CONCORD, N.C. — Forty years ago, I began working as a newspaper journalist.
Gulp.
While that’s a big milestone — and a sobering reminder that I’m not getting any younger — it wasn’t until I started with National Speed Sport News in 1988 that I realized how much broader my horizons had become.
First, moving from the bustling urban confines of Muncie, Ind. — and those of you who have been there realize how tongue-in-cheek that statement is — to the actual doorstep of The Big Apple was a unique experience. When I say unique, I mean … Oh my goodness, this is crazy.
But what I had going for me was … National Speed Sport News, now SPEED SPORT. Any serious race fan of the past 50 years knew the name. They definitely knew the editor and his notebook, and if delivery was a tick late, we heard about it early and often.
But what a world it opened up to me. From covering the occasional race at Winchester Speedway, Muncie Motor Speedway or Mt. Lawn Speedway to being at Daytona during Speedweeks, working at Indy for the month of May and whatever sort of racing I wanted to cover the rest of the year, the vista expanded exponentially.
Along with Mike Kerchner — I suppose I have to call him boss now — we covered a lot of ground, chewing dirt in central Pennsylvania, being shaken out of our boots at drag races and just living the life of motorsports gypsies.
We also did a week’s work in two days for much of that time because a publication that was not only national, but international, doesn’t put itself together 50 times a year.
The people I met — from Paul Newman to Jackie Stewart to Roger Penske to Tony Stewart, Joe Gibbs and Dale Earnhardt among others — still stay with me to this day, and while some of them have retired or passed on, it’s something to remember.
Those of you who have stayed from the previous iteration of NSSN to the current one, have seen all this happen and every day I wake up I still give a thought to all of you who read — and now view and listen to — the content provided here. Mike is still at the helm, putting out great issue after great issue, and we occasionally reminisce about some of the stuff we did as younger — and dumber! — men.
In February, the Northeast is a bit chilly to be standing outside watching winged sprint cars run, even if it was the Pennsylvania Posse. Yet, there we were, freezing to death in the infield at Lincoln Speedway, watching the action.
The following day, we hiked down toward Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway for a combo sprint car/late model program that was rained out, but not before stopping at Gettysburg. We took the normally three-hour-long driving tour in about 45 minutes and still managed to shiver at the top of the hill that General Pickett’s troops charged up.
It’s things like that which stand out all these years later.
Over those 40 years, I got to see so much — two more drivers added to the list of four-time Indy 500 winners, Stewart claim USAC’s Triple Crown, Dale Earnhardt win the Daytona 500 and Steve Kinser master Knoxville in person.
Mike and I were in the office the morning Ayrton Senna was killed at Imola, and we had to drive to Connecticut for a modified race thinking about that and what we were going to have to do to tell the story to our readers. Stuff like that never truly leaves your mind upon reflection.
The humbling thing about 40 years in the biz is … you have to realize that SPEED SPORT has been in existence far longer. In 1934, when it began, it was one of several. Now, 87 years later, it is really one of the last remaining aspects of motorsports history. Sure, it has changed hands a couple of times and it is no longer a 50-week-a-year odyssey, but an every-month reminder that no matter how old you get or how your interests might change, there’s still the familiar and very, very necessary publication in the mailbox.
To all of you still reading, I thank you. To all those with whom I was able to help provide your weekly dose of news and information, you’re still the best race fans and friends ever. As to what will happen during my next 40 years … well, we’ll just wait and see what comes my way.
I can’t wait to see it happen.