[sceckert]

I was not in attendance when Kevin Miller outlined his plans/market strategy/mission statement/business model at Kelly's Pub, or anywhere else, for that matter. Thus, I can't speak to what manner of questioning or grilling or inquisition he received.
And you know what? It doesn't matter what he said...
The product is all that matters, and "the product" in this case is much more than just the on-track racing, though many of us would prefer to think otherwise.
Frankly, if Mr.Miller is a management and marketing guru capable of righting the USAC ship then he should run for political office and solve some of society's ills. Because many of USAC's problems are smaller versions of similar societal woes.
Unfortunately, most of them are the result of DECADES of mismanagement and mishandling. The very name USAC now has a poisonous connotation to some, despite that many of us know that the sheer talent strapped into the seat at most of their current shows is at a level that is hard to match at any time in the company's history.
I don't think I need to attempt to list all the ways in which USAC over the years has sold short at various times The Fans, The Drivers, The Teams, The Promoters and The Bottom Line.
Whatever steps are tried now to resurrect this once-great entity are going to be attempted in a climate of what would seem clearly to be complete distrust and disharmony among what could be considered its core constituency.
I am no marketing genius, despite any loud declarations I might make to the contrary after a few beers following a disappointing program (beers shared with more than a few members of this website). But I DO know that once distrust sets in, once every motive is questioned and dissected, a sanctioning body is hard-pressed to re-acquire that trust. Currently, the was-he-forced-or-did-he-resign? nature of the Greg Staab issue has center stage, and it is likely that whatever the true nature of that occurrence turns out to be, it will seen as a further line in the sand by several who will at least claim to wash their hands of USAC once and for all.
There have been volumes of these moments through the years, as fans and competitors said "No More!" to what these days is called "The USAC Brand". The legendary degree of ill-will fostered over the last several decades by USAC cannot be undone in a single season, no matter how accomplished Kevin Miller turns out to be or not to be.
If a compound fracture happens to a leg, and that leg is nevertheless walked on for days and weeks before attempting to set it with duct tape, a couple of wood shims and some stray rags for bandages, it is reasonable to assume that that person is going to then walk with a limp.
Forever.
No matter if the person that leg belongs to later wins the lottery, gets expert medical attention, eats free-range or vegetarian, does Pilates, and says their prayers before bedtime.
To later expect that, despite the subsequent back pain, arthritis and muscle atrophy, the owner of that leg is going to compete with some Kenyans in a marathon is, shall we say....fanciful thinking.
What ails USAC cannot be corrected through savvy marketing. It must be from the ground up, an institutional and total makeover. The only thing that USAC currently has going for it in abundance is talent on the track. Anybody who doesn't believe that the current crop of drivers is the absolute strongpoint for the company is not thinking clearly. THAT is where the marketing must develop first.
At the track, of course, is where the real verdict will ultimately be rendered. The cost of fuel doesn't help; the cost of tickets doesn't help; the cost of pit passes doesn't help; the abundance of provisionals doesn't help; premature cancellations doesn't help; our national economy doesn't help; Indiana's switch to daylight savings time doesn't help; and the only help that the name "USAC" provides is the implicit understanding that the drivers assembled for that night of racing is top notch.
So long as a different USAC division isn't running that same night, 200 miles away...

[Pat O'Connor Fan]

This is one of the most intelligent, insightful posts IOW has ever seen.

[addicted]

Excellent point. The problem that exist with USAC right now is you have business people trying to run something like a business that needs to get back to the grass roots of the heritage that they started with. Trying to raise fee's and and other cost is not going to ever work unless you can show your business partners( owners and drivers) that this will have a positive impact for them. Mr. Miller is used to big time auto corporations that just make decisions based on financials and as most can see what road that has taken all the auto dealers in the US down. Letting people that are grass roots in USAC like Mr Staab go is the worst thing you could ever do, but business men in big positions requires a big head, but a big head does not mean a big brain!!! I can predict in 25 years of following USAC that they will fall on rough times and the situation they are in now will seem a simple fix compared to what is coming down the pike with the stir they have caused. Yes the USAC ship needed uprighted but they better make sure they have a some new mates to man the ship that really have a heart and desire to put 100% into this and not do it for the money, or we might just have another PRA (Premier Auto Racing) and we all know how well that is running, my bad they folded!!!!

Wonder if any of the new management have buyout clauses in there contract so that if they fail they still get paid like the rest of corporate america

[addicted]

eckert for USAC President

[Kalvin]

Has anyone done any research on the accomplishments of Mr. Miller while he was with the "big time" automaker?

Let me give you an example of Mr. Millers accomplishments with one name, Shaun Carlson. Shaun, like most of us import drag racers was just a normal guy making a living building import drag cars and racing in the streets at night. Mr. Miller noticed Shaun running the NuFormz Ford Focus in various NHRA events and relized what he had, a recognizable name, talent, and a person who was marketable. Mr. Miller pushed Shaun all the way into the drifting scene and eventually the NHRA Pro Stock division with Bob Glidden tuning the car and making the calls. Mr. Miller can and will push the USAC youth just as he did with Shaun, and trust me these kids are in the same position Shaun was in. Just look at the talent, marketability, and name recognition there is within USAC; East, Santos, Bacon, Sweet, Loyet, Boat, and then the foundation guys; Darland, Coons, Hines.

Patience I preach to you. Mr. Miller has an eye for talent, marketing and sales. Research a bit, check out Shaun, Mopar Drifting talent Samuel Hubinette, Mopar's import drag program. The youth is driving racing right now, and I know the old tymers have set the foundation but its time to wake up, it's 2008!

[sceckert]

Kalvin, I am not doubting Mr.Miller's ability to take a talented youngster from the lesser ranks and fast-track him up the ladder to the NHRA. But open wheel fans don't actually want to see their drivers compete in USAC as a stepping stone to an ARCA car or a truck ride. There was a time when USAC was a destination and not a rest stop.
I expect that the marketing acumen that Mr.Miller possesses will serve him well, and possibly serve USAC well, also. But what I tried to express is that, in USAC, he is not entering a company or division with a blank canvas of endless possibilities; rather, he has acquired control and decision-making responsibilities on a canvas that many would contend has been smeared with excrement and left to mold in a cellar. Underneath the patina there was once an artwork, but it's going to take some kind of amazing restoration to make the memory of the scent go away from people's recollection.
Many simply don't want to look at it again because they recall that smell.

[racefan20]

But open wheel fans don't actually want to see their drivers compete in USAC as a stepping stone to an ARCA car or a truck ride

Eck in this case what our fans want doesnt mean crap. If these young drivers and their parents are convinced that this is a step to NASCAR and thats where they want to go then we will have to live with it. It could be argued that without the thunder series and Gordon USAC would be far less relevant to the average fan than it is today. It is what it is and we cant do a thing about it. Would you like then to sign a contract to stay in USAC for, say, five years? I agree with alot of what you said but preventing the young stars from moving to fenders wont happen until you pay as good as the fenders do and that just aint happening.

[sceckert]

John,
I know full well that nothing is going to stop the USAC sprint and midget ranks from being a path to the bigger stages in the eyes of the youngsters and their parents. I would not wish or attempt "preventing young stars from moving to fenders". But that has created a disconnect between the competitors and the majority of the existing fan base. Who actually rejoices in Ricky Stenhouse's accomplishments this season? He was here long enough to catch on with the North Carolina Mafia, and now he's trading paint on the pavement.
Efforts to bridge the gap between the fans and the drivers are very welcome, as meeting and interacting with the competitors is a tangible way for people to get emotionally attached to the success in other divisions of a young man they had the oppurtunity to talk to, and share a laugh with.
But it is difficult to ask people to continue supporting drivers who they suspect are just around long enough to catch some Cup owner's eye and then jet, especially when many drivers are only a barely-seen helmet inside a sponsor-covered (maybe...) car.
It then gets to the point where what you attach yourself to over the long term is the sanctioning body that provides the racing, and USAC just doesn't have that surplus of devotion in reserve anymore, however much they once might have.
It is hard to blame those fans who have turned their back on the sanctioning bodies, and invest their loyalty in a local track or promoter only. Especially with the costs of going to races increasing by the week.

CA compact drags compared to open wheel oval track racing?????? Sir, you are comparing apples and oranges.

[Tim Clauson]

Originally Posted by deannalynn CA compact drags compared to open wheel oval track racing?????? Sir, you are comparing apples and oranges.

Only from the stand point that Compact Drags and Drifting are becoming a more viable form of motorsport for todays youth. And Sprint Car and Midget racing are becoming less and less relevant in the motorsports market place. The drifting craze has not hit the midwest ... but on the coasts it is a big part of the motorsports culture and in fact probably has a grass roots base to rival any racing venue. 5 years from now where is the fanbase going to come from (or going to)?

As far as drivers moving on, the way to keep them in USAC is simple ... Pay them. When the top drivers in USAC who run 100 + races a year win or contend for championships have to have a part time or winter job to make ends meet there is something wrong and anybody in their right mind would move on to a career that they can actually live off of. To discredit their love or passion for Sprint and Midget racing simply because they want to have a career in motorsports where they can actually sustain a future for themselves is laughable.

I told Greg a few years ago when we were debating the relevance of message boards that I felt that as long as people were talking complaining ******** or praising that they still had a passion for USAC the problem in my eyes would be when people just stopped caring.. I wonder how close the Fans, Drivers, Owners are from just not caring anymore??

Just some thoughts i had bouncing around my head ...


Tim Clauson