Well, we have just about completed the first season with Kevin Miller at the USAC helm. What would his report card look like if you were grading him?

As for me -

Effort and/or energy = A

Posting on IOW = A (pretty much ground-breaking for a USAC officer)

Being up front with the fans = A

Implementation of new rules, ideas, and things to elevate USAC's visibility = C+

Knowledge of the sport = C (but I think it constantly improves)

USAC personnel changes = D (would be higher except for the Greg Staab release)

Overall grade IMO = B-

I think given time, things will improve. I think he is doing the best he can with the tools he is given to use.

Things to fix include the USAC website. Let's jazz it up! Same old front page every time you get on there. Boring. How about a daily updated "breaking news" or "latest news" clickable crawler running across the page with stories? Highlight sponsors! More needed than just sepia toned photos of cars.

Some here may not agree with me, but MORE PAVEMENT SHOWS. I want much more of it. We lost several pavement shows in '08 (like Toledo). Make it worth their while for car owners to own a pavement car. Like maybe bigger purses
($5,000 to win for sprints, $4,000 for midgets) on pavement to offset costs of pavement racing. I'd pay extra to see it. We need more "big" pavement special shows. I'd like to see a Four Crown type event on pavement.

Let's not have a debacle like Union County again. We all need to learn a lesson from that in how to deal with owners, drivers, officials, fans, promoters and sponsors.

This is strictly from a fan's perspective. I'm sure other people involved in the sport in different capacities will have a different view.

What's your take?

You are right I agree with the what you said about more pavement shows. "Some here may not agree with me". An increase of the purse for all shows. A little advertising from the sanctioning body would help put some butts in the stands, I think the newspaper still sells adds. I don't see where they are going with this gold crown idea, sounds like a whole new series with little connection to what they are known for. As for a grade, I'll give Kevin a wait and C. You have to admit, having the live updates on the USAC website was a big improvement.

First off - I like Kevin Miller. I think that Kevin was responsible for the return of the traditional sprint cars to Calistoga. USAC promoted the show and it turned out to be the best weekend of the year for me. In addition I think that he is trying to build the organization through the .25 midgets and Ford Focus series. Both offer great opportunities for the young drivers hoping to move forward. The National series for the sprinters has been exciting, but I hope more attention is directed to the west coast and CRA. Kevin has laid some of the ground work that is needed to push USAC to the next level. I also hope that the future brings a television package that features the national sprint car or midget series. I give Kevin an A-. But look out in the next couple of years as Kevin Miller is on a mission to bring USAC forward.

Im not giving a grade, I think it's too early to tell. The main fact he was put in is to make the organization solvent and I have no idea where that stands.

The man's said with he means, has tried to do right by me and is contactable. That is the good side. The bad side is I think several blunders wouldn't have happend if a couple of people were kept on if only for consultation purposes. In his defense of the one, He took full responsibility.

I see good things and not so great things. It's gonna take time. The midgets need strong regional orginazations that USAC could put on big shows that would unite them in competion and rules. The sprint exposure needs to grow but the competition is outstanding and sponsorships and outlets thru media for those sponsorships needs to apear.

The website? Outstanding! I hope that USAC and Deano can work a few more video feed shows as well.

Not too shabby, room for improvement. My grade is I for Incomplete

No offense to anyone but a TRUE FAN'S perspective is only what they see at the race. The average fan doesn't know or appreciate the amount work that goes into making a race... A Great Event. There are far too many variables involved in making that final product to say that everything right or wrong with an event is Kevin's work. Putting a race together is not a dictatorship... One person does not make an event, it takes work from several people to make it happen. Kevin is only part of it.

I think Kevin has done a good job. While his technical knowledge for the sport may not be equal to some that participate each and every week... He is surrounding himself with people that have that knowledge. Every good leader recognizes their own weaknesses and finds ways to improve them. I believe, he has done that.

Bill....Very nicely said!!.......Brucer'

Honestly, I think it may be too early to judge here...I'd think lets see where USAC is in 2 more years, that will be a good gauge. The first year of any adminstraion is a lot of transition...let's let him get there and see what happens.

Frankly, if these guys can't even turn out 20 cars for a perfect weather, sprint car race at Winchester and 22 cars, that are no longer capable of running 100 laps, for an historic 100 lap, 33 car midget race at Terra Haute, they may not even be around in two years.
These guys need to stop wasting time, thinking up cutesy names for quarter midgets, doing mouth to mouth resuscitation on the rotting corpse of their new super silver crown cars and bringing in more 40/50G midget engines and get to work trying to salvage their sprint car series and their 1.0 midgets.

Here's five things they need to do, immediately!

* Get sprint cars off of midget tracks and back onto the 1/2 miles where they belong.

* Quit running 25 mile features with 100 mile champ cars.

* Get back on real, live TV with a pro level pavement sprint car and midget series like Thursday Night Thunder, which actually did get their drivers noticed and trained them for moving to nascar.

* Get back to the sprint/midget double header format.

* Hire more racing people and less PR hucksters.


GRADE D across the board!



.

While racing is never going to be cheap... It is already hard for sprint car teams to afford running the current series. If you run mainly 1/2 mile tracks... You just increased the travel costs of running the USAC sprint car series and not to mention the additional wear-and-tear on chassis and motor. Increase cost... Decrease car counts. that is not good for USAC Racing.

I agree with you on getting back on TV... but how do you pay for it. There is already alot of complaints about the purse for races not being high enough. I believe this issue also relates to the other issue you brought up about hiring race people vs. PR folks.

To get back on a crediable TV network you will have to pay expensive production costs. To do that... and still pay the current purse structure. You must increase the amount revenue you bring in.

Do you want to pay more at the gate... NO, of course not. That only drives away people because they can find something else to do that is far less expensive. To be honest... a small or large increase at the gate would not be enough revenue to solve the problem.

The only option you have is to get corporate involvement. The current economic situation has many companies cutting back on their advertising budgets. It has already effected the NFL & NASCAR, which is prime advertising for many large companies. Sprint car & Midget racing while loved by us... is far from being prime advertising. "WE" must increase our appeal to companies and convince them that by advertising/sponsoring sprint car & midget racing, they will get the biggest bang for their buck... and IMO that will be virtually impossible unless you promote better. It takes PR folks to do that effectively. You must have both racers and PR people to make a professional series.

I think we all know their are many more things other than promotion that needs to be done... but it is a important first step.

All of this goes back to my first comments about Kevin not being the only person that can effect the growth of USAC.... His experience in marketing was desperately needed... and should help USAC overall.

NASCAR didn't grow into the powerful series it is overnight... It took many years of hard work, promotion and patience. I believe over time... Kevin can make a positive difference.

You know, We all agree on what we want... we just have different opinions on how to accomplish it.

Sorry for the long spew.... I had a lot of hot air built-up. :wink

Bill,

Excellent post. It takes years to build a company or in this case a series. USAC has 50 years of history behind it. Some good, some not so good. Team chemistry is essential as everyone has to be on the same page.

USAC right now is still trying to work through the policies and decisions that were made a number of years ago. You CAN NOT turn something around in so short of a time period. The key word in my opinion for the fans is patience. Everyone has ideas, but it will take time to get this ship pointed in the right direction. I also feel that it is too early to give any type of grade.

I commend Kevin for making himself available to owners, drivers and especially fans. This is definitely a step in the right direction. He has posted on IOW and has stated many times that he is available and will listen to your comments.

I am sure that he and the organization have both short term and long term goals. Many of the ideas that people are wanting implemented takes one thing. MONEY. If it was so easy to do, anyone of a number of IOW posters could do it.:rolleyes: However, it always seems to come back to the one thing that nobody wants to give up. MONEY. The big part of their job will be to find more money.

I want to see USAC succeed and prosper. They have their work cut out for them, but it can be done. The racing is exciting and for all of the people who bash them I have one question. What would the racing scene be like without USAC silver crown, sprint car and midget show? It would probably only increase the number of negative posts on this board.

I rarely post comments like this but I have put my helmet on so let the bashing begin.:O: