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Thursday, February 22
Arrogance leads to tragedy
By Paul Finebaum
Scripps Howard News Service
Seasons come and go. Legends pass on, either through retirement or death. But there is one constant about those good ol' boys who govern NASCAR: arrogance.
Perhaps it comes with the territory. Perhaps it comes with mostly being covered by gracious news media, with the exception of Daytona. Perhaps it comes with incestuous megadeals with the networks that cover the sport.
|  | | A somber looking Bill France, center, Chairman of the Board of NASCAR, looks on as Mike Helton, president of NASCAR, left, addresses Dale Earnhardt's death. |
But watching NASCAR's news conference earlier this week on the subject of Dale Earnhardt's tragic death, perhaps the most seminal moment in its history, showed exactly why this group is not ready for prime time. It showed why -- despite meteoric growth, despite billion-dollar television deals and an apparent love affair with corporate America -- this sport continues to have the reputation of backwoods, of moonshine boys racing on redneck dirt tracks on moonlit Saturday nights.
Poor Bill France. I know the man has been sick in recent years. I don't blame him. But for his handlers to allow him to stumble and fumble his way in front of microphones and cameras was humiliating. It wasn't humiliating. It was downright sad.
And Mike Helton, the president of NASCAR. What a gasbag. What a hack.
"This is one of the toughest announcements I've ever had to make," Helton said Sunday, making the announcement of Earnhardt's death. Golly, Mike, what were some of the other contenders if that wasn't the toughest?
Then there was Helton's shifty approach to practically every question about safety, as if the news media have no right to question this great sport. Why should they?
Just another body bag zipped up for the boys. That's racin', they always say.
Not this time, hoss.
This time, unlike all of the rest, Earnhardt is more than a one-day story. This didn't happen during qualifying for a trivial race in New Hampshire. This didn't happen on a day when Major League Baseball and the Masters and the NBA playoffs were all being conducted.
This happened on NASCAR's biggest day, at the conclusion of its greatest race, on the one day when more people watch this sport than any other day. As a matter of fact, it is the only day when many people bother to pay attention.
Unlike the deaths last year, those involving Adam Petty, Tony Roper and Kenny Irwin, Helton and the France boys won't be able to push this one under the rug or behind the pits or wherever NASCAR folks hide their dirty laundry.
Toward the end, the inevitable question was finally asked: Will the next race go on as planned?
Of course, Helton said.
In that regard, NASCAR is just like the three-ring circus coming to town. Despite the weather or setting, the show must go on.
Why, for once in its entire history, would NASCAR do the right thing and go dark for a weekend? Because there is money to be made, boys. We got sponsors to satisfy. We got that big, fat television deal with Rupert Murdoch.
On the safety issue, Helton responded with typical superciliousness: "We're not going to react just for the sake of
reacting."
To a certain degree, Helton and France don't really care. Now, I know they are friends with the drivers and they hurt when a member of the family dies. Even these guys are human beings.
However, NASCAR is a different kind of sport. There is Dale Jr. to take over for Dale Sr. There was Davey Allison to take over for Bobby. Of course, that was short-lived. The Petty boys passed the torch down from generation to generation until the youngest died.
NASCAR will move on from here. The Frances will get richer. More drivers will lose their lives while Mike Helton takes a deep breath and talks about how difficult it is to make the announcement.
Frankly, Helton is getting pretty good at making these grisly statements. With each death, he handles that job with more ease. Of course, he's getting lots of practice.
But I will say this: No matter how big or small, when someone dies, life goes on. NASCAR will race Sunday.
But something tells me this sport will never be quite the same again. There is something about watching the greatest driver ever perish in front of your eyes on the biggest stage that has a chilling effect one never quite gets over.
Of course, the boys who run NASCAR don't care. Not as long as the cash register keeps ringing.
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