Fan Commentary

Sticking My Neck Out

by Grandstand Bob

ISC must really think that we're stupid. They want us to believe that our safety is the primary reason that most coolers are banned at their tracks. Yeah, and Robby Gordon will win most popular driver this year.

Yes, there is a miniscule chance that a race could be terrorized by a fan packing bombs rather than Budweiser, but don't try to sell me the line that my safety is foremost in ISC's mind. I really think that my wallet is a greater motivation for this policy than my safety.

For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, most tracks hosting Winston Cup races have, for years, allowed fans to bring in a cooler for drinks, food, etc. The cooler had to fit under a fan's seat, and it could not contain glass. As fans passed through the gate, this cooler would be inspected to ensure that it was an allowable size and didn't contain anything inappropriate.

The savings realized from bringing your own food and drink was a great gesture toward fans who had already paid in the $100-range for their tickets. Furthermore, coolers negated the inevitable problem of missing racing action in order to go to the concession stand. There are no time-outs, halftime or the like in racing.

Now, fans attending events at ISC tracks must stand in line to purchase $5 beers. Say you have a beer an hour during a four-hour race. That's an extra $20 in ISC's pocket. Furthermore, if all conditions are right, you might be able to fetch a beer in 10 minutes. Do that four times, and you've missed 40 minutes of racing.

This is only half of the problem, because it's not only coolers that are banned, but also large bags, like those typically used by fans to carry scanners, rain gear, programs and merchandise they might have bought from the souvenir trailers.

Typically, when I go to a race, I bring in a cooler with a few beers and maybe a sandwich or two, and a water bottle or more if it's hot. I also bring in a medium-sized duffel bag which contains two scanners, four headsets, extra batteries, extra splitters, etc. According to ISC's policy, I have two options to carry in my supplies: a soft side bag/cooler, no larger than 6 x 6 x 12 inches, and a clear plastic bag, no larger than 18 x 18 x 4 inches. (ref: Increased Security at Daytona at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.)

Presumably, these policies decrease the likelihood of terrorist attack. I'm sure that it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Americrown<ISC<NASCAR has a supply of overpriced brew they want to sell me.

Fortunately, not all tracks are as detached from the fans. In October, I went through increased screening at the gate before the UAW-GM 500, but I was still able to bring in everything I need, and I didn't miss a minute of the action.

NASCAR fans are great people and great Americans. A terrorist would stick out in a NASCAR crowd like Bill Clinton at an NRA convention. At Charlotte, right before the command to fire engines, the speakers told the crowd that our armed forces where hitting terrorist targets in Afghanistan. If there had been a terrorist in the crowd, he would have been scared as hell by the American fervor.

In summary, I believe that NASCAR races are very unlikely to ever be the site of terrorist attack, and I'm disappointed that ISC has allowed a bunch of fanatics to change the way that we do things. This is still America, and we should continue to embrace the freedoms we had before September 11.

Who Is Grandstand Bob?

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.