January 23, 2010
By Brenda Benedict
I just reserved my spot at Michigan International Speedway. I'm one of the 100,000 NASCAR fans who will be attending the NASCAR race there in June. Many of these fans attend just one race a year and so for them the face of NASCAR is what they see at Michigan International Speedway. Race fans who love NASCAR but depend on MIS for their upfront and personal look at the excitement, drivers and all-round good time found at a NASCAR race.
I'm also working at the Michigan International Auto Show (http://www.showspan.com/MIA/Attractions.aspx) this weekend. I'm hosting the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #8 "Staind" Budweiser True Music - 2003 Monte Carlo NASCAR Race Car for the Gilmore Car Museum (http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/). This is the car Junior drove in Richmond 2003 and is on loan from the Winston Cup Museum (http://www.winstoncupmuseum.com) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to the Gilmore Car Museum. This car is one of the most popular attractions at the car show which features high-end cars such as Aston-Martin, Porsche and Bentleys. I been answering all sorts of questions about the car and lots of questions about Dale Jr.
As people filed through last night, I asked them. "Have you ever been to a NASCAR race?" The most common answer I heard was, "Yes, at MIS."
Michigan International Speedway is one hundred miles across the state from us. But it is the only NASCAR experience for thousands of people here.
So no wonder the entire State of Michigan almost breathed a collective, "You have got to be kidding!" when Felix Sabates suggesting eliminating the NASCAR races at MIS last week. Sabates stated, " I mean, there's nobody left in Detroit other than the police and unemployed. I'd cut Michigan off the schedule altogether. Michigan -- I'm talking about the state -- is never coming back to what it used to be, so why go there and throw good money after bad money?"
Sabates is part-owner of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and made his remarks as part of NASCAR media week in Charlotte.
The response from Michigan fans was immediate and strong. One fan posted on-line, "As far as I'm concerned he owes every NASCAR fan and everyone in the state of Michigan a HUGE apology."
Maybe we're a little touchy here because we are in the midst of the worst financial times that any of us can remember. Our governor told us this week that there are no easy fixes for our problems and we are going to continue to struggle for the foreseeable future.
But MIS did get an apology from Sabates. He stated, "In an attempt at humor I made some comments about the city of Detroit and the people of Michigan that were in poor taste and that I sincerely apologize for. I have worked directly or indirectly with the auto industry for over 40 years as both an auto dealer and a NASCAR owner and it was never my intention to put down the auto industry, its workers, the city of Detroit or the state of Michigan. I have such respect for all of them."
MIS President Roger Curtis accepted Sabates apology and he said, “I’m glad Felix finally came to an understanding that MIS has some of the most loyal fans in racing,” Curtis said. “These fans choose to spend their hard earned dollars here because we are committed to them. I’m a race fan, too, and I came to Michigan because I feel that strongly about this racetrack, its employees and all the NASCAR fans who have supported us since 1968. The people of this state have earned their fun and Michigan International Speedway is committed to making sure they get it."
But I talked Kyle, the customer service phone representative from MIS this morning. I asked him why should we continue to have NASCAR races at MIS and Kyle spoke so proudly telling me about the improvements to the facility and the lower ticket prices. He said, "17 and younger get 1/2 price tickets."
Kyle demonstrated a pride in MIS and our Michigan NASCAR fans have spoken too.
Roger Curtis extended an invitation to Sabates to attend the June race at MIS and sit in the grandstands with him. I think the fan base is still going to be smarting from Sabates' remarks and he and his drivers will have to work hard to get back in the good graces of Michigan fans.
But if Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray, the drivers for Earnhardt-Ganassi, come and show us some good racing, we might be inclined to forgive and forget what was said during our long, dark winter as we bask in the warm sunshine in the Irish Hills and watch over favorites battle it out to the finish.
You can follow me at Twitter @nascarfaithful
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.