Yes, I would have to agree that it was a fine job, but who wants to be just fine. If someone tells me what I did was fine, I am pretty mad that I didn't do a better job. I went to Lawrenceburg and Kokomo and at both, the announcer was fluff, he stated the obvious, over an over and over again. He actually told the fans at Lawrenceburg that it's never good when parts come flying off of a car. Really? That's the best he had? I bet a first timer to a sprint show could deduce that himself! I believe he was fine for the novice in the stands but 99 percent of the fans going to the sprint races are more knowledgeable than that. The local announcer at Lawrenceburg kept breaking in to fill the fans in on what was going on and give them the inside look they weren't getting from the USAC announcer.

My other issue with him was that he kept calling Robert Ballou, Bobby B. I understand he was trying to jazz it up a bit but he just sounded like he didn't even know the racers he was announcing. It was like going to a funeral when the people speaking about the deceased never even knew him, it's painful! I asked Robert at Komomo if anyone ever calls him Bobby and he said no, other than this announcer guy who he didn't even know. I felt that it made him sound as if he knew nothing because if you can't get a drivers name right that you are announcing then what good are you to the fans. If Robert wanted to be called Bobby, he would put that on his entry and the the side of his race car.

I do enjoy Rob Klepper because he is intelligent, knows his racers and knows how to inform a crowd. I understand he cannot be at every race, but USAC needs to pay a traveling announcer to follow the series as Johnny Gibson does with the World of Outlaws. They need someone who knows the racers, knows what is going on with the teams and the organization, week in and week out, and in my opinion the person for that position is Rob Klepper.

Susannah Stapp