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February 12, 2005
ARCA melee requires more reporting
Ken Squier called it a "wreck-'em rodeo" on Speed Channel. Classic understatement.
The Automobile Club of America race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday saw a car overshoot a pit stall and plow into a group of photographers.
It even had a car hit the catchfence, scattering debris into the stands, slightly injuring a fan. And all that was before a late-race melee that saw cars sliding into and tumbling atop one another.
While I'm writing this, Speed Channel is doing everything but telling us what the hell has happened to those folks. Victory Lane interviews, Budweiser Shootout previews and still more cliches.
I dearly love all of the coverage and most of the personalities at their place. Plain and simple: they give us more to watch about cars and racing than anyone ever has. And they do it extremely well.
But where are the replays of the carnage and the news about those involved?
How bad is it?
As of 7:20 Eastern time we still don't even know what's up with the photographer hurt the worst when Blake Feese's Chevrolet missed its stall early in the race. http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/10886216.htm
But we've seen not one replay of the late-race pile-up. Is there something there not suitable for the viewing public? God, I hope not.
I've hung around a few newsrooms, but never the TV variety. So maybe I don't understand enough about the difficulties of gathering news in this setting. I know it doesn't happen with a simple click and drag.
But people want - and should demand - some reporting in addition to the rest of what they're paying a cable bill to get.
How bad is it?
Ken Squier is back on the tube, talking about Dale Earnhardt's mastery at Daytona now, at 7:42 p.m. And, dang if he didn't own the place.
It's already on the record in the track's media center about some of what happened at the end of the race.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/10886591.htm
Unfortunatley, it looks like more reporting is going to be required in relation to the two drivers and the photographer taken to Halifax Medical Center. ...
No, wait a minute. They're signing off and are switching away from Daytona. And .. this just in: Those two injured drivers are "awake and alert." NASCAR's folks apparently passed that along just in time, right as Speed Channel handed race fans over to Fox at 7:59 p.m.
Best-danged segue any right-thinking race fan could wish for.
February 12, 2005 in Racing | Permalink
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Comments
This is the first i have heard of the incident (alas the disadvantage on living in the Philippines) and certainly hope all are OK.
As one who grew up in MI I have fond memories of ARCA and always looked forward to their trek to Daytona each year.
Please, I have your RSS feed entered, keep this updated if you can.
Posted by: Marc | Feb 12, 2005 7:50:36 PM
Just got an IM from our writer Jim Utter at the track.
Says the two most seriously injured guys went straight to the hospital; they didn't stop at the track car center after the wreck.
Jim is looking for more and we'll update as soon and as much as we can.
Thanks for your note.
Posted by: Bob Henry | Feb 12, 2005 7:59:00 PM
It's absolutely ridiculous. Speed did finally announce, at 7:59 EST, that Billy Venturini and Dan Shaver were taken to Halifax Medical Center and were awake.
Posted by: Chris Ostergard | Feb 12, 2005 8:12:20 PM
The show, as they say, must go on. And maybe that's the right call.
I surely don't have an answer.
I'm just pleased to finally hear something and that what I'm hearing is good.
A little more priority on getting that good news to the fans might, too, have been a good thing. But, there I go again ...
Come back and see us.
Posted by: Bob Henry | Feb 12, 2005 8:19:15 PM
No replays,no reporting just a camera following the winner around the track and watching him be directed in the wrong direction to the winners circle...some replays would have been nice or a little commetary about who and what happened..Well anyway it was the best race of the day.....The shootout was a good preview of the upcoming season...watch the first 10 laps take a nap watch the last 10 laps in between follow is the leader.....
Posted by: boomboom2 | Feb 12, 2005 10:11:33 PM
Horrific picture of the Feese accident at the Daytona News-Journal website, http://news-journalonline.com/. Apparently Billy Venturini is still in the hospital being treated; hope he is okay. But SPEED is mostly owned by NASCAR and NASCAR/ISC don't like any bad reporting (see Matt McLaughlin) so OF COURSE we had happy faces on Speed and no coverage on Fox. Journalism and integrity and NASCAR don't fit in the same sentence.
Posted by: Jo | Feb 12, 2005 10:18:04 PM
Bob, your right. Problem is while the fans care, SPEED doesn't/ ARCA coverage gets the shaft for the NASCAR all the time. I work for Gerhart, but wasn't able to go down. while the zimmerman accident was getting cleaned up why didn't we get an interview with him? i would have loved to have known he was ok. and they showed feeses wreck again, so they should have not go into the bud shootout notes they gave us earlier today to show the last lap wreck again and tried to let us know who was in it. Its disapointing that even important news like driver health don't get out cause we can't interupt the shootout.
Posted by: Chris | Feb 12, 2005 10:40:18 PM
Your last sentence sums it up.
We care about the racing, but the racers are the real deal. Even if they race in a lesser, support series - or, heck, at our local dirt track - we wanna know what's up with 'em when things go wrong.
Tnx for writing. Come back and see us.
Posted by: Bob Henry | Feb 12, 2005 11:19:46 PM
The fact that SPEED is partially owned by NASCAR/ISC and the resultant LACK of replays and updates are 2 more reasons
why I am not renewing ANY of my tickets after this year. NASCAR/ISC has too many stupid rules/penalties. I will attend races that I have already ordered tickets for, but will not be renewing any of them after the 2005 season.
Posted by: Don | Feb 12, 2005 11:42:19 PM
Thanks Bob. To be honest, its nice to see an article about ARCA. its hard to find any news on the series much less photos. But yes, if this was NASCAR we would have 18,000 replays and team interviews and all that (remember dales death, adn the camera following the ambulance?)
I wish more people would give ARCA its due. IT must be good serious racing if all the big cup teams are getting involved...
Posted by: Chris | Feb 13, 2005 12:17:54 AM
According to rpm.espn.com, a team spokesman for Billy Venturini said that he suffered a cervical vertebra fracture, but apparently has no signs of paralysis. He is awake and alert.
Dan Shaver was treated for unspecified injuries and released.
Posted by: Chris Ostergard | Feb 13, 2005 7:16:09 AM
They never show replayes of accidents involving or possibly involving serious injuries until they can report on the condition of the people involved. Due to increasingly restrictive (even to the point of stupidity), medical privacy laws that means they have to wait until the families release the medical information.
Reporters can't just ask the medical staff because the doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. are not legally allowed to say anything -- not even good news -- without specific permission from either the patient or the family.
Its just plain ghoulish to want instant replays and analysis of severe accidents before you can know if you might be watching someone die.
Posted by: M. B. Voelker | Feb 13, 2005 8:24:51 AM
Good points all.
Might there be a point somewhere between absolute silence on the issue and acting as if nothing had happened that would better serve viewers?
Thanks for writing.
Posted by: Bob Henry | Feb 13, 2005 9:15:47 AM
OK, let's try that last one again. Then I'll get another cup of coffee.
What I meant to say was that there might be a point that better serves viewers somewhere between absolute silence and acting as if nothing had happened and the ghoulish airing of replays you mention.
Sorry, that still reads like a sleepy man is writing it, but I hope it's a little closer.
Posted by: Bob Henry | Feb 13, 2005 9:28:08 AM
Just another example of Speed/NASCAR being out of touch with their fans. Race fans from any division are always more concerned about the health and safety of drivers involved in accidents. Speed and NASCAR are concerned about ratings and advertising revenue.
Posted by: S M George | Feb 13, 2005 9:44:14 AM
Interesting that Billy's sister is a pit reporter for SPEED huh? All good wishes to Billy and his entire family. I have been a fan of his and his dad for years.
Posted by: Bob LaPenta | Feb 13, 2005 9:56:58 AM
Let's stop a minute and say a prayer for those who were injured. For most of us racing is entertainment, but for those injured it represents a paycheck, a career, or a dream.
This race will change their lives. Let's pray it is for the best.
Posted by: Cecil | Feb 13, 2005 10:50:52 AM
Cecil, you're right: prayers for all involved, first and foremost.
Bob, you wrote "there might be a point that better serves viewers somewhere between absolute silence and acting as if nothing had happened and the ghoulish airing of replays you mention." That is a good point. If the reporters say, "We understand that several drivers (or photographers or injured people) have been taken to the hospital. Until they or their families authorize releasing information about their condition, we will respect their privacy, and we will pass along any information that's received as soon as we get it," they will not only do their job as journalists but earn points for behaving like human beings.
A good case in point was the Hendrick crash last fall, where the news about the crash was circulating among the press during the late part of the race, but nobody reported it out of consideration for the victims' families. There can be a balance. I just hope the news organizations will use this as a spur to discuss in advance how to handle such situations with sensitivity and adjust their practices.
Posted by: Jo | Feb 13, 2005 11:14:57 AM
You read my mind! One of Wisconsin's newest "rising stars" Todd Kluever, was involved in the wreck and even though we saw him jump out of the car and walk to the ambulance limping, his fans and family can't help but wonder how he is, along with so many others involved? Why didn't we get updates? These guys are racers too, and deserve more coverage than a last lap wreck that ruined thousands of dollars in equipment, let alone potential rides for an entire season! Come on Nascar, we know and love the Nextel Cup drivers, but care about so many others also.
One more point, who's idea was it to use Ken Squire? He's had his day in the sun, don't you think?
Posted by: Rachael | Feb 13, 2005 11:38:47 AM
So great to find a place to get ARCA updates. We have always enjoyed ARCA, to the point of.....better racing then cup, most of the time. Hope all drivers are doing well, we were also disgusted at the lack of coverage on those injured. There is a differance in respecting the families and acting like they are just ignoring the situation. Some type of reporting on the incident would have been appreciated by all.
Posted by: Patsy | Feb 13, 2005 11:48:39 AM
Hey Bob,
As a former television anchor It seems you didn't want to get out of your butt molded chair in the media center to find out the facts for yourself.
I get sick of reading on-line or newspaper articles the day after a race with all the quotes coming straight from interviews done on television.
I have covered many races, ran my tail off
to hustle an interview while the print boys are back in the media center typing in quotes from press releases delivered to you by hand.
Did you ever think about reasons they didn't replay the accident was A.) They didn't know how serious the injuries were or B.) Out of respect for families not attending the race. Think about it. If you have finished eating the free buffet in the media center!
Posted by: Kevin | Feb 13, 2005 12:36:22 PM
Bob & Jim, thanks for the update on Billy. All of us will keep him and his family in our prayers.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/10892264.htm
Posted by: Jo | Feb 13, 2005 5:24:04 PM
I've been looking everywhere for info. My husband and I watch everything that goes around in a circle. I'm a nurse and knew that it must have been bad, just because of the way it was handled by SPEED. My prayers go out to all of those injured in the ARCA race, fans, photographers, and drivers. Written that way, it sounds horrible, doesn't it?
Posted by: kelley | Feb 13, 2005 8:39:37 PM
I was at the race and it was frustrating to not know what was going on, let alone be sitting in my living room not knowing. It took them 45 minutes to get who I am assuming was Venturini out of his car. I watched the ambulance head right out the turn 4 tunnel and thought "this is not good". There were no replays on the Nextel Vision screens either, which I thought was odd. I personnally think that showing the reply was appropriate, but assumed, since there were NONE and nothing on the PA about it, something "bad" had happened. I will say I have never seen so many emergency crews around one car in all my life as there was on the backstretch that night.
Posted by: Frank | Feb 14, 2005 6:57:09 AM
Getting news out of Nascar is akin to getting news out of the old USSR. Speed did the same exact thing last year in the Hendrick plane crash. If they are going to be a racing news channel be a racing news channel. If they are going to be a "flack" channel for Nascar, at least have the fortitude to say so.
Posted by: Jim | Feb 14, 2005 7:37:15 AM
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