Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Its not like he should have a discussion with the kids. Maybe acknowledge the fact that their standing there, getting a freaking shirt they just bought of his signed. Just because your a race car driver doesn't give you the right to be a freaking ass to kids.

"I have met Schatz once. Same thing happened to me. I tried to talk to him by saying a few things like "tough luck tonight" or "good luck the rest of the year" couldn't get a word out of him. Not even a thanks. Turn your kid intO a Darrah fan he talked to me and took a photo 30 seconds after he got back to the pits on the night he won. Awesome kid."

BTW this was while I was getting a hero card signed, not juts me trying to start a random conversation. I was there maybe 15 seconds.

I too, at one time, was not a fan of Donny Schatz. This is well documented between he and I and now, luckily we can laugh about it.

Donny is one of the most intense racers out there. He has a true passion for the sport. And when he's not IN the car, he's thinking about what he can do to the car to make it better.

Would it have been better had he been all smiles and took a picture with your son and had a bubbly personality. For sure! And I love when kids get that attention. But, it's unrealistic to expect that from every driver every race night with every fan.

And yes, there are drivers you've all mentioned on here as being "Great" with the fans that I've also seen be TERRIBLE with fans. There's way more going on in these guys heads than what you see. And just because the race is over, doesn't mean the passion and frustration is gone.

Keep giving these guys a chance. All of them have different personalites. As long as they're not cussing out the fans, beating people up or being derrogatory, I have some hope for all of them. Hopefully you all will try meeting Donny again. He's a good guy.

Some people do go for this very reason. I chose a profession that allows me to be angry after work and not have to deal with the public. These guys did not. If they cannot deal with the public and their fans, they need to immediately go to their trailers after the race and not come out. Otherwise, they are a black-eye on the sport and to me (and many others), not very grateful to the people who, in a round about way, sign their paychecks! They can show some appreciation.

I went to Farley Iowa about 5-7 years ago for a WOO race and on the way over, they canceled the race due to impending storms. We pulled into the office to get a refund for our tickets and almost all of the haulers and drivers had left and were heading out ahead of the storm. There was one driver in the parking lot giving autographs and talking to all of the fans who had been tailgating before the race. That was Steve Kinser. Why would the sports biggest name be out wasting his time when every other driver was already doing 70 MPH down hwy. 20? He was making fans of his for life. I know I am because of that 2 minutes. No matter what he does from this day forth, I will remember that above anything else.

awkward is I would say a good description of how most people would say their meeting of Donny is, at least thats been my small talk with him to this point. But you know what, if I get the opportunity I would start up a conversation with him again. I think for these guys alot of times the grind of talking with people about the same topic 100's of times a day gets to them. I've seen Saldana's name brought up a couple of times as great to talk with but last year after a race I talked to him and got nothing, he didn't win the race though and I think he was frustrated, thats fine and I hold nothing against him and still think he's a good guy, I just caught him at a poor moment.

I don't believe there is a racer out there that got into racing due to their public relations skills, they start racing because they love it and want to win, so personality is a secondary thing and we all know we're only born with 1 of them(unless you have a mental illness, but thats a different discussion), and its not easy to change. But I have thought over the last year or 2 that Donny has been more personable and outgoing in interviews and such so I think he has made a conscious effort to work on it. Maybe he doesn't feel quite as much pressure as he once did.

http://gph.is/XMLGff

I have to agree with Kendra. I was around in the late 70's early 80's at Knoxville and my hero was Doug Wolfgang. There where nights he would stand and talk to you for hours and times he would not come out of the trailer. As a kid I did not under stand why. Now that I am older and involved in racing I understand. They are under a lot of pressure to win! That is how the keep their rides and sponsors. On the other hand they have to understand that most of there little fans only get a chance once or twice a year to see them and to get a shirt autographed can be a life changing experience for them. It could be the next Steve Kinser that got that shirt signed. The drivers have to understand that they are role models for these kids. I would rather stand for hours and autograph shirts on a night I tore my race car up than work a 12 hour shift at the factory any day!

jack hewitt has, and will always be, the driver that i judge all others against. the first time we met, he made us feel like we had known him forever.....and it was like that every time after that. good night or bad, he would always have time to talk.

steve kinser has done a few pretty amazing things for my son when he was growing up that will forever be huge memories.

schatz......i helped rebuild a car he wrecked at the grove one night....wrecked front to back, top to bottom.as i was leaving, he said thanks....that was about it....but i have also seen him partying in the camping area at the grove and he was just great to be around!

timing is everything.

sometimes it is really a sad thing when you finally meet your idol then you find out he is not all that, but it will always serve as an inspiration for budding racers like us to be able to surpass these idols and be able to be a better racer and a better person as well. this only shows that sometimes media really gives us false information or expectations that is why we should not really believe everything until we meet them in person.

So he signed the shirt but didn't say much and this makes him a bad guy??? Please people.

A

No that doesnt make him a bad guy. I think the post said he didnt acknowledge them and just signed the shirt and that was it. I remember getting an autograph from Kenny Bernstein at an NHRA event probably 25 years ago. It was kind of an assembly line type deal but him not even looking up from the table and making any eye contact with his fans or saying anything to them doesnt make him a bad guy but it simply says that his fans are not important to him. That was many years ago and the pit passes then were about thirty bucks and these guys should realize that the fans paying the admission fees are why the events take place....period. No event means no paycheck. Public relations is part of the deal whether Swindell, Schatz or whoever likes it or not.

i have seen donny race since he was 15 at jackson and the other tracks around here. back in the late 90's ealry 2000's i helped sell t shirts out of his trailer at knoxville. the first race that they raced in jackson after many years my son's and i stopped just to see all the cars and they wanted to see donny again, i had no money to go to the races, we parked, walked over to the pit area and the boys were standing on the fence they seen donny after he fired his car and started yelling his name, he came over and talked with the boys, he did not have to but he did, i do not think that he realized it was me, so in my mind he did it for my son's. as he was finishing up talk with us his mom walked by with some stuff for the crew. she asked the boys if they were gonna have fun at the races, i told her that we were not going to be going because i could not afford it, she said hang on i will be right back. when she got done at the hauler she came and got us told me to wait by the ticket stand her and the boys went to the t shirt trailer and when they came back they had new shirts and other stuff, at that point she handed me money for us to go to the races and said have fun. after the races we went back to the hauler and donny talked with the boys more. when we left i felt that we were blessed tro have donny and his mom and dad involved inthe sport. diane did not have to do that but she did, still to this day when we see them the boys get something from her of donny's. so in my opion donny is a good guy, it is just moments that a person is not ready to talk or can seem cold, iam the same way. and so is everyone else on this world.

so that is my donny story, sorry about rambling on, but i had to share

jim

Dianne and Danny are two of the nicest people on the planet and prove it by doing things like you mentioned on a regular basis. They always seem to be laughing and having fun no matter the situation.

Donny, is shy and introverted and is about the opposite as Mom and Dad dealing with people but it does not make him a bad guy like most of the complainers in here are wanting you to believe. How many people in this forum have to deal with the public every day at work? For every good person there is some jerk, half drunk running his mouth, or pushy pain in the butt person demanding he sign this or that, trust me. I spent months with these guys and for the vast majority of the time things are good with the fans and most drivers treat them in a pleasant way. Until you've walked a mile in their shows you have no clue......

Thank you, Jim for sharing this story!

do it in the dirt

Saw a Girl Pick up Her picture and Walk away from Robby Gordon in York PA a few Years ago when He Ignored Her... He actually jumped up from the Table and ran to Appologize and then signed Her Picture... I Loved it...

This world is full of people with different personalities. Every one is not a ball of fire wanting to meet fans. One of the big stars of WOO when you meet him going past you and are the only 2 people there, he looks past you. I like the guy and do not feel he has to stop and talk to me. Alot of things are going thru drivers minds. How would you do if every one that meets you wants something. I want this, I want that. Do not worry about it, and its hard to explain to a kid. If you saw a movie star or a singer on the street, this person was on Leno and Letterman and was all fun and games and the life of the party, you will find out only a few will stop and talk.

This is the World of Outlaws, which has no television deal, no major series sponsorship deal and a following that consists mostly of just the hard cores who will perservere through all the obstacles to follow high level sprint car racing. Let's not compare this with another sport or group of athletes who enjoy a much higher profile. This sport has some issues and shouldn't be its own worst enemy.

Personal PR costs NOTHING. It's basic human kindness. Do these guys have crazy travel schedules and a lot of pressure? Sure, and I'll allow for a bad day here and there. But their livelihood depends on my willingness to plunk down money for a ticket. So if you're going to invite me to the pits and suggest that I buy some of your merchandise, then give me or my kid 30 seconds of small talk and a smile. You need me a lot more than I need you. Believe it or not, I have found other places willing to accept my entertainment dollar, and even work a little bit to earn it.

"I'd pay $15 to watch a sprint car sit still."