VOL. 52 ISSUE 29 JULY 21, 2015 P67
but it's a process.
Generally all the top guys in
the sport, they're still around
because they've been savvy
enough to get sponsors and
somehow put together a
program so they can race. Is
there any help for some of
the other guys to maybe help
them bring sponsors in or
some guidance?
At Daytona we offered some
media training for the riders.
There are things that we're do-
ing, and again that's a step-by-
step process. We are trying to
educate the riders. We talked
a little bit in the riders meeting
today about the riders and their
team and their crew's appear-
ance at the track. That'll prob-
ably be one of the things we'll
address with next year's rules.
We expect to be on TV soon
[there is now a TV deal for
select markets in addition to the
FansChoice.tv live streaming
package]. We need to look like
we belong on TV. Even if we're
not on TV right now, we need to
be looking at every part of our
show, our event. A lot of people
say they want everything better
but they're kind of resistant to
any change. They say, "well, I
want it better but I don't want to
change. We're not NASCAR; we
don't need to look like NASCAR
in the pits."
Well, I beg to differ. If we want
to get there someday we have
to start looking like it and acting
like it.
There could be other people
here that aren't OEMs that are
maybe not here officially looking
at us, they're just in the stands
as a fan to watch, but could
potentially be a sponsor of our
series. So we need to look like
it. We're not going to get there if
we don't. There's so many little
things. It's not any one thing,
it's 100 little things at this point,
maybe more.
Obviously you're a bit
biased, but what do you think
flat track has to offer to fans
that other racing doesnt, what
makes it special?
I've always felt like the motor-
cycles were the coolest thing.
We need to build heroes out of
the riders. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie
Johnson, they've become gods
in the eyes of their fans. We
need to do that, too, but there
is an attraction people have to
machinery.
We've got almost every brand
represented here in the pits and
they're made by artists, basi-
Jones (16) twisting the throttle at Indy in 1986.
