Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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I just got 9 copies of Flat Out magazine from a friend who trades me his old magazines for my old NSSN (now Ralph Sheheen's paper) and just read an article by this woman writer for Flat
Out. She was talking about how a local track's fans treat WoO drivers and All Star drivers.

"___________fans don't look at it that way. I think they look at it as the Outlaws invading their turf and they want to massacre them. Last time I was there a WoO driver flipped several times while the ________fans stood and cheered. I could only compare it to an NFL game in overtime and the home team just ran in for a TD for the win and cheered. It was certainly different".

Ya kiddin me Flat Out. This is the type of garbage you allow in your otherwise great magazine. Did the editor read this before going to print? The story should have been changed and the woman read the riot act, or better yet, fire her. Connected brain cells? Don't think so. "Massacre them"? "Flipped several times while the _____fans stood and cheered"? "Compares it to an NFL game where a football was intercepted and a TD was scored"? How in the hell did she come up with that comparison---drunk out of her mind. Does she not know about the hundreds of open wheel drivers that have been killed or maimed over the years. Each and every year we lose driver thru accidents like this, we just don't hear about these brave drivers because they are from Timbukto, US, which in itself is sad. Guess I'll pass on her articles from now on. You want to read this story, December 2011 Flat Out

 Lawlessness and liberalism equals Hell.  NY City, 
Detroit, Seattle, Chicago, Minnepolis, etc. We saw it. 
Burning hundreds of buildings, a thousand assaults and 
dozens of murders. Getting worser and worser.

Kathy freakin' Bell. Good god!

Does anybody remember when Knoxville had the bright idea to put her in the announcing booth?

This is the problem with so called racing "journalists". They write a piece of crap and turn it in to a publication so the can get a press pass.

Zoch has been scraping the bottom of the barrel to find writers who can put a couple of sentences together to have a thought. Obviously, this was the latest failure.

Kathy needs to be put out to pasture. Literally.

Oh and I forgot, the next paragraph she couldn't even guarantee that "fans didn't want anyone to get hurt because she said, "I don't really think anyone wanted someone to get hurt". So you are not sure, is that it?

 Lawlessness and liberalism equals Hell.  NY City, 
Detroit, Seattle, Chicago, Minnepolis, etc. We saw it. 
Burning hundreds of buildings, a thousand assaults and 
dozens of murders. Getting worser and worser.

was she talking about williams grove when donny crashed and people cheered?

to indy and beyond!!

Classy thread.

Kathy Bell wrote what she observed, so whats the big deal. She has written for about 40 years and you are the first one that I know of that complained. I doubt very much that those of you that hate Sammy would not like to see him go end for end.

That would be my guess ... and if so her account is fairly accurate from what I recall... also IIRC someone even threw a beer can at Schatz. Now THAT's classless...

Phil Taylor

home-theater-systems-advice.com

This must be a new low for the Hoseheads forum. Regardless of how you feel about her journalism, your verbal attack against this woman is uncalled for, unacceptable, vile remarks that should make you ashamed of yourself. I know Kathy and she is a warm, sensitive and caring woman who incidentally handled the press credentials at Knoxville for many years and greeted each person with a warm smile and genuine interest. I wonder if you are proud of what you have written and I wonder how you will feel to know that Kathy will be devastated when she reads your inane comments.

Hey...

Madsen - I appreciate the few kind words you said about FlatOut but you need to understand that these are racing columns. I'm not in the habit of editing people's opinions. Yes, the word 'massacre' may be a bit hyperbolic but I didn't find it offensive. I don't agree with or like everything I read in a magazine but I also don't find that makes it any less valuable or interesting. In fact, I kind of like stuff that ruffles my feathers from time to time.

Sprint777x - It pains me to think that someone as sweet and kind as Kathy Bell might log on to this message board and read such vile and disgusting personal attacks from someone who she doesn't even know and doesn't have the courage to post their name. She's an excellent journalist, by the way, and the Knoxville preview paper that she and her brother Perry put out before the Nationals is required reading if you want to know what's going on that week. I've been proud to have her submit articles to FlatOut and wish she had time to do more. If getting people of Kathy Bell's caliber on our freelance writing staff is scraping, I'll be delighted to keep scrubbing the barrel.

Oh, and by the way, Kathy does not write for a press pass, I can assure you. For many, many years, she had the job of handling press credentials at the Knoxville Nationals and was acutely aware of people who deserved them and those who did not. She did a great job in a thankless position.

Thanks,

Justin Zoch

Editor - FlatOut Magazine

Well said Justin. Keep printing Flat Out just the way you do!!!

 It's not a wall,grow some balls boy,its a cement 
cushion!!  
          

+1

i was just wondering, and i do remember hearing something about beer can throwing.

it really doesn't matter where she was talking about, only if what she was relating was accurate. if that is what she saw and the feeling she got from it, then it is what it is.

to indy and beyond!!

The ironic thing is there is actual video of a beer can flying in at Schatz as he was climbing out of the wreck in turn 3 at the Grove. I've also witnessed people on the frontstretch cheer when the 15 got into an accident before they knew he was alright.

This doesn't in any way reflect on all the fans at the Grove, but it also doesn't mean it didn't happen.

and those are some of the same people who rag on larson fans for being over exuberant. lol.

to indy and beyond!!

What's so bad about what this woman wrote? I think it's quite interesting. Seriously come on.. Any race fan in this country cheers when their driver wins and boo's and applause when a driver they dislike either pulls off or crashes. So you're all pissed off and mouthing what this woman wrote just because she told it how she seen it at a race track. You're whining just cause a lady witnessed fans reactions of the Outlaws coming to their home turf and battling with their drivers whom I assume is the PA Posse. All the booing and applauding and cheering is all part of the sport. That's part of the whole racing fan experience when you come to the track. All fans have different drivers they like and they want those drivers to win and not some out of towners or drivers from a series ( Outlaws, All Stars). She mentioned in her piece about fans wanting to massacre the series drivers, Come on now.. you're taking to heart and way to seriously what she is saying. She's saying by the fans reactions you would think they would want to massaccre them all. ( Outlaws, All Stars) Meaning that the fans do not like the series drivers and want their local guys to beat them and that's all there is to it. It's just like a Reds Cardinals rivalry, or a Packers and Bears rivalry. I went to Little Rock for the STN's two years ago and watched Sam Hafertepe drive over Greg Wilson who was leading with one lap to go resulting in Brad Sweet slipping under both of them and winning the STN's. The top 3 drivers stopped on the front stretch and once Hafertepe got out of his car the whole stands was booing and mouthing him and cheered when Greg Wilson got out of his car and mouthed Hafertepe for driving through him. So yeah fans hated Hafertepe and love Wilson. See?? It's just all about what drivers fans like and part of the whole racing experience. So to sum this all up, quite your belly-aching over what another racing fan witnessed at a track and her take on it.

I read Flat Out and SprintCar and Midget religiously. I don't recall this article, but that's a year ago so my age a good excuse, but here in ND and SD, Husets/Sioux Falls/Brandon, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot or Bismarck/Mandan, if WoO in town, or All Stars, and a driver flips wildly, everyone is very very quiet until the driver gets out of the car under his own power, then we cheer wildly----not during the flipping. I don't think there is any hatred of a single driver, in fact there might be a few boos directed toward Donny Schatz cuz he wins so much. Maybe we are a little conservative, I like to think of it as having common sense. People do get hurt very badly in this sport. Just read an update on Shane Miehl (spelling?). It happens, save your cheering for good driving, not wrecks.

Lawlessness + liberalism = HELL -  NYC, Detroit, Chicago, 
Seattle, LA  Who the H runs those cities.