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Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com

The Media and Sponsors

Stock Car Racing is a complex sport. Yes, I beleive it is a sport! Why else would folks pay good money to go sit in grandstands and watch cars race around a track for several hours to see who wins? It's no different than watching football in a stadium with 22 guys on a field passing, kicking and running with a little ball! The goals are the same, someone wins and spectators enjoy watching it!

Racing in today's world is much more difficult than when stock car racing began. Everyone knows the roots of Nascar were in moonshine running 50+ years ago. The competition was stiff but fun!!! The competition is still stiff today, only its not so much between the drivers as it is the media and sponsors and fans! With a good PR man, the media can make or break careers, i.e. Jeff Gordon's popularity. When Jeff attempted to win his so-many-in-a- row-race and didn't, he was still the top story!! He was even interviewed before any other places after the winner! All through the race, the announcers chatted endlessly about Jeff's potential to win and break a record. Between that and the commericals, they missed alot of battles in the field on the track that day! The media even resurrected the term: Modern Era Records so they'd have even MORE to talk about on Jeff Gordon! Does the media think Gordon NEEDS their help to be popular??

Sponsors have already exhibited their potential to control careers and rides among the drivers, thus the musical drivers season we experienced for Nascars 50th anniversary season. Owner loyalty depends upon sponsor approval moreso than ever before. Robert Yates stood by Ernie Irvan through a horrendous accident and difficult recovery but, with Ernie's determination, he came back to race and even won a couple of races afterwards. Ultimately, his career with Robert Yates was dictated by the sponsor and a rookie wound up with his ride. If a sponsor feels a driver might not properly "represent" a product and another may serve their "image" better, a change occurs. Only since Jeff Gordon came along has "image" become so important!

It's truly a shame too, because the drivers do a great job. Not one wins anything without making the obligatory sponsorship thank you speech first! Not one driver refers to his race car as just the race car. The race car is always preceded by his major sponsor's name along with the owner, too. Not one wears a drivers suit that isn't plastered with his sponsorship advertising, making him a walking talking billboard for them. Yet sponsors want MORE!

Finally, the fans are the most vocal, thank goodness. Fans fill the tracks and ultimately are the voice everyone listens to! Without fans, racing (like any other sport) would be pointless and profitless! Every driver has his own following and the sport itself does too! Ticket prices continue to rise and boring results cause fans to think twice about going to the track. Multiple track ownership is making tracks duplicate themselves around the country. I wonder if the lack of sold out races at the end of the 1998 season got anyone's attention?

The days of getting a ride or acquiring a car and showing up at the track and racing your heart out are gone. But, the teams still have the same heart today, just as they did back then. If only the media and the sponsors will quit messing with the sport!!! The basic ingredients needed for racing is drivers/owners/teams with the capital to compete and the fans who are willing to support the sport. The connection between all that is the media and the sponsors. We have the media to keep us abreast of our sport and the sponsors to provide the capital for the teams. I think the formula has been inverted and the media and the sponsors think they should have more control in racing these days. Granted, it's their investment bucks, but their returns are solid! Does the word greed come to mind? Maybe it's time for the media and sponsors to re-think their roles and return to their rightful positions within this great sport!

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