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NASCAR needs its critics, not old drivers and crew chiefs
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A couple of weeks ago NASCAR reporter Dustin Long, one of the best in the business, gathered three men connected to NASCAR, Kyle Petty, Jimmy Spencer and Larry McReynolds
Petty and Spencer are former drivers, while McReynolds is a former crew chief. Long wanted to ask the men about the state of NASCAR and their thoughts on the sport in general. According to Long the session was supposed to last 30 minutes and went over an hour. And what the men said continues to stir emotions and controversy.
While the entire piece made for compelling reading, the part that seemed to stir up the most people was the references made to the media who cover the sport, specifically to one who recently passed away.
Charlotte Observer reporter David Poole died suddenly in April. His passing left a void in NASCAR that has, to date, not been filled. McReynolds while in the same sentence saying ‘God rest him, great friend’ mentioned that Poole ‘never wrote anything positive about our sport’.
For the most part, McReynolds was right. David Poole was often critical of NASCAR. And that’s a very good thing.
There are many reporters who write about NASCAR, but few of us have the talent to paint a picture with words like David Poole did. That’s the point. In order to be a good critic, a well-respected critic, it takes a talent few writers possess. It’s easy to tell someone they look awful, or that their painting sucks, it’s quite another to explain to them why and have them understand it.
Such was the talent of David Poole. He could rip NASCAR apart and while they may not like what he wrote, I suspect behind closed doors there was a time or two when someone said ‘damn it, he’s got a point there’.
But according to McReynolds, with agreement from Kyle Petty, critics like Poole are what are wrong with NASCAR.
The truth of course is far from that.
NASCAR like any organization or government for that matter, need critics as much as they need cheerleaders. Critics can point out flaws in an organization; whether it is its plans, ideas, practices or methods, which one else may be able to see. The people inside the organization may become so swept up in something they themselves may not actually see a problem. Until, that is, a critic points it out. And while they may never admit it publicly, the people that criticism is directed towards may just step back and see their plans from a whole new angle.
David Poole was old school newspaper journalism at its best. He was from an age when newspapers served not only their readers, but sometimes a noble purpose. They fought for the little guy, took the government to task for corruption, tired to right the wrongs of the world. Reporters from this era knew their craft and honed it to perfection. Facts were checked, phone calls made and a big story was truly a big story. And when reporters wrote critically of something or someone, you better believe that all the ‘I’s’ were dotted and ‘T’s’ crossed.
In the age of the Internet, anyone can call himself or herself a ‘reporter’. Sign up for a blog put a ‘NASCAR’ name on it and away you go. No need to check facts, just get the story out there. Get it picked up by Google, get the pageviews, the truth be damned.
In this age, someone can call him or herself a critic and whine about all the ‘ills’ affecting NASCAR without ever really saying a thing. It’s kind of like two pieces of bread with no meat, looks like a sandwich but isn’t.
Did I agree with everything Poole ever wrote or said? No. But having the privilege of being around him, watching him work, reading what he wrote, listening and heeding the advice he gave to me taught me more then any four year college ever will.
As for the assertions made by McReynolds and Petty. TV ratings are down, but not in the basement and NASCAR is still one of the most watched sporting events in America. Fans are still buying tickets and t-shirts and sponsors are still opening checkbooks. And what ever may be perceived as ‘wrong’ will no doubt work itself out eventually.
Right now however, there is one thing very wrong with NASCAR. Without anyone to fill the shoes of David Poole, there are seemingly no checks and balances. It’s like the President of the United States without a Congress. Well meaning as NASCAR may be, right now there is no one to point out any flaws in their thinking. There may be a few pretenders, but none can match the intelligence, the eloquence or the talent of David Poole.
And that Mr. McReynolds and Mr. Petty, is really the only thing really wrong with NASCAR.
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