Attendance is down in racing across America. Television audience numbers are dwindling even for Nascar. Everyone it seems has their own opinion on why and what the answer is. My friend Michael Knight in his Spin Doctor 500 blog talks about the problem he sees. John Daly through his The Daly Planet blog tackles what’s [...]
My first 12 Hours of Sebring
Somehow I never had attended the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring until this past weekend. That changed after the American LeMans Series hired me to become the public address announcer for them along with the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship. To say it was an experience [...]
IndyCar and SMI “dis” the Indianapolis 500
Many IndyCar fans and even long-time journalists are applauding the recent announcement by IndyCar and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (SMI) of a 5 million dollar bonus to any non IndyCar regular that would win the season-ending race at that track. I say it’s a smear against the Indianapolis 500. If the Indianapolis 500 is your [...]
The Daytona 500 once again “The Great American Story.”
I’m a sucker for a great story. To me, great stories are what make racing so interesting to me. This year’s Daytona 500 had three of them. The first great story was that of Brian Keselowski. I’ve known Brian for several years and talk to him whenever I can at the race track. I know [...]
Is it time to shorten Nascar Sprint Cup races?
Everyone is trying to find an answer to Nascar’s declining television ratings. Some point to a dull Chase format, some to boring races and some to bad television production of Nascar races. One idea that I like has actually been suggested by Fox Sports Chairman David Hill. (Here’s the story) His idea? Shorten all Sprint [...]
Déjà vu all over again?
By now you know that I worked with Championship Auto Racing Teams as a radio announcer during that series glory years of the late 80’s and through the 90’s. I was there to see many of the mistakes that were made that ultimately led to the demise of a series that once provided the best [...]
What will 2011 bring?
Unfortunately I do not have a crystal ball nor can I read the future. If I could, I’d be on a beach sipping those umbrella drinks after hitting the lottery. I do have some questions though as the 2011 racing season is about to get underway. The top question, as it has been now for [...]
Ringing out the old year
2010 was definitely an interesting year in auto racing. Jimmie Johnson comes from behind to win Nascar Sprint Cup title #5 in a row. Dario Franchitti not only wins the Indianapolis 500 but he comes from behind to claim the IndyCar title. Chip Ganassi won the Indianapolis 500 as a team owner with Franchitti plus [...]
Time to end Driver of the Year in Nascar & IndyCar
Congrats to five-time Nascar Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson for winning the “Driver of the Year” award for the fourth time in his career. However, he should never have gotten the award. Here’s my thinking on this. Could Johnson have done anything he did on the race track without his team? How many times during [...]
