I Am Rich And Famous So I Do Not Care What Happens To You

Darrell Waltrip on short track racing (from an article by Larry Woody in The Tennessean):

"There used to be a time when they could just open the gates and sell tickets. Those days are over. TV represents competition, certainly, but competition is part of any business, and you have to learn to deal with it."

"TV night racing is not going away. It's become too popular and fans love it. If weekly tracks can't find a way to adapt and adjust, well, I don't know what they can do."

"Times change. Things are different today than they were 30 or 40 years ago when I used to race on Saturday nights in Nashville. Maybe that era's gone and can't be brought back."

He then went on to suggest that short tracks install big screen televisions, like Nextel Vision in their infields so fans can watch the Cup races.

Thank you for your support Darrell. It is heart warming to know that you care so much about the future of the sport that has made you a millionaire. Darrell to the short track industry: SCREW!

I am not really scared of NASCAR's encroachment onto Saturday nights. Short track racing live is infinitely better than televised speedway racing ninety-nine percent of the time. However, it would be nice if the leadership of the sport cared just a little about the roots of the sport. Sure, we may get a little lip service here and there, but if you think that the powers that be actually care, you are nuts. All the major racing series need is a couple of hundred talented daredevils, they will take care of the rest.

This is not really a slam on the folks that brought this sport so far. I know managing billions of dollars of personal wealth must certainly be a stressful affair. I just wish that one of them had a sincere interest in growing the short track industry as I think it might pay off for them in the end.

Here is a suggestion, divert one half of the money going to "diversity" efforts into an effort to assist the short track industry. Not to get off on a tangent, but is it not just a little bit racist to think that African Americans will not support NASCAR because it is predominantly a "white" sport? I am pretty sure that there are a few white folks watching the NFL which is a predominantly "black" sport. (Sixty nine percent of NFL players are black).

But really what do I know? I am certainly not on the Forbes 400 like some of our friends in racing.