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October 3, 2002
NASCAR should keep a very close watch. They have ruled with an iron fist for many years and have managed to remain completely autonomous. However, if they listen carefully the boys in Florida may hear the first rumblings of a revolution. The rabble could be storming the palace soon. Francis Ferko, a shareholder in Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) fired the first volley of the revolt when he hired celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran’s firm to bring suit against NASCAR. The original suit accused NASCAR of breaching expressed and implied contracts with SMI for a second Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition, the suit asserts that NASCAR and the France family, which owns and operates NASCAR, uses monopolistic powers to maximize profits by favoring ISC-owned facilities. ISC owns and operates 13 major tracks, including Daytona International Speedway. Twelve of these host 18 of the 36 Winston Cup races. Not even safety is immune to politics in our sport. When Bob Bahre wanted to install energy absorbing walls at his Loudon, New Hampshire track NASCAR denied permission. They said the technology was not approved yet. However, shortly after the denial it was announced that the Steel and Form Energy Reduction Barrier was to be installed at Talladega, an International Speedway Corporation owned track. The uprising coming to NASCAR will not be restricted to boardrooms and courtrooms. Fans are beginning to speak in the only language NASCAR understands, money. For example, commercials have been running for weeks offering two-day tickets to this weekend at Talladega for as little as $60.00. Electronic and print ads have also gone out. Seating is in the Allison grandstand which is along the backstretch but still decent. Five years ago you couldn’t buy one-day SRO tickets for this amount. Could it be that ISC is having trouble filling the seats? And they must be filled. The warm Alabama sun shining on these empty seats make a chilling statement. Fans are tired of the carnage of restrictor plate racing. Contrary to the belief of a past champion who is now in broadcasting, fans do not enjoy seeing wrecks. It is not fun to pay hundreds of dollars to sit on the edge of your seat waiting for the "big one". When the inevitable occurs it’s not enjoyable to stand on tiptoe, straining to focus the binoculars on window nets a mile away. This is not fun for anyone the drivers, the crews or the spectators. Fans are canceling tickets they have held for years. Numerous solutions have been offered through the years for the problems presented by restrictor plates. NASCAR has tried making the plate ports larger and making them smaller. They tried changing the spoiler angle and lowering the air dam. They put that strip on the roofs and then took it off. Now we have the 13-gallon fuel cell experiment. Some of the finest minds in Daytona have brainstormed this problem. Still, no solution can be found. So far, International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC) strategy has been to attack racecar setups. Changing aero rules or fuel cell size doesn’t cost ISC a thing. However, doing what is required to solve the problem permanently would take a great deal of money. The solution would be to reconfigure the superspeedways. Tear them up, cut down the banking, pitch the restrictor plates and start over. Daytona and Talladega are dinosaurs, the only reason they are not extinct is because of ISC’s steadfast refusal to see the obvious and spend the money. How fat are the cats in Daytona? They are very fat. An International Speedway Corporation report to investors dated July 10, 2002 reads, "For the six months ended May 31, 2002, total revenues increased to $242.5 million from $232.7 million in 2001." Yes, the Florida felines are very obese and getting bigger all the time. TO THE WOODSHED: Joe Montana goes to the "shed of dread" today. Why can’t honorary starters stick with the script? It’s really not difficult, "Gentlemen, start your engines." Joe, what were you doing Sunday, running for office?
Other articles by Orlena Miller.. The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.
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Fat Cats On The Brink Of Disaster?
