by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Yea, the boss said, “have some fun” that’s what he said since the NASCAR season is over, have some fun with my column, and the funny thing is I thought I was all ready. I mean, where else can a guy like me sit down and share my thoughts with the millions of NASCAR fans that read our newspaper, visit our web site and click on the link that Jay puts up on his site every week? Well it may not be millions of fans, but the ones that do are the best ones in the world as far as I am concerned. And when they share their feelings with me it makes me feel all happy inside, most of the time. Sometimes I hit a nerve and I’ll get a spanking, and I do deserve it a little, but most seem to like and agree with the way I talk about the sport.
I know I do get off what the title refers to but y’all can read about the “News & Notes” all over the place, I just try to add a tad bit of personal touch when I write. A good friend of mine said once that reading me is like talking to me and that made me feel good, because that’s the way I think writers should be. I’ve read a lot of other guys and there aren’t that many that put their feelings in print, they just seem to report. Really that ain’t bad, but a real columnist should add some of himself too. You’ve read the ones that say things like, this car went this fast and passed that car and you wouldn’t even know if he had a favorite driver or not. But you should know that when I write about a driver I’ll talk nice about him or get on to him if he beat my guy out or put him into the wall.
I read an article the other day that a reader told me about. This writer was calling us fans names because we didn’t like the Chase format and telling us just where our driver would have been if it was the old way. He made me feel like I was a dummy if I had anything against the new format or that I belonged back in the old days of racing. Well Bubba, I do belong in those old days and if’n you don’t like it: tuff. I don’t like the Chase way of making a champion but you ain’t got to belittle me or anybody else because of it. Then there was this idiot that felt that Mr. Brian France was God’s gift to NASCAR and the way he has changed racing made him the new messiah. This same writer is the author of many columns about football and all kinds of things and he partakes in a race article once and a while, but hey, he’s an authority on how great these changes are.
Like I said, there are some great guys out there that do some really good writing, and I do enjoy reading their stuff, but as time goes on it looks like more and more like they are trying to butt-kiss NASCAR and tell them how great they are. Well not me mate, I tell it from my heart, and from my wallet too, and they keep hitting us for more and more money for everything from ticket prices to the cost of a hot dog. When one manufacturer is the only place to get my “little cars” (as my wife calls them) and they get to set the price for them, it‘s not fair. Do you remember when you could go into a Wally’s or Target and get most of your favorite driver’s diecast at a reasonable price? Well forget that, my little car-grabbing buddies. Racing Champions, the long time maker of NASCAR cars, stopped making them last year and the only other maker is Winner’s Circle.
R/C had a 1/24th scale car that would cost 10 to 12 dollars and their 1/64th cars were at 2 maybe 3 bucks tops. They made most of the drivers, except for some of the more popular ones that where under contract with the big time manufacture Action Performance Companies, Inc. I’ll tell you one day about how Action got started just south of here in a small town, but I’ll need to do some homework and remember a few things before I do. I’ll have to go talk to an old friend of mine that I used to buy my speed and performance parts from and get the real low down on it. But that will take a couple of columns to do that. Anyway, Action bought Winner’s Circle and used their big names to build a line of cars, but those 1/24th cars were 20 bucks each and the 1/64th guys hit anywhere from 3 to 5 a piece.
Then entered a new company called Team Caliber, and those where some real nice cars. By nice I mean more moveable parts, like front wheels that steer, hood and deck lids that open, and better graphics. A bit pricey but no big name drivers like the Action brand cars. Well here comes Jack Roush, he buys Team Caliber but he keeps the name the same and now he’s got all the Roush Racing guys likenesses on diecast metal and thinks he’s going to make a ton of money. Time goes by and he’s not killing them like he thought and Action is still the people to beat. That’s why Action’s stock at one time was $2.50 a share and in just 9 or 10 months it rose to over $50 a share. Racing Champions was the same way but their shares have stayed around 30 to 35 all this time.
Now things were going along pretty good there for several years, you could buy the cheaper cars and you could get the nicer ones if you wanted. Then in walks two individuals and they buy Action, which also makes the Winner’s Circle car, and then a short time latter they buy Team Caliber, since Jack wanted to get out, I guess (or maybe make some points and sell off his company). The name of both changed to Motorsports Authentics and guess what? The price of everything starts going up. It seems that every month there is a price increase in both W/C and M/A, it doesn’t want to stop and probably won’t since they have got the lock on diecast now with all the drivers. Most of you know who the two guys are, but for those of you that don’t it, they are Mr. Brian France and Burton Smith.
Now if NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports ain’t foxes in the hen house, I don’t know what is. They can set the price for all “my little cars” and that sure burns me up, so I have decided to slow my butt down on buying them. I bet there are a few other fans that will do the same. Hey, it’s not just my cars, it is a whole range of stuff that us fans buy. From cars to hats and on to T-shirts and Christmas ornaments, they want more money from every direction in this sport. I guess it’s like the oil companies but in a smaller way. I’ll keep telling it like I feel it and if at any time you want to chime in, just let me know. Does the word “boycott” sound good here? Well, I’ve had enough fun for this week, and with several more weeks to come before the new season, I’ll have even more fun with y’all.
There is a dark cloud up there for me, and that is that I still don’t have anything on paper as to my salary, working conditions, and my free movie passes, but we’re still working on it. Maybe that’s another reason my boss said to have some fun, so that I’ll enjoy my last few articles before he cans me for a rookie writer that demands less pay, or perhaps a big name writer for more pay. Now would that just frost them wouldn’t it? Like always, if you feel the need to talk to me please do it at tinynascars@yahoo.com and ya might just drop one on the boss at feedback@entertainingu.com. But just remember, he’s one of my oldest friends. Also like always, If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!!
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