Editorial: Climate of Negativity and a Call to Action

I promise to smile for a while after this :-)

Wow, racing season in Nebraska is here already. This weekend it’s the USMTS at JMS and I’m heading out to get my first taste of dirt since September. I’m excited to get out, smell burning fuel and take some pictures. It’s been a warm winter. Whether it’s a factor of global warming is subject to debate, but I see one place where things are heating up – the climate of negativity.

Over the past few years there’s been a disturbing trend. No matter how many silver-lined events are scheduled, there is always the group of people who want to go on about the cloud. Yeah, I know it’s a cliché, but I’m seeing race fanatics tire of the negativity and look for other things to do and that, as a race fan should worry you. It’s happened before – look at sprint car racing in Nebraska in the late 70’s.

My problem is that many of those who constantly find fault while claiming to act in Robin Hood’s spirit do more to hurt the sport than help it.

Two recent races were added to Eagle Raceway’s schedule. The first is a tribute to the late Jim Eckley, a long-time race team owner and supporter of Eagle’s 360 sprint car show. Eagle renamed its Backrow Challenge in honor of Eckley along with support donated by the family. While many new shows are given little time to grow, support thrown behind this event started in 2005 is a move in the right direction.

Unfortunately, the boo birds left the nest and crapped on the race below. Someone found fault with the invite-only format that rewarded cars participating in the weekly show. Another found fault with the rules. Another criticized the spirit of the event saying it’s not the way Jim would have wanted it. Did Jim tell you that? Jim’s son, Jay had to step in to defend the program, months before the race is even scheduled! Why should he have to defend himself for putting on a show?

This week, the ASCS announced a Midwest Region tour stop at Eagle. ASCS fanatics have been vocal in their call for this show, and no sooner did it happen but yet another genius for our sake complains about how Eagle didn’t have ASCS races before. The genie granted him a wish and the first thing they did was spend time groaning about the pain of previous injustices and hurl insults at the alleged perpetrator.

My question to those who continue to ignore the doughnut and complain about the hole is this: what do you want? Should we bring the nuclear-powered DeLorean out of the garage and transport you back in time? What’s done is done. Do you revel in agony? Do you WANT to see things fail so you can complain later, grandstand for everyone saying "I told you so," claim the title of genius and nobody can prove you wrong? It's like hanging garlic in the house and saying because of what you did there's no vampires...I guess I can't argue with that, but I can't say it's true, either.

This constant ingratitude kills promoter’s wills. It kills fan's desire and particpipants ask why they even bother. It’s not just the Internet either. The “don’t turn on the computer” approach doesn’t work when many of those same people are complaining at the pit meeting, moaning at the pay window and derailing off-season meetings. This makes us look bad to fans. What do these people say when their non-race fan neighbor asks them about their hobby? That they race in spite of X, Y, or Z screwing them over? How does that look?

These people spout doom and gloom and the only solutions they provide always seem to involve giving them something (go figure). They’re adamant with their positions on how they’re being screwed yet call others inflexible and unwilling to listen. Look close – see how these people behave and look at their motives.

I asked in a recent post how many people would make noise in the ASCoT’s purse reduction and not a peep was heard – especially from the people groaning over Eagle’s similar action. Where’s the crusading on “behalf of the sport?” Shouldn't the horrible thing done to the racers by the series that will vault sprint car racing into the 21st century have met with more resistance? It’s time we question the motives; are these people crusaders for us poor idiots acting on behalf of the sport or on behalf of themselves, be it personal gain or personal vendettas?

The irony of this not being a “positive” piece is not lost, but unlike others I’m going to offer a solution. It requires work on our part, and isn’t just dependent on the nay-sayers’ behavior....

We have to change the climate of negativity. We need to be more vocal and active in our support. It’s not enough to ignore those who cause trouble for self-serving needs or shake our heads when they rant again. We need to be more aggressive in our support of the actions we appreciate and to openly address, confront and question those who argue against them. Put them on the defensive this time. Not once in history has sitting idle “supported” anything. It didn’t work for hurricane relief, and sitting on the sidelines while others act in ways that hurt the sport is just as bad. As the saying goes: if you don’t condemn it, you condone it.

There’s always a place for debate, but take the time to consider all the angles before getting up on your soapbox. Does this help racing? Generally if it does – the benefits find their way to you in the end.

History buffs and those who thrive on nostalgia like to use the term “Golden Age” for those periods fond to them. For Eagle’s sprint car fans, the Golden Age could have been in the 60’s and 70’s when the “original” Outlaws like Dick Sutcliffe, Ray Lee Goodwin, Jr. and Joe Saldana hit the track. Some see the revival of the sprint car class, first at Midwest Speedway and later at Eagle as a Golden Age. For others the recent years of 40-car nights, a dozen winners, and the high-energy “entertainment” theme could be a candidate for a Golden Age, but it’s too early to tell just as it’s too early to condemn the current management to the dark closet of history. It will take years to make that judgment.

However, if this climate of negativity continues to intensify we’ll have no racing – a dark age – and it will only take a matter of seconds to figure that out.