THE STATE OF OUR SPORT

By: Andy D’Addario
Guest Contributor

I could have titled this article, “Save our
Speedway”, but I absolutely hate the
thought that our speedways need
to be “Saved.”

With that, it’s time to begin again.

Yes, this is what it takes to get Andy
back out of hibernation. And, I’m off my
meds, and way jacked up on Diet Coke
as I write this. Prepare yourselves.

To be precise and to the point right out
of the gate,

 I am not laying down for anyone, it’s not
going happen.



"WE” THE RACING FAMILY

I am going use the word “we” throughout
this article, but when I say “we” I mean
the entire Racing Community as a whole.

I remember so vividly that Saturday
night I put on the orange crew shirt
of our Sportsman team for the first
time. It was that night I was
christened into The Racing Family.

I had made the transition from
Fan to Racer. There was no
ceremony, but ohthe roar of
the crowd, the bright lights as
we rolled out onto the start-finish
line. That WAS the ceremony.

That night changed my life.

This article is going to be
talking to you, all the members
of our Racing Family.

On its behalf, I will be asking
for your support of the
National Orange Show Speedway.
But it really is much larger than
that. If “we” allow OSS to close,
what’s next? Your track, that’s
what. And if you think even a
beautiful facility like Irwindale
is completely safe, I wouldn’t
count on that by any means.
We gave up on Altamont,
Saugus, El Cajon, Champion,
(plug in your local racetrack
that is now gone wherever you
are reading this) etc.  Yes, we
gave up and allowed “them”
to take it from us.

The larger and very real question
then becomes: Are we willing to
give up our sport? That is the
real question to answer, because
that is where we are headed.
Little by little we’ve given up. 

One Racer there (“he was a back
marker and can’t drive”), 

THE PAST

COUPLE OF YEARS

Ok, here we are on the eve of
2011, and things are well….
different than when I last
wrote you.

Most of our tracks are
struggling along somehow,
someway. I honestly felt this
would be a better time for
them. During a bad economy
(in the past) people stayed
home and enjoyed local
entertainment, like our tracks.
It didn’t quite work out that
way at all this time around.
I was well…..wrong.

THE NATIONAL

ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY: 

For 63 years the Racers of OSS
have prepared their cars, and
took to the ¼ mile. She had
decades of great success
with thousands in the stands
every Saturday. I could write
50 pages on her history and
name drivers from Parnelli Jones
to Foyt, Ron Hornaday Sr. and Jr.,
to Jimmy Insolo and Jack McCoy,
to Ivan Baldwin and Championship
crew chief Gary Nelson. We brought
her generations of racing glory
through the past half century, and
she was very good to us in return.
Thousands of fans came to watch
and enjoy with their families,
keeping our sport healthy and
growing in San Bernardino.

Frankly, the last few years have
not been kind at all to her, as
those families have gone on
to do other things.

As many of you know Mr. Rick
McCray took over the reins of
OSS two seasons ago. He did
an outstanding job and made
dozens of improvements.
And, he did this all during the
largest economic recession we
will see in our lifetimes. But,
for reasons that have been
announced through press releases
(the economy and sponsorships)
or rumor mill (the Fair Board and
City block success at every
opportunity) the end result is the
same. The McCray family is leaving
and our 2011 season in serious
danger.

On behalf of the entire Racing
Family, a big Thank You to the
McCrays for everything they did!

They are indeed going to be
extremely difficult to replace.
Many of you are “saying your
good byes” and “it’s been so
great” and, “we’ll miss you’s”
as you give her up with no fight.
It’s like a little puppy dog with
a tail between its legs.
Arrgh, pathetic, and this is precisely
why I am here writing you. 

WHO DO WE BLAME?

As is now standard for my Passive /
Aggressive articles for those of you
that actually enjoy my “writings,”
let’s start with the aggressive part first.

Many like to place blame. After
spending years now researching
these issues, the picture has become
crystal clear for me. I blame US.
Yup, us. We were given a growing
and financially healthy sport by all
the amazing drivers, crews, and
promoters we now look back so
fondly on, and dropped the ball… Big Time.

We let them down. Yes, make no
mistake, WE failed all those great
drivers each one of you name
in admiration so often. But we never
fail to find ways to place the blame.
It’s the liberals, it’s the conservatives,
it’s the regulations, it’s the lawyers,
it’s the liability insurance companies,
it’s the illegals, it’s the lazy welfare
recipients in a welfare State, it’s
the demographics, it’s the
environmentalists, it’s the
politicians, it’s this particular
sanctioning body. On and on and on.

I respond to that…..blah, blah,
freaking blah. I am just not
interested in excuses,
and at this point, neither
is “she.”

We were not only destined and
obligated to pass it on, but pass
it on better than we received it.
That is what all those Racing
Greats expected from us, and
would have wanted us to do for
them. Do you really think they
would have accepted things
the way they are today? Not a
chance.

We let down Altamont. We let
one attorney (of all freaking
people) beat us to the line.
We let one single person beat
a Racing Community of thousands.
Really? We actually allowed that
to happen? We deserve exactly
what we are getting and I am
embarrassed for us, I really am.

At the end of the day there really is
no one to blame but us.

Are we better “competing”
against each other like we
have been? (and don’t pretend
like you don’t know what I am
referring to here guys be it
uncommon and proprietary rules,
uncomplementary schedules,
stealing teams and even sponsors
from the next closest track or race
team, etc.).  Don’t think this
stuff doesn’t go unnoticed.

Has that worked in the least?
You already know the answer.

Or, are we better working
together making our sport
strong? Are we better working
together, from the top of our
sport down, and keeping every
possible member in our Family
AND gaining new ones?

PASSING ON

THE EXPERIENCE

If you can’t do this for our
past by honoring all those
great driver and teams,
then please PLEASE
do this for our future. If
we choose to continue
down this path, our sport
will indeed not survive us.
And even worse….

Ended because of us.

Ok, and now the Passive part.

It is not too late. I am asking
you to Act in a massive way
to stop this right here and
right now. I do have work
for you, but it won’t take
more than a few minutes
of your time. You spend
hour and hours, (sometimes
until the sun comes up)
getting a tenth faster, right?
You can spend a few minutes
on this so you still have a
place to show off that tenth.

We are again drawing a line
in the sand right here at
Orange Show Speedway.
I made the same challenges
to you with Madera, and
action did happen.

My personal hero, Mr. Kenny
Shepherd, stepped up and
took on a huge financial
responsibility and personal
time investment. It was
something he didn’t have to,
but felt he HAD to do.

He took on a speedway that
was quite literally dead and
continues on in the fight.
Kenny, I can never thank you
enough.

And WE HAVE to do this too!

Are we going to pass on the
experience that is Saturday
Night racing to our kids, grand
kids, and great grandkids, or
are we going to lie down and
give up? Are we going to make
excuses and fail the past classic
63 years of drivers, teams,
sponsors, and officials that
created OSS all those years
ago that made it successful…………..
while we couldn’t?

Or, are we going to make
them PROUD?  The choice is
yours. I’ve made mine, but
I cannot do this alone. I need
each and every one of you to
help. “It Takes a Village” is so
very true, and without it,
our effort fails.

I am asking for your help like
I never have before.

WHAT I AM ASKING?

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41558.html 

Andydadd (at) yahoo (dot) com

We need the entire racing
community to come together
once again in a Call to Action.
Every racer, every fan, every
sponsor, every sanctioning
body, and everyone reading
this. With that power we will
be calling upon every local,
state, and national political
representative until they are
sick of hearing from us.
We will reach out to every
potential Sponsor and Promoter
until we have won.   

I for one am not giving up on OSS,
she didn’t give up on us. 




Andy D’Addario  

Saugus, CA.