| Wednesday, August 8, 2001 | |
| MESSAGE BOARDS AND OTHER 'DEVICES' | The second half of the 2001 racing season is underway and though the weather (lots of rain outs) has been a big item on everyone's mind, there are some really good things coming down the front straight and across the finish line for Florida Race Fans.
Recently several track owners got together to discuss some common issues facing stock car racing in Florida. Though KARNAC.com was instrumental in arranging the meeting we had nothing to do with the agenda or the content of the owners meeting. One of the issues the owners had discussed was the role of message boards. While they applauded the role KARNAC.com has played in the last several years, they seemed to be united in the idea that we needed a different type of message board.
We couldn't agree more, and a matter of fact two years ago tried to create a forum where people could express their opinions on important issues without the nonsense and childishness we see so much of on our current message boards. Jane Smith and Sharon Fancher have both written articles on the current state of our message boards. Jane's piece'Open Letter to the Fans of Florida Stock Car Racing' and Sharon's essay "The Message Board Saga" both describe the negative impacts of the trashiness of our boards. The folks with issues to discuss are being drowned out by some pretty childish time and resource wasters.
Many owners of tracks around the state have attempted to operate their message boards for the good that they can serve and nearly all have given up and closed their boards. At the meeting we were asked to create a "Good Message Board" so that sincere people have the proper tool to communicate and discuss the real and important issues affecting our racing lives, tracks, and series.
We have created such a board. It is located here: KARNAC.com Community Forum
This board requires registration and fans are required to use their real name and real email address. We will continue to keep the old main board in place but we will eliminate it in due time. There are far more important issues facing Florida racing than are currently being talked about on what has become a 'trash' board. The new message board has very strict rules regarding registration and posting.
Just as we received a few e-mails from negative thinkers telling us how owners will never work together and how we are wasting our time trying to get them together on issues, some will undoubtedly tell us this new board will not work.
If we had listened to the naysayers KARNAC.com would never have been built and certainly would never have progressed to the level it has. Though the same petty jealousies that attempt to ruin our message boards will try to stop any positive action we take, we will make them work for the race fans, as we have made KARNAC.com work. In case you missed the story on the owner's meeting here is the link to read about it.
Check out the new board, give it a shot, give us your positive feedback on how to make things work for the drivers, fans, and owners, and let's continue to show the rest of the country Florida does racing right.
Hutchens Device Available through KARNAC.com
 This week KARNAC.com made a special arrangement with the MATTEC Corporation to market the Hutchens Device (Click Here for Full Information) , a head and neck restraint for racers that is both highly effective and very affordable. The problem with many of the other restraint systems is their price, which can be $1200 or more. The Hutchens Device can be had for less than the cost of a set a tires and can help prevent many serious types of injuries. We have already started receiving orders and expect to see the device in wide-spread use in Florida by year's end.
Classifieds - Technical Issues - Sponsor Issues
The Florida Classifieds are the best place to get your car sold or to buy parts and equipment. Thousands of drivers and crews visit these classifieds each week, making it easily the most widely read source for racing parts and cars in Florida. We have added two new forums for racers as part of the classifieds, these are the Tech Shed and the Sponsorship area.
CLASSIFIEDS -TECH SHED - SPONSORSHIP
Share tech questions and get answers to them with this new tool. Also, sponsorship procurement is one of the weakest areas for racers in Florida. not nearly enough attention is given to getting sponsors and keeping them. There are some great tools out there to help, but they must be used.Perhaps this new feature added to the classifieds can help.too.
Other Items Of Interest
The Fastruck Racing Series will put on a show at Auburndale Speedway this Saturday night followed by their Driving Experience on Sunday. Call 813-493-5046 for more information or visit the Fastruck site at www.fastruckracing.com/
Look for the official unveiling of the new "Trust Fund for Racers" created by KARNAC.com. The official announcement and details will be out shortly. This is a not-for-profit corporation organized to benefit drivers who become injured as well as for promoting safety in Florida racing.
East Bay Raceway is gearing up for the Annual Fall Nationals. You can experience some of the most awesome high-powered dirt Late Models and Sprint Car action in the Country this November as stars such as Scott Bloomquist, Donnie Moran and Rick Eckert arrive in Tampa for the East Bay Raceway Fall Nationals. Through a special offer from KARNAC.com (known as the "SUMMER SWEEPS") you can win two tickets plus $250 Cash to either the Sprints or Late Models shows. This is a $600 package and you can enter by clicking on this link: EAST BAY FALL NATIONALS AND KARNAC.com SUMMER SWEEPS. Plus by registering to win NOW, you get automatically entered into our 2002 Race Fantasy Package, which will include a trip to Daytona, the East Bay Winternationals , Cash Prizes, and a full season pass to all the racing in Florida in 2002.
Look for the new KARNAC.com Pace Truck coming to a track near you soon.
If you have news you want us to know send it in to: news@karnac.com
Let's go Racing!
--Editors at KARNAC.com
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