leading, and team mate, Tony Stewart, ran into the rear of Denny. Both cars wrecked, and caused secondary wrecks involving Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Reed Sorenson. The melee was startling enough, but what happened in the garage later is where the fireworks show really started.

The media was waiting for Tony, and they got exactly what they wanted! Dave Rodman, of NASCAR.com reported Tony's tirade against Denny.

"The No. 11 just stopped for no reason, right in the middle of Turn 4," Stewart said. "I'm sure he was getting tight because for three laps in a row we were catching him through the center and the exit of the corner.

"All of a sudden he just stops on the exit of [Turn] 4 in front of 42 cars and I guess expects all of us to drive around him. I don't know. It's tore up two really good racecars."

While the above statement was hauntingly similar to Tony's comments about David Gilliland at Michigan, Tony decides to add fuel to the fire by stating:

Stewart said Hamlin had "tried to crash us on Friday in practice and didn't get it done so he finished it off [Saturday]."

Now, it is eerily similar to what Tony has said about other drivers, including Gilliland.

Rodman even reports:

Stewart's frustration was doubly evident, as, when his crew told him over the radio that Hamlin's No. 11 crew was going to help push Stewart's car toward the garage, he said "don't let them touch this [expletive] thing."

Tony takes it a step further when holding court with a camera crew from ESPN's Nascar Now.

We got one team mate here that is a superstar and he wants to be his own one man band and he is about to succeed at it.

It is obvious that something is bothering Tony to the point of pain. Is it that he is the only driver in the top ten to not have a win? Is it possible that his team mate, Denny, won before Tony won? Is it possible that Tony has surrounded himself by folks who reinforce his bad behavior and in fact, encourage it? Is it possible that the 'fix' of moving back to Indiana was only a band-aid? It could be any, all or some of that, or none of it.

What we do know is Hamlin took the high road.

"If he wants to blame it on me I'll be the bigger man -- I'll take responsibility for it. He's been around this sport longer than I have and he probably knows more than I do, so I'll just take it for what it's worth."

Coach Gibbs tried to defend the actions of his drivers.

"The two guys are very competitive, we're running up front and we've got real good cars and that's something that can happen," Gibbs said after visiting the garage with his son, team president J.D. Gibbs. "That's really what happened -- it's just one of those unfortunate things.

"Both guys are going as hard as they can and I think both of these guys are real competitive. I think they're good teammates and I think it's just something that happened [Saturday night]."

However, Rodman writes that Gibbs had not seen the incident, nor had he heard Tony's comments.

As I review much of the reporting about the incident, I am struck that some of the media are not as much on Tony's side as in the past. One wonders if the "Tony is Tony" attitude is wearing thin on the media, much like it is wearing thin on fans.

Some fans still staunchly defend their driver. Many emails remind me that he has a big heart, and gives generously to all around him. I will concede that the Good Tony is indeed good. It is just that the Evil Tony is so rotten.

Frankly, I would love to have one month were his grade-school antics are not the highlight of the news. However, Tony continues to make a target of himself. One wonders how long it will be before Home Depot steps in and sanctions him again.

Aric Almirola: When is a Win not a Win?

Saturday night at the Busch Race, in Milwaukee! It should be a fun time with good racing. But, just like the race at Infineon, and like the Truck race the night before, this race is also fraught with controversy.

Denny Hamlin originally was not going to run this race. However, Rockwell Automation is based in Milwaukee, and according to various reports Rockwell wanted their star to make the trek from California to Wisconsin, in hopes of a win. As a reminder, the day started out poorly for our hero, Denny. He overslept, and missed part of first practice. He had to skedaddle to catch a plane, one that for some reason has to be refueled twice during the trip.

Denny's helicopter could not land on the heliopad, and he asked for permission to land at the track, and was refused. (Rightly, I might add!) He finally lands, declares he will respect Aric Almirola's efforts and won't get in the car.

By lap 60, that had changed. Denny was in the car, and Aric was out. Denny went on to win the race, but there was a great deal of discomfort in Victory Lane.

At this point, all of the finger pointing says that the sponsor, Rockwell Automation, made the decision to pull Aric out of the car. It could well have been Gibbs making the decision to placate the sponsor. We know both the driver or the crew chief claimed to have not been a part of the decision making process.

What a shame for Aric! He was in great equipment, he won the pole, and he was running top 3 at the time. AND, he would not have had to fight from a lap back. We will never know what he could have done. And he gets his a win that he did not 'earn.' It is easy to not find pride in that kind of win.

Denny drove a good race, and we cannot take that away from him.

Whether the decision was made by JD Gibbs, Coach Gibbs or the sponsor, Rockwell got their win, but at what cost? If they indeed insisted that Denny get in the car, then they may need to revise their Standards of Ethics.

Who We Are

You Expect High Standards

You expect your partners and suppliers to adhere to high ethical standards. Working with Rockwell Automation means you are engaging a partner that considers honesty, fairness, quality and responsiveness as guiding principles; and integrity an underlying value in every business transaction.

Our commitment to responsible business practices is absolute. Our employees, officers and directors behave with integrity in all interactions with customers, partners, shareholders, consumers, and governments, and comply with the mandates of our extensive ethics program and conflicts of interest statement.

Somehow or other, I don't think Aric Almirola will believe the truth of those Ethics statements. It looks like the one about 'fairness' did not apply tonight. If I were an employee of Rockwell, I would be embarassed, no matter WHO made the decision.


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I just wanted to add one more thought, that I already posted as a response on another blog:

And this cannot be good for NASCAR's diversity effort, either. A Cuban-American gets pulled from the car so that an All-American, Apple-Pie Southerner can get the win.

Edited 06/24/07 at 9:50 AM

Battle of Champions

Today, the NASCAR fan world is holding their breath over the impending doom to be applied to Kurt Busch, for his pit road transgression at Dover. While perusing the message boards, and listening to the commentary on "Morning Drive," I discover that there is a wide range of opinion on What To Do With A Man Like Kurt" (hum a few bars from The Sound of Music!) It is my turn to add my thoughts.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will remember from my Tony Stewart rant that I am no longer a Tony Stewart apologist. However, in this case, he was certainly the lesser of two evils.

Tony has a habit of being stubborn and unrelenting while in his car. This year, he is demonstrating a need to be proved right, and to teach lessons. For example, after David Gilliland moved out of line at Talledega, Tony feinted as if he was going to follow, and then Tony closed the gap. He then claimed on the radio "He (meaning David) has to learn to not do that." At the time, I marveled at Tony choosing to teach a lesson in this manner.

During Dover, he was an instigator in the situation. By insisting he was not going to give up a spot, when there was over 125 laps remaining. Tony himself has claimed folks race too hard too early in the race, and yet here he was doing the same thing. The battle then ruined two potential winning race cars.

However, my commentary on Tony in no way clears Kurt Busch of any blame. Kurt totally blew it by taking an aggressive stance on pit road, and putting a pit crew member in jeopardy.

Many Kurt Busch fans are taking a firm stance that is surprising. "The Pit Crew Guy had plenty of time to jump out of the way!" Huh? If it were me, I would have been jumping also, as I have no way of knowing if the angry driver is going to stop on time! When Carl Edwards spun Tony, he didn't get in much trouble! Another HUH? If you haven't figured it out from the penalties at the first race of the year, NASCAR has escalated the penalty process!

As I type this, I am hearing a rumor that Kurt will be forced to sit out Pocono. He will lose 175 points by not being allowed to race. I am also hearing a rumor that there were some issues with his car, that will cause a further point loss of 100, and a monetary penalty of 100K.

If the rumor is true, Kurt will effectively be out of the Chase.

It is a shame that two Champions cannot meet off track and clear the air. Now, there are negative consequences for one of the teams, and the sport as a whole.

I guess there is no way to fix idiocy!

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My condolences go to the family of Bill France, Jr. There is no denying the impact he had on the world of motorsports.

La Triviata on a quiet Sunday

It is an off-week for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Drivers. The Busch series raced in Nashville. Las Vegas had its first CHAMP Car race today, running a 2.4 mile circuit in the downtown area.

Since there is not much happening this post will not have a single theme, but I will provide some trivial thoughts and observations. Of course, as some of my 'Friends of NASCAR' would say, "SNAFAM is nothing BUT trivial!"

• David Poole, in his That's Racin article about Mark Martin, talks about how Mark keeps giving back to the fans. Martin's annual Fan Event is truly awesome. Several have related to me how Mark will stay for hours, signing autographs for every person who shows up. He does not charge for it, does not offer VIP privileges (pay a higher fee to get closer) and does not turn a fan event into a charity opportunity. He merely opens the doors of his dealership to his fans, and he stays until the last fan leaves. Way to go, Mark!
  

• HAIR WARS? Two drivers will be asking their fans to help create what could well be the charity event of the season. By now, all have heard that Tony Stewart made a casual comment about body waxing on his Tony Stewart Live show on Sirius. (It actually originated when they were discussing another driver who allowed himself to be waxed for a show on ESPN. Tony vowed he wouldn't do that for $50K. Yokum asked about $100k, and Tony thoughtfully replied "Maybe, but it would be for charity!")
  

Kevin Harvick has taken up the challenge. The money will be donated by Harvick's fans, and will then be turned over to Victory Junction Camp. Stewart has challenged Kevin to let Tony shave his head, with a like amount being donated. After viewing the waxing scene from the movie 40 Year Old Virgin (WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE WAX!), I think Tony will suffer far more than Kevin! To donate to the cause, visit Kevin Harvick's website. Through Friday, more than $15,000 had been donated. One can't help but wonder if some of Tony's peers might offer larger sums to 'the cause.' Some might even want to help with the waxing!
Way to go, Kevin and Tony! It is amazing how casual comments can become major media events! And HUGE Kudos to the fans of Harvick!

• I would also be willing to donate a few pennies to see the disappearance of the pathetic facial hair on Shrub's chiny-chin-chin!
  

• The Busch series had its stand alone race this weekend in Nashville. Few Cup drivers arrived to stink up the show, but one who did arrive ran away with the field. Carl Edwards won again. (BTW, congrats to Stephen Leicht and David Reutimann for their finishes!) Carl is leading the series by 321 points, which leads one to believe that A) Jack Roush and Carl Edwards really really really want to have a Busch Championship this year , and B) the Busch Championship may well be decided long before the season is complete.
  

If we indeed have two years in a row with a huge gap from first to second, I am sure that NASCAR will step in to manipulate the points rules in that series. A Busch Chase may be in the future!

Sirius Customer Service

Less than a year ago, I received my Sirius radio as a surprise. The surprise was more that I received it early in the year, as I was expecting it for a Christmas gift. You see, I knew my darling hubby would feed my NASCAR habit and get the radio in time for the NASCAR programming to start on Sirius in January of 2007. I just did not expect it in the spring!

By midsummer, I was addicted to Sirius Speedway. Even though Sirius has now expanded their programming, Speedway is still my favorite show. I had a radio, a car set-up, a boombox, and even had it transmitting to my clock radio so that I could wake up listening to NASCAR coverage. Hi! My name is SNAFAM, I am a SIRIUS addict. Step 1 of the 12 Step Program? Never be more than 12 Steps from my Sirius radio!

And THEN...the radio started showing symptoms of not wanting to be there for me. It started turning itself off and then on. I noticed it first in the car, as it would cycle off/on over each bump. As my route to work is under major construction, I was having difficulty following any conversations. I was pretty sure that it was the cigarette lighter plug. After testing with a replacement plug at my local Radio Shack, we discovered there was a problem with the radio itself. The radio became worse over the next few weeks, even having problems when in the boombox! It was dying!

My heart was racing from the impending panic attack. I HAVE to have my Sirius! I NEED my Sirius. I DEPEND on my pals Moody, Suzie, Crackerhead, Poole, Snider, Kernan, Craven, Baker and all of the rest. They are my friends and my support group! I WOULD MISS MY TUESDAYS WITH TONY STEWART!

I began a search on the internet, and read countless horror stories of Sirius customer service. I mentally prepared myself for a battle, much like the previous legendary jousting session with Sprint. (I won that one!)

I dialed the 800 number, taking deep breaths to prepare for the yelling! The Customer Service rep took down what little information I had and then referred me to the warranty department. The Warranty rep dutifully typed in the information about my radio, it's symptoms, and I started flexing my fingers for them to say anything I did not want to hear. What I did I hear? Your radio is still under warranty. We will replace your radio for you. You should receive it in 5-7 days! WOW!

I did not receive my radio in 5-7 days. I received it in THREE days! However, there was a problem. They sent me a newer, better radio! Why is this a bad thing? Because the boombox I owned would not match with the new radio! ARGGG!

Back to Customer Service to whine about how it was a better radio but now I had a worthless boombox. Before I could build up to a full-fledged rant, the CSR calmly said I would receive an upgraded Box at no extra cost, and I would receive it in 5-7 days. Once again, it arrived early!

I now have my radio. I can once again listen to my supportive pals on the radio. I can again hear voices in my head (phone), my car, my home, and my alarm clock. Life in normal again. Life is good. Life is wonderful. I am in my HAPPY Place!

GREAT SERVICE! SIRIUS-LY!

Forums, Readers, and Amusement

Message boards are very interesting entities. I almost believe they take on a life of their own. As folks gather to discuss their common interest, sometimes they become either Happy Happy Kumbaya societies, or living, Fire-breathing Monsters. Many are somewhere in between, yet each displays their own unique personality. Many readers of this blog belong to message boards (aka Forums) of different drivers. Some participate in “Official” or not so official boards, and some participate in multiple boards. Some members have a ‘one size fits all’ personality that is the same for all forums, and others choose different personas based on the nature of the board. A great example of this variety lies in the beginning of the NASCAR season.

The first six weeks of the NASCAR season are on the books. So far, we have had restrictor-plate racing, 3 intermediate tracks (all as different as night and day) and two short tracks. The Car of Yesterday and the Car of Today have both been on the track. There is a new manufacturer, and several repeat manufactures. And the NASCAR fans participating in various message boards all have opinions on what is going right and what is not! You can generally judge how the driver is doing by the dialogue. Some boards are giddy with excitement, as their chosen heroes are high on the point scale. Others are filled with fans that seem morose, angry, and negative. And yes, there are some between those two extremes.

The boards of the struggling drivers are the ones with the most to discuss. I have been amazed at the number of fans that feel the need to throw SOME ONE under the bus when bad things happen! (Disclaimer: I have discovered this on more than one forum, so any resemblance to your own forum may, or may not, be a coincidence!) Some target the driver, some target the crew chief, some target the owner, and some target the manufacturer. Some folks call for wholesale firing. Invariably, it turns into a fight between the Realists, and the Kool-aid Drinkers! Each claims to “know” the driver’s, owner’s, crew chief’s or the sponsor’s thoughts. Some even go so far as to need medication to get through the next impending disaster, whether legal or not!

Part of this is enhanced by the technology available. It is no longer a case of enjoying the race from the grandstand or just watching the TV broadcast from the comfort of the couch. At the event, we have access to the entirety of the broadcast on both radio and TV, and the conversations of the drivers and crew members, and access to any communications with NASCAR to the teams. From home, we can see live timing and scoring, and can hear the exact same communications of the driver from our computers or satellite radio. Some drivers also are part of special television packages where the driver’s in-car cameras are available during the entirety of the race. The technology allows the most intense scrutiny of the drivers and the teams.

The slightest inflection from the voices on the scanner gives opportunity for great speculation from the fans. When that speculation hits the message boards, it can cause endless debate on what did the driver really mean….did the Crew Chief really say THAT? Or WTF is THAT supposed to mean! Why does the Crew Chief just say 10-4 when his driver is begging for changes?

Discussion continues, lines are drawn in the sand, and board members form factions. The factions are based on the two or three most prevalent views on the board. However, the factions are fluid, and can shift and reform based on actions of individuals. Don’t forget, it is allowable for the board members to bash away, but don’t let an outsider take part in the same name-calling and bashing, or the outsider will see the board form a united front against the outsider.

Forums will continue to be a source of information for many readers. They will also continue to be a source of amusement for many of the same readers.

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On another note, there were three people with a common link to one particular driver’s message board. At various times, each of these three was opposed to the other two. We are not quite sure how it happened, but we three now all find we have many common views mixed in with the divergence of opinion. We will be attempting a joint blog. A work in progress, we hope to provide discussion, controversy and amusement for the readers! Wish us luck, pray for our safety and check us out at Three Wide.

Post LVMS Views! Part 1!

I had the best of intentions on blogging daily after the three days of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway event. As you all probably figured out, it didn't happen. However, the guests are all gone! I adore my in-laws, and I am thrilled that we were able to meet with our family and continue this annual event.

Chapter ONE will address the LVMS experience. Next, I hope to discuss the racing, and then one final blog on any thing not covered in the first two blogs.

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The NEON Garage ROCKS! The views are incredible! You can view from the ground level, much like Daytona.





You can also work your way up one level, and view the teams working on the cars from both the front and the back of the garage stall.



And from the outside, you can also view the haulers, and catch the drivers moving from hauler to garage.






The details in the brightly colored garage were amazing. There were many, many signs giving you detailed locations of the garage of your favorite driver/team. The food was upgraded in quality from the 'outside' midway, and yet keeping within the same price range! If you were on the second level, looking out to the haulers...they even provided a shelf for you to set your 'favorite beverage' while you snap your pictures.

The bad? Only one ATM that I could find in the whole neon area. The upper levels provide a possible safety hazard in the viewing area of the fan favorites. On Saturday, I made the mistake of passing the upper viewing area of Dale Jr's garage, and it was so clogged that it was impossible to move. Suddenly, when Jr backed out of his pit stall, there was a sudden jump of fans who ran from the viewing area to the outside viewing area, not caring who they knocked over.

The center stage is so very Las Vegas. The "Celebrities:" were a tremendous amount of fun!




Dale Earnhardt Jr and Richard Petty had wax figures made for Madame Tussauds, to be permanetly located at the Venetian. The figure of Dale Jr was not quite right, except they got the stance EXACTLY right.

Richard Petty's likeness was spooky in its realism! Check it out!

(I am still spooked by the realism of The Kings replica.)

Speaking of Richard Petty, for the first time we sat in the Terrace named after him. We sat high enough to have a perfect view of all of the track, and a fabulous view of the exit of pit road. The seats were individual drop down, with cup holders! There was enough room under the seat to hide the backpack, and my purchase from the midway. The only improvement would be signs at the stair level directing folks to their sections. We and several others had challenges finding our way to the right section. A simple sign with the section number and an arrow pointing to the correct side would suffice. The ones out on the concourse were not very helpful, even to the extent the "ticket checker-guard" could not always figure it out! One of them directed me to find a supervisor, and of course, there was not a single supervisor available.

But an added bonus, we were surrounded by a group of fans who had fun, teased us, and we gave it right back. After the race, they hoped we would be back next year in the same seats. The answer? YES!

The track has improved in several ways. The pit road is a great view! It was wonderful to have it moved so much closer to the grandstand. I was delighted to see that a previous rant of mine has been addressed, and they now have Nextel Vision on all turns, including the turn 3 $99-bucks-for-the-weekend seats. Well done!

The worst part of the weekend may stem from something totally amazing. My father-in-law was visiting. A staunch Jeff Gordon fan, he was the first in our family to be a NASCAR fan. At 82 years old, he is the reason the family gathers here every year. This year, we took two cars, to provide for his comfort, and so that he and my husband could park in the handicap parking area. (He has bone cancer, in remission, so walking distances is a challenge for him.)

This was a *very very bad word* disaster. The handicap area they were directed to was behind the drag strip, and there was a one hour wait for the handicap shuttle. After the Busch race, they were funneled out of the track onto Las Vegas Blvd.....going NORTH! They were stuck in slow moving traffic until it connected to the 15, turned them south, and they passed by the track with nearly empty parking lots. After the cup race, it was even worse, taking over 5 hours to get home. And BTW, the rest of us parked in a different parking lot, and it took us two hours to get home.

Now mind you, I understand that traffic needs are paramount. But this so-called handicapped parking area was not near the track at all. There was one closer, but there was no signage on how to get there. It is shameful that a parking lot supposedly set up to help the disabled access and enjoy the race takes the members so far away from their destination, while not affecting many of the others parking lots. I would hope that there were no health issues involved with any of the cars that were pulled over in the desert, as these cars were primarily from that parking lot.

And on a minor note, I think they need to rethink the location of the Speed Stage. It created a very narrow funnel for some of the traffic, and I think would have been served better being further towards the center of the midway, where it is wider. OR, don't have so many haulers or displays gathered around. It was almost dangerous trying to get through that area, all to arrive at your own seats.

Other than that, Bruton Smith has a winner! The track will, in the future, provide for great racing. It deserves a second date!

Race Week is FINALLY here!

I am glad to say the Vegas NASCAR race is finally around the corner! We have a house full of company and plans are being made for every day of the weekend.

First off will be the trip to meet David Gilliland at M&M's World Thursday night. M&M's World hosts a nicely run event. The associates there make sure the line is kept entertained by the M&M's spokescandies Red, Yellow, and the vampy Miss Green. I want to thank Robert Yates and M&Ms/Mars for hiring David. He is proving to be an excellent representative for the brand. Ricky Rudd is a great representative for the Snickers brand, too!

The race itself should be interesting. The test in January had weather considerably cooler than what we are experiencing now. We are expecting temperatures in the low 80's, so the the new track may have less grip. At the truck race last fall, the second groove came in pretty fast as the sun was setting.

Fifty-three cars are projected to try to qualify. Friday will be a long long loonnnngggg day! The Busch race will be earlier this year, thank heavens! And the Cup race will have its usual long wait to get out of the parking lot!

If I can, I will post my observations during race week. I hope the TV version of the race will be exciting, but it usually is never as exciting as actually being at this race.

Benny, I hardly knew ye!

Pacific time zone, Sirius radio, and the news came early (for us.) Benny Parsons had passed away.

I found myself to be strangly, deeply lost. I had no idea why, I just felt as if a small part of my life was missing.

Then, as I left for work, I plugged in my Sirius radio, and listened to countless testimonials about Benny. At first, I was sure that I would get tired of all of the tributes, but hours and hours later, I was still tuned in.

There was something captivating when listening to the countless descriptions of how Benny impacted the lives of drivers, owners, NASCAR officials, and fans. I heard countless tales of Benny taking the time to talk, really talk, to fans. I heard how he bought tickets for fans to let them into their first race. I heard how he doted on a young, ill child visiting the track on his last adventure.

One common thread among all of the conversations was that Benny was real, Benny cared, Benny never forgot a face, and Benny went out of his way to help, but never asked for recognition.

Late this afternoon, I heard NASCAR drivers at Fanfest talking about Benny. Those drivers all need to work really hard to take in Benny's lessons. They especially should take the lesson of how Benny's fans all walked away from meeting Benny thrilled, and proud to have Benny as an idol. Those drivers all have a long way to go to walk in Benny's shadow.


As we all travel on life's journey, we hope that we have a positive impact on someone, somewhere. Benny had a huge impact. He will be missed by so many folks, at so many levels.


Rest in Peace, Benny, I sorrow that I did not know how much I would miss you.