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I think a few important things are just plain missing here, in citing how progressive it is to see Kevin Miller on Wind Tunnel:
Progress is not measured by whether or not the top USAC salesman gets some Q&A time on Despain's show, while sitting in a Detroit studio. Progress is when Brad Sweet, Cole Whitt, and Chad Boat--those talents being spoken about on the air during the Q&A--are sitting together facing a litany of questions from Despain and R.Miller.
No race fan (whether casual to open wheel, but watching "Wind Tunnel" because they respect Dave, or rabid about open wheel and watching specifically because this episode promised a minimum of "Is Kyle a punk?" and "Can Little E get off the schneid?" call-ins) will be swayed one way or the other if a PR person says "The future looks great!" But give them a chance to hear the guy who swept two nights of Knoxville midget action talk about what it meant to him and his team, while the telecast shows action-packed highlights of that very race, and they might become a fan.
Or have Cole Whitt and Chad Boat describe trading the "Youngest Ever To Win a USAC National Event" honor in the span of a few nights while in a garage together, and maybe that story would really resonate with a bunch of 10 year-olds in Illinois, and push them toward asking their dads to take them to some Sprintweek shows.
I can foresee NO tangible benefit from a genuinely un-exciting Mr.Miller stating that Midget Racing has never been stronger on a channel devoted to fendered folks. I could certainly envision a possible bump coming if the actual drivers--merely the absolute bread and butter of the club itself--got a chance to throw a little flavor into such a forum. I wouldn't be surprised if their relative lack of requisite sponsor-mentioning felt like a breath of fresh air to many.
I just don't think that predictable answers from non-participants are going to move the meter. ANY race fans want to hear REAL racers talk about real races in real terms. Heroes aren't pre-sold and pre-packaged: They are created when they do heroic things. Even this Joey Logano-kid would be scoffed at for all this hype but for the fact that two weeks after he turned 18 he blitzed Kyle Busch like he was anchored to the asphalt. He is on his way because he is as real as rain.
Despain does no favors to USAC or open wheel by trading jabs with Robin Miller for an hour. He does favors when he starts introducing viewers to the almost bottomless well of driving talent currently overflowing the USAC waters.
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