Disturbing article Driscoll regrets coming forward

Carried was probably too strong a term, but Petty and Earnhardt's fame was bigger than the sport itself and for years were probably the ONLY two stock car drivers 75% of the population could even name, let alone pick out of police lineup. Like AJ and Mario in open wheel cars, they are the Elvis and the Beatles of their industry. The fact that sponsors still want to be associated with Richard Petty 34 years after he won his last race and the fact that a man deceased for almost two decades could probably STILL outsell every current driver in merchandise sales (If the distribution of the items was on equal terms) says volumes about their place in the sport.
 
Formerjackman said:
Carried was probably too strong a term, but Petty and Earnhardt's fame was bigger than the sport itself and for years were probably the ONLY two stock car drivers 75% of the population could even name, let alone pick out of police lineup. Like AJ and Mario in open wheel cars, they are the Elvis and the Beatles of their industry. The fact that sponsors still want to be associated with Richard Petty 34 years after he won his last race and the fact that a man deceased for almost two decades could probably STILL outsell every current driver in merchandise sales (If the distribution of the items was on equal terms) says volumes about their place in the sport.
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Petty and Earnhardt were giants but to the racing world, so were Yarborough, Pearson, Allison, etc.... I know how popular they are and were but I also know when they were not.
 
OK, but the racing world and the rest of the world are two different things. I only know of Four NASCAR drivers that were popular even among people that rarely if EVER watched the races; Petty, Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. Earnhardt surely holds the record for being the most liked and disliked driver at the same time! I would say that in my area, (Indiana) from about 1988-1997, if you went ANYWHERE and saw ten people wearing NASACAR gear, eight of them would be Earnhardt fans. That only slowed slightly once Gordon hit his stride.
 
Formerjackman said:
OK, but the racing world and the rest of the world are two different things. I only know of Four NASCAR drivers that were popular even among people that rarely if EVER watched the races; Petty, Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. Earnhardt surely holds the record for being the most liked and disliked driver at the same time! I would say that in my area, (Indiana) from about 1988-1997, if you went ANYWHERE and saw ten people wearing NASACAR gear, eight of them would be Earnhardt fans. That only slowed slightly once Gordon hit his stride.
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Well you arent really carrying the sport if its people who know you but dont attend or watch, you carry those that buy tickets and tshirts and sponsor products.
 
Formerjackman said:
OK, but the racing world and the rest of the world are two different things. I only know of Four NASCAR drivers that were popular even among people that rarely if EVER watched the races; Petty, Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. Earnhardt surely holds the record for being the most liked and disliked driver at the same time! I would say that in my area, (Indiana) from about 1988-1997, if you went ANYWHERE and saw ten people wearing NASACAR gear, eight of them would be Earnhardt fans. That only slowed slightly once Gordon hit his stride.
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I worked at a place that was 75% minority, one them asked me a question about some basketball player. I said I never heard of him. After all of the goofaws, I asked him if he knew who won the Nascar sprint cup..silence, I asked him if he knew of any driver that drove in Nascar, he said Earnhardt. I said Magic Johnson. I didn't know the team and he didn't know the manufacturer but we both got a laugh out of it. nuf said.
 
that is really hilarious Spotter. I got a chuckle out of that too. does he really not have a clue? That is funny and kinda scary at the same time ya know what I mean. The concerned fan angle only goes so far, it became a joke a long time ago.:D
 
StandOnIt said:
that is really hilarious Spotter. I got a chuckle out of that too. does he really not have a clue? That is funny and kinda scary at the same time ya know what I mean. The concerned fan angle only goes so far, it became a joke a long time ago.:D
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:cheers:
 
Spotter22 said:
Well you arent really carrying the sport if its people who know you but dont attend or watch, you carry those that buy tickets and tshirts and sponsor products.
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My point was that when your fame reaches a point that people that barely care at all about what you do are willing to identify with you and claim to be a supporter, you are on a level beyond everyone else. In their respective eras, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt were bigger than all of their peers combined, regardless of how good the others were. I wasn't particularly a fan of either one, but that doesn't change the facts.
 
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Formerjackman said:
My point was that when your fame reaches a point that people that barely care at all about what you do are willing to identify with you and claim to be a supporter, you are on a level beyond everyone else. In their respective eras, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt were bigger than all of their peers combined, regardless of how good the others were. I wasn't particularly a fan of either one, but that doesn't change the facts. Some times I feel you work overtime to misinterpret or mischaracterize every comment I make.
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Son when you say 2 MEN carried the sport from 64-2001, you did it to yourself.
 
Formerjackman said:
Look, I'm as big of a hardware guy as you will ever find, and much like you I am a manufacturer first, team second, driver third kind of guy, meaning that if you don't drive the right brand and do it for one of the teams I support, I'm probably not going to be a fan of yours. BUT, to act like this sport's focus on the drivers is something relatively new is just preposterous. NASCAR has been as much about the personalities as the equipment from DAY ONE. You don't get the legends of Fireball Roberts and the Golden Boy, the King, the Intimidator and the Wonder Boy without that being the case. From about 1964 to 2001, the entire sport was carried on the backs of two MEN, not two cars.
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There is one story about Dale E. that no newsman in his right mind would write about.
Today they would not care if they destroy anyone as long as they get a story.
 
Team Penske said:
There is one story about Dale E. that no newsman in his right mind would write about.
Today they would not care if they destroy anyone as long as they get a story.
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If they don't have all of the story they will make the rest of it up now days. Got to feed the drama queens
 
The Nature Boy said:
And France wasn’t bloody because of being an assassin, he actually got into a drunk driving accident on the way to Kurt’s and made up the hired assassin bit as a cover.
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They should have checked his trunk. that is where the bodies were buried.
 
Spotter22 said:
Son when you say 2 MEN carried the sport from 64-2001, you did it to yourself.
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I stand by my comments 100% in the CONTEXT they were offered. It doesn't matter how great the other drivers were or how much they accomplished, if 95% of the population has NO IDEA who you are, you aren't carrying the sport in manner that was speaking of. Of all of the problems NASCAR has right now, one near the top is that there is no transcendent personality to carry the sport out beyond our little cocoon of interest. Even Dale Jr. never really took the sport beyond it's borders. In the entire history of NASCAR only THREE people have done that. Richard, Dale Sr. and Jeff.
 
I think you are both kinda right if I am reading this correctly. About all that is left is splitting hairs. I will add that manufacturers make many models under one brand today instead of making different brands. Like Impala, Chevelle, Olds, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Vega, etc. Like Petty said on coffee with Kyle. Manufacturers back then were more important than the driver. I was surprised when he said that. We never hear that in the press. An example of that is when they wouldn't let him switch to a Dodge with a wing. They told him he was a Plymouth man and he was going to race a Plymouth without a wing, Petty knew he was going to get his ass beat, so he went to Ford. A year later after he had been winning in a Ford early in the season, Plymouth came to him and they had made the Plymouth Superbird and he switch manufacturers From Ford to Plymouth mid season. Petty says the Petty team was the reason for the Plymouth SuperBird existing. So in my way of looking at it, both the driver and the car are both important, like the chicken and the egg.
 
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It would appear that the driver/CC combo is the most important item in success today. The cars are all close and the top teams have similar resources
 
StandOnIt said:
It has always been about drivers in motorsports. How many know the different cars that AJ Foyt drove, or Mario Andretti or many others during their careers? Being a fan boi of Toyota's is one thing but when it clouds the way it is is another. And BTW this thread is about that lying thief Driscoll.
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It's always been about the drivers and how they interface with the machines. You promote both, then you can choose what to ignore. If Tim Richmond had been promoted the way NASCAR (and hence the media) promote "storylines" today, what do you think his legacy would be? I remember an interview with Dr. Jerry Punch who insinuated that Richmond isn't the only one dead because of his extracurricular pursuits. You fail to understand that the driver promotion of yesterday focused on their on track success. Now, we get to see the mansions they live in, and their foundations. With social media, we get and go after those stories the media thinks they will attract the new crowd. You can save the ban boi Toyota crap, every year when I go to Fontana in particular, I run into a group of guys with Chevy and Ford logos on their shirts. They talk. I listen. I am not smart enough about the stuff they talk about, but I buy the beer, and I learn. Know what? We never mention driver's names. .....and BTW, this thread is what I am talking about. Why is this even here? Pathetic.
 
StandOnIt said:
Manufacturers back then were more important than the driver.
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That's because NASCAR wasn't embarrassed of itself. Does everything it can these days to deny that they race cars. Promote the athletes. Yeah, right, drivers are athletes. Okay.
 
Formerjackman said:
Look, I'm as big of a hardware guy as you will ever find, and much like you I am a manufacturer first, team second, driver third kind of guy, meaning that if you don't drive the right brand and do it for one of the teams I support, I'm probably not going to be a fan of yours. BUT, to act like this sport's focus on the drivers is something relatively new is just preposterous. NASCAR has been as much about the personalities as the equipment from DAY ONE. You don't get the legends of Fireball Roberts and the Golden Boy, the King, the Intimidator and the Wonder Boy without that being the case. From about 1964 to 2001, the entire sport was carried on the backs of two MEN, not two cars.
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I have another post that addresses this. What has changed is what is promoted. Fireball, etc. earned their "storyline." Now, we write the storyline before the first race is won. Hello Chase Elliott.
 
Spotter22 said:
Ho w did NASCAR force feed you this story?
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Over-hyping the hell out of the drivers. If I want NASCAR, I get personal stories--mostly of the non-racing related variety. There is so much interesting stuff about this sport that is far better than the dudes driving the cars.
 
Revman said:
Over-hyping the hell out of the drivers. If I want NASCAR, I get personal stories--mostly of the non-racing related variety. There is so much interesting stuff about this sport that is far better than the dudes driving the cars.
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NASCAR didnt write this so you lost me
 
Spotter22 said:
NASCAR didnt write this so you lost me
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The media is too stupid to know how to cover this sport. NASCAR sets the stage by promoting its drivers. The media follows their lead because of their stupidity. I had a conversation with Brent Dewar about this, and he was in agreement. He acknowledged that the media reacts to how NASCAR promotes itself. Said that more on the cars was in the pipeline. If the framework is driver promotion. And the media is stupid. You will report on the drivers. Good. Bad. Ugly. ...and that's all we will get. Although I have reservations about the rules package for next year, I am hoping that it serves as a platform to talk about things other than the drivers and their wives. BTW....slightly off topic....I am horrified by the Driver's Wives reality show coming out. It will be a complete **** show.
 
Revman said:
Over-hyping the hell out of the drivers. If I want NASCAR, I get personal stories--mostly of the non-racing related variety. There is so much interesting stuff about this sport that is far better than the dudes driving the cars.
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on another front, a person can spend hours listening to stories about so in so's hamstring or whats his face is out with an ankle. Nobody is forcing anybody to watch but many do. Same here. To each his own is they way I look at it.
 
Revman said:
The media is too stupid to know how to cover this sport. NASCAR sets the stage by promoting its drivers. The media follows their lead because of their stupidity. I had a conversation with Brent Dewar about this, and he was in agreement. He acknowledged that the media reacts to how NASCAR promotes itself. Said that more on the cars was in the pipeline. If the framework is driver promotion. And the media is stupid. You will report on the drivers. Good. Bad. Ugly. ...and that's all we will get. Although I have reservations about the rules package for next year, I am hoping that it serves as a platform to talk about things other than the drivers and their wives. BTW....slightly off topic....I am horrified by the Driver's Wives reality show coming out. It will be a complete sh!t show.
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I would suggest you become a director on one of the nightly Nascar shows 5 days a week and sometimes more for an hour a day for what 11 months, and lets see what you come up with for content.
 
StandOnIt said:
on another front, a person can spend hours listening to stories about so in so's hamstring or whats his face is out with an ankle. Nobody is forcing anybody to watch but many do. Same here. To each his own is they way I look at it.
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No question, but then there's that conversation about what is wrong with NASCAR.
 
StandOnIt said:
I would suggest you become a director on one of the nightly Nascar shows 5 days a week and sometimes more for an hour a day for what 11 months, and lets see what you come up with for content.
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I would start with a conversation with my network team about over saturation. Why the hell is that stuff on 5 days a week for 11 months? Speed Channel went away for a reason sport. Give them just want they want, and not one second more. Stop playing the game of what you think they want. Half full stands says it isn't working. Tim Brewer would be my Co-director. Jeff Hammond and Larry Mac would be on staff.
 
Revman said:
I would start with a conversation with my network team about over saturation. Why the hell is that stuff on 5 days a week for 11 months? Speed Channel went away for a reason sport. Give them just want they want, and not one second more. Stop playing the game of what you think they want. Half full stands says it isn't working. Tim Brewer would be my Co-director. Jeff Hammond and Larry Mac would be on staff.
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why don't we make this thread all about you ok?
 
Formerjackman said:
I stand by my comments 100% in the CONTEXT they were offered. It doesn't matter how great the other drivers were or how much they accomplished, if 95% of the population has NO IDEA who you are, you aren't carrying the sport in manner that was speaking of. Of all of the problems NASCAR has right now, one near the top is that there is no transcendent personality to carry the sport out beyond our little cocoon of interest. Even Dale Jr. never really took the sport beyond it's borders. In the entire history of NASCAR only THREE people have done that. Richard, Dale Sr. and Jeff.
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It was a different time then than now. More deathbedding opportunities abound.
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iur
 
Revman said:
The media is too stupid to know how to cover this sport. NASCAR sets the stage by promoting its drivers. The media follows their lead because of their stupidity. I had a conversation with Brent Dewar about this, and he was in agreement. He acknowledged that the media reacts to how NASCAR promotes itself. Said that more on the cars was in the pipeline. If the framework is driver promotion. And the media is stupid. You will report on the drivers. Good. Bad. Ugly. ...and that's all we will get. Although I have reservations about the rules package for next year, I am hoping that it serves as a platform to talk about things other than the drivers and their wives. BTW....slightly off topic....I am horrified by the Driver's Wives reality show coming out. It will be a complete sh!t show.
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Thinkprogress isnt a sports site, its a political site who picked up on this story, it wasnt written about NASCAR but about a woman being "abused" by the system
 
I really doubt if she will get much if any time. She fleeced the charity givers the wrong way and didn't twist the books the right way. Others just give themselves and their other cronies large salaries and do company expenditures for all they can possibly stretch into being so.
 
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