When “the media” is me

Is there a better day to be talking about the media and journalism than on the fest day of St. Paul, the patron saint of journalists? I’m sure all my Catholic readers will appreciate the effort.

Sitting in Cincinnati at this time of the year is rather bland. Sure there are high school basketball games, wrestling matches and bowling matches to attend, but other than that, and the occasional Cincinnati Cyclones hockey game, there’s not much going on in the world of sports.

So how much would I like to be in Charlotte this week as NASCAR team open their shops for the preseason NASCAR media tour? Where do I sign up?

Yesterday media members visited the shops of Penske Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Throughout the next few days they’ll makes stops at all the big shops, grill drivers and owners about the upcoming season, and listen to opinions on how the season will unravel.

Seriously, though, where do I sign up to get on this merry go round of media stops?

If you’re new to the blog (first of all, welcome, I hope you come back) then you may not know where my passions have met up in the past few years. Through two separate internships at local TV stations, I’ve got to cover local sports on an almost daily basis. Included in those two years were a few trips to Kentucky Speedway and two very memorable visits to the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

From left: WXIX's Dan Wood, myself and WCPO's Mark Slaughter at the 2009 Nationwide (nee Busch) Series practice on Friday at Kentucky Speedway (NASCARMedia.com)

NASCAR and sports reporting, two of my biggest dreams have met up.

Mark speaks to the media, including myself, in the aqua shirt on the right side, holding a camera (IMS.com)

Here are some of my favorite memories of covering NASCAR events, and what it was like to be both a fan and a member of the media within the same time period.

I cover most NASCAR related events as both a fan and a semi-objective journalist. Last week provided a great example of this. I opined about Yahoo’s expert panel picking Mark Martin to finish 18th in points. As Yahoo’s Jay Busbee told me in the comments section of the blog, “As a fan, I hope Martin runs the table. As a journalist, I'm less optimistic.”

Hey, at least he was honest. I appreciate the honesty Busbee had (and by the way, if you’re reading this Jay, welcome back) and I’m glad he was able to say he hopes Mark can “run the table” and break off a few wins.

I found it more difficult than ever to balance being a fan of the sport with being a member of the credentialed media at Indianapolis this past summer. While I wanted to do a story on how the new spoiler set up (as opposed to the old COT wing) would affect the Brickyard 400, I never got the chance to ask either Kurt Busch or Mark Martin.

Kurt Busch answers media questions at Indianapolis last season

The true professionals talked at length to both about the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski feud. They also grilled Martin about his plans for 2011.
I’ve never been more frustrated in my life. As I stood feet away from my childhood idol—who was growing more and more agitated with those surrounding him as the questions wore on—the professional media members, who gathered each week with Mark kept asking the same questions over and over again.

Mark Martin exploded.

“I don’t know why, I just don’t know why. I made myself perfectly clear over the last several weeks. There’s no inclination of any change but I will tell you this. There is no road map for me and my future so don’t even start thinking about criticizing what I’m going to do in 2012 and beyond, so don’t even ask what I’m going to do.

“I’m going to do what I want to do for now. I’m going to drive the 5 car. That’s what we’ve said all along and I felt very disrespected when the media doesn’t accept that because what that means is that you make me look like I’m about to get fired and that’s very disrespectful and that’s what you all are doing and it’s very disrespectful and I deserve better than that because I’ve always been as straight as I can be.

“And any bit of waffling I’ve ever done has been based on being asked questions before I was ready to answer them. And I should be able to do the things I want to. I ran a limited schedule because I wanted to. I came back because I wanted to drive the 5 car. I never said I was going to retire. I said I was not going to run the full schedule and I changed my mind so I’m going to have a hard time telling you guys what I’m going to do in ’12 and beyond because you guys pick at that like I’m indecisive. I’m at the point in my career where I get to do whatever the heck I want to do.

“Rick Hendrick and Alan Gustafson indicated to me that they wanted me to drive their car as long as I wanted to drive it. And after thinking about that I told them I’d drive it through ’11 and that would be a long enough commitment for me and then I’d do something else. They wanted me to go further than that—that’s too far out. I don’t have a road map. I just want to do what I said I was going to do. That’s what we’re going to do. That’s what they want. That’s what I want, and I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of this.“I understand it will all be put to rest when they announce what Kasey is going to do and you should be focusing on that. What’s Kasey going to do? Because I’ve told you what I’m going to do.”

As a fan, I was just as angry as Mark Martin was. As a media member, though, I got a great story to write. The toughest part about the story I wrote that day for FOX19.com was keeping my opinion out of it. I leave the opinions for the blog.

The first time I stepped foot in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s garage area was a truly magical moment. Thanks to WCPO in Cincinnati, I got to go to the 2009 Brickyard 400 as a media member. I shot some video, snapped some photos and attended the same Friday press conferences. After standing just feet from Mark Martin (and in ’09 I even got to ask Mark a few questions) I figured it couldn’t get any better than this.

I was sorely mistaken.

My dad always tells me, “Act like you’ve been there son,” and it’s easy advice to take. I’ve seen so many college football games and been to so many places that normal folks could only dream of. Seven months before that 2009 Brickyard 400 I began the month of December in Hawaii, and ended that month in Miami, all because of college football. My job with the UC football team has taken me everywhere, man.

But I honestly had never been in a position to talk to my childhood idol before. With just minutes to shoot some more video and pictures, I rushed over to the garage area. I saw Mark sitting next to one of his crew members, chatting and laughing. Here was my chance.

I walked up and introduced myself. (For the full story from 2009, check out this link: http://adamniemeyer.blogspot.com/2009/07/mark-martin-im-blessed-to-have-so-many.html)

I wrote, “Hi, I’m Adam Niemeyer with WCPO in Cincinnati,” I said, trying to hide the nervousness of meeting my childhood hero for the first time in my life. “But, I’m also a huge fan of yours.” He smiled and nodded. I could tell he wasn’t trying to blow me off or shoo me away. He seemed interested to talk to me and make my day.”

When people ask me why I want to go into sports journalism, it’s the simple moments like this. How many other people can say they walked up to their childhood idol, shook his hand and chatted for a few moments with him or her?

I got that done at age 20. Success.

In two years I’ve made three trips to Kentucky Speedway to cover three different races. I’ve covered both the 2009 and 2010 Nationwide (nee Busch) Series races and in 2009 I also had the opportunity to cover the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA events in July—one week before the Brickyard.

Getting a “hot” pass to stand on pit road and be that close to the action is thrilling. It also leads to some cool pit stop photos.

Mike Skinner makes a pit stop in the 2009 Camping World Truck Series race at Kentucky

Trips to Indy and Kentucky have cemented my wish to one day become a sports reporter. While I mull my decision to stay local or maybe try to follow the boys of NASCAR around, one thing will remain constant.

I will always have a passion for writing and a passion for NASCAR. And when they mix, I always have a good time. I hope you do too. In 26 days we’ll all be happy to see live racing action back on our television screens.
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Tomorrow is supposed to be Brian France’s “State of the Sport” address, so I hope you don’t wear yourself out with “State of,” speeches tonight. I’ll see what I can pick up and provide you with some commentary of my own. Have a good Tuesday.

Hornaday wins NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Kentucky

He’s been dubbed the “King of Restarts,” and on more than one occasion he got a chance to show his skills to an estimated 30,000 race fans in Kentucky on Saturday evening.

Hornaday became the first driver to win a truck race at Kentucky from the pole, claiming his fourth victory in the 2009 campaign. This was Hornaday’s third victory in a row and he has now opened a 96 point lead on Matt Crafton in the Championship standings.

“I hate to say it, but we didn’t have the truck to win,” Hornaday said. “One more lap and I don’t know if [Mike Skinner] would have caught me, but it would have been a heck of a race.”

Ron Hornaday captured his 43rd career victory Saturday evening

Hornaday and his Kevin Harvick Incorporated team got caught on Friday with a rear-end housing that was one-quarter inch off of NASCAR’s specifications, and they had their primary truck impounded.

Hornaday’s crew chief, Rick Ren, was adamant in the post race press conference that neither he nor his KHI team were trying to manipulate the rules. “I need to address the issue,” Ren said. “Neither I nor anyone at Kevin Harvick Inc would try to purposely cheat.”

It seems that Hornaday and team didn’t need to bend the rules to make their truck go fast, but they did make some major adjustments during the race. “On that last stop, we put fuel in and the yellow came out and we put four tires on and made some ‘hellacial’ adjustments,” Hornaday said. At one point Hornaday noted that they team went up five rounds on the trackbar.

It all worked out.

“I don’t wish bad luck on anybody, but we didn’t have a second place truck,” said runner up Mike Skinner. “I think one more [lap] and we might have had him.” Skinner sits third in Camping World Truck Series points.

On lap 114 former Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola took the lead by only taking right side tires on a pit stop. He began to pull away from the field when another yellow flew five laps later. Almirola almost wrecked on the next restart, a he pulled his #15 Toyota up the track to block his teammate Brian Ickler.

Former Mark Martin protege Aric Almirola had ashot at winning the "Built Ford Tough 225"

“We were driving away and the caution came out there and the caution after caution, after caution really hurt us,” Almirola said after the race.

After another caution for fluid and debris on the track, Almirola brought the field down for a restart, and on lap 132 he got passed by Hornaday, who set sail for a few laps.

In the last forty laps of the race there were five cautions, including two within the last twelve circuits. After rookie Tayler Malsam blew a left front tire driving down the front stretch with seven to go.

Cue Hornaday, the restart master. With Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner following, the #33 truck pulled away to .22 seconds with two to go, and although Skinner charged hard, Hornaday held him off.

“Ronnie did a good job,” Skinner said. “I just hate it—doggone it, we were close.”
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I’ll have more tomorrow from my busy twenty-four hours at Kentucky Speedway. Tomorrow marks seven days until the Brickyard 400, and if the media pass this weekend is any indication, you will bet that next weekend will be an even better time.

Randy Moss Motorsports celebrates one year anniversary in Camping World Truck Series

“A year ago when Randy and I partnered up, we sat at Daytona and had a press conference and then came [to Kentucky] and had another one,” said David Dollar, co-owner of Randy Moss, at a press conference in the Kentucky Speedway Media Center.

“What we sat out was we hoped to have one veteran driver running for a championship and a young ‘up and coming’ rookie running for rookie of the year, and here we are one year later and setting in the exact same spot. I couldn’t be more tickled.”

To say Dollar was taking a risk in partnering with Moss wouldn’t be a stretch. After all, many former NFL players (Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and even Dan Marino) have ventured into NASCAR, all with very little success.

But Randy Moss Motorsports has thrived this season behind wily veteran Mike Skinner and rookie Tayler Malsam. “I can’t say enough about these guys—they have done a heck of a lot with probably a fourth of a budget of some teams out here,” Skinner said.

“Now we keep raising the bar so I expect to win. I’m turning into a pain in the butt because I’m starting to nitpick things and I want to run really, really good.”

Nothing says running really, really good like pacing the first of two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practices on Friday afternoon at Kentucky.

“This set up under our truck right now is very similar to the set up that Jeff Hensley and I won this race with last year,” Skinner said after running 26 laps in the first session. “I was talking to Tayler and he’s pretty happy with the balance in his truck too.”

The track at Kentucky has drawn rave reviews from competitors, and even the young Malsam feels that the track hasn’t thrown him any curves. “We’re happy with how it handles through the bumps and it’s not too rough. No worse than Rockingham,” he said. Not too bad for a rookie.

But what good is balance if at the end of the race the newest rules in the truck series throw a wrench into crew chief’s plans? Skinner looked at me and said, “Don’t get me talking about that new rule because they’ll come and get a hook and drag me out of here. It’s the worst thing ever on this planet of racing.”

The new truck series rule, for those who are unaware, limits each team to taking either tires or fuel on pit stops. NASCAR implemented this rule with good intentions in order to cut costs for teams. “How much money has it saved you, David?” Skinner said, turning to his right to look at David Dollar.

“We’ve wrecked a lot of good trucks,” Skinner said. Harkening back to Talladega in April he added, “Sooner or later if they don’t change this thing someone is going to get hurt. It’s going to be because of that strategy.”

Even if he gets bit by pit strategy late in the race, Skinner will leave with the satisfaction that he had a quick truck with an upstart team And, he’d like to suggest something to new track owner Bruton Smith. “I’d race around here if it was dirt,” Skinner said. “I love this place. I love coming to Kentucky. I love the fans here.”