Full Throttle

Previously I had posted a few words on the Old School Racing Series that was to see the starters flag sometime this year. As a new series it has been universally applauded by many including myself, as an interesting way to get some of the past NASCAR stars out of the shadows and back unto a brighter stage.

A few days ago I noticed and commented on a post at One Bad Wheel (OBW) on the apparent demise of the series at least for this year.

As a side note, if you haven’t signed up to play Champs, Chumps and Sleepers at OBW you’re missing out on a free opportunity to look like a fool. Well, actually maybe that’s just me, but you get the idea. It’s not often you can play a game for free and win prizes doing it, so get over there.

Anyway on to the meat of this post. Old School Racing has announced a postponement of its inaugural season. According to the promoters they are looking forward to starting the series in spring 2009 vice this year and the delay “will allow a partnership to form that will make the OSR bigger and better for the drivers, crews and fans.”

Ok, so that’s the obligatory fluff issued by some PR type. Here’s the real meat behind the delay.

Apparently the placed their trust in a marketing agent that was contracted to promote the series. Last December series officials attended the Performance Racing Trade Show held in Orlando Fl. where it was believed OSR was to be promoted by the marketing agent.

Instead, and quoting from the OSR website, “…. instead of working out of the OSR booth, the marketing agent was in another booth representing another racing series. We came to find out that he had recently purchased that tour.

From August thru December, he was promoting his new series instead of OSR. All of the sponsorship figures he had been presenting to OSR was a lie, for his own series, or just blatantly fabricated. One of the potential title sponsors he was touting had never even received a call from the marketing agent. A big “lesson learned” here, for sure.”

Can you spell Shyster? (a term usually reserved for lawyers at FT but will make an exception this time - ed)

The big question I have is where the hell were the OSR officials for all those months between August when he was allegedly promoting OSR and late December when they discovered he was a crook?

That’s nearly 5 months this guy apparently did nothing he was contracted for while the OSR promoters did what? Nothing from the looks of it.

I’m far from a business genus, and even less so in promoting a new racing series but Geesh Marie, who the hell was watching the store? Shouldn’t someone, anyone, at OSR have been checking on this guy after spending the cash to employ him?

Maybe I missed something, or maybe OSR officials are the proverbial “babes-in-the-woods” and will learn from their mistakes.

One at least one would hope they did, if not this series won’t ever see the light of day.

And we all lose in that case

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