Pepsi 400 Postponement

by M.L. Morgan

Since the horrible fires have been raging in Florida there has been some speculation if the Pepsi 400 would (or could) be run on its original schedule. Today, July 2, 1998 at 10:00 a.m. Nascar postponed the race until October 17, 1998. I think Nascar made the perfect decision.

These fires are catastrophic in their destruction. Ten’s of thousands of Florida residents have been displaced from their homes, many of whom will return home to nothing but ashes. That is very tragic. Having to postpone a Winston Cup race for a few weeks is just an inconvenience. Think about it.

I’ve seen some other views in the broadcast and electronic media. The most insensitive deal I saw was a survey on a North Carolina TV-station website inquiring if the readers thought the same fans who had intended to attend this race on July 4, 1998 would return on October 17, 1998. Absolutely tasteless. I happen to live in North Carolina but I’ll never tolerate that kind of crap in the alleged guise of Nascar reporting.

I rarely pretend to be unbiased so I won’t do it now. I personally think Nascar fans are the best there are in all of sports. As intense as they are during a race, they are equally sensitive about life off the track. I heard and read many quotes from the fans who had already arrived at or near the track today, only to find out the race had been postponed. I didn’t miss any of the outpouring of compassion for all the fire victims. I didn’t hear a single race fan complain the race was postponed. I wasn’t surprised.

At the time of this writing I’ve heard only a few comments from or ascribed to the competitors. Each one I’ve received has echoed the opinions of the race fans. Every team would love to race this weekend but they have no problem putting things in perspective. That response didn’t surprise me either.

I give an “attaboy” to Nascar for doing what they needed to do. I often disagree with Nascar but I completely agree with this decision.

Have comments or questions? E-mail: M.L. Morgan

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