Social networking reaches the good ol' boys of racing

Did I miss something or since when did it become OK for people over the age of 21 to have a MySpace page?

A trend that I hoped would fade with the same quickness as the Atkins diet and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has resurged with viral strength. More important, it has infected the sanctity of NASCAR!

What once was thought to be nothing more than cybermalls for teenage angst or hideouts for online predators has made a come back among adults since social networking sites launched more than five years ago.

Today MySpace and sites like it are enjoying a new kind of cool and have become socially acceptable practices for all ages and demographics.

More recently, these sites are being used in NASCAR to communicate drivers' and team messages to fans and vice versa. What used to be technology used only by tweens who spoke in acronyms -- OMG, BTW, LOL -- is now being used by everyone, including your favorite NASCAR personalities.

Personally, I didn't want to conform to this social trend five years ago, not when it's a favorite hobby of my 14-year-old sister. But a couple of recent occasions have forced me to reconsider my choice and perhaps climb aboard one of these friend-making Web sites; Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. choose your poison.

My boss! The man I thought epitomized classic NASCAR cool, equipped with a Copenhagen smile and all, recently informed me that he conformed. He maintains both Facebook and MySpace pages all the while courting hundreds of cybercronies.

You should know that my boss admittedly is the antithesis of trendy. I once asked him to join me for sushi and he replied, "I don't eat bait."

Secondly, I just learned this week that Red Bull driver Brian Vickers also has a MySpace page. And he actually maintains and updates the page himself, not a man-behind-the-curtain page ran by a PR rep. And certainly not a page posted by the infamous MySpace fakers who plagued NASCAR drivers and their respective teams in the past. Instead, Vickers uses the page to reach his fan base on a much more personal, exclusive level.

Whoa sounds serious ...

It is serious contends Vickers, who feels the sites allow him to have a voice among fans with minimal censorship and allows him to host videos and post lifestyle photos outside the racetrack.

Brian Vickers multitasks while surfing from his office.

"Fans want more communication back and forth from drivers and MySpace allows me to hear what is going on out there and share information with them," said Vickers, who this weekend is touting a favorite playlist on MySpace music.

"I'm very technology savvy; in high school I programmed computers. I believe social networking sites are just another way to communicate and share ideas."

Don Rohr, marketing director for Vickers, said MySpace is a good opportunity to gain exposure in different social outlet that "few in NASCAR have yet to really go after" and at the same time bring a slice of life and pop culture to the table.

At JR Motorsports, they've got Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the mix as well.

"On dalejr.com we have recently launched a Chase page where Dale Jr. blogs and fans can comment back to him," said Thayer Lavielle, vice president of marketing and brand development for JR Motorsports. "We have seen enormous success with it and consequently will be launching a page following Homestead that will give Dale Jr. fans the ability to post forums, chat between themselves and comment on more blogs from JR Motorsports drivers. This 'trend' is here to stay as the world gets closer through the Internet."

Up close and personal is how NASCAR fans prefer their driver relationships. They want to know everything about the driver on and off the track.

The appetite for information is only expanding, according to John Olguin, vice president of marketing and communications for Chip Ganassi Racing.

"Social networking is growing by leaps and bounds, which is why sites like Facebook and MySpace are so popular," Olguin said. "In general, for everyone, social networking is becoming a means for people to get their information and it will continue to become a larger source of information for NASCAR fans," he said.

People are becoming wise to the power of networking through the Internet, Olguin added.

To feed the beast, Ganassi racing calls on several crew members to blog their perspectives throughout the season, namely Tab Boyd, Juan Montoya's spotter who blogs Star in the Sky.

After each race, the 31-year-old empties his thoughts into his laptop on the team plane back to North Carolina. He doesn't have a news paper editor instructing him what to write so you never know what kind of tidbits you might get.

If you read him regularly, you know he had some choice words for David Gilliland after the most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway.

"At first I did it for the sponsor, but then people who follow Juan internationally started reading a lot and would get upset if I didn't have new information up. They'd wonder where I was," Boyd said. "I have no certain agenda I just write what I think.

Boyd sees social networking and online fan communities gaining speed among NASCAR fans.

"If I'm watching a football game it would be cool to get online and read about what a linebacker had to say about a certain play, talk to other fans about it. Cool points of view, that's what fans like."

Another way to communicate and another layer to look under, yes, but the new technology of social networking sites has more or less eliminated human contact; much the same way text messaging and instant messaging has.

A friend called me the other day and I said, "Great to hear from you" and she said, "Yeah, I still call people on the phone, call me old fashion."

I laughed, but when I went to interview Nationwide Series driver Bryan Clauson about his Facebook page I must admit. I sent the questions in a text message.

"I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends from school, it's a real quick and easy way to stay in touch with friends," Clauson sent in a text message. "It also allows interaction with fans over the Internet in a limited way."

Vickers said he sees the social networking sites and NASCAR blogs becoming more popular with drivers as time goes on.

"Potentially, yeah, I see people following my lead," he said. "The supply is there if the demand is created and I think we are ahead of the curve on this one."

Perhaps, but I still refuse to set up a page. I plan to make letter writing and coffee klatches cool again.

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The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.