Just when you think NASCAR has done  everything it can to ruin racing, it still has the chutzpah to harass its competitors.
The “mandatory” meeting held before the event at Michigan Int’l Speedway was merely to tell all its drivers to “shut up and race.” It has been obvious in recent years that the sanctioning body treats its members like it owns them. George Steinbrenner tells the players of his New York Yankees that they cannot grow facial hair. Well, he owns the team and pays the bills. The players work for him.
In NASCAR, the competitors are independent contractors, yet NASCAR treats them like humble servants.
Virtually everybody is scared to death of the NASCAR leadership. When the meeting was announced, Mark Martin said it was a privilege to race with NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said he was lucky to race for a living, thanks to NASCAR.
Apparently, the rigorous inspection of its vehicles includes castration of the drivers. I expect NASCAR’s pomposity, I just wish someone had the backbone to stand up to them.
Now, some may say NASCAR has made these drivers wealthy. Yes it’s true, but NASCAR, without climbing into a race car and risking life and limb, has gotten wealthier.
This certainly is a period when virtually everybody is unhappy. The dreaded CoT is a disaster.
The drivers can hardly drive them. The races are so poor that there are more empty seats than ever. NASCAR blames the high gasoline prices, but if the show was good, the fans would attend.
NASCAR is in the midst of its worst PR disaster. The pending lawsuit charging sexual harassment, has put them unfavorably in the media.
NASCAR should clean up its own house instead of denying free speech to its racers who don’t even work for them.
• Pennsylvania fans are stocking up their coolers for Sprint Car Speedweek. It starts with the Kevin Gobrecht Memorial at Lincoln Speedway June 28. Races follow at Bedford, Grandview, Port Royal, Williams Grove speedways, Port Royal a second time and Selinsgrove Speedway. There’s extra point money on the line.
• It was great to hear from Donald Davidson on my Indy trivia column. On that subject, Donald’s the King. I’m just a knave.
• It took so long for the anthem to be sung at Nashville, I thought Kyle Busch would miss his plane!
• I’m sorry to report the loss of old friend Bob Eckert. Bob was from the Reading, Pa., area. His son, Kevin, is the most ardent supporter of open-wheel racing in the USA. R.I.P., Bob.
• Hard to believe it was 30 years ago when we lost Dick Tobias in a USAC sprint-car crash at the Flemington (N.J.) Fairgrounds.
• An e-mail from “Vito” says NASCAR hasn’t got much of a diversity program if Joey Logano is the only Italian-American in its major divisions.
• Watching more baseball and golf on Sundays at 25 Emerson Place, Valley Stream, N.Y. 11580. E-mail at Racewri771@AOL.com.