[Kevin Miller]

Last night I received an email from a gentleman who took his son to the USAC shows in Pennsylvania. The comments speak for themselves. Let's do our part in the future to remember we are in the entertainment business and each night we make impressions on hundreds of young fans that represent our future.

Dear Kevin and Jason,
Last week my son and I followed the sprints on their swing through PA.
Grandview was shaping up to be a great show until Mother Nature intervened. We lost Williamsgrove completely to rain. Big Diamond had some great racing despite a poor surface.
We purchased pit passes at all events to mingle with the teams and shoot some pictures.
Something I did pay particular attention to was how quickly the USAC teams loaded up and left Big Diamond.
There were a number parents walking their children through the pits afterwards looking for drivers to meet and get pictures and autographs.Unfortunately,there weren't any to be found except one team. The last team to leave the property was that of Josh Spencer. He and his team stayed to meet fans and socialize.
Dave Darland was a gentleman as usual.
Friday was an off day for the teams so what was the big rush to lock up the trailers and leave Big "D" Thurs. nite?
It's the little things that will help build a solid fan base for the future of USAC.
The World of Outlaws drivers stick around for about an hour after the races for autographs and pictures with the younger fans and sell a ton of T-shirts just by this simple act. They have a solid following and a fan base for the future.
On a more positive note, on Friday we were camped out at Williamsgrove for their winged 410 and 360 show. During the afternoon we noticed the team of Josh Spencer on the property. They ,along with other USAC teams, were at the 'Grove to take in the nites activities.
The Spencers rolled their car out of the trailer to perform some maintenence and get prepped for Hagerstown the next nite.
We walked over to observe their routine and right away a crewmember looked up and greeted us. Right after that Josh looked up from what he was doing ,stood up, extended his hand and introduced himself. Same with his Dad and Josh's brother.
We chatted a bit and told them we would leave so they could continue with their work uninterrupted. All of them said we could hang around and chat. Wow!! Mr. Spencer and I talked about many things not related to racing which he said was a pleasant change from the usual "race talk".
While talking to Josh's father I had the chance to observe Josh while he worked on the car. I must say I was impressed with what I observed. Every time someone new arrived in the area of the car Josh stopped what he was doing and stood to shake hands and introduce himself. Many of the established teams would do well to emulate how this young driver treats others.
The entire Spencer team treated us as if we were longtime friends even to the point of charging my cell phone for me in their trailer!!
USAC needs more young drivers like this and incentive to remain in USAC rather than heading off to race fendered cars.
I have been around race tracks since the age of 6. I am now 52. I have been active in the sport as both a driver and an official. At last count I have been to over 52 tracks so far.
What we witnessed in the lot at Williamsgrove should occur more often,especially with a series that comes East but once a year.
Josh has a bright future in racing. Hopefully he chooses to stay with your group.
I wish USAC nothing but good things in the future.
Please try to impress on the teams how important the little things are when they travel away from their home turf.
Looking forward to another Eastern swing in '09.
Thank you for your time


Josh...Thanks for being an ambassador for our sport. Your actions truly touched a father and his son.

Kevin

[DonMoore10]

I'm wondering when Mr. Miller is going to post his plan to drastically reduce the costs of operating a open wheel race team. And why are the race teams "paying" i.e. entry fees, pit passes, to entertain the crowds? I've worked almost my entire life as an entertainer in the music business and never once did I pay anyone to entertain them.

[racefan20]

Don, what has this got to do with Kevin's post. For once we have a positive post on here and you cant wait to ***** and complain. Do us a favor and send kevin an email or PM and spare us the agony of hearing your same gripes over and over and over............

Originally Posted by Kevin Miller Last night I received an email from a gentleman who took his son to the USAC shows in Pennsylvania. The comments speak for themselves. Let's do our part in the future to remember we are in the entertainment business and each night we make impressions on hundreds of young fans that represent our future. Dear Kevin and Jason, Last week my son and I followed the sprints on their swing through PA. Grandview was shaping up to be a great show until Mother Nature intervened. We lost Williamsgrove completely to rain. Big Diamond had some great racing despite a poor surface. We purchased pit passes at all events to mingle with the teams and shoot some pictures. Something I did pay particular attention to was how quickly the USAC teams loaded up and left Big Diamond. There were a number parents walking their children through the pits afterwards looking for drivers to meet and get pictures and autographs.Unfortunately,there weren't any to be found except one team. The last team to leave the property was that of Josh Spencer. He and his team stayed to meet fans and socialize. Dave Darland was a gentleman as usual. Friday was an off day for the teams so what was the big rush to lock up the trailers and leave Big "D" Thurs. nite? It's the little things that will help build a solid fan base for the future of USAC. The World of Outlaws drivers stick around for about an hour after the races for autographs and pictures with the younger fans and sell a ton of T-shirts just by this simple act. They have a solid following and a fan base for the future. On a more positive note, on Friday we were camped out at Williamsgrove for their winged 410 and 360 show. During the afternoon we noticed the team of Josh Spencer on the property. They ,along with other USAC teams, were at the 'Grove to take in the nites activities. The Spencers rolled their car out of the trailer to perform some maintenence and get prepped for Hagerstown the next nite. We walked over to observe their routine and right away a crewmember looked up and greeted us. Right after that Josh looked up from what he was doing ,stood up, extended his hand and introduced himself. Same with his Dad and Josh's brother. We chatted a bit and told them we would leave so they could continue with their work uninterrupted. All of them said we could hang around and chat. Wow!! Mr. Spencer and I talked about many things not related to racing which he said was a pleasant change from the usual "race talk". While talking to Josh's father I had the chance to observe Josh while he worked on the car. I must say I was impressed with what I observed. Every time someone new arrived in the area of the car Josh stopped what he was doing and stood to shake hands and introduce himself. Many of the established teams would do well to emulate how this young driver treats others. The entire Spencer team treated us as if we were longtime friends even to the point of charging my cell phone for me in their trailer!! USAC needs more young drivers like this and incentive to remain in USAC rather than heading off to race fendered cars. I have been around race tracks since the age of 6. I am now 52. I have been active in the sport as both a driver and an official. At last count I have been to over 52 tracks so far. What we witnessed in the lot at Williamsgrove should occur more often,especially with a series that comes East but once a year. Josh has a bright future in racing. Hopefully he chooses to stay with your group. I wish USAC nothing but good things in the future. Please try to impress on the teams how important the little things are when they travel away from their home turf. Looking forward to another Eastern swing in '09. Thank you for your time Josh...Thanks for being an ambassador for our sport. Your actions truly touched a father and his son. Kevin

All of this is true, as I personally witnessed it. Josh Spencer is someone that other USAC drivers should emulate. Josh is an up and coming racer who struggled in PA, yet nearly sold out of t-shirts because of his diligence in sticking around and meeting the fans.

However, one thing can be done to aid the potential for close interraction with drivers and fans. When USAC is running a show with another series, USAC should be "the headliner". The last show on the card. But, putting them first and then giving race teams the option of packing up and leaving after a long day of work, or staying around until one or two other series finish racing to meet and greet the fans is clearly going to result in a missed opportunity. Especially when we travel "out of our own backyard". As Damion Gardner pointed out so astutely, in Pennsylvania, you had grown men walking around the pits looking to meet these drivers, take pictures of them and their cars, and trying to get autographs. But, the bottom line is, that we simply did not take advantage of the opportunity to have a real meet and greet after the races because each time, there were other events running after we were done, and by the time the fans that did stick around could head to the pits, most of the teams had gone. I agree with the philosophy that we need to promote our drivers to the fans, and the most crucial aspect of that is having the drivers accessible (in their suits no less) to the fans following an event. It is good PR for the series, good for the racers (in terms of t-shirt sales), and good for future of the sport. Running our show in a timely manner is important (especially when weather is an issue), but we also need to think of the fans here, and take every opportunity to create fan interraction following an event.

I know I am here because I could meet my "heroes" after the races in the pits when I was a kid. That nightly ritual when I was a youngster created indelible impressions that have never left me, and I am a devout racefan FOR LIFE because of it. We need to get back to this tradition in our sport if we are to grow. It's as simple as that.

Kudos to Josh Spencer for setting the example that all the other drivers should follow.

DM

[DonMoore10]

I read in the post that the racers are in the entertainment business. Whose making you read my posts?

Originally Posted by DonMoore10 I'm wondering when Mr. Miller is going to post his plan to drastically reduce the costs of operating a open wheel race team. And why are the race teams "paying" i.e. entry fees, pit passes, to entertain the crowds? I've worked almost my entire life as an entertainer in the music business and never once did I pay anyone to entertain them.

Your joking right? EVERYBODY pays entry fees - from WKA to NASCAR to Formula 1. I am all for reducing the cost of racing - but you cant actually think eliminating entry fess will be a viable option - ever, for any sanctioning body.....and what does this have to do w/his post????:doh:

[Charles Nungester]

I too could go off on a USAC tyraid but have to keep this one on topic.

From the first time I met the Spencers (Actually they came up and introduced themselves to me)

They always make you feel part of the extended family that racing is and SHOULD BE.

Im sure thats not the only good comments to come out of that tour.
Chuck Who's sure most teams are so used to a hour worth of races after their event have long forgotten the days of put the kids in the seat ect. Not knocking them. Many have to be 500-1000 miles way the next evening.

[DonMoore10]

Rosa Parks had to sit in the back of the bus prior to 1964, but that didn't make it right. Professional entertainers don't pay to entertain, bottomline. Professional entertainers are paid to entertain and in many cases, their travel expenses are paid also. So... no.. I'm not kidding.

[767]

this does go both ways. yes the track should plan a little more so that the sprints are last giveing the fans the oporitunity to go to the pits (ECSPECIALLY SINCE PIT PASSES ARE OUTRAGOUSE NOW), then again I know it can take a long while for the final classes to finish up. Some tracks these guys go to do not allow fans in the pits. I know anderson speedway has a 1 hour rule. after the checkard flag drops fans will not be permitted in the pits for 1 hour. so its not all the drivers and teams fault. Think about this, how many shirts would josh have sold if the other teams would have been there? By himstaying around, 1 he helped his team out "some" financially, and 2 got many more fans.

[CTtoPA]

USAC had nowhere to be the next day. In this circumstance, there was no reason why the teams could not have stayed around to help their own cause. Public relations is going to be the difference maker these days when it comes to fan base.