In the course of a normal NASCAR weekend there seem to be as many press conferences as there are cars on the track and this past weekend during the Coke Zero 400 weekend at Daytona International Speedway was no exception.
Most often the press conferences are announcements from sponsors looking to get some brand awareness or generate some buzz for a new product. Others have to do with charitable organizations while still others make very little sense at all
This weekend the press conferences included not only the usual subjects but added in the bizarre and downright ridiculous.
There were a few of the normal announcements; Goodyear carried special branding on their tires to Support The Troops along with a nice donation to the charity of the same name; another by Budweiser that also included a donation to the USO. But from there the pressers went downhill.
On the surface the announcement by the National Federation of the Blind looked bizarre. In fact prior to the weekend the Associated Press had penned a story about ongoing research that would allow a blind person to drive; a car; on the street. On the surface the thought that one day a sighted person could pull up next to a car at a stop light only to look over and notice that the driver beside them can’t look back at them is nothing short of disturbing. And therein lays the problem for the Federation. Indeed they said there is extensive research ongoing that could eventually allow a blind person to drive. Admittedly it could be at least a decade before anything resembling a street car driven by a blind person would be available, but that wasn’t the point.
The point the Federation wanted to make and continue to make, is the acceptance of the basic idea of the idea; that a blind person could actually drive. Judging by the reaction of those sighted persons in attendance, the Federation has a long road ahead, no pun intended. The other universal question was, why? Why was the announcement being made at a NASCAR race? Those who attended simply looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads as they left.
From the bizarre to the ridiculous. ‘America’s Race Team’ announced that they were forming a new team based on an old tired worn out idea.
There have been countless ‘fan based’ teams in NASCAR through the years with one common theme; they have all failed. The idea of having fans pull money out of their pockets to fund a full blown race team has been around for years; some have included recognizable drivers, or even minor celebrities or other pro athletes. None have ever come to fruition.
But according to ‘America’s Race Team’ they can succeed by selling fans memberships of different levels and even allow them to help vote on who their driver will be. Oh yeah, that’s because they don’t actually have a driver yet, or a crew chief, or competition director. And looking at their rules the fan vote can actually be overridden by the team’s management. In fact they only real NASCAR person they have is Elton Sawyer who recently left Red Bull Racing.
For those attending the press conference though, the sheer boredom evident during the announcement was broken by near laughter, in fact most had to fight to keep from laughing out loud.
Flanked by local police officers, teachers and a former city mayor, America’s Racing Team’s chief marketing officer Michael Wright who worked as an agent for Jeff Gordon at IMG, touted the ‘Americanism’ of the ‘America’s Racing Team’. ( But not before Wright apologized saying that some fireman were also scheduled to attend but couldn’t because they were ‘busy’)
From the red white and blue colors, to the number on the car, 76, of course, to the pronouncement that only American sponsors would be on the car and that the car itself would be from an American manufacturer. Wright did everything but have everyone stand and sing the National anthem.
Everyone was near yawns and wondering when lunch was, when Wright introduced the ‘brainchild’ of a family of ‘experienced business veterans from the world of sports and live entertainment’ who was behind the concept. Daniel Webber is the son of John Webber who spent’ two decades’ at IMG. And when he spoke everyone woke up.
It turns out Daniel Webber is English. So after Wright’s five minutes of ‘God Bless America’, Webbers English accent turned the affair into ‘God Save The Queen’.
There was no mention of the lawsuits in a Pennsylvania court accusing both John and Daniel Webber of mismanagement.
Most of us had to fight back laughter upon hearing the accent and were glad that the press conference was soon over. Of course there was a car unveiling and everyone was invited outside, but for some strange reason lunch seemed more important to most.
Indeed this would have been laughable in its entirety if it wasn’t for the fact that hard-working NASCAR fans who fall for this pitch could soon find themselves a few dollars poorer with nothing to show for it but a t-shirt and hat for it.
For the rest of the weekend the show car, red white and blue with the number 76 adorned on the side sat by itself in Daytona’s Fan Zone. Meanwhile young people strolled around in outfits designed to look like fire suits, although they actually looked more like bad Halloween costumes. While thousands of fans wandered around the Fan Zone, eagerly looking into other show cars and having their pictures taken beside them, the No. 76 sat all alone. Even the amplified pleadings of someone by the car didn’t persuade fans to come near. So in the end it looks as though NASCAR fans having studied their history, are too smart to ever fall for this pitch.
God Save The Queen.
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