Monday, August 28, 2000
Speedway fans eat up breakfast of champions
By Patrick Crowley
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPARTA, Ky. — Could you imagine Reds or Bengals players meeting with fans less than four hours before a game to eat breakfast, pose for photographs and sign autographs?
Not likely.
But in auto racing, drivers and car owners realized long ago that giving fans access to the sports' marquee athletes helps fuel excitement and interest in racing.
At Sunday's inaugural running of the Belterra Resort Indy 300 in Sparta, fans were allowed to mingle with some of the drivers during a continental breakfast the Kentucky Speedway served in the track's garage area.
With the green start flag scheduled to drop at 2:30 p.m., drivers came off a morning practice run about 11 a.m. to find thousands of fans gobbling breakfast of bagels, muffins, fruit, danish, coffee and soft drinks.
“This is great,” said Cindy Reeder of Springfield, Ohio, who was waiting for autographs with her 11-year-old daughter, Andrea. “We love to watch racing, but it's great that the drivers come and meet the fans like this.
“It's one of the reasons people come to races.”
More than 61,000 people attended Sunday's race — one of the largest crowds in the Indy Racing League's five-year history.
Eddie Cheever Jr., one of the circuit's top drivers, moved through the crowd and stopped every few feet to sign his name or pose for pictures with doting fans.
“The fans are great,” Mr. Cheever said as he scratched an autograph for Katelynne Taborsky, 11, of Gary, Ind.
“They come to see people, the drivers, not the cars.”
Sometimes.
Four members of Al Unser Jr.'s fan club — Indianapolis residents Dawn Kline, 31, Martha Cook, 74, Dianna Harmon, 50, and Sandy Glassing, 54 — stood in a line four deep just to look at their favorite driver's race car.
“We love Al,” said Mrs. Cook, the oldest member of the fan club. “If we can't see him, we'll look at his car.”
Former Reds great Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hit leader, served as grand marshall of the race. He said other major-league sports players and owners could learn a lesson from the fan-friendly attitude of professional race car drivers.
“The drivers just go out of their way to spend time with the fans and really make them feel appreciated,” Mr. Rose said.
“That's one of the reasons this sport is so popular. The fans feel almost like they are part of the action.”
Even as a group of drivers sat at tables and signed autographs for fans, the longest line was for Mr. Rose, the self-proclaimed “Hit King.”
Brandon Gardner, 12, of Friendship, Ind., stood in line for about 45 minutes to get Mr. Rose's autograph.
“I like racing, and I'm going to try and get some of the drivers' autographs,” Brandon said. “But since Pete Rose is here I really want to get him.”
While others tried to meet the drivers, Gary and Kendra McCool sipped cans of beer and watched their sons — Brandon, 10, and Bryan, 8 — kick a soccer ball around a flat ridge near the speedway
entrance.
The McCools, owners of a recreational vehicle dealership in West Chester Township, arrived at the speedway Thursday and stayed in one of their RVs. By race time, more than 100 RVs, campers, trailers and other vehicles lined the top of the hill that rises from the track's south side.
“You can't beat it,” said Mr. McCool, who from his vantage point in a lawn chair next to his RV had a complete view of the 1.5-mile oval track.
“It's relaxing, it's not as crowded, the kids can play and we can see the whole race. This is the only way to go.”
Brian Herrmann of Union and John Gambrall of Florence mix work and pleasure at the speedway.
The two race fans work for Rozzi's Famous Fireworks in Loveland, which provides a fireworks show at the speedway.
“We get to come here, make some money, see the race and play with explosives,” Mr. Gambrall said. “It doesn't get any better than that.”
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