Cedar Lake ended up canceling their show today. There aren't any other tracks I could attend on this short of a notice. I had already made a decision not to stand out in the 30mph northwest wind and near freezing temps forecasted for CLS. The rain and cancellation sealed the deal.
In spite of my decision when I saw a post that Deer Creek would still be racing I felt a twinge of responsibility to make the trip down there to gather content for my "Inside Dirt" column in the Midwest Racing Conneciton. I had to remind myself of my Deer Creek experience a couple of years ago. Rob Hahn was still the publisher of MRC and he had a deal to distribute papers at the track so the management had to know about my column. Earlier that week Rob had set me up as a call in guest on Chris Hawkey's show on KFAN so I mentioned the Deer Creek races on the air. In addition to that Rob had called in advance and notified the Deer Creek management that I would be attending the IRA Sprint Car/USMTS race on behalf of MRC. When I got to the track and tried to sign in at the pit gate they gave me an awful hassle and it appeared that they weren't even going to let me in. What was happening didn't make any sense, the track distributed MRC in the concession stand, I gave Deer Creek PR on the radio, Rob had given advance notification and they're still not going to allow me a media pass? Screw the Deer Creek Speedway, I'll never go there again. All I had heard was how great the management was then this guy at the pit gate treats me for lack of a better word, like shit.
That's one of the things that irritates me about Wissota tracks. I know a couple photographers who have ATD cards and they could have shown up that same day at Deer Creek with no advance notice and gotten in. Some have admitted to me that during the course of the season ATD might only use one or two of their photos but they're getting in free several times per week all year. I have sent ATD a few pics and even did a race summary one time so I think I could say that I have contributed more as an outsider than some of their contributors. I have been writing my MRC column for ten years, contributed countless photos to papers and magazines, done radio and television and I can't get into a Wissota track without making special arrangements. I even know of one photographer who printed up some cards on his computer, showed up at the gate at several tracks and told them that he shoots for my gotomn.com website and they let him in. I didn't endorse his actions and didn't even know about it until afterwards. As a matter of fact I believe that one of those tracks might have been Deer Creek but I don't remember for sure. Go figure, I have never used my own website for credentials but somebody else does and they get in. I really appreciate it when tracks recognize my contributions to our local racing but very few do.
People get jealous of writers and photographers and think it's all fun and games but it's actually a lot of work. Anybody who has had to meet writing deadlines knows that it's not easy and there are a lot of nights where it feels more like a part time job. The racing media work commitment is a big one and all the more so with increased fuel costs. Tracks are getting publicity whenever any writer shows up at their facility regardless of whether it's the "official paper" or some other publication. I'm sure that when the weather improves my outlook will change but lately I haven't been anticipating the season. Nobody told me that grandkids would drop by on Saturday afternoon and tug at my heart strings when I was on my way out the door. Things come up in life that make some seasons more difficult than others. This is shaping up to be one of those more difficult years.
Not that a $25 pit pass is going to break me but that's the deal with the publications for all writers and photographers. They get us in and we'll work our asses off for them, they don't and it makes it more difficult to meet our obligations to them. It's as simple as that. If anyone thinks that their favorite ATD writers and photographers are paying to get into Wissota tracks they're living in a dream world. These guys obligate themselves to ATD or other publications and they couldn't do it if they didn't get some compensation. They don't get paid for their articles and pics, they don't get a mileage allowance, their pass is their only compensation. I get in a bind with the cancellations because I have no plan B to fall back on. Tracks seem to want a weekly commitment and I can't give them that.
So I wonder who's going to win that Richmond race tonight? When I stop and think about it what's more fun, sitting in my recliner watching Richmond in HD with surround sound or spending $75 in gas not knowing if DC will honor my MRC pass and standing out in a brutal wind chill? Not to mention the dozens of additional cars that are going to show up and drag the show out so I wouldn't get home until 2 or 3 am when I've got company coming over tomorrow. So I think I got the better end of this deal. There is only so much misery I'd be willing to put myself through to watch a gazillion Supers and B Mods.
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