After doing my blogs for Volusia and Charlotte for DTD the past two years I’ve received a ton of positive comments and requests to write more. So here I am! I plan on doing a blog a month for my website. Any other blogs I do outside of here will be mentioned on my website for everyone to go and check out so you won’t miss anything!
I’ve realized over the past couple of years that our sport is taking a major beating. I’ve decided that I want my first blog to be about the love/hate relationship we all have with racing.
I don’t know how many times I’ll leave the track, go on social media and just see everyone bashing one another, the tracks, the people, the surface, the officials, even the food. Yes, I get it that you’re angry but all of those people that see what you write probably won’t want to go to the races by the way you talk about it. Better yet, you’ll have those people that sit behind their computers bashing drivers or tracks that weren’t even there to witness anything. It’s absurd. I know we want everyone to know our problems but why do we allow this to happen? Why? Because that’s what people feed off of, negativity. Nobody likes to see other people or tracks doing better than them. Some people just like to kick others when they’re down.
This is where things need to change. WE are the ones that are hurting our sport. WE are the ones that need to make a difference to better our sport and bring it back. 
I see tracks that are hurting on car counts, tracks hurting on fan count, you name it, it’s probably hurting. We all need to work together. From owners, to drivers, to fans, to the guy walking around selling ice cream out of his cooler. I’ve seen plenty of disagreements, fists swung, words being said. But in reality, we all need to come to an understanding. Once you kill something, how easy is it to bring it back? I don’t want to see another track close, nobody does. This is our sport. So let’s do something about it before it’s too late.
I know I’m not innocent. I’ve had my fair share of words, I’ve cried, I’ve sworn I’d never go back, I’d burn the place down, you name it, I’ve probably said it. It disgusts me that just a couple years ago I couldn’t wait to go to the races. Now, I can’t wait to go home. It shouldn’t be like that. I won’t bad mouth a track though, I don’t agree with that. As much as we may disagree with some owners or employees, etc., they give us a track to race on. They give us a place to call home, a place to bring your family, crack open a cold one and spend your night eating dirt sprinkled cheese fries. But, in my opinion, that doesn’t allow the tracks to manipulate us (drivers/fans). Charging an arm and a leg to get in, making changes without telling anyone, new rules, etc. I feel that we are and should be all in this together. I obviously don’t own or promote a track. I’m just a girl that has seen it all behind the scenes for 22 years. If we have true suggestions or questions, I feel like they should be heard and/or considered. Nothing negative of course, anything to help the sport, help the drivers or the track. As I said and will say again and again, we are all in this together.
Racing is in my blood, it’s what I live and breathe. To see my father or brother get frustrated over people tearing them apart or even the tracks giving them a hard time, it breaks my heart. They race because it’s what they love. If what they love gives them more stress than anything, why continue doing it? I get it. My dad has won way more races than I can even imagine, it’s incredible. He’s made mistakes too, it’s human. But is it really necessary to tear him apart like he’s garbage? He’s putting on a show for you to watch. Win or lose, people still pay to come see it. Now that my brother has made a name for himself, when he wins, people boo like crazy. Nobody likes a winner. But nobody ever thinks about the hard work, the late nights and dedication they put into those cars. It’s a shame. Especially when you think about it like that. So, as my mother would always tell me, watch your p’s and q’s. You wouldn’t want someone to talk like that about you, so why do it?
It’s definitely a no-brainer that our sport feeds off of rivalries. It’s what makes the sport exciting. For some, the rivalry becomes more than just competition, it becomes personal and brutal, a pure hatred. I’ve heard of fans vandalizing other peoples vehicles just because of the stickers that were on their cars. I feel that associating yourself with the wrong team doesn’t make you a bad person, it’s your behavior that does.
Just last week my dad finally won in his modified at New Egypt. It took until the beginning of August to get his first win of the season at his weekly track. You know how much of a weight was lifted off of our shoulders to finally get a win in!? I was ecstatic. I got out of the stands and ran to victory lane with the biggest smile on my face. I get out there (not knowing there’s a new rule) and the manager of the track just told me I had to get off the track. So I did, I didn’t fight or argue. I walk up through the flaggers stand and there’s fans yelling at me for being on the track and that they should disqualify my dad because we didn’t follow the rules. I couldn’t believe it. All I said was that I didn’t know there were new rules that we couldn’t go on the track. It was our first win of the season, how were we supposed to know!? And the one lady got really loud and nasty. I couldn’t believe it. My emotions went from ecstatic to upset in a split second thanks to some “fans.” As much as we love a good fought rivalry, some behaviors just aren’t necessary. Is it even possible to have a good rivalry with good spirit and principle anymore?
I recently made a friend with a very sweet girl, Brooke Rowden, who travels the country with her boyfriend that races wingless sprints. She wrote a blog similar to this topic a ways back and it opened my eyes to realize that we really are the problem. WE have to be the change we want to see in this sport. So instead of all the negativity, let’s make a difference. Every time I leave the races now, after we’ve flipped, didn’t finish, ran out of fuel, won, finished second, etc. I like to think positive (I have to admit, it isn’t easy sometimes). I like to think to myself a couple of positive things that happened. Maybe you got to see a few friends you haven’t seen in a while, the car finished in one piece, your favorite driver won, you got an extra chicken nugget in your basket than what you paid for, whatever makes your heart happy. Maybe even post it so everyone can see. Give it a shot! What will it hurt?
I know it’s not much but I hope this blog is a start to help open some eyes. I promise, my next blog will hopefully be on a more positive note! If anyone has any suggestions on what I should write about let me know. I’d be glad to take in any suggestions, positive suggestions, of course!!
http://mandeepauch.com/2015/08/17/the-ugly-truth-about-racing/#more-94
