Tonight we run the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at the beautiful mile and a half speedway. 43 of the world’s best stock car drivers will display their skills and those of their teams.
Walking through the fan walk I got an interesting perspective of not only the fan perspective but also of the current state of the sport. I heard comments that swore allegiance to Dale, Jeff, Jimmy, Tony, Joey, Danica, Kurt, Kyle and Ryan. I heard comments from folks that thought NASCAR was moving in the right direction and those that felt that NASCAR was destroying their sport. I heard pro-technology and anti-technology.
I heard opinions on everything from TV coverage to the cost of food and souvenirs, but the one thing I didn’t hear was the phrase, “I am never coming back.” There is a very good reason for that. Not only is Kansas Speedway very tuned-in to their fans, they are also some of the best in the game at making it work.
There are no dirty bathrooms. There is no bad food. A little pricey, yes. But not bad. You don’t hear about anyone getting sick from something they ate at Kansas Speedway. I have heard those stories from other tracks.
You are not out there on a limb by yourself. The ambassadors truly act like they care and are willing to go the extra mile. Everyone from the man in the parking lot that recognizes you from year to year to the hostess/host that guides you to your seat if you need it.
The shortcomings of the series are made up for by the track and her employees. There was not anyone who did not think that NASCAR could do a much better job in their treatment and dealings with fans. There was not a single person that didn’t feel that some of the broadcasts needed a lot of help. But not one person I spoke to in the fan walk felt Kansas herself was coming up short. Oh, there were the classic complaints every track has; needs more bathrooms, needs more shuttles or quicker shuttles. But the track herself did not get a mark of less than 4 stars from any of the nearly 200 people I spoke to. That is a helluva report card from the people who count the most, the people who buy the tickets.
NASCAR’s marks were not as high with an average of 3 stars. Most of the complaints were a lack of transparency and a huge lack of trust in the sanctioning body itself. There were the allegations of favorites and preferential treatment for certain teams and drivers. Misdirection in regards to what was truly important to the fans.
The first thing on every single list was driver safety. Every single person placed that at the very top of their lists. That should be a huge message to the sanctioning body.
“This new car is simply not safe,” remarked Gary Neal who has been a DOT engineer for 30 years. “You can’t cut horsepower and increase aero. You are hanging them out to dry without a parachute to land.”
Jim Paravettio says, “This new inspection process is BS. It’s just another way to cost teams money and manipulate the results. Hell, they don’t even know how to use it. I stood here and watched them mess with the damn thing because they couldn’t get it to work.”
Melinda Stewart commented, “They say their first priority is driver safety, but you know that isn’t true. Their first priority is making NASCAR richer. If driver safety was truly their first priority Kyle (Busch) would be here driving. Instead, we have the new kid Jones in our car.”
It would seem that Kansas Speedway and NASCAR are opposite and strange bedfellows, but the truth is they are a great blended partnership. The track does everything in its ability to give you a great weekend of entertainment within a reasonable price. They are the stage on which the show will play out.
NASCAR provides the show with its headliners, the heroes on the fast horses, that ride in with the stone cold determined stare which steals our hearts and kindles our imaginations. They perform their death defying feats taking our breath away and solidifying their place in our families and our lives.
It is a combination of the best of both worlds that keeps us coming back to the most beautiful jewel in the midwest, even if her trophy is SpongeBob SquarePants.
