My parents owned a retail furniture store when I was growing up. I learned a lot from my wise old dad. One thing he used to ensure his salespeople did was call their customers after their furniture was delivered. “We obviously want to make sure that the customer doesn’t have any problems with their new purchase,” he said. “But just as important it’s a good morale boost for the salesperson.”
I of course had to ask how the salesperson got a morale boost. “Because 99 percent of those phone calls,” he said. “Will have a happy customer on the other end. And that makes the salesperson feel good.”
He went on to add. “Happy people will hardly ever say anything. Sure they are happy, they may love us to death, but they will never take the time to call and say so. The people who do call though, who will yell the loudest, are the ones who claim to have a problem. And most of the time, the problems they are shouting about don’t really exist, they just need to yell about something.”
Welcome to the world of NASCAR. Just as in society NASCAR, as do a lot of major sports, have an element of people who seem to spend most of their time yelling about how bad the sport is. How terrible the racing is, the fans are, the drivers, the officials you name it. These ‘basher’s will argue until the sun goes down. You say the sky is blue and they will argue the sky is pink.
Recently a former ‘journalist’ now firmly in his senior years, wrote and published a ‘scathing’ ‘tell-all’ book that ‘exposed’ the dirty secrets of NASCAR. Well gang, truth be told most of the ‘secret’s he ‘exposed’ aren’t really secrets at all. Most of what was ‘revealed’ has been around in some form for years. Sometimes the names change or the years, but the stories, none of which have any basis in fact, have been talked about and laughed at for the most part, for years. But don’t tell that to the ‘bashers’. To them suddenly this old mans’ musings are taken as the Gospel and ’prove’ just evil the NASCAR empire is.
Among the stories was that NASCAR was somehow controlled by the mob at one time and even involved in the drug trade. And according to the book, the current CEO was a drug abuser and even busted for drug possession and that the charge was somehow ‘hushed’ up. But when NASCAR took a race away from the state where the offense allegedly occurred officials there were ready to ‘expose all’. Well one phone call to a police information officer last week, who could find no record of such offense, made that even more laughable.
The point in this; we have an elderly gentleman, who may or may not have his own hidden agenda, who is spouting old war stories none of which have any basis in fact.
For what purpose though? No one does something for nothing. There’s always a reason. So what could this old guys reason be? Could it be that he wants to ‘expose’ the evil world of NASCAR before he fades off into the sunset, or a retirement home, or could it be that he’s simply trying to sell books. After all there is no pension for most retired journalists, so why not find a way to fund your retirement?
It boils down to this. The entire book, which I refuse to buy, is filled with stories based on hearsay with no factual basis at all. The ‘bashers’ though will continue to eagerly eat up every page while the old man sits back in his rocking chair and counts his royalty money.
So what is the difference between ‘bashers’ and critics? Critics are useful to an organization. They can point out flaws, which people inside that organization may not be aware of, in an intelligent manner and most often offer their own solutions. On the other hand‘bashers’ simply find something to latch on to then see how loud they can yell. They may not have any real clue what they are yelling about, but to them it’s the right thing to do.
Among the ‘bashers’ topics: that Brian France is destroying the sport. The truth? Without the France family we wouldn’t even have NASCAR in its current, successful form. It’s pretty much theirs to run how they see fit. And I don’t care if he had lunch with Betty Ford when he was a teenager or in his 20’s. Guess what? I smoked pot, broke into daddy’s liquor cabinet and have a few more skeletons in the closet, just like we all do. If you were to dig into the past of some of the CEO’s of America’s largest companies I suspect you find people who have done a whole lot worse then Brian France ever even thought of.
My favorites are the ‘bashers’ who put a $ in the word NASCAR. As if to imply that that NASCAR is one big money machine. Well guess what kids. Last time I checked, America is all about free enterprise and a company is supposed to make a profit. I suspect that even if Brian France himself would stand by the gate at Daytona and give people hundred dollar bills to come in, someone would still find something to complain about. You can’t, nor should we try, to prevent NASCAR from making money. If you don’t like it, then go buy some ISC stock so you can get some of that dirty money for yourself.
In the end NASCAR is still the second most watched sport in America and while they are going through some rough times right now, all of the country is. They will recover, just like the country will.
No matter what happens though, the ‘bashers’ will keep on bashing and an old man will still keep telling yarns.
Just hush while the majority of us happy people are watching the race.
NEW: Answering The Comments from the NASCAR bashers
Comments
boy you have been drinking nascars kool aid
Did Brian give you a dime bag to write this?
Greg, your thoughts are right on in my book!
Good lord Greg, your just another France Shill. #1, Bruton Smith was another one looking to organize a national stock car series when France heard about it, he hurried a gang to the Datyona motel on Main st. and nascar was born. Big Bill was not squeeky clean either, but of course, no misdoings by him, or Junior or Brian will ever be uncovered by Datyona Beach police.
#2 Remember not so long ago, Brian France was witnessed running into a parked car, then weaving his way back to his Daytona Beach home by a witness who called the police. No charges, no wrong doings, all was quieted down and now, never happened.
Yep Greg, this is a furniture store ok. Now you know where you can go if this line of work doesnt pan out for you.
Did NA$CRAP give you any $ to write this article? This is going to be a slow week in NA$CRAP anyways, maybe you can earn some NA$CRAP $ by putting out a few aricles SMEARING Mayfield. Or better yet some articles HYPING and MAKING EXCUSES for Dale Jr.
To everyone except Gary D.,
You guys have just proved Greg Engle's point.
Admit it, you folks will NEVER be satisfied whatever NASCAR does. You are like a bunch of old men on the porch of an old general store sittin' around and bitchin' how the world has gone to hell and EVERYTHING was better when you were younger.
Why don't you do all the rest of us a favor and just GO AWAY like you keep threatening to do. All you do is annoy the rest of us.
My first thought was "who made Greg drink Nascar's kool aid?" I see I'm not the only one with that thought.
Count me as an unhappy customer!
Greg, try to be realistic and admit that you have not been around racing long enough to have an opinion that is anywhere near valid. In the mean time keep shilling for B. France and maybe he will reward you by letting you lick his boots more often.Oh and by the way your "style" of writing is better suited to something like The National Enquirer or maybe The Star,too ameteurish for most grown ups. There that is me being a critic and not a basher.
I like how you bother to write a story about a book but never mention the name of the book or the author. Why even bother?
Count me with the BA$HERS
First, if you haven't bought Jack Flowers book "Under the Asphalt," how can you dismiss him as just an elderly crank with a motive?
Second, you weren't around during those early days of NASCAR, or actually any of the days Mr. Flowers writes about. Yet, you KNOW better than he what went on. Who did your fact checking for you, Ramsey Poston?
Third, a phone call to a cop will get you ..NOTHING unless he has been cleared to provide you with information.
Seems to me your article is bashing a man who is trying to tell the world the people behind Nascar are hiding a lot behind those fancy suits and ties. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Did you get your credentials yet?
Kate - You have a habit of being critical of a writers skill in doing research and and finding facts. Might I suggest you revisit your comment on this writers last post on Jeremy Mayfield and review my queries to you?
Secondly, you claim "a phone call to a cop will get you ..NOTHING." Not true in most, if not all cases, arrest records are a matter of public records might it be YOU that needs to do a bit of research before opining on a subject you know little of?
Kate, you deride the author for not buying this book, have you? If you haven't, and by using your "logic," you have no right to be critical of this author. That said, you'd never be honest enough to admit not buying it would you?
Bashers don't seem to really know anything about racing. They're the ones that want to call anyone or anything involved with NASCAR names like a bunch of Jr. High kids. Critics seem to at least offer some intelligent points on things that might be changed in the sport. Bashers are the same bunch that think it's intelligent to throw stuff at drivers. They're there for the party and don't really care much about actual racing. Empty heads, empty beer coolers....they do seem to go together. This is a family owned business. If you don't like the way they run it, find another hobby. It's amazing that these people think that just calling Brian France stupid names is actually going to accomplish anything. I'm SURE he's listening.
Yes Marc, not that it's any of your business, but I have bought and read "Under the Asphalt." I suggest you do the same.
Secondly, if an arrest has been made or a citation issued, you are correct, it is a matter of public record and a police officer could provide information. The point you missed is the incident was hushed up. No record on file means an officer has nothing to report, especially if it's not the officer involved in the original incident.
You obviously know very little about NA$CAR, but then that is exactly what I would expect from another one of the NA$CAR "media". BTW, did Mafia Mike Helton proof read this article before you posted it?
Kate, why do you assume I have not bought and read the book?
No reason other than it fits neatly in your narrative.
Sorry, I didn't miss the "fact" the incident was covered up, however, did the author file a freedom of information request with the appropriate parties to gain the "covered-up" info and substantiate his charges?
Of course he didn't, he just laid out his cock and bull story with zero evidence to back it up.
Just as you do in almost every post you spew out here.
Hello everyone:
Notice the link at the bottom of the article: Answering the comments from the NASCAR bashers
My, my Marc, you're just a little testy aren't you. Just how far do you think a FOI request will get you on an incident that's been covered up? How can you follow a paper trail that doesn't exist?
Kate - that's all you have? Some non-sense about me being "testy?"
Don't get me wrong, it's fully expected from your type, when called on something you and your ilk resort to cheap personal attacks or divert attention by changing the subject.
BTW, did you make the slightest effort to research the site I suggested on Greg's last Mayfield post? ("What if Jeremy Mayfield really is guilty?")
Or did you ignore it and refuse to do the research you are so willing to accuse others of not doing?
WAIT... I just checked, you didn't or at best did and ignored the question, or do the research.
That may, I repeat MAY indicate a little intellectual laziness on your part.
Nascar is Crooked they were busted in Secrets Exposed Book with the Black eye Nascar Knows this book is out and there quiet as a mouse,a lot of people in Nascar was busted in this Book!
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