Quote:
Originally Posted by HDbill
Announcers come in a lot of flavors. IMHO it is far more difficult than building the winning engine or car. Announcers have almost no time to prepare. They work to remember drivers names and how they like them spoken. But they no zero time to prepare for all the things that happen in nanoseconds. Traveling the USAC trail is a family killer. Most people simply could never do it period.
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This comment reminds me of an incident at Hangtown (now Placerville) Speedway back in 77. I was announcing during a "claimer" stock car race. Now, the flag stand at the track is at the bottom level of the grandstands. Back then it protruded a couple of feet out from the stands, with wooden protection. During the feature, two cars came together on the front stretch, with one getting deflected directly into the flag stand. I just stood there, mike in hand and watched as the flag man fell, face forward into a cloud of dirt, splintered wood and race car, waiving the red flag all of the way down. I was absolutely speechless. Talk about having zero time to prepare. . . I was convinced that I watched a man die. . . as the dust settled, there he was, standing on the track and still waving his red flag. His white pants and shirt were stained from the red clay from the track. A large piece of plywood was placed over the opening in the fence where the flag stand used to stand, and a hole was cut so that the flagman could continue, and that was the way the night's racing was finished. That is certainly something that I will never forget. Hell, I can't even remember what I said once I had gathered my senses. . .