A Race Car Doesn’t Care About Race or Sex/ Talent Abounds in IRL Broadcast Team/ Race Junk/ Cupcakes for Crocker/ Homestead Coverage
A Race Car Doesn’t Care About Race or Sex
The coolest thing about our sport is that it is colorblind. As a speaker once said at a Sports Business Journal conference at IMS in 2003, “A race car doesn’t car if you are a male or female. It doesn’t care if you are black or white.” Racing is the great equalizer. What matters is equipment, talent and luck. There are not a lot of women or minorities out there because 15 years ago when these folks were kids, they probably were not interested in our sport. Back in my TV days, I had a co-worker who wanted to go to a truck race because a musician that he liked was sponsoring on of the trucks. I asked him, why did you lobby do hard to work this race? “So I could see this truck. I like his sponsor. He looks like me.” My friend hit it on the head. When you see someone who looks like you or dresses or talks like you, you may want to be a part of it. That is why Bill Lester in a Cup race, Danica Patrick in the 500, Carmello Anthony on an IndyCar Series car or the many women that are now racing in the finals in the NHRA every weekend are so important. It is about growing the fan base. Reaching the potential new fans with the good news of our series. The more fans, the more fun. We are in the ultimate diversity sport. After all, the car doesn’t care about race or sex. It just wants to go fast.
Talent Abounds in ABC/ESPN IRL Broadcast Team
When the 2006 IRL season gets underway Sunday at Homestead, viewers will experience probably the largest commitment to the IRL by ABC/ESPN. Last season the IRL made a commitment to ABC/ESPN to manipulate their schedule in hopes of gaining better ratings. Well ABC/ESPN is holding up their end of the bargain by bringing in a talented lineup of broadcast professionals. ABC/ESPN will return to a program host this year and bring in sports broadcast icon Brent Musburger. Rich Feinberg is the senior coordinating producer on the broadcasts. Marty Reid will handle the play by play and as we reported before Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear will handle the color. The trio of pit reporters are as solid as you can get. King of the Open Wheel Pit Reporters, Jack Arute returns with the best reporter as sideline has ever seen, Dr. Jerry Punch. Jamie (has a tat on her back) Little will round out the top notch trip. It should make for a good broadcast season. My analysis of the broadcast may be a little delayed due to travel on Monday but expect to see my take on the pumped up crew later next week. I will miss Paul Page and Bob Jenkins, but this crew is the best I have seen since the days of Page and Jinks.
Indy 500 Preview
Our friends at TrackSideOnline - http://www.tracksideonline.com
Produced a report on who will and who is likely to be at the 500 in May.
Little Al Back in May
Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser, Jr. will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, teaming with Buddy Lazier and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The two time 500 winner will drive the No. 31.
Bussell Driving for Cheever
Nick Bussell will drive for Eddie Cheever in the IRL Indy Pro Series. Sports Center and the IRL
Sports Center is previewing the 2006 IRL season this week. The season kicks off Sunday afternoon on ABC.
Race Junk
What happens to the sheet metal that our Open Wheelers tear up on the tracks? Like everything else, it goes up for sale. Erin Crocker’s sheet metal is up for sale at Race Image. http://www.raceimage.com/store.asp?search=driver&name=Erin%20Crocker&cat=Sheetmetal&view=2855 They also sell used crew and driver uniforms from Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.
Cupcakes for Crocker
General Mills (her sponsor) gave Erin Crocker and members of the media in Atlanta Betty Crocker cup cakes to help celebrate her birthday. EC turns 25 this Thursday.
Homestead Coverage
We will be in Homestead beginning tomorrow and plan to bring you coverage this weekend. USACLive http://www.usaclive.com/ will provide the live coverage of the Silver Crown race. The Indy Car race is live on ABC Sunday at 3:30pm eastern.
The coolest thing about our sport is that it is colorblind. As a speaker once said at a Sports Business Journal conference at IMS in 2003, “A race car doesn’t car if you are a male or female. It doesn’t care if you are black or white.” Racing is the great equalizer. What matters is equipment, talent and luck. There are not a lot of women or minorities out there because 15 years ago when these folks were kids, they probably were not interested in our sport. Back in my TV days, I had a co-worker who wanted to go to a truck race because a musician that he liked was sponsoring on of the trucks. I asked him, why did you lobby do hard to work this race? “So I could see this truck. I like his sponsor. He looks like me.” My friend hit it on the head. When you see someone who looks like you or dresses or talks like you, you may want to be a part of it. That is why Bill Lester in a Cup race, Danica Patrick in the 500, Carmello Anthony on an IndyCar Series car or the many women that are now racing in the finals in the NHRA every weekend are so important. It is about growing the fan base. Reaching the potential new fans with the good news of our series. The more fans, the more fun. We are in the ultimate diversity sport. After all, the car doesn’t care about race or sex. It just wants to go fast.
Talent Abounds in ABC/ESPN IRL Broadcast Team
When the 2006 IRL season gets underway Sunday at Homestead, viewers will experience probably the largest commitment to the IRL by ABC/ESPN. Last season the IRL made a commitment to ABC/ESPN to manipulate their schedule in hopes of gaining better ratings. Well ABC/ESPN is holding up their end of the bargain by bringing in a talented lineup of broadcast professionals. ABC/ESPN will return to a program host this year and bring in sports broadcast icon Brent Musburger. Rich Feinberg is the senior coordinating producer on the broadcasts. Marty Reid will handle the play by play and as we reported before Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear will handle the color. The trio of pit reporters are as solid as you can get. King of the Open Wheel Pit Reporters, Jack Arute returns with the best reporter as sideline has ever seen, Dr. Jerry Punch. Jamie (has a tat on her back) Little will round out the top notch trip. It should make for a good broadcast season. My analysis of the broadcast may be a little delayed due to travel on Monday but expect to see my take on the pumped up crew later next week. I will miss Paul Page and Bob Jenkins, but this crew is the best I have seen since the days of Page and Jinks.
Indy 500 Preview
Our friends at TrackSideOnline - http://www.tracksideonline.com
Produced a report on who will and who is likely to be at the 500 in May.
Little Al Back in May
Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser, Jr. will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, teaming with Buddy Lazier and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The two time 500 winner will drive the No. 31.
Bussell Driving for Cheever
Nick Bussell will drive for Eddie Cheever in the IRL Indy Pro Series. Sports Center and the IRL
Sports Center is previewing the 2006 IRL season this week. The season kicks off Sunday afternoon on ABC.
Race Junk
What happens to the sheet metal that our Open Wheelers tear up on the tracks? Like everything else, it goes up for sale. Erin Crocker’s sheet metal is up for sale at Race Image. http://www.raceimage.com/store.asp?search=driver&name=Erin%20Crocker&cat=Sheetmetal&view=2855 They also sell used crew and driver uniforms from Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.
Cupcakes for Crocker
General Mills (her sponsor) gave Erin Crocker and members of the media in Atlanta Betty Crocker cup cakes to help celebrate her birthday. EC turns 25 this Thursday.
Homestead Coverage
We will be in Homestead beginning tomorrow and plan to bring you coverage this weekend. USACLive http://www.usaclive.com/ will provide the live coverage of the Silver Crown race. The Indy Car race is live on ABC Sunday at 3:30pm eastern.
posted by Blake Johnson at 3:33 PM
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