Pit Passes
M.L. Morgan (referee)
Well, race fans, we have decided to turn our Sound Off! page over to you. This will be your forum and we encourage you to submit your opinions to us. Don't be bashful.
Kriss sent us a fine piece last week about that travesty in Texas and I'm sure you'll enjoy her comments this time just as much. Please feel free to join in.
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M.L. Morgan Back
to "Race Views" Front Page
I read an article the other day about pit & garage passes, or lack
thereof. This really got me to thinking. I thought about how all those
people get their little plastic necklaces with PIT PASS or VIP GARAGE
PASS printed on it. Most know someone who know someone who works for a
company who has them. Some really lucky people actually know a member of
the teams and acquire the passes from that person. A few deal with
companies who possess the passes, so they get them for spending money
for the company's products. A few work for for companies such as GM,
DuPont, Valvoline, Lowe's or Home Depot and their cheapskate boss gave
them the passes in lieu of a real bonus, {Not knowing they are worth
more than their weight in gold to a REAL Nascar fan!} The rest are
bought through very expensive tour groups. That leaves me, and no doubt
many other parents like myself, out of the game. How many times have we,
as parents, taken our kids to the race, only to hear them beg to go
where the "lucky people" are? They want to see the garages, hear the
cars up close, watch them being worked on, and if the kids are really
lucky, actually meet their heroes. I can't count the times I have seen
a parent in despair at the track trying to explain to a child why they
can't go into the pits. Most of the times, its like my situation: After
paying through the nose for the tickets, rooms and various other
expenses like 9 bucks for a hamburger or hot dog and a soda, they can't
afford the high price of a pass. IF they got lucky enough to be in the
situation to buy one. {Besides the fact that I am not important or
'connected' enough to have any given to me and my child.} And many
times I have seen and been one of the parents who swears they'll do
anything to get their child into the pits. Then, disappointed, not been
able to because passes are scarce, after they are mostly rewarded to
the sponsors and elite who have connections. I wonder if the 'powers
that be' realize that most passes they hand out are used by people who
wouldn't know Dale Jarrett from Dale Earnhardt if they bit them on the
ass? Or a Winston Cup car from a Busch car? I feel the passes should not
be made available to the sponsors, but to the fans. I know, I know,
without the sponsors, there would be no races. But do they not meet the
drivers when negotiating? Are they not able to go to the garages? If
there were no fans, there would be no races, Right? Don't you get sick
of seeing all the rich, socially connected people with the VIP passes
hanging around their neck, asking "who drives this car?" "Is he any
good?" or my personal favorite: "I work for *blank* so I have to pull
for *blank* because they gave me this important plastic necklace that
gets me where you people wish you could go.....even though I know
nothing about the sport.... you mean all they do is drive in circles?"
Yeah Buddy, unless there is a wreck, a cut tire or Nascar imagines oil
on the track and decides to throw a caution so the field can bunch up..
then you'll see pit stops... lucky you, up close; hope you don't get run
over by an out of control car you lucky moron! I say take those passes
from these people and give them to the real fans, the ones that make
NASCAR what it is. Be watching for me when that happens... I'll be the
first in line with my coat, gloves and ear muffs on.... cause you know
that will be the day Hell just froze over.
--
Kriss Hollis
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AOL IM "Kriss6fan"
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