October 1, 2012
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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If you have been a fan of NASCAR for any amount of time, you likely realize how important the role of the media is in getting you the information from the track.
These days, we have instantaneous “tweets” from reporters at the track, live TV coverage of practices and qualifying, and you can follow a race any number of ways, from on line to over Satellite or terrestrial radio or on SPEED, ESPN/ABC, Fox or TNT.
But before all of the instant gratification, before NASCAR was the second largest sport in America, before all of this modern technology, race fans had to wait for the mail man to deliver all of the race weekend’s news in the mail box. And in all likelihood, the mailman was bringing you a copy of National Speed Sport News with information compiled by the “Dean of American Motorsports” media, Chris Economaki.
Christopher Constantine Economaki passed away Friday at the age of 91 -- just over two weeks shy of his 92nd birthday. Of those nearly 92 years, he was a fan of racing for 82, and had spent more than 75 years covering motorsports as a member of the media. He was a delivery boy for National Speed Sport before getting a job as a writer, and hitchhiked from Hoboken, NJ to Indianapolis, IN to cover his first Indianapolis 500 back in 1938 as a 17 year old kid.
By the age of 30, he was wearing the editor’s cap for National Speed Sport. In the ensuing decades, he saw hundreds -- likely thousands-- of races ranging from Indy Car to NASCAR to Grand Prix to desert races across Africa. He has written millions of words describing what he has seen, bringing that insight to men, women, and children who couldn’t be there themselves to see the cars race.
And after TV began broadcasting races, Economaki brought his knowledge and experience to the microphone and camera, covering NASCAR, Indy Car, Le Mans, Off Road Racing and F1 for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. He traveled not only around the United States, but the world, to bring coverage of all forms of racing to fans via radio and television. When Chris Economaki spoke, fans listened.
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith seems to sum up Chris’ impact in his comments Friday. “Chris loved the racing business as much as anybody you’ll ever know. He was a great storyteller because he knew so much, and he’d seen so much. He was just so knowledgeable and must have visited nearly every race track in the world. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to racing and probably knew more about motor racing than anybody who is alive today.
It didn’t matter if it was open wheel, NASCAR or what happened at the local short track, Chris knew about it. He made it his business to travel all over the world and he saw it all. There was no form of motorsports he was not acquainted with.”
Smith was just one of many condolences that began pouring in across Twitter and the web.
Indycar’s Twitter feed immediately posted the following: “INDYCAR and the world of motorsports have lost a true friend with the passing of Chris Economaki. The Dean of American motorsports journalists, Chris dedicated most of his life to reporting the sport of auto racing and telling the stories of the heroes of our sport. He was truly one of a kind. We send our thoughts and condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 AARP Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, noted during a press conference Friday “It’s a huge loss-- I mean Speed Sport News is something that I read religiously. Chris did a lot for that newspaper and for motorsports and he was passionate about all of it. The last time I saw him was earlier this year and still, that is all he thought about was racing.
And he cared so much about what was happening in this sport and wanted to make a difference and wanted to get those stories out there. It’s just not very often that you come across somebody that puts their heart and soul and entire life mission into that. So it’s a big loss.”
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet agrees. “He has covered racing for so long, not only been a journalist but a great announcer at the same time and pit reporter. I don’t think anybody here that has been involved in racing for very long didn’t get Speed Sport News every week. Luckily, Speed Sport News is still going on and then it got turned over to some really good hands. The guy that started it all unfortunately we lost. “
“The passing of Chris Economaki is a tough loss for me on both a personal and professional level, having known Chris throughout my life,” noted Brian France, Chairman of NASCAR. “Many people consider Chris the greatest motorsports journalist of all time. He was, indeed, ‘the Dean.’ Chris was a fixture for years at NASCAR events, and played a huge role in growing NASCAR’s popularity. I’ll miss seeing him and of course, I’ll miss hearing that voice.”
Six years ago, the Trackside Conference Room at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Center was re-named “Economaki Press Conference Room” in honor of Economaki's legacy not only with the track, but in all motorsports. "His accurate, incisive reporting helped increase the audience of the sport and put the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, its events and competitors into the global spotlight,” noted a press release Friday. “He set a standard for others to follow for generations and will be deeply missed. Our thoughts, sympathies and prayers are with his family and friends."
I was lucky enough to cross paths with Chris Economaki at Daytona International Speedway a few years back. He had this gravelly voice that was instantly distinguishable, and always seemed to have someone nearby listening intently to whatever it was he had to say. At one point he had been walking around with Ken Squire, another legend in racing media, and I remember thinking that between the two of them, they had more racing knowledge than any book, any library, any media outlet could ever hope to have.
A few years back, the Dean passed the reigns of NSSN to his daughter, Corinne. Last year, they stopped printing National Speed Sport News due to lack of readership, however earlier this year, National Speed Sport was revived as Speed Sport magazine, under the guidance of Turn 3 Media, LLC -- one of the owners is Ralph Sheheen, who covers Motocross and NASCAR on SPEED. Back when they took over the publication of National Speed Sport in March, Sheheen noted “Chris set the standard for motorsports journalism on TV and with National Speed Sport News.”
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the International Motor Racing Research Center in Chris Economaki’s name. The address is 610 South Decatur Street, Watkins Glen, N.Y. 14891
Chris Economaki is survived by two daughters, Corinne and Tina, two grandchildren -- and thousands of fans across the country, including me.
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