been working on for Terry Parsons, Benny's widow.
Needless to say the weather left a lot to be desired. Friday, the weather wasn't even fit for ducks. On my way to the track, I stopped by the Wood Brother's old shop in Stuart to check up on some of the rumors floating around about the Wood Brothers and to get some help from Bernece on my project. First rumor to dispel is about the Wood Brothers moving back to Stuart. Unless something drastic happens, like a major catastrophe or the Apocalypse, the team will remain in North Carolina. The other rumor to dispel has to do with the old shop being a historical site. While a lot of history has been made there, it has not been declared a historic site by the state. As Bernece put it, "If this is a historic site, how come I'm still paying the utility bills?" The latest addition to the Wood Brothers Museum is a 1971 Mercury driven by David Pearson and AJ Foyt which won the Daytona 500 and several other races. Looking at the front end of that car, you can see where the term "chrome horn" came from and also how stock it really was. Harlow Reynolds, collector and author, was there and we caught up on a few things and discussed the current state of affairs. And I want to thank Harlow for noting the fact that there's not many folks covering what's going on with the racing legends or covering their functions. Only one came to mind, yours truly. Bernece was looking forward to the holidays and everyone getting together for their usual holiday get-togethers. Although a lot of the family and team members still have houses in Stuart, they have to live near the shop during the year. I had to head off to the track, so I bid farewell and proceeded on down Hwy 58.
Once I got to the track, I went to the Credential Trailer which was positioned by the main entry. A far cry from when I had previously been there and it was situated near the tunnel. Things did not bode well when I found they didn't have my credentials ready. Luckily I had thought to bring the letter from Mike Smith with me which said I'd have access to the pits, garage, and press box. Unfortunately, I never got my press box access. I had a few things to get done and a few people I wanted to talk to regarding the Motorsports International Hall of Fame at Talladega. Sometimes the fates can be cruel. But I donned my rain gear and walked around checking things out both inside and outside the track. Only the hard core fans were about taking in the wind, cold, and liquid sunshine. The bulk of the media people were hiding out in the media center, another place I was supposed to have access to. But even though I wasn't allowed to mingle with the "working press", I still managed to get a few things accomplished thanks to Tim Southers and my own deviousness.
Walking through the garage area, there were team members busy at work but only one driver to be seen. I'm not sure what Ken Schrader was doing in the White Elephant, but he was in there for about 20 minutes before leaving there and eventually making his way to the Hall of Fame hauler and then over to the Wood Brothers hauler. The morning coffee, water, and sports drink caught up with me and I decided to make a personal pit stop. I was in the company of several Cup officials who were waiting in line to wash their hands, Cup crew members, and Truck Series driver Jeff Green who jokingly made a comment about the Truck Series and the action they have. I had to give my two cents worth of concurrence much to the chagrin of the Cup officials who were still waiting to wash their hands. Needless to say, Jeff Green was grinning from ear to ear after hearing my agreement and the Cup officials’ looks were pretty sour.
Since it was Martinsville, I had to stop and have a couple of Jesse Jones hotdogs. Normally, I don't buy food at the track, but this has become sort of a tradition with me. Since there wasn't much going on, not many fans around, and all qualifying and practice was cancelled, NA$CAR decided it was time to roll up the sidewalks. I had stopped to get a cup of coffee but much to my surprise the concession stand was closed. But this allowed me to talk with a couple who was working there and get their opinions on what was going on with the Cup Series and NA$CAR in general. Like most of us older fans, they miss the real cars that look like real cars, they don't like the idea of drivers not racing as in the case of the Chase for the Chumps and non-contenders rolling over and playing dead, and they weren't happy with the weather situation. I couldn't have agreed with them more. Since the sidewalks were rolling up, it was time for me to head back to the hacienda, thaw out, toss the wet clothes in the washer, get a hot shower, and get in a short siesta before working on dinner. Good thing I like late dinners.
Saturday didn't look much better than Friday did. It was cloudy, windy, and chilly. Not to mention awfully dark at Oh-dark-thirty in the morning. Plenty of coffee, the favorite meal of police officers everywhere, packing the cooler, and repacking my travel bag with cameras, batteries, pens, and a notepad before hitting the road. After playing Deer Dodger several times in route to the track, I made it to the slick, muddy clay Media Parking Lot. Nothing like having memories of the Whammo Slip and Slide come back to me as I made my way to the access tunnel from the parking lot. Inside the track, things were abuzz with activity. Truck and Cup crews were busy working, moving things back and forth, officials wondering around like lost sheep, and less than a peace sign's worth of fingers of media roaming the garage area. It was too wet, windy, and cold for them to brave it out there. I had a message to deliver to the Wood Brothers from Harlow and went about making my observations and keeping my eyes and ears open for anything that looked promising. I stopped by the Media Center and talked to Tim about what I was trying to do in regards to my project for Terry Parsons. He contacted Mike Smith and got the approval on it, so one down, more to go after I made a pit stop caused by the morning coffee.
If you think race car or truck drivers are gods or demi-gods, the one thing that makes them mere mortals is the Men's Room. Everyone has to wait. It doesn't matter if you're one of the Top 10 drivers, crew chiefs, or a race fan. Over the course of the weekend, I'd be waiting in line with several of drivers, crew chiefs, and crew members or passing them either going into or exiting the Men's Room. I noticed this was a spot that some folks staked out to get autographs from drivers either entering or exiting the Men's Room. Talk about being ambushed. On Sunday, Dale Jr. was in a hurry to get to his waiting car only to have waiting fans get his autograph as he exited from the Men's Room. Only place he got any peace was either in the Men's Room or his hauler. It was sort of funny waiting in line to deliver the latest "salute to King Brian" standing next to a couple of drivers and crew chiefs. At least the seat was warm even if the smell wasn't great.
Heading out to pit road, I walked along and observed some of the goings on. Teams prepping various things for the Truck Race, equipment being moved around, radio checks, and surprisingly no officials. One truck team I observed was getting their tires ready for the race and I overheard them saying money was so tight they had to re-use the lug nuts they had used the previous week. And this was a well-sponsored team, not one of the unsponsored, unloved, or unknown teams. Continuing on down the pits, folks were busy getting their pit boxes ready. One crew I passed was committing about a team that got caught doing something and it was their teammate. Not the sort of thing you want going on, much less mentioning with fans and other teams moving around. Some of the Cup teams had their grills set up under tents and overhangs so they could watch the race and feed their Truck team counterparts. The smells of food versus the smell of gasoline, oil, and rubber were very pleasant for the time being. Being as chilly and windy as it were, it was hard to smell the famous (or infamous) Martinsville hot dogs or anything else in the concession stand. My nose felt like it was in a marathon as much as it was running thanks to the weather.
Since things were rolling along on pit road, I went back to see what was happening with the Cup teams. Morgan Sheppard was walking through the garage saying "Hi" to folks and signing a few autographs here and there. David Green and Phil Parsons were busy talking next to a wrecker. Dennis Setzer was cruising the garage incognito in his street clothes. The Cup teams were busy working on their cars. Joe Nemecheck and Ken Schrader were both busy with their cars with Schrader making a trip to the Wood Brothers hauler since it was closer than his. There's no hard feeling there. Bill Elliott was busy talking to Len and Eddie Wood while the team was busy working on, around, and under their car. This was pretty much the story throughout the garage area. Since there was plenty of time before the trucks raced and the Cup cars hit the track for practice and the trucks raced, I decided to see what was happening with the fans who had shown up. There weren't a lot of fans around. With the weather being what it was, I can't say as I blame them. Most of the merchandise vendors were closed because it was a tad too early but some fans were roaming around so it was time to get into some conversations and get some opinions.
I stopped to get a $2 cup of coffee at a concession stand and talked to a couple who was there working. Neither was happy with the racing of the COT, the Chase, the Ms Terry DeBris cautions, nor NA$CAR and their lack of promoting the Martinsville races. Both felt that racing is racing and that if somebody rubbed some paint, it was OK with them. There shouldn’t be any of this “no racing against the contenders” stuff. Considering the mixture of gear they were wearing, you couldn’t tell who they were pulling for as it was from drivers of all the manufacturers. But their sentiments were those of a lot of older fans. Rubbin’ is racin’.
A couple of Canadian fans were looking for something different to eat than the normal hamburgers or hot dogs, so I suggested a bologna burger, a favorite of Elliott Sadler. This was their first Martinsville race and they were hoping it would be more exciting than what they had seen earlier at Charlotte. I was hoping for the same thing myself. We got into a discussion about the rules and why one rule applied to one driver and not to a different one. I could’ve spent hours going on about that one, but put it as simply as I could. Faux King Brian has his own self-interest and as such sees that there is a certain amount of manipulation that goes on. I resisted telling them about the WWE on Wheels as I didn’t want to put them totally off their bologna burgers. Neither had seen anything similar up in Canada to what we have here with the bologna burgers or the rules manipulation by the sanctioning body. But just wait. NA$CAR is running the Canadian Series so it’s a possibility. I changed the subject to beer and we had a decent discussion on our preferences. I may not drink like I use to but I still have my favorite beers.
One thing I was a bit disappointed in was the picnic tables weren’t in the infield like they had been the last time I was there. So I had to find someplace else to put my feet up and relax. Sitting on rims isn’t very comfy and neither is sitting on the step of a hauler. One team didn’t mind me sitting on a cooler as I sat down and was making notes as to what I had seen and the topics of discussion. I had a decent chat with the hauler driver, his career, and the team he was on. Finding that I didn’t bite, he gave me some coffee (nice since it was still chilly) and we discussed racing in general. I find out that he was a relative newcomer (3 years in Cup) and didn’t know any of the hauler drivers I knew from the old days. With my back and feet rested, it was time to explore some more and so I made my way down the line of haulers checking out what was going on. It looked like someone had kicked over an ant hill with so many people running around and in and out of the haulers.
Time wound down and it was time to start the Truck Race. There weren’t many people in the stands, but what’s new with that? The best racing series NA$CAR has and they don’t support or advertise it like they do the others. The Martinsville Jazz Ensemble did a great job on the National Anthem. Once the command to fire engines was given, they drowned out any other noise around. Watching from the infield isn’t quite like sitting in the stands. You don’t get much of a view, but you do get to see things a little better in the behind the scenes arena. The used tires being hauled away, the empty gas cans going to be refilled, tools being moved around or parts being fetched to repair damage. A lot better than the 4-5 second snippet you see on TV. No need to go into the race itself, but it was more exciting live than what they showed on TV. Needless to say, it was time to make my way home, make some more notes, watch the recorded TV version of the race, and get a good night’s sleep. Sunday would be a very long day.
The alarm clock got knocked off the nightstand promptly at Oh-Dark-Thirty. Time to get the coffee going, clean-up, eat something, repack the bag, drink coffee, fill the travel mug with more coffee, and hit the road for another exciting round of Deer Dodger on my way back to the track. Once I got there, I parked once again in the natural “slip and slide” and made my way into the infield just as the sun was coming up to see what all was going on and stopped by the media center to see what was happening in there. Nothing in the media center and a lot of folks cooking and hustling around in the garage area. I was watching Front Row Joe’s team working and saw Leonard Wood go by. Here’s a guy in his 70’s and he’s still out there hustling around like the youngsters. Leonard had a few words with one of his sons and then over to the trailer to c heck on some things. The smell of breakfast would soon be overcome by the smell of rubber, oil, and exhaust. Folks from the “big media outlets” were making their rounds with the usual suspects. At 10 AM was the big press conference for the “real working media”. The plus side was a captive audience for my project which came off successfully. Then came the drivers meeting and a short prayer. Strange how very few drivers and crew chiefs came out the back of the place while the rest seem to have made a beeline for either the men’s room or pit road. Since there was still more time to go before the race, it was time to check out what was happening outside and how many fans had braved the chill to show up.
On my way out of the tunnel, I passed Larry Mac. He looked rather pale for some reason. Bad hotdog maybe? It looked like the usual hustle and bustle with folks getting their Tum’s, Goodies, and other assorted odds and ends. I stopped by one of the snuff trailers to see what was going on as they were somewhat new and they had their gals out there freezing the backsides off. Skimpy outfits and not jackets. Not because they didn’t have them but because they weren’t allowed to wear them. They could dip snuff of smoke cigarettes but couldn’t wear a jacket. The other brand of snuff had their gals outfitted to match the weather. Hopefully the other brand will learn something from this.
In the bustling crowd, you could hear a dozen different conversations about the race, drivers, and makes of cars. Folks trying to make their way to their seats only to be blocked by the crowd trying to get their free Tum’s die-cast and being re-routed around them to finally gain access to the gates. Time to head back inside and see what else was going on. The activities were just as frantic as when I had left. The morning coffee and breakfast had caught up and it was time to make a pit stop. A crew chief, a driver, and I were all waiting our turns for some relief and it wasn’t from Tum’s. Once back outside, it was time to continue down the garage area, check out who was going in and out of the haulers, and make my way down the pit stalls. I stopped by the Hall of Fame hauler and had a decent chat with one of the crewmembers about something near and dear to my heart, which I’ll cover about later. Crews were busy prepping the tires, lugs, grills were fired up near the pit boxes and at the back of some haulers, a beehive of activity.
The closer it got to race time, the more hectic things became. Driver intros were starting and I passed Dale Jr. on my way to the men’s room as he was leaving only to have a half dozen fans waiting for his autograph outside the men’s room. At least they had the decency not to follow him in there. A quick stop in the media center and then back to the garage. I had another mission to accomplished and my coffee supplier was keeping me posted on the arrival time of his team owner. I had a message to relay to him from one of his former competitors and wasn’t going to miss him. The noise being what it was, you couldn’t hear the Pledge of Allegiance back where the haulers were. It wasn’t until I looked at the big screens that I saw what was happening. I came to a halt and followed the Invocation (which I could hear) and heard the Martinsville High School Band perform the National Anthem. They did an excellent job. You’ve got to give it to the folks at this track for making sure the National Anthem is done right. Too bad some others don’t or won’t follow suit.
It got down to the command to start engines, the roar was deafening, and the smells were wonderful. Once the green flag dropped, they were off and running. Running around the track, running into the walls, and running into each other. Several cars got pretty banged up while other had brake problems. Needless to say, the race’s outcome was somewhat predictable.
When I checked my e-mail, I had one from randy regarding his observations of the race at Martinsville:
Mike - I always enjoy reading your articles on NASCAR. I have written to you several times before and thought I'd let you know what I thought about our Martinsville weekend. You have my permission to pass along my ideas/observations in any way you please. We love(d) NASCAR and hope they can fix it soon.
To begin with, we have only missed one race at Martinsville out of the last 15 or 16. Why doesn't it sell out? Let me tell you what it's like at Martinsville today.
1) Driver access is one of the things that separate NASCAR from other sports. A few years ago, you had access to the drivers while they walked into the track along the fence or walked from the motor homes parked in the old pond area. Now, the drivers are whisked by on golf carts and never pause. I remember walking along with Elliot Sadler and talking to him about his day. Those days are gone.
2) What's up with so few drivers signing at the trailers? On Sunday the only drivers that I know of that were out were David Ragan, Greg Biffle and Robbie Gordon. For Pete's sake, it is only 15 or 20 minutes that they sign, but the goodwill is immeasurable. I talked to a Robbie Gordon fan that was at his first race. He was thrilled beyond belief that he got "to meet my idol". He is about 50 years old and acted like a teenager. I think he will be back at a race soon. If I owned a race team, part of the contract with the driver would be sessions at the trailers most weekends.
3) My 29 year old son went with us to his first race. This is what he got to see. No flyover. No blimp. No drivers riding around the track after driver intros. (They just walked off the stage and to the pit areas.) A boring race - nobody wanted to mess with the Chase drivers. Herded like cattle into the stands because of the fencing to allow drivers easy in and out before and after the race.
Keep up the good work. Take care of yourself and yours. God Bless.
Randy
I think Randy observed a lot of things that a lot
of other fans have questions about and all I can
say is that it’s the way NA$CAR has neatly
wrapped and “sanitized for your protection” the
races, drivers, and the Chase for the Chumps.
Also, I$C has been looking for an excuse to shut
down or at least move one date from Martinsville.
So the fewer “bells and whistles” (fly-overs,
blimps, etc) the less folks will be interested and
complain about the quality of the races, lack of
fly-overs, and the facilities. If they were going to
cut out something, they should cut out a lot of
the pre-race stuff and give the fans what they
want. One thing they did do right was the National Anthem the entire weekend and I've got to give them and the Martinsville High School Music Program kudos for that. Take that Bruton!
Normally I close out with a little something about our troops, but today it’s about the Hall of Fame Racing Team. Mainly because they’re involved in helping out our wounded and injured troops with their support of the Wounded Warrior Project and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. They collect monies for these two worthy funds and I think they need to be recognized for their efforts. So good job folks. Oo-Rah!
Motherhood, Apple Pie, and John Wayne
Mad Mikie
Curmudgeon at Large
Want to chat with other race fans about this article and other NASCAR stuff?
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Mike here
Go visit our home page, called appropriately The Pits & check out our photos & pages. Our most popular page; Race Recon is where you get all the info you need to go to the races including local camping, hotels, bars, restaurants, tracks, golf & other important race weekend information. We also have attending a NASCAR Race tips, tailgating tips & recipes, stories, trivia, quotes & more! While you are surfing see if you are a REAL RACE FAN. Be sure to read the Fan Fables, LAIDBACK RACING’S adventures with the tailgating race fan at NASCAR tracks.
