Tragedy put NASCAR in no-win situation
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
September 16, 2001
8:05 PM EDT (0005 GMT)
COMMENTARY
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Dave Rodman
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God bless America. God bless every American and our leadership that has been launched into an agonizingly mind-boggling series of decisions that will affect many facets of our everyday lives as we move ahead from last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks.
God bless our allies and indeed every human being around the world whose faith and diligence will be put to the extreme test in the days ahead.
But since this is NASCAR.com, today I say God bless NASCAR for being in a position of having very little chance to win no matter what decisions it makes, not only last week but in the coming weeks. I pray they have the strength to make the right calls to preserve and protect and propagate what we know is the greatest sport in the world.
I can find no fault in postponing last weekend’s events -- not even the vacillating nature in which decisions were made in some cases. An inestimable number of factors had to be weighed in the decision to postpone, and I think NASCAR can draw a lot of comfort in the fact that no other major sporting body in this country staged its domestic events.
However, I do have a problem with NASCAR’s rescheduling of the Winston Cup New Hampshire 300. Despite the jocular or concerned comments I have heard since the Nov. 23 date was released, in terms of weather, that’s not my concern.
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Rick Mast
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In terms of seeking a smile wherever we can these days, Rick Mast maybe said it best when he noted, “I’d say put your chains on because I'm sure it’s going to be snowing, knowing the Bahres (track owners) and their luck. I'm sure the snow will be a foot deep by the time we get there.”
Naaaaah. I grew up in New England and am very well aware of what anyone attempting to conduct a race in that time window might face. For that I say, “Suck it up.”
Sure, it’s untrod ground for race fans -- but football fans, not only in New England but elsewhere, can provide plenty of tips on surviving the weekend. I am not one who is prone to sweat for nearly two months worrying about whether there will be snow on the ground or not. There very well might be.
There might as easily be a faux fall day of about 68 degrees with brilliant sunshine. No matter what, race teams and race fans have shown they can deal with worse than that. That’s not my concern.
No, my problems lie elsewhere; but first, I have to tell you I know nothing of what went into making the decision on dates. And I don’t care.
For an organization that continually proclaims itself a paragon of family values to profane a distinctly familial holiday -- Thanksgiving -- to me, is obscene.
Though I haven’t gotten a schedule for the season finale event, the way I see it teams will have to travel Wednesday and practice Thursday in order to race Friday.
And that’s ridiculous. I have to say, in the coming days I’ll be interested in learning what went into that decision, but to me the cost to families can’t be made up and no reason I can discern can accommodate that.
And long-term what do we have to look forward to? Another ridiculously compacted schedule in 2002 that has been released with a scant three open weekends, all in the first half of the season.
Granted, the events of last week were unpredictable, outrageous and unheard of. But for NASCAR to have already painted itself into the same corner again is truly unfortunate. So how about this, when you’re thinking of 2003?
Walk the entire schedule forward an entire week, moving the Rolex 24 At Daytona forward one week as well as the other two weekends of Speedweeks. Run The Winston on the night of the Busch Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which would be moved an hour earlier, facilitating the emptying and refilling of the stadium.
That’ll save two weekends right there -- and I’m not talking about weekends on which to put additional races.
But heck, we’ve got a year to think about those things. Right now we have next week to think about, where the hotel industry in Dover, Del. -- among the most notorious freebooters on the circuit -- is already in a lather.
That’s over a lack of hotel rooms for an incipient military buildup at the nearby U.S. Air Force base, which lacks sufficient billeting for the anticipated influx of personnel. Horrors for them over the missed revenue opportunity -- not!
The large number of private aircraft that are a part of NASCAR’s traveling circus to any event is another concern. Though it merits further investigation, in the past a great number of these aircraft, probably between 200-300, used the Dover base as an FBO; and that probably will not be available this weekend.
And if all this isn’t enough of a long-term concern, every American sports fan needs to be especially attentive and vigilant for the possibility of terrorist activity at sporting events.
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Jimmy Spencer
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“We need to mourn what happened in the United States this week and, more than ever we need to realize how strong we have to be,” Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer said last week. “We have to make our military stronger and we have to make all kinds of different things happening in our country right now stronger.
“I look at it in a way that it (attack) could very easily be a NASCAR event, where they could do sabotage to a NASCAR event, and that bothers me a whole lot.”
It bothers me, too. But there’s something more important we need to remember.
“The inconvenience we’re facing is pretty slight,” Winston Cup driver John Andretti said, “compared to what so many people have undergone this week in our country.”
Hear, hear; and God bless us, every one.
NOTE: Dave Rodman is a staff writer for NASCAR.com. The opinions listed here are those solely of the writer. To provide feedback to Dave, email him at dave.rodman@turner.com.
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