Patterns, Fox Faux Pas, & Other Assorted Things

Patterns
　
There seem to be some patterns developing which indicate all is not well in the Ivory Towers of Daytona. First is the continuing disappearance of team sponsors. Then there’s the reduction in the amount of money sponsors are willing to pay. Now a new pattern is developing with companies no longer wanting to use the naming rights to various tracks. First Charlotte now Sears Points. So what’s going on?
　
The easiest way to describe it is that businesses are no longer falling for the hype of first 75 million now 90 million fans and the poor Return On Investment (ROI) that companies have gotten for their sponsorship money. People weren’t beating down the doors of Lowe’s. Folks weren’t buying supplemental insurance from AFLAC in droves. Auto body shops weren’t doing all their repair jobs using DuPont products. So for the multi-millions of dollars spent on sponsorship, the companies sponsoring the race teams weren’t getting the return they had hoped for, we promised, or were misled to believe they’d get.
　
Now sponsors are being extremely cautious. They want to see results for their investment. They’re not just handing over a blank check. They’re checking their bottom lines to see if what they’re laying out is making them money. And things aren’t going to get any better. Not with investors and bean counters wanting a healthy ROI for what’s being laid out and an accounting on what they’re laying out versus what they’re getting in return. The days of luring sponsors in using PT Barnum’s principle isn’t going to work any more.
　
Another trend is with the response to the media. Going over numerous articles since Daytona, fans aren’t responding they way they have in the past. Comments and Number of Hits seem to be down. Blogs and articles seem to be down. I hate to use a Jimmy Carter term but there seems to be a “malaise” in the merry old world of NA$CAR. With the best the Ivory Towers could crank out during the Magical Media Tour and Speed Weeks being nothing more than a rehash of 2011, the numbers of stories are way off and as a result it would appear so is fan interest. Even the big announcement of running fuel injection seems to leave folks going “ho hum”. To me, it seems that the Ivory Tower Gang is resting on their laurels as a result of having one Chase for the Chumps finally have an exciting finish after years of manipulation. A fluke perhaps? We won’t know until later this season. But if this lag and dullness is any indication of what’s ahead, it’s going to be an extremely long, boring season for the folks who are following.
　
Focks Faux Pas
　
Seems old Jabber Jaws made a few on-air faux pas of late. (I know, nothing new) One had to do with the fuel injection system that’s being run. He stated that it’s the same system that’s being used by the Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes. The Cup cars are using a Throttle Body Injection System. The Daytona Prototypes run Direct Fuel Injection. There’s a big difference between the two not only in how they look but also parts and performance.
　
Then Jabber Jaws was beating on his chest at Phoenix about NA$CAR having the jet dryer crew wear helmets and firesuits. In making that announcement, he showed once again that NA$CAR had yet another knee jerk reaction to safety and was behind the power curve. You see, ALMS, F-1, IndyCar, and numerous other series have had their track safety and clean-up personnel wearing helmets and firesuits for years. So by him coming out and saying the NA$CAR had done this was once again showing that NA$CAR is not a leader in safety innovation and only makes safety changes when something forces them to.
　
Look at how long it took HANS devices, SAFER walls, fuel cells, and full face helmets to be incorporated by NA$CAR. Long after other series had been using them. So while trying to make NA$CAR look good, good old Jabbers jaws did the exact opposite.
　
Odd Behavior　

According to AP’s Jenna Fryer, this was a first:
　
Email blast from #NASCAR chairman Brian France to media: Dear Media Member:

With the NASCAR season finally here, I want to take a moment and thank you for your dedication in covering our thrilling 2011 season and wish you all the very best in 2012.

You are an important part of our industry and, speaking on behalf of NASCAR, we are grateful to you for taking our sport’s collective stories to millions of loyal NASCAR fans. I recognize the passion and hard work that is put in to cover our sport and truly appreciate it.

Coming off a spectacular season and incredible championship battle that will go down as one of the best in our sport’s history, we are excited about what 2012 may bring and the many stories that will certainly unfold over the coming months. I wish you well this season and look forward to seeing you at the race track.

Best regards,

Brian France

Why the sudden change? After several years of browbeating, humiliating, and even threatening some members of the media, suddenly this. An olive branch? Or maybe a less threatening way of delivering the same old message that “you will write or report only what we approve”? And it wasn’t just the card carrying media that got these. It was also some non-card carriers.
　
Then there was this:
　
Dear NASCAR fans,
With the Daytona 500 now upon us, I hope you are as excited as I am to see the greatest drivers in the world competing at Daytona International Speedway later today. NASCAR is in a very good place right now and our entire industry is working very hard for you, the fans, as we continually seek to improve and grow our sport. Indeed, we are listening to you, as several enhancements that have been put in place in recent years were a direct result of your input.

Thank you for your on-going support and enthusiasm, the way you whole-heartedly embrace NASCAR and how you share your passion for our sport with family, friends and others you encounter each and every day. We certainly were encouraged by the excitement generated by our 2011 season and look forward to enjoying this season together as one NASCAR Nation. On behalf of the France family, I want to personally express our appreciation for your support, and join you in anticipation of the thrilling ride ahead.

Best regards,
Brian France　

Has Futureworld, the 1976 classic movie with Yul Brenner and Peter Fonda, become a reality? Has the Delos company become a reality and swapped out a nice robotic version of Faux King Brian for the one we’ve all come to know and loathe? The bumbling buffoon who has held race fans in contempt, kept them at a distance, and never bothered listening to them? Leopards don’t change their spots. And with acting like this, I’m beginning to think that NA$CAR really needs to follow their rulebooks and policies and do a drug test to make sure Faux King Brian isn’t on something because this isn’t his usual behavior and as such by the drug policy calls for mandatory testing.
　
Ratings Spin
　
Take a good look at the statements when they release the ratings for the race. “Although the ratings were off when compared to last year, they were the highest watched show of the day”. That’s spin folks. Plain and simple. What they don’t tell you is that the ratings are still way off from their all time highs going back to 2008 or even further in some cases.
　
And as one journalist who got his hard card jerked several years ago for questioning the Daytona ratings, I’ll ask the same question. If there are 90 million fans and only 36 million watched the race, what happened to the other 54 million?
　
The Appeal　

We’ll know soon enough what will happen with the appeal that Slick Rick has filed with the review board. But based on past history, I wouldn’t count on a reversal. Maybe the race suspension will be reduced but the fine increased? That’s happened before. Maybe the race suspension will be dropped but the number of points docked and the fine is increased? That’s happened before too. Maybe the penalties will remain the same? That’s happened before too. But then there has also been the case that the suspension has been increased as well as the number of points docked and the fine increased which has happened before too. Which one will happen? I honestly can’t say but as one of the guys who drove GM into the ground is in charge of the review board, somebody Slick Rick knows and has had dealings with in the past, not to mention his personal friendship with Faux King Brian, I’d say the deck is stacked in Slick Rick’s favor.
　
Big Tobacco Coming Back?　

This is from long time race fan, Bobby, who’s brought up some other interesting things in the past:
　


Found out British American Tobacco (BAT, half of Reynolds American, the successor firm to R. J. Reynolds Tobacco) through a merger of BAT's financial services arm with Zurich Financial, has a minority stake in Zurich Financial. Zurich is an administrator of Farmers Financial. Any coincidence Kasey Kahne's sponsor is partially owned by RAI/RJR?　

While there’s no chance RJR will come back as a major tobacco sponsor, there’s nothing to stop them from using any of their subsidiaries as a major sponsor as we see, they appear to have done so without anyone really noticing it.

Odds & Ends

Condolences
　
I want to send out my condolences to my good friend, racing buddy, and fellow veteran Richard over the passing of his wife Judy. Judy was an avid race fans for many years. When it came to calling things the way she saw them, Judy would tell you exactly what she was thinking, whether it was racing, politics, or living. It wasn’t until last year that Judy was diagnosed with brain, bone, and lung cancer and she fought it right up to the end. She had been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia and passed away. I’m going to miss Judy’s straight forward answers, humor, and honesty.
　
Official Ferrari Team Tested at Daytona
　
The official Ferrari team tested at Daytona on the 26th & 27th. Factory driver Jamie Melo was expected to be the lead driver in the test. Several of the new cars are expected to compete in the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29, 2012. I don’t know if they’re doing this just because it’s the 50^th anniversary and they want the publicity surrounding it or if they’re going to compete as a regular competitor for the next several seasons. It’s my understanding that the Ferraris are being built to Rolex Series specs and won’t be a true Ferrari 458’s. Sort of like what we have with the Cup and Busch Series generic race vehicles only with actual working lights and more of a resemblance to the street version that what we have with the Cup and Busch Series cars. Ferrari won’t be fielding a factory team as such but will campaigned as “privateers”.
　
3^rd Generation Daytona Prototype Cars
　
From what I’m hearing, the 3^rd generation of the DP cars is becoming more generic. What I heard was the front of the DP was to more closely resemble the street versions. The aerodynamic front ends will have more upright fascia, meaning more drag. The rear ends will be generic. Currently there don’t seem to be any renderings of what the car will look like. The one picture of the current Ferrari being tested for Grand Am makes the car look about as wide as it is long. Grand Am is making a big mistake going in this direction rather than moving more towards something like the DTM-style cars. That would make them look more like their street counterparts and less like a generic vehicle, which seems to be what NA$CAR wants to do with all the racing series they sanction.


Murdock Phone Hacking Scandal
　
I have not heard it mentioned, but the phone hacking scandal could have big implications for NASCAR. Depending on lawsuits and regulations stemming from what occurred, Rupert Murdoch may have to sell off some assets. They could include Speed TV and could impact Fox’s ability to bid on NASCAR’s next contract. It could mean jettisoning the high priced booth bozos. And if Murdock takes a big enough hit financially from these lawsuits, you can forget about Focks renewing their part of the TV contract come 2014. It’s quite possible Focks & Speed TV could break their contract with NA$CAR.
　
Terry Checks In
　
Our man in the stands out West, Terry, checked in on the Kentucky fiasco and the JGR engine deal with this:
　
Only saw the last half of Kentucky and didn't find it much different than most 1 1/2 tracks. Feel sorry for the people who got screwed by the mess they had. Listening to NASCAR radio last week they really pissed off a lot of people. One other thing this summer is how Gibbs seem to get away with things, once again two sets of rules.
　
IndyCar Engines
　
The Leaders Circle in IndyCar has Chevrolet aligned with Penske. Honda is aligned with Ganassi's four cars and AJ Foyt. Expect an announcement soon on more Honda teams. Speculation is that Andretti Autosports, Panther, and possibly Sarah Fisher Racing will be in the Chevy camp. There is talk the KV (Lotus) is leaning towards Honda. Judd, which was to be badged as Lotus, may now just be Judd, if KV does lean to Honda.


IndyCar has limited the annual lease for engines to $690,000, actually far less than the current costs ($1.5 million a year). The manufacturers will be limited top supplying no more than 10 teams/cars.
　
Honda is furthest along, while Chevy is estimated to be 45 days behind, and Judd another 45 days behind Chevy. But all are expected to be ready for next year.
　
Women’s Soccer Vs NA$CAR Ratings
　
USA Today reported that the USA-Japan final drew 7.4% of U.S. households. NASCAR had a 2.9 rating (2.2 million), which was up 12% from last year’s comparable coverage. TNT’s NA$CAR ratings will finish up over last year, given its rating were already up 7% heading into its final race.
　
Now compare that to Focks which was down or just barely equal to its 2010 numbers. It speaks volumes about the poor coverage and commentary provided by Focks. Too bad Focks’ Hill does not wake up and drop Jabber Jaws, rather than putting him on more often.
　
Have at it…Unless You’re Mr Happy
　
Most folks have probably heard the comments made recently by Mr Happy regarding Mafia Mike telling him to stay away from Shrubbery on the track. You have to wonder exactly why Mafia Mike did this. Did Shrubbery’s manufacturer get upset that Mr Happy might keep Shrubbery from formally winning the Chase for the Chumps? Or maybe the team owner overheard something said in jest in the garage? If NA$CAR is going to “have at it”, then it needs to apply to everyone and not just certain drivers. Otherwise, get rid of it and go back to having a bunch of light weights on the track.
　

Federal Case Dropped
　
Faux King Brian has dropped his Federal case against his ex wife regarding her taping their phone conversations. My guess is his lawyers finally figured out that her taping their conversations was legal under NC law. As to the other lawsuit, I guess neither team of lawyers has figured out that since the divorce doesn’t involve an undercover officer, a police informant, or a sexually assaulted minor that the files aren’t supposed to be sealed. But that’s for another day in court.
　
Another NA$CAR Safety Fallacy
　
Over the last decade, Cup drivers have suggested time and again that some sort of device be put in the Cup cars to let them know when a caution is brought out and Mafia Mike and company have always laid out some lame excuse as to why it couldn’t be done. One of their favorites being about the technology not existing. Well, the technology does exist and has existed for a while. IndyCar has had a visible warning device in their cars, installed in the steering wheel itself, which shows visible yellow lights which flash and a red light installed on the back of the cars that flash which warns all of the drivers that there is indeed a caution in addition to the yellow flags, flashing yellow lights around the oval tracks, flashing lights on the pace car, and audible transmissions on the team radios that there is indeed a caution. So how hard would it to be to incorporate this same existing technology into all NA$CAR race vehicles? After all, if they can do it in IndyCar they can easily do it in NA$CAR and NA$CAR isn’t afraid to take somebody else’s idea and use it like they have with the generic race cars and play-off system. NA$CAR’s conjoined twin hasn’t has any problems with using the SAFER walls which were developed by IndyCar or making full-face race helmets and HANS devices which IndyCar made mandatory way before NA$CAR even considered it. So why don’t they do it if driver safety is supposedly of such a high concern to them?
　
Lack of Hype for Indy Race
　
Leading up to this year’s Cup race at Indy, there hasn’t been a lot of hype regarding the race. Ever since the Badyear tire fiasco, attendance has dropped by 50+% . But of course, the problem with attendance won’t be the poor performance of the generic race vehicle or the poor leadership of NA$CAR. It will be the economy or possibly even the current budget entanglement going on in DC.
　
　
Saving Money
　
If you’re active duty, reserve, or former military and have Farmer’s Insurance for your vehicles, be sure to show them your military ID or a copy of your DD-214. This could save you some money every month on your insurance. As tight as things are, we all need every penny we can lay our hands on and if you can save yourself an extra $50-$60 a month on auto insurance, it’s well worth taking the time.
　

　

Mayfield Appeal, Twitter, & Excuses for the Weekend

Mayfield Appeal Filing
　
This is from Bob Pockrass regarding the appeal that Jeremy Mayfield filed:
　
NASCAR has denied all of Mayfield's claims in past filings, and NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston on Wednesday disputed a theme of the appeal that NASCAR didn't want Mayfield to compete with the SmallSponsor.com sponsorship.
　
“On the contrary, NASCAR wants more qualified competitors and sponsors involved in the sport, not less," Poston said. "The more involvement by drivers and sponsors, the better it is for the entire sport.”

　The “new & improved” politically correct NA$CAR has denied it had anything to do with moonshine and yet its’ very roots come from moonshine. Bill France Sr. borrowed money from Raymond Parks Jr. on several occasions to keep NASCAR afloat and where did Parks get the majority of his money from? Selling moonshine. One of the tracks that Bill France Sr. was involved in had a still in the infield. So NA$CAR denying Mayfield’s claims is to be expected.
　
As to the deal with SmallSponsor.com, I’ve mentioned in the past how teams have had their sponsors “re-assigned” to teams other than the ones who originally signed them up or were “re-assigned” to NA$CAR itself. Remember when Jack Roush snagged Crown Royal and wasn‘t allowed to have them on his car for an entire year but they were the official liquor sponsor of some ISC tracks? Or how some sponsors have left because of the strong-armed tactics used by both NA$CAR and the networks to force them into a sponsorship and commercial deal?
　
And just what did the Propaganda Minister mean by “more qualified competitors and sponsors”? I’ve seen teams trying to get off the ground with very competent drivers and sponsors only to have their sponsorship snagged or "re-assigned" and were never able to get to the track to run their first race. I’ve also know of one incident where a sponsor’s color scheme was redesigned by NA$CAR itself to the point where it wasn’t recognizable by the sponsor causing the sponsor to cancel their sponsorship deal with the team. And who can forget about the Redneckjunk.com incident? A perfectly qualified sponsor but because Faux King Brian doesn’t like the word “redneck”, he wouldn’t allow the sponsorship to appear on the car. So don’t go trying to blow smoke up our tailpipes.
　
You Have to Wonder Twitter Statements　

@Elliott_Sadler: FOX does a great job but it’s hard to show how fast and how banked Bristol is... that place is crazy in person
　
Does anyone else think this qualifies Sadler to be drug tested?

@AllWaltrip (Darrell Waltrip): Bristol now produces "good" racing, old Bristol produced "bad" racing, more side by side racing, you can pass someone without wrecking them!
　
If the racing is so good why are there so many empty seats and the TV ratings down 25% versus last season?


@AllWaltrip: Let's keep everything in perspective, the place holds 166,000 people, today there was probably 100,000 people there, still a huge crowd!
　
100,000? I think maybe it’s time to get your eyes checked. The official capacity is nowhere near 166,000. There may have been 90,000, maybe, and that’s being generous.


@AllWaltrip: Appreciate this sport and the people that support it so we can have racing, at least we don't have millionaires fighting with billionaires!
　
As it’s sports entertainment, why should it be appreciated? And do we really having racing? On TV it’s hard to tell if it’s racing, practice sessions, or highlight reels. And there are millionaires fighting billionaires. Roger Penske is a billionaire. Richard Childress, Jack Roush, and Rick Hendrick are millionaires. And they’re al fighting for the same thing. A championship.


@mw55 (Michael Waltrip): Why must we focus on the empty seats? There were a whole lot of full ones. I watched basketball game after game that had empty seats.
　
When you have a race that sold out for decades and there are massive amounts of empty seats, that’s a sure sign that’s something is really wrong. We’ve seen more and more empty seats the last few years. And don’t try to change the subject to basketball. We’re talking NA$CAR here.


@AllWaltrip: Gas is $3.75 a gal. We don't have the extra cash laying around to spend on attending a race, it's not the racing, it's not Nascar, it's the economy.


Even with gas at $3.75 a gallon, folks would actually go to Bristol if it hadn’t been reconfigured and the COT wasn’t being run. The combination of the two really killed off what use to be the two most exciting races of the year and placed it into the same status as Otto Klubb Speedway in Fontucky.

@AllWaltrip: Bristol was short track drama, Cali. will be high speed suspense,2-0-10 off into the corner this week, that'll get your attention !
　
Drama? What drama? It can’t be drama because it’s not on TNT. After all, TNT knows drama. They say so in their commercials. I’ve read so many fans complaints about how boring the Bristol race was it’s not even funny. Fontucky is a high speed cure for insomnia laughingly passed off as a race. Going shopping under the grandstands before the race Jabber Jaws?
　
This came out on Thursday, March 24^th, on Twitter:
　
Crash Gladys
I live in Los Angeles, but I'm not hearing any promos 4 NASCAR @ Cali Spdwy this wknd. Hearing a ton more about IndyCar

 And they wonder why they can’t fill the grandstands or even get the grandstands half full.
　
Excuses for the Weekend
　
The grandstands were empty because of the economy.
　
The grandstands were empty because of high gasoline prices.
　
The grandstands were empty because of radiation from Japan.
　
The TV ratings were down because of the economy.
　
The TV ratings were down because of F-1, IndyCar, and the Sweet 16 being broadcast.
　
　
Bristol Attendance Update
　
According to the local law enforcement folks at Bristol, there were maybe 75,000-80,000 people in attendance. That’s a far cry from the 120,000 NA$CAR claims were there and closer to my generous estimate of 90,000. So, if NA$CAR over-estimates by 40,000 people, that makes the attendance figures for most other races very suspect, which most of us pretty much have guessed anyways.
　
　
　
　　

The Teleconference

Several things I gathered from Faux King Brian’s teleconference last week. One is to expect the broadcast portion to be “dumbed down” even more than it has been. Why? Remember the last time Faux King Brian talked about creating new fans? We got the massive invasion of the Short Attention Span Crowd.
　
“I look at the interest level of the sport, and that's growing after having peaked and maybe dropped back a little bit for some reasons a couple years ago. The general interest level is going up and that's what we're going to be working on, is creating new fans”.
　
And last year when he admitted that the “fans” have a shorter attention span than they use to. Gee, I wonder why? Expect to see more things aimed directly at the Short Attention Span Crowd, like repeating the same garbage over and over and over even more than they do now. A good example would be how many times per race we get an explanation of aero tight and aero loose.
　
Read the question carefully and then the answer.
　
Q. You have the races where you grow ratings and attendance, then you have the off week. Can you detail the reasons why you have this off week so early in the season? Are you going to change that for next year?

BRIAN FRANCE: Well, it's historically how many events in the calendar we want to run, regardless when they ran. Historically it has been around this time where we do have an off weekend. Arguably you would like to have that come down eight or ten races later. But that's just how the schedule and the climate issues that we face with certain markets and everything else has played out. The reason for changing it is mostly driven that the other sports calendars are going to change on us - not just the NFL, but maybe some other things. So we're trying to get into the right date. It also does accomplish, when we change next year, moving back the 500 a week, we'll eliminate the early schedule gap here. That will probably be a good thing.
　
The answer doesn’t answer the question. It’s like a politician speaking. Lots of hot air and words that mean nothing.
　
Q. Brian, a lot of feedback that we in the media get from fans is about the post-race show or the lack of a post-race show. There seems to be a sense of frustration that fans invest so many hours into an event, then they get under 10 minutes of reaction after from the drivers that they've been watching. Is that something that NASCAR is hearing from your fan council? Do you have any input with FOX to try to solve this dilemma fans are faced with?

BRIAN FRANCE: We do have a fair amount of programming that happens with the SPEED Channel throughout the post race, even into the evening typically. But, yeah, I think generally speaking we would agree, that it would be nicer to have a longer post-race. But if you think about it, most sports don't have a particularly long post end of a game, whatever else. The networks don't stick around for an additional half hour. It's not something FOX should be thinking about because, after all, that's just not the norm with network or even cable television. Once the game is over, there's typically a short post-race. You hope the rest of it, social media, NASCAR online, places to digest good post-race information is where they go.
　
Considering who really calls the shots on what will and won’t be shown, I’m rather surprised that Faux King Brian doesn’t appear to really care about putting the NA$CAR brand on the winner even more with more post-race exposure of the winner and getting in as many post-race interviews as possible to help extend the NA$CAR "branding" of his brand of racer-tainment. Plus he seems to forget that not everyone gets Speed TV. Folks who don’t have cable or satellite can’t watch it. And even some folks with cable or satellite don’t have it because it’s not included in their package or is considered an extra that cost them through the nose. So they can’t watch the post-race coverage Speed TV offers.
　
Q. What do you see as the biggest impact on television ratings? Sponsorship revenues you and the tracks can earn or how are they becoming more critical on the rights fees as you start negotiating in the next couple years?

BRIAN FRANCE: We spend a lot of time looking at obviously traditional broadcast television. Our cable partners are critically important. We spent a lot of time recently looking at the other media, which is social and digital media, where that's all going, where people are getting information, content and everything else. We have a plan. We have a robust plan in the long run. We'll try to capture both. But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them.
　
If Faux King Brian and his cronies actually spent a lot of time watching the races on TV, they’d see what the fans are complaining about with poor commentary, poor coverage, and too many commercials and the need for split-screen coverage like IndyCar uses to show both the race and commercials at the same time instead of the current running of commercials being briefly interrupted by a lap or two of racer-tainment. “We have a plan”. I seem to remember Richard Nixon saying the same thing when it came to Vietnam only we never found out what the plan was.
　
“But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them”.
　
Notice the word “fix”. Faux King Brian is making it sound like race fans are a bunch of junkies in desperate need of drugs. A Freudian slip on his part? As the TV coverage and commentary is God awful, fans who have the means use things like Track Pass or Race Buddy to actually watch the races and supplement that with radio coverage by PRN or MRN to help eliminate the highly biased commentators and shills. I don’t know how many folks have noticed it but a lot of effort is being put into advertising the sanctioning body’s official web site. They’ve sponsored a couple of trucks and if you look at the tracks you’ll see the web site’s name painted on the asphalt or on the grass. Of course, after the latest changes to that web site and how badly they screwed it up, I can see why they’re trying to lure fans in and advertise it. If they really wanted to get fans to that web site, they’d make it easy to navigate and use. Instead, they make it more complicated than trying to assemble an engine while blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. Fans use Twitter, Facebook, and various blogs to stay up to date and to get reliable info which isn’t in the same cookie-cutter mold as is presented by the lamestream journalists.
　
Q. Brian, can you address the ethanol situation and what challenges have you faced with the implementation to the new fuel in the three top series?

BRIAN FRANCE: Well, the fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working. We couldn't be happier with it. From the early testing, we got good performance numbers. The teams certainly think it's working well. It obviously takes us another step. Especially now that you see energy prices going where they're going, it takes us a way down the road with a real biofuel that we're using in the car. They've just been a really good partner so far and it's going well.
　
“The fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working”. Obviously you didn’t hear the profanity-laced dialogue between Biffle and his crew chief at Vegas regarding the new fuel and the fueling system. It isn’t working well. You might be happy but that’s only because you’re getting paid to be happy about it. Just what are you going to do when Congress cuts off the funding for ethanol because it’s actually a farce? You want a real bio-fuel? Try running the algae-based gasoline. Or convert to diesel and have the teams run oil from some hamburger or chicken joints and fill the stands with the smell of French Fries or fried chicken. That’s true bio-fuel.
　
Q. What do you think of Danica's run last week, historically what that did, the highest finish by a female in any NASCAR national series?

BRIAN FRANCE: I think that elevated her. There was some discussion, did she have the right stuff to compete in the Nationwide Series. You know, I think she dispelled a lot of that. There's always circumstances in the start of a new career. But sometimes things are out of your control, people can crash in front of you, a hundred other things. I think she elevated herself quite nicely. That's nice to see. She's a very competitive person. She's always said she's here to compete, not just happy to be here. That fits my criteria.
　
Anything that makes you a buck fits your criteria. Danica’s finish is not the highest finish by a female driver in NA$CAR. She finished 4^th in a fuel mileage race in NA$CAR’s AAA series equivalent. Sara Christian finished 5^th in NA$CAR’s top series in 1949 at Pittsburgh. Janet Guthrie finished 6^th at Bristol in 1977 in NA$CAR’s top series. So until she runs in the Cup Series and gets a 4^th place finish she isn’t the highest female finisher in NA$CAR.

There were more questions asked and Jayski's got the transcript posted for all to read. Check it out, read it very carefully, read what's said, what's omitted, and how the questions are really answered versus what the question asked.
　
　

Sam Ard's Birthday, Daytona Repaving, Media Surprise, More Ethanol Stuff

Sam Ard’s Birthday Approaching
　
I know times are tough right now for everybody and I know I‘m going on about the situation with Sam Ard. Like Sam, my grandmother had Alzheimer’s and luckily she passed before it had reached the point where she required constant care. Seeing what was happening to her was definitely sad. She was a strong-willed, hard-headed, out-spoken woman who had taken care of herself most of her life. Although I was appreciative of her neighbors and my relatives who were taking care of her, it was a heartbreaker to see her like that.
 　
So if you could please send Sam Ard a birthday card with a $25 Walmart card in it, you’d definitely brighten both his and his wife’s day as they’re trying to make it on Social Security, which is no easy feat. If you can’t send the Walmart card, just send a birthday card. They’ll appreciate it just the same. Sam’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day so if you want to send him a card, here’s the address:

Sam Ard
1237 Bass Rd.
Pamplico, SC 29583

Daytona Track Repaving - The Lost Section

It seems that although they repaved the tri-oval part of the track, they did nothing to the road course section. From what I heard from some folks who were there, some of whom were racing on it, the road course section is in really bad shape and they wonder why it too wasn’t repaved. I guess that’s what happens when you spend millions of dollars on an infield amusement park and zoo instead of what‘s really their bread and butter. The track itself.
 
Growth Energy & The Switch to Ethanol by NASCAR
　
I’ve been doing some research on Growth Energy. I’ve been going through their Form 990’s that they have to file with the IRS. The PR release from NA$CAR is a bit misleading. Growth Energy isn’t an advocacy group. Growth Energy itself holds the 501c6 status, which is for trade groups not environmental and research efforts. It turns out the trade group is specific to Midwest ethanol sources, and cuts out support for the Virginias-and-Carolinas biomass-to-cellulose-ethanol programs that were investigated when big tobacco started moving overseas. Two of the paid consultants are former Army General Wesley Clark and former Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle.
 　
Two companies are operating with names similar to American Ethanol (a la standard stock scam and con-man practices) and the one Growth Energy claims as a business partner is missing a LOT of contact info! I wonder why?

I am Surprised by Some of the Media
　
Some of the lamestream media has actually surprised me over the off-season with articles regarding the changes to the Shoot-out, the points system, and even the play-off system. And they’re pointing out things I have over the last 7 years, like the dumbing down of NA$CAR and how the continuous changes are driving fans away. When the lamestream media starts to turn on NA$CAR, that’s when you know they’re in big trouble. 　

Daytona 500 & First Half of the Season Coverage
　
I don’t know how many of you read the Daly Planet article about how David Hill said the coverage will be but if you thought the coverage in the past was bad, it’ll be worse this season.

"What this sport is all about is the driver. Everything else in NASCAR is an afterthought. People follow the sport because the drivers are heroes because that’s what the fans want to hear, superheroes that can do things that only very, very few people can or will. Anyone can be a crew chief. Anyone can be a tire changer. Anyone with the technical ability. Just think about what it takes to drive a car 200 miles an hour. ee sports: Mountain climbing, bullfighting and auto racing. All the rest of the games."

First off, he got it wrong about this being a sport and I refer once again to the sworn affidavit from NA$CAR’s VP of Racing Operations who said that “NA$CAR is family oriented sports entertainment”. Where he did get it right is that everything else is an afterthought. The marketing takes precedence over the actual racing. The promotion of drivers takes precedence over the racing. So the racing isn’t important but serves as a backdrop to marketing NA$CAR’s sponsors and promoting the drivers into cult hero status. Anyone can be a crew chief? Then let’s see Mr. Hill get on top of Dale Jr’s pit box and see how long he last. Anyone can be a tire changer? Then let’s see Mr. Hill sling those tires around and try to do it in under 14 seconds. I don’t know what it takes to drive at 200 mph but I do know what it takes to drive at 160 mph. Which is more dangerous? 200 mph on an enclosed banked race track with only 42 other cars competing or 160 mph on the German Autobahn with thousands of cars? And not everyone who’s technically oriented can be a crew chief, mechanic, or tire changer. Ryan Newman, who has an engineering degree, can’t exactly get out there and sling tires around or handle a dump can. He might be able to do some mechanical work in the garage though. And as NA$CAR is sports entertainment, that means it’s a game and not a sport.

"Fox is going to concentrate on the driver, too. Right across the board. We’re putting the emphasis back where it belongs on the driver. We probably haven’t utilized Darrell (Waltrip’s) inner knowledge enough. Darrell is the only one on our (announcing) team, in reality who is a champion. He understands the motivation and what goes on. I don’t know. Is it instinct or is it skill? This is something that I’ve talked to the Alain Prosts about and the Jackie Stewarts. What is it? There’s something that drives them. What we’re going to be doing at Fox and what we’re going to be doing at SPEED is telling stories of drivers.
　
So it’s going to be a lot like last season where they only show the usual Chosen Ones and Jabber Jaw’s favorites, plus whoever ponies up the most mention money that doesn’t fall into those categories. It’ll also mean more in-car camera shots. That means they’ll be so locked into promoting the chosen drivers, using the in-car cameras and gimmick shots, and cluttering the screens up with graphics that we’ll more than likely miss the wrecks, the beating and banging at Martinsville and Darlington, and some of the pit road action. And if you weren’t happy about the amount of jaw-jacking Jabber Jaws did before, Mike Joy and Larry Mac aren’t going to be able to get a word in edge-wise with this new “coverage”. On the plus side that should mean less Moe Ron Myers and Hollywood Hambone. 　　
　
Appearance is Reality
　
That is a term used by Vince McMahon of the WWE and later by Mafia Mike of NA$CAR. And it definitely applies to the new points system, especially when the play-offs start. By making it appear close, the master marketing genius in Daytona thinks people will be fooled into believing that the points race will be close. Unfortunately for him, the fans who have been following the sport for a while and don’t have an attention deficit already know it’s nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The same smoke and mirrors that have been used since the play-off system was implemented, continued when the generic car was introduced, and still continues to this day in an attempt to fool the fans. Unfortunately, the only person being fooled is the head fool himself. 　　

Continuing Promise 2011

The USNS Comfort, a Navy medical ship, will be undertaking a 4 month mission of providing humanitarian assistance and training to a number of Caribbean island nations and countries in Central and South America. Both the Comfort and her sister ship the USNS Mercy have been used in a number of humanitarian missions as well as for their designed mission of providing medical support to combat operations. The Comfort’s 4 month mission starts in April and will be made up of both military and volunteer civilian personnel. So to the crewmembers of the Comfort and the volunteers of Continuing Promise 2011, my thanks for doing what others are unwilling to do.