I'm sorry to be incesitive but this coming from a guy who admittely have said over and over that he does not know/doesn't care about NASCAR is and only in it for the aspect of being someone's lap dog, doesn't really say much about your take on how the sport was before all the points changes and what not. Did you watch NASCAR pre 2012 even to make such bold claim that these guys weren't trying as hard as they possibly could?"
You know alot for someone who didn't even know about NASCAR till a few years ago.
Not sure why I'm about to bother with you, because you respond like this a lot to me, and I usually ignore it. But whatever, my wife and kids are all asleep, so I'll dignify it. Correct, NASCAR was never on my radar as kid. Or even young adult. I would always watch the Daytona 500 for the same reason I watch the Kentucky Derby (couldn't care less about horse racing), Indy 500 (couldn't care less about Indy Car) or Olympic Figure Skating (really couldn't care less) because I love sports. But yeah, I didn't know much about NASCAR.
Went to my first NASCAR race about 5 years ago because one of my clients wanted to get into the sport. I met many teams and owners because they were pitching themselves to me in order to secure my client's $$ (I'm a partner of an ad agency). I chose Furniture Row Racing when Regan was driving. I became very close to the team that season. A few of them would probably be at my wedding today if my wife and I were doing it for the first time (including GM Joe Garone and owner Barney Visser) They're now close friends of mine. Through them, and others on the team, I met many other teams and drivers. Halfway through that first season, Furniture Row hired my firm to help with their marketing and sponsorships. They loved what we were doing for my client's activation. We did many things no other team had done...mostly because we had no preconceived ideas of how to market to NASCAR fans, and the landscape was changing (online, smart phones, digital, etc). Sometimes, no experience can be a plus. We opened some eyes. The next season, two other drivers/teams (including Kurt who came to the 78 - a decision that wasn't easy for Barney, and that I was very close to in terms of making sense of it for him). Within the last two seasons, two more drivers and teams hired us. So...we now help 4 different drivers & teams market their sponsors to the masses.
Still...NASCAR related accounts remain less than 5% of my company's revenue. We're a traditional ad agency. Not a sports marketing firm, or sponsorship group, or PR agency. We're a total anomaly in NASCAR. You can continue to condescend what I do by calling me a "lapdog" all you want (you've done it many times before, using many different words) but in today's climate of sponsorship, ratings and attendance, these guys need me a lot more than I need them. NASCAR could shut down tomorrow, and it wouldn't affect my paycheck one bit. And they all know it. Once you're done rolling your eyes, maybe you can start to digest the fact that a kid with absolutely no NASCAR experience or knowledge could walk into a garage for the first time as a sponsor, and 4 seasons later have the amount of business and connections I now have. You might never find anything I say worthwhile, but plenty of the guys you watch on TV do.
It's a small garage, Reck. Really small. Everyone knows everyone. And whether you like it or not, that includes me as well. I've had a hard card going on 3 seasons. I probably have 2 dozen drivers' numbers on my cell phone. I TALK to these guys. When they tell me what they like about the sport, what they don't like about the sport, what they like about rules, what they don't like about rules, how they race a race, what they were thinking during the race, all that stuff - I take it all in. I think that counts for more than any amount of time I could spend on my own opinions.
Sometimes, when I'm in the mood, I come here and share what I've experienced (not all...mostly because I don't feel like having to convince anyone of what I've seen or heard. Guys like you require too much energy. And frankly, you wouldn't be able to handle some of it. Especially where Jeff Gordon is concerned. No one's perfect, Reck. But I know you don't want to hear it, so I don't bother sharing most of it.) But...I'll come and talk about other stuff because the overwhelming majority of posters here seem like great people. They can believe me, not believe me, it doesn't make a difference really. I'm not going to alter what I know to appease the masses. Or so someone like you will find me credible or not. I know what I know, and that's that. But just know, what I post here isn't coming from a guy watching races on a couch...so who gives a sh*t how long I've been doing it. Other than you.
Also...I try my best to stay in my lane when I'm posting here, and only post on topics that I know something about...which is why I tend to mention Kurt a lot, since the guy's a headline magnet. I don't get involved in the topics or driver threads that I don't know much about. Maybe you can give me that?
Anyway...just want to apologize to every single other poster for having to read all this drivel. I already regret responding. I can't stand talking about myself like this. But I promise you, this is the first and last time I acknowledge this guy. He's been riding my nuts since I got here.
