| Is the schedule really that demanding? |
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I wasn’t going to write about this subject because many people have been covering it all season. However, I just got done reading "Pamela’s" article here at SpeedwayMedia called "Gordon steps up and says it’s too much" and I read "Get a load of the Rich guys" by Jim Worsley on CatchFence.com. After reading these, I feel I need to vent a bit. I can only imagine that the Jeff Gordon fans will hammer me, but, take off the Gordon hat, take a step back and look at the big picture before blasting me. Don’t blast me just because I picked on your guy.
First of all, Jim’s article was great. Maybe a bit too harsh, but, it hit the key points. The drivers have been complaining about the schedule and how it is too demanding on their time and how they are burned out. Jim said, "Doesn’t it just burn your butt to no end when you hear some of these drivers complaining that they need a vacation because the season’s too long? They don’t have time for themselves if they have to set aside time for the sponsor commitments, and a full race schedule too"Waaaaah! I’m speaking about Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and a few others who have jumped on that bandwagon recently. Hey guys, if you didn’t have your hands into your sponsor’s pockets, they wouldn’t have their hands around your necks. Bottom line is that you chose this profession so deal with it. A little gratitude on your part, that you aren’t a fan with a family, who has to give up a lot just to afford tickets to a race, is not out of the question. And be grateful that you don’t have to do what your forefathers had to do just to race their cars." A bit rough, but true. No one is forcing these guys to race cars for a living. There are people in this country and all over the world working multiple jobs to make ends meet. They hardly see their family and they are beyond burned out and all they see is the inside of the buildings they work in, yet they do it. Professional athletes, actors, musicians and all other forms of celebrities have been given a chance of a life time and the blessing to live out a dream. Unfortunately, life isn’t fair and living that dream has a bit of a price to pay. That price is your time. Pamela said in her article, "What does the 38-race schedule really come down to?? NASCAR just needs to step up and eliminate a few two-time visits to tracks and better take care of its drivers and crews. The way it is now most crews and drivers are working year round. Wake up NASCAR!" How about, "Wake up Pamela". These guys are working year round? How horrible. This is not a jealous statement on my part. I am a Nascar crewmember and I know what it is like. I do it because I love the sport and because it is what I want to do. Yes, the schedule has become more grueling and it will probably increase more. Yes, Nascar could eliminate some "second dates" from tracks that don’t have a big draw. But they will only fill those spots with newer venues. I, for one, like watching racing every weekend and get disappointed when there is an off week. Baseball has the most demanding schedule in my opinion. They play almost every day for 6 months, 7 if they go to the post season. These guys are flying around the country on minimal sleep and out there playing ball several days a week. They don’t complain. Yes, they get more of an off season and yes, their sponsor appearances are less cumbersome. Nascar racing has become a double edged sword. In order to get a big dollar sponsor to pay the bills and keep you competitive, they want something in return. If I was investing $10-12 million to have my name on the car, plus at least another $10-12 million in support advertising, I would want a return also. So, the sponsors arrange driver appearances, and commercials and charity events. The fans get to meet and greet their favorite drivers. This is what makes the average guy spend $300-400 in a weekend to take his family to a race. Everything that allows these guys to do what they love and make millions of dollars at it, has a recourse to it. That’s how it works. No one is forcing these guys to do this and even though, they risk their lives and take the "ultimate" chance, they do it because they want to, because they love it. They say all the time that they are so glad that they won and it isn’t about the money, it is about the thrill of victory. But again, they can not be in a position with competitive equipment unless they land and please a big dollar sponsor. If the schedule is too much, then don’t do it. Run part time or drop to a lower series with less time constraints. Randy Lajoie has turned down offers numerous times to step up to the Winston Cup ranks because he wants to spend time with his family and enjoy his life without all the pressures. He still gets to race for a living, yet he still has his free time. There are numerous guys begging for a Cup ride, who could care less about the schedule. They would race 52 weeks a year. And there are also guys would love to be in IROC, which brings up my final point. Jeff Gordon has declined to go to IROC next year. Pamela applauded him for "Stepping up" in her article. I do not feel he stepped up, I feel he stepped down. The IROC schedule is tailored to the Cup schedule. They run the same tracks on the same weekend and in conjuction with Cup events. The extra time needed to run this series is minimal on a Winston Cup driver. One of 3 things happened here, in my opinion: Jeff pulled out because he wanted to prove a point to Nascar and the fans that the schedule is too demanding and this was a strong card to play. However, Nascar does not run IROC and they probably don’t care that he isn’t in it. The fans do care and they are the ones getting stiffed. 2) Maybe Jeff is afraid of getting injured and side lining him from a run at a 5th Title. A few guys that used to run Busch and Cup stopped running both to focus on Cup and take that extra chance of injury away. Take Bobby Labonte, for example. If this was the case, Jeff should have said so. He could have told us that he felt this time was in a great position to chase that 5th trophy and that he didn’t want to take the chance of getting hurt, so he has declined. I would have respected him for that. And finally, 3) (This was sent in to me in many e-mails) Jeff Gordon, arguably the best driver of our time, has only won one IROC race. (and that race was shortened by rain, so who knows how it would have played out). Critics have trashed Jeff for many years as to why he can not win an IROC race and why he has never contended for its crown. Maybe it was Ray Evernham, maybe it is Hendrick Motorsports and the cars they put under him. You put him in an equally prepared car where it all comes down to driver ability and he can not win. 6 seasons, 24 races, 1 win. A lot of people feel he is stepping down from IROC because it has become an embarrassment to him. I will not draw an opinion on that, I’ll let you draw your own. So, is the schedule long? Yes. Do these guys have to work year round? Yes. Are they well compensated for it? Hell Yes. Do I have sympathy? NO. Who really pays the price for the long schedule, the driver or the crew? Exactly, and you don’t hear them complaining. And they don’t live anywhere near the extravagant life of the drivers. Fame comes with a price. But it also comes with a choice. |