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11-27-2006
SPEED Opens Second Week of Fan Voting for Speed Performance Awards
OOPS, TELL IT LIKE IT IS AND TEMPER, TEMPER
CAUGHT ON VIDEO FOR FAN VOTING
MILLER, SHEHEEN OFFER PERSPECTIVE ON ALL FAN CATEGORIES
SPEED opened its second week of fan voting on
SPEEDtv.com for the inaugural SPEED Performance Awards on Monday, rolling
out three more categories - OOPS, Tell it Like it Is and Temper, Temper. The
categories are the second three of nine that will have nominees unveiled over
four weeks, with results being part of the first SPEED Performance Awards
television program scheduled to debut Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
SPEEDtv.com writer Robin Miller and SPEED on-air personality Ralph Sheheen, both
panelists for selecting the SPEED Performer of the Year, weigh in with their
thoughts on criteria for fans to consider:
1) What makes for a good motor sports rivalry?
Miller: Obviously, performance is paramount; I mean who really cares
about guys who run in the back? In the case of (Paul) Tracy and (Sebastien)
Bourdais, there is an underlying respect but it's overshadowed by their hatred
of each other. That's what racing needs, more hate and less hugging and back
slapping.
Sheheen: When two or more competitors continue to push each other so that
they have to elevate their game both on and off the track on a weekly basis …
that is a great rivalry. When that happens, we tend to see those racers do
things that we never thought were possible.
2) What defines a major upset in racing?
Miller: When a small budget operation (Jim Guthrie) beats a billionaire's
team (John Menard with Tony Stewart driving) because it happens so rarely. It
also helps when it's a driver who has NEVER won before or a team that's NEVER
won before.
Sheheen: When a racer and or team knock off the most dominant competitor
at the track, whether that is the reigning series champion or just the local
go-fast guy at that particular track … that is a major upset.
3) Would racing have the same appeal without the occasional spectacular
crash?
Miller: Not with the mainstream. Katherine Legge was on every talk and
entertainment show because she walked away from a spectacular crash and that was
her 15 minutes of fame. The national media doesn't care but show them a fiery
crash or a fatality and suddenly it's Page One.
Sheheen: Obviously, no real race fan wants to see anyone get hurt. But
big crashes quickly remind us just how close to the ragged edge the competitors
are at all times, and how skilled they really are. It helps to keep the
excitement level high, as long as no one gets hurt.
4) Is there humor in motor sports?
Miller: Not nearly enough … the drivers are all too rich and selfish
anymore to actually have fun like the Unsers did in the '60s and '70s. Big money
has sucked the humor out of the sport.
Sheheen: There is definitely humor in motor sports. Like all sports,
racing is full of highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies and certainly humor.
Big contributors to the humor are the unusual and colorful characters who help
to make up the sport.
5) How can you tell when you are getting a unique interview?
Miller: If it's somebody who is never afraid to speak his mind like a
Tracy or (Tony) Stewart, you probably take it for granted. Whereas, when Al
Unser Sr. confided to me why he quit the Chaparral ride and hated engines leases
it was big news because he NEVER revealed anything to reporters. I guess it's
predicated on the personality you're interviewing and so many of them are dial
tones or PR flaks anymore, the good interviews are few and far between. You can
tell if it's unique because it makes you listen.
Sheheen: The expression of the person you are interviewing can give you a
big clue as to how the conversation is going. You can tell pretty quickly if
they are interested or just giving you rehearsed answers. It's fairly easy to
tell if they are putting some thought into their response.
6) What makes for a fantastic finish?
Miller: Most races aren't very good, but it doesn't matter because the
fans only remember the finish anyway. Just like the 1992 Indy 500, terrible
race, fabulous finish. All it takes is two guys willing to do whatever is
necessary to win.
Sheheen: Side by side off the last corner with the wheels sliding and
smoking all the way to the checkers.
7) Do champions make for poor losers?
Miller: More often than not, although Sam Hornish Jr. and Gil de Ferran were
two class acts. Foyt was a terrible loser while Mario was classy even in the
most god awful moments, like when he broke at Indy with a two-lap lead in 1987.
I think a lot of the guys who became sore loser champions were sore losers long
before that (aka Tony Stewart, a punk from the age of 12 on).
Sheheen: Bad attitudes make for poor losers. True champions might be
frustrated, disappointed, etc., about a loss, but they turn that into drive and
determination to win again next week.
8) Victory celebrations - what makes them unique?
Miller: (Alex) Zanardi was unique and copied by everyone. Castroneves was
also something new and now everyone thinks Stewart started climbing the fence
first. But these drivers need to think of something different or cool or simply
pull into victory lane if you can't. Kurt Busch was embarrassing.
Sheheen: Creativity! Be an individual, do something new, something we
have never seen before. Or make it a tradition that has some real meaning to it
like the milk at Indy or kissing the cow after winning the Milk Bowl at Ken
Squiers' Thunder Road!
9) Talent is getting younger and younger … is it good for motor sports?
Miller: Good and bad. Many are being thrown in way too soon and there
should be some kind of apprenticeship. But car owners are sheep and it's always
monkey-see, monkey-do, so it's only going to keep getting younger and younger.
Sheheen: Young racers tend to be fearless which can be thrilling to
watch. It can also be terrifying. This is the same problem most major
professional sports have faced. There has to be an age limit. The bigger problem
is that if these young racers don't produce right out of the box, they are
washed up before they are 20.
Go to SPEED on TruckSeries.com
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