the jade gurss blog

Paul Newman

Sad news this morning about the passing of Paul Newman. Though he will be forever known worldwide for his acting (and other-worldly swimming-pool-blue eyes), he was a man of political activism and great philanthropy through his food products and the creation of his series of Hole in the Wall Gang camps for children - which were the model and predecessors to the Petty's Victory Junction Gang camp. The very private Newman had been gravely ill with cancer, prompting numerous rumors of his passing for the past several months.

Many have said if Newman had become a race driver at a young age he would have been a champion. He first found himself behind the wheel of a racecar while preparing for the 1969 movie "Winning," which co-starred his wife Joanne Woodward. He became hooked on driving, and would eventually become a winner in a variety of sports car categories (often entered as "PL Newman") and continued into his 70s - including becoming the oldest winning co-driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona at age 70. (He drove in the 24 Hours for the first time at age 54!)

Newman was co-owner of the Newman-Haas Indy car team, which won countless races and a series of titles with drivers such as Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and most recently Sebastien Bourdais. He was known to refuse to sign autographs or to talk about acting or his movies, but would happily spend time 'bench racing' at the racetrack. In the heat of the CART/IRL split, he believed the George family were inflating attendance figures at Indy, and famously paid Indiana University students to literally count every seat at the massive Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

My favorite Newman story took place in the celebrity-packed hospitality area of the Long Beach Grand Prix in the late 1990s. The event - then in its prime - drew huge crowds, and it seemed all of humanity were massed between the hospitality area and the starting grid. Before walking through the teeming crowds, Newman quietly slipped into a neon vest stamped "WORKER," just like the ones worn by the track volunteers. I followed him on a leisurely stroll to the starting grid and not one spectator did a double take or gave a second glance to the movie star, allowing him to glide onto the grid without hassle. (I would have loved to have done the same with Dale Jr. at some tracks, but it's near impossible to cover an entire red BUD uniform with a neon vest...)

The Coolest of the Cool: After a call this afternoon with former boss Bill Kentling from my days at Heartland Park Topeka, he reminded me of another Newman-related anecdote. When the track was new, the Newman-Haas team booked test time at our facility to do straight-line speed tests (using what was then the longest drag strip run-off in the country). It was a big deal for the small capital city of Topeka, and it was a big deal for the track itself. We were looking for as much national coverage and credibility as possible, and having a CART team of such fame was instant attention and affirmation. What it also meant for the city was a high-alert of people on the look-out for Newman (though I doubt Paul ever attended a far-off test session with the team). For months after, the phones at the track would ring - with citizens, hotel or restaurant managers insisting Newman (and/or Tom Cruise, post-Days of Thunder) had been spotted in town... and why was the track trying to keep it a secret?! Despite the interest and hoopla, I don't believe Newman ever set foot at our track, but merely the chance of a star of such coooool, of such world status MIGHT be in town did wonders for our image with sponsors and townspeople.

More Paul Newman stories from Robin Miller.

Who Says McLaren Have No Sense of Humor?

Or, as the blokes from across the pond spell it, humour.

The Singapore race under the lights should be fun to watch - even if the chance to pass will be very limited at best. Spectacular scenes of the F1 cars at night - with an amazing lighting system and cars funneling under the grandstands.

Getting to Know Ricky Carmichael

I blogged awhile back about Ricky Carmichael joining Kevin Harvick Inc. to run the ARCA race next Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. I'll be working with him for the race weekend, and possibly more in the future as plans come together to secure sponsorship to put him in a KHI truck for the 2009 season.

This Sunday night, Ricky will appear on WIND TUNNEL on SPEED TV at 9:00 ET.  (If you insist on watching NFL football or the fall season TV premieres, you can also set the Tivo to catch the re-air Monday morning at 9 AM ET...) It seems the perfect venue for Carmichael, as Dave Despain has an extensive motorcycle background and the show staffers all seem to be fans of RC. So, here's your shot to learn more about a humble young family man who has already recorded the most successful motocross career in American cycling history. While he's very well known and beloved in the cycle world, we want to introduce him to the auto racing world as best as we can.

Seem he is not so crazy about his nickname, "GOAT" (Greatest of All-Time), so maybe we can do a poll or contest to take submissions for a new nickname for his stock car career.

If you miss Wind Tunnel, tune in a week from Friday as he makes his ARCA debut - live on Speed at 5 pm ET.

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"you never see the lies that you believe..." -- Elvis Costello "New Lace Sleeves"

(another great line from that song: "good manners and bad breath get you nowhere")

You Can't Handle The Truth:  With so much political bullshit being slung in increasingly dishonest manners (at least before McCain decided to call a mysterious "time out" for his campaign, throwing everything into even more chaos and disarray), I've really been wrapped-up in the past few few weeks with understanding the effectiveness of negative or outright dishonest political attacks and ads. Is it possible to win a campaign based on honesty, credibility and ideas?  The new science says... NO.

It's of interest to me as a political junkie, but especially relevant in terms of the tactics of public relations, marketing and advertising. It seems totally counter to the philosphies which I believe made the long-term media campaign we built with Dale Jr. successful for so long.  While we were trying to convince fans to select Junior as "their man" versus the other 42 drivers, it was never about fighting polar-opposite philosophies and widely divergent and hostile worldviews - it was simply about portraying his image as real and as honest as possible.

New studies have shed new light on why and how outright lies are so damn effective. The Freakonomics blog first pointed me toward these theories, with links to a Washington Post article which further outlines the Power of Political Misinformation.

Here's chilling segment of that story:

...a series of new experiments show that misinformation can exercise a ghostly influence on people's minds after it has been debunked -- even among people who recognize it as misinformation. In some cases, correcting misinformation serves to increase the power of bad information.   (my emphasis added)

The conclusion? Correcting and debunking lies and misinformation (aka "Obama is a Muslim") actually strengthens the misperceptions among people inclined to believe the lies. 

If you're as fascinated with this seemingly incongruous psychology, you can also read an in-depth study conducted at Duke University, called "When Corrections Fail - the Persistence of Political Misperceptions."

Another interesting study: how scared are you?

 

Register and VOTE!

Damn Fine Racing

Three-Wide: The final 50 miles of the Dover race were about as good as it gets for Sprint Cup racing. Three guys - all Roush-Fenway teammates - battling like mad while Mark Martin tried in vain make it a four-car battle. On-the-edge (but clean) three-wide racing is tough to beat, and I felt compelled to comment on it since I've been harsh on many of the other races being sleep-inducing marathons. Only seems fair, right?!

Speaking of Mark Martin, I would like to see the #8 bunch get a victory - with Martin or Aric Almirola. From crew chief Tony Gibson, to long-time crewmembers like Kevin "Two Beer" Pennell, Jay Guarneri and Jeff Clark, they all survived the Junior hoopla and hysteria for years and are deserving of a return to Victory Lane.

The Kyle Busch Scenario:  NASCAR talk radio was abuzz today with conjecture about whether Kyle Busch really is out of the running for the title this season. My take? Without taking anything away from his brilliant season and recognizing Kid Kyle could blast off four or five victories in the remaining events, the fact he's 12th in the standings with eight races to go means it's near-impossible to make his way back to the top spot. While 210 points can be made up in eight races if it were only versus a single driver, the more serious issue and higher hurdle for Busch is he is now behind all other Chase drivers. While he may go on a hot streak and gain points in bunches, the likelihood of 11 superb teams and drivers stumbling out of his way seems remote. For example, Biffle's blast to two wins has been impressive, yet he still remains third in points because Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson have remained steady and strong. The NASCAR point system still rewards consistency versus victories, which makes Kyle's climb an Everest of a traverse going toward Homestead.

SPEEDtv.com: This week's Faster. Louder. column (hitting an internet browser near you) regards one poor man's view of the impact of a failing economy on NASCAR's top divisions. If you have ideas on how to save the Nationwide Series, this will be your chance to sound off... Have at it.

MEA CULPA:  I titled a segment of the previous blog entry "Can Americans Really Be This Stupid?" After reading Seth Godin's blog entry for the day, "Probably Not Stupid,"  I'll withdraw the 'stupid' claim and opt for "Can American's World View Be So Limited?"  It likely won't change any minds, but I'm doing my best to avoid ugly politics and present ideas in a rational, reasonable manner.

 

REGISTER TO VOTE.

Have they been listening for the past decade?

Where Have They Been for Ten Years?!: Are things really that dull at the start of the Chase that a non-story is the lead story? I try to be kind to the motorsports media members with whom I have worked for more than a decade. But, I despise the lack of original thinking, lack of creativity and the follow-the-leader laziness which pervades the sport. This week's all-pervasive non-story? "Dale Jr. and Tony Jr. Argue on the Radio."  Have these people not been listening for the past decade?! Have they failed to read nine seasons of Budweiser Race Reports - almost all of which included highlights (and low lights) of their radio chatter?! If I see/hear/read one more story about this non-topic, I think my head will explode. Luckily, we have a race today at Dover, and we'll see another non-story-du-jour to replace Radiogate...

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Can Americans Really Be This Stupid? Apparently, yes. Here are a few reasons this presidential election scares the hell out me. (Or, in the words of a lifelong friend of Sarah Palin, "I'm proud of Sarah, but she scares the bejesus out of me...") The two reasons for the most concern? Racism and those which are called "Low Information Voters," who believe false emails and out-right lies of TV commercials without paying attention to any real facts. I can't imagine the horrors of four more years of the same-ol' policies which have undermined our constitution, ruined our economic system and reversed 200+ years of ideals and principles which guided this country to such great success, not to mention becoming despised around the globe.

I can only urge you to vote based upon issues and ideas. Choose the candidate you believe offers the greatest chance to correct the horrific failures of the past eight years - instead of upon the color of one's skin...

Dilbert's Creator Creates Serious Study of the Details of the Candidate's Tax Policies: Why must we rely upon a cartoonist to pay for an intelligent study for which we should be relying upon the media?

Racism Could Cost Obama the Election: How sad of a commentary about our country - especially forty years after the acclaimed civil rights movement.

Obama is NOT a Muslim: but large portions of Americans still believe he is.

Judge Palin on Policy, Not on Religion: The hoopla around her seems to fade as her horrific governing style, outright lies and policies are exposed.

I can rail and rail all I want, but my gut tells me I'm in trouble in a nation where 55% of those polled believe guardian angels protect them. Seriously? If someone can explain this to me, have at it. 

VOTE NOV. 4!

ARCA. KHI. GOAT. NHRA. USA.

Though I'm told he's not really crazy about being called "The GOAT" ("Greatest Of All Time"), Ricky Carmichael is taking another step forward in establishing himself as a racer on four wheels after a spectacular career on two. Carmichael is scheduled to make his ARCA debut in the October race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in a Kevin Harvick Inc. entry.

Carmichael, 28, of Tallahassee, FL, is currently eighth in the NASCAR Camping World East Series point standings in his rookie season after running a limited number of late model races in 2007. After 11 races this year, Carmichael has three top-five and six top-10 finishes in addition to one pole position driving for Ken Schrader Racing.

Carmichael is world-renowned as the most successful motocross racer in American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) history. Carmichael has five Supercross championships, 10 national outdoor championships and a total of 150 professional race victories, including multiple titles in the worldwide Motocross-of-Nations event. Carmichael also recently won X Games gold medals in Moto X racing and step-up competition. Among his many accomplishments include being the first rider to record an undefeated season (24 consecutive motos without a loss!) in the AMA National Outdoor Championships, a feat he accomplished in the 250cc category in 2002 and again in 2004. 

Carmichael is not the first prominent two-wheeled champ to make the switch to auto racing, as he is preceded by names such as Joe Leonard, who won AMA titles before moving into Indy car racing where he won two USAC National Championships. Before Leonard, the standard bearer was John Surtees, the British gent who won seven world motorcycle titles in the 1950s before switching to Formula One, where he won the world title in 1964. More recently, Jeff Ward made the leap from high-flying motocross titles into Indy cars, finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 in 1999.

In a Straight Line: I was very impressed with the new dragstrip at Lowe's Motor Speedway, as the inaugural NHRA Carolina Nationals came to Charlotte last weekend. You can read my take on the track and the NHRA in my SPEEDtv.com column this week.

The Bidens: Speaking of impressive, I was lucky enough to meet Joe and Jill Biden Sunday evening in Charlotte. I attended the event with racer/environmental dynamo Leilani Munter, and thanks to her connections, we were in the front row with Mrs. Biden for the campaign event. Jill Biden's comments - especially when talking about their son being deployed to Iraq- were as impactful as her husband's speech. (Courtesy of the Biden campaign, here's a shot of Biden and Munter during the event...)

You can also see Leilani in the new series of ads for Lucky Brand jeans.

VOTE Nov. 4!

ESPN "Journalism"

By now, many have seen the story on ESPN.com with the screaming headline about Ron Hornaday and his use of steroid cream several years ago. While it is true Hornaday did use the cream, it was for a medical condition, and I'm saddened that ESPN would sensationalize it to such an extent - linking him to any/all athletes who cheat their sport with performance-enhancing drugs. In the past few years, the ESPN website (and their NASCAR-related news programs) have exhibited a motorsports version of tabloid-style reporting which shouts sensational accusations and headlines without always being as accurate as they should be. Yes, it goes with the territory of NASCAR's massive growth in the past decade, but it's still sad. It's strange that a network with a reputation for fine reporting elsewhere (for example, their "Outside the Lines" and "E:60" programs) has an ugly underbelly which is covered-up by their freeze-dried, Disneyfied on-air sheen.

Let's be clear: I have been and remain very much a backer of stricter drug testing policies for NASCAR. Kevin and DeLana Harvick are also very vocal supporters of drug testing - and have implemented it for all of their employees. Yes, Hornaday did use steroids in the form of a cream. In retrospect, not the wisest treatment, but it was a prescribed and legal medication to treat a misdiagnosed medical condition. The drugs were not used in a way which would enhance Hornaday's performance or endanger himself or the competitors around him. Only after losing a large amount of weight (and at the insistence of Kevin and DeLana) did Hornaday get the correct diagnosis for what turned out to be a very serious thyroid condition. Should he have told someone? Probably. DId he break any laws? No. Should this have been a page one, screaming headline story on ESPN.com? NO.

The author of the story, Shaun Assael (whose reporting skills come into question as his story referred to DeLana Harvick as "Deanna" - although that has now been corrected on the website), first came to my attention in the mid-1990s. He was looking for someone to help publicize a book called "Wide Open - Days and Nights on the NASCAR Tour." I declined after reading a small portion of the sleazy and poorly written manuscript. Since then, he has focused on steroids in sports like the WWE and Major League Baseball.

Assael obtained an interview with the Horndays under purely false pretenses, spending an hour on the phone with a media rep from KHI, going over Ron's career and statistics for what he described as a story for ESPN the Magazine "which will cover Ron's career" as he goes for a record-breaking fourth Truck title this year. Only upon arrival at Hornaday's home did he drop the pretense and present the drug evidence. Legal? I suppose so. Ethical? NO.

Random laps: Did Jerry Punch really say "let's get this party started!" at the beginning of the Richmond coverage Sunday? I am very fond of Dr. Punch, but my gut tells me someone else wrote that line for him.

How amazing were the last five laps at Spa? Incredible action, but not as bizarre as the race stewards taking the victory away from Lewis Hamilton! (My take? Hamilton allowed Raikkonen to re-take the lead before making a brilliant passing maneuver into turn one. So, I think the ruling is B.S.) Watching the drivers tip-toe around in the rain, some more successfully than others - while seeing Nick Heidfeld, who opted for rain tires with two laps to go - rocket around a line of cars on the last lap like he was the NASCAR lucky dog driver catching up to the rest of the field under caution.

Thanks to some of the fine folks at Joe Gibbs Racing (especially Misters Alpern, Noble, Helein and Meredith), who spent some of their very busy "pre-Chase" time Tuesday with the students of the motorsports class I am working with this semester at UNC-Charlotte. They offered real insights into their business and gave us a tour of the impressive facilities. It's clear why they are on top of the sport. It also crystallized something Tony Eury Jr. had talked about last season. Before Dale Jr. chose to leave DEI, Tony Jr. and Kelley Elledge took some - ahem- secret tours of the shops of several teams to get a sense of what type of technical capabilities each possessed (including Gibbs, which was then a Chevrolet team). Upon seeing how advanced teams like Gibbs and Hendrick were in comparison to the tools he had at DEI, Tony Jr. said, with a mix of amazement and pride, "how in the world did we win 17 races against those guys?! We won 17 races against THAT!"

Racin' and Rainin'

Biggest Losers?: Who are the biggest losers in the rain-delayed Richmond festivities?

Primarily, I feel for the fans unable to stay an extra day to watch the best racing on the circuit - not to mention being robbed of watching two great races under the lights. Joey Logano can't be pleased after being in the top-10 in today's sole practice session but won't be in the show, although delaying his Cup career by one race will hardly slow his careening ascent to stardom. He's young, and he'll get over it. Worse, it means a lost day-off (two days for Nationwide) for all of the race crews who work inhumane hours the entire year. Believe me, a Sunday off is worth its weight in gold to these guys (and gals) and their families.

The new weekend schedule is also a blow for the Indy Racing League. In a year which finally saw the two open-wheel categories reconcile, the IRL finale at Chicagoland was already slated to air against the opening-weekend of the NFL, but now they have an even tougher task drawing viewers with the Cup race pushed back to Sunday afternoon. Maybe they'll grab a few channel surfers between the end of the Cup regular season tilt and the start of the Nationwide race. With the title in his sight last year (only to run out of fuel in the final corner of the final lap and lose to his 2009 teammate Dario Franchitti), it seems Scott Dixon has the crown deservedly wrapped up. But anything can happen, and Helio is likely angry and motivated after his penalty at Detroit. Sorry Helio, the penalty was deserved, as was the maiden IRL win for Justin Wilson.

Rain or shine, you can start a long day of racing Sunday morning as the Formula One blokes battle at the beautiful Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It's a gorgeous, undulating old-school road course and unusual things usually happen when the rains come in.

The Chase: The change in schedule has me scrambling my (sarcasm alert) massive social calendar, but allows time to work on my SPEEDtv.com column for Tuesday. We'll drill into the history of the Chase for the Championship, looking at the stats, records and trends. The original fingerprint inc. blog kicked-off with the start of the very first Chase in 2004, and not a moment too soon as Dale Jr. won at Talladega, then got too excited in post-race. Kurt Busch took the points lead the following Tuesday when Junior was penalized 25 points for uttering a four-letter word in victory lane. Ahhhhh, those were the days. (Trivia: Dale Jr's merchandise sales rocketed to record heights in the several weeks after the 'it don't mean shit' incident...) If you want to get into the nostalgia time machine, the blog entries from that event are here ("Shit Hits the Fans") and here ("Shit Happens/Junior's Penalty and a tribute to George Carlin").

Teaser: As a preview to Tuesday's column, can you guess (without looking it up - though I suspect some of you will) how many Non-Chase drivers have won races during the Chase since 2004? Four? Two? Eight? Twelve?  Among those drivers, how many races have they combined to win during the Chase? Check back Tuesday for the answer to those and many more of your burning Chase questions.

One more trivia item: What's wrong with this photo? (Hint: it's something Anheuser-Busch was exceedingly careful about.) But, I guess it beats the Coors "Light Pole" Award....

(Both Logano pics courtesy of NASCAR Media/Getty Images.)

For Your Viewing Pleasure

And now, introducing NASCAR's newest series...

Enjoy the real racing at Richmond!

A Bizarre Backdrop: I thought the backdrop for McCain's acceptance speech was unflattering at best - which has been a common theme for his campaign. Example: Same day, two photo ops: Obama's speech in front of thousands of Germans compared to McCain under flourescent lights, standing in front of the primarily yellow cheese aisle of a supermarket. I cannot understand how his staff is so inept at the most simple and basic TV/PR/media stagecraft 101 stuff - but as of today, it's all gotten MUCH more bizarre: the photo was of a Hollywood, CA middle school (!?!) and the school is not pleased! Is this a reflection of how disorganized it would be under a McCain administration? I'm the first to admit this is pure minutiae - but taken in concert with the shoddy campaign and the way the VP choice was made at the last minute without proper vetting, it shows a lack of competence and judgement, which are two elements the entire world needs after the eight years of utter incompetence we've had since 2000.

Another update: Seems they got the backdrop straight from the TV show, The West Wing. Go Jimmy Smits!

Havin' Fun in the California Sun

Back from California with a nice tan, bad jet lag and another half-assed SPEEDtv.com column...

Thanks to everyone at Petty Enterprises for working with me at Fontana. Compared to the swirling vortex of humanity and hoopla I had been used to for nine seasons, this weekend was almost leisurely in comparison. I really enjoyed working with Bobby Labonte for the first time. He's a past champion whose personality and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is much more prominent in person than in the media. (Here he is on the left, looking bemused and wondering why in the hell he's stuck with me for the weekend... thanks to Harold Hinson for the pic.)

The Pettys had an assortment of celeb visitors, ranging from an actress from the movie "Swing Vote" (a film in which Richard Petty has a cameo) to the producers of "The Biggest Loser" TV show. I've never watched their show, but they insisted that even the biggest of Petty's crew members weren't fat enough to be eligible. Back home in Kansas, we'd say the contestants must rate as 'tornado-proof' on the scales to make the show.

Labonte was frustrated with a 21st-place finish at Calif...uh, I mean Auto Club Speedway, but that's one spot ahead of where he sits in the point standings. It will be interesting to watch how Petty Enterprises performs in the next year or so, as they continue to go through the transition of a move to the Mooresville area and adjust to new management and investors. There aren't nicer people in the garage than the entire Petty organization, but does 'nice' win races in this century?  I'm pulling for them, but they know it won't be quick and it won't be easy.

Random Race Rants: It was a snoozer of a race in front of a smattering of fans, but I'm not sure anyone can blame the track completely for the lack of action at the front of the field: the 48 team had a car as dominant as any I've seen since the Penske Blue-Deuce bunch won at Pocono last year. It was an incredible butt-whoopin... How many went to bed or fell asleep on the east coast before the race ended?... How frustrating must it have been for Greg Biffle and his team as they got out of the pits first several times, but were never able to hold the lead for more than a lap under green?...  I hope this race is an eye-opener to those in the media whose story du jour for the past month has been "it's only a two-man race for the title." (Mostly the same bunch who were yelling "SLUMP!!!" when Kyle Busch went two weeks without a victory)... Has anyone noticed the string of top-10s Kevin Harvick has put together? The second half of the season for the ol' Two-Niner team reminds me of the consistency the 88 boys had in the first half of the year. To contend in the Chase, both teams need lead more laps to be a stronger contender in the final 10 races.   

The Conventions: While I found Obama's acceptance speech brilliantly crafted and delivered, the open disdain for him within the NASCAR garage actually shocked me. I shouldn't be surprised, but I wasn't expecting to hear such venom at such regular intervals. I'll be anxious to see the response if he's elected.

Is it possible the news of Gov. Palin's 17-year-old pregnant daughter could spark a discussion regarding the failure of the head-in-the-sand "abstinence only" policy? Alaska's teens have one of the highest rates of STDs in the nation, a serious side-effect of not teaching proper sex-ed in schools. Wouldn't the goal of those virulently opposed to abortion be to reduce teen pregancies?  (Venn diagram from Jessica at indexed.)

How much cognitive dissonance is created by McCain's choice of an inexperienced woman as a running mate when he brags of his ZERO rating on women's issues including the desire to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Z ROCK: And, on a lighter note, if you have access to the Independent Film Channel (ifc), you MUST set the Tivo for the new show, "Z Rock." It's like a mash-up of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" meets "Flight of the Conchords," as three goofy Brooklyn guidos/rock musicians must make a living playing children's birthday parties. It's almost beyond description, but it's naughty, funny and rockin.' Check out the previews and other scenes at the ifc site.