January 2, 2008
By Rebecca Gladden
That's the way The NASCAR Insiders (TNI) describe their intriguing website.
The eight-month-old blog is run by two industry insiders who choose to keep their identities a secret - not as a gimmick, but as a necessity in order to speak openly about the sport. "More than anything, not revealing our identities allows us to tell people about our own experiences, good or bad, without making anyone angry or burning any bridges," the Insider known as 'Journo' told me. "It also allows us to find out things people may be unwilling to divulge if they knew we ran the website."
Journo describes himself as a young motorsports journalist with experience in the front office of a major NASCAR team, noting that members of his family have also worked in the sport in various capacities. The other Insider, known as 'T.C.' (Tire Changer), is a current pit crew member who has been over the wall in three major racing series, and also has numerous friends and family employed in NASCAR.
Journo the Journalist and T.C. the Tire Changer started the TNI website to create a direct line of communication between the garage and the fans. The two write articles on a variety of intriguing topics ("How to Get Blacklisted in NASCAR," for example), and answer email questions from readers about the sport's inner workings.
As Journo explains, "T.C. and I saw an opportunity to do something that no one else was doing. While there are a lot of other NASCAR news and information sites, there are none that provide fans an opportunity to get inside the very tight-knit world. We don't want to be a place that rehashes press releases or strictly does the 'all news all the time' thing. We wanted to be a place with unique content and good insight from the other side of the fence."
One of the Insider's goals is to share the latest rumors with fans. They boast an impressive 2008 accuracy rate of 8 correct predictions with just 1 incorrect. "We hear a lot of rumors - some good, some not so good - and we wanted a place to tell people about them," said Journo. "We don't pretend to be Jayski, but if we can break news every now and then, we won't hesitate. I think it takes a little bit, or maybe a lot, of faith from our readers, but believe us or not, we have been able to bring people information, news and rumors before anyone else."
The pair's anonymity also allows them to make provocative, even controversial, statements without fear of reprisal. In a July article, for example, Journo wrote, "This season, NASCAR has not exactly done themselves any favors in the credibility department."
As NASCAR tends to have a low threshold of tolerance for those within the sport who question its credibility, I asked Journo to clarify.
"I should have probably said NASCAR rarely ever does themselves a favor in the credibility department. I don't think this year was any worse than any other year, but it didn't get better this year. They need to do something about penalties, because fans get angry when they start handing out inconsistent penalties. They should probably start making the rulebook available to people who don't have a hard card so they can see there is no big conspiracy there. There just needs to be more transparency within the governing body."
Though Journo and T.C. make a living in NASCAR, they also consider themselves fans of the sport who commiserate with fan grievances -- to a point. "I think too often NASCAR fails to truly account for what the fans want. The Chase has not exactly gone according to plan and the COT has done some damage to the competition of the sport," said Journo. "However, I think whatever they do there will be people who complain. There were people who complained in the '90s because guys were walking away with the championship, and there are people complaining now. It is the nature of the beast."
So should fans just learn to accept changes in the sport?
"They don't have to," said Journo. "But the odds of NASCAR going back on anything are not too good."
If NASCAR was to make any immediate changes, Journo would like to see more leeway regarding modifications to the Car of Tomorrow. "NASCAR needs to allow teams to explore the gray areas of the COT instead of fining and suspending everyone on the team. Innovation can only come when these teams are allowed to get creative. Also, competition is only going to get better when these teams, especially the small ones, can find ways to be better than their competitors."
Being around the infield full-time has given the NASCAR Insiders an eyewitness view of the sometimes curious, sometimes crazy behavior of race fans.
"There are always people who dress up like their favorite driver, which I think is a little strange," Journo said. "I came out of the tunnel at Martinsville one year and encountered a gentleman who was attempting to be a Dale Earnhardt look-alike. There are always those who want drivers to sign body parts or who have created elaborate montages which they insist on giving to the drivers. Whatever the case, I think it's great how passionate our fans are."
NASCAR is going to need those hardcore fans as it attempts to weather an economic crisis which has already resulted in substantial team mergers, closures, layoffs, slow ticket sales and major sponsorship losses. Given those concerns, I asked Journo to gaze into his crystal ball and describe what NASCAR looks like five years from now.
Surprisingly, he was quite optimistic:
"I think next season is going to be rough, but I don't think NASCAR is going anywhere. As the economy recovers, you are going to see more companies return to the sport … I think we are going to see a return to the basics by both NASCAR and the teams. The days of bloated staffs and salaries have come to an end. I think the focus will return to the fan (whom I believe has been severely neglected). I am sure we will still have the COT, maybe new bodies, and certainly new stickers. I think the Chase will still be part of NASCAR's plan. I think there may be a new manufacturer; perhaps there will be one or two less. Ultimately, I think NASCAR in five years will be trimmer but better off for the struggles they are almost certainly about to encounter."
NASCAR fans of all kinds will find something worth reading at TNI, whether it's the latest garage gossip, the answer to a question you've always been curious about, or simply a fun way to follow the sport from the perspective of two current insiders.
"First and foremost, we want people to be entertained by what we write," notes Journo. "If we aren't doing that, there really is no point for us to continue."
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