Nice to have oficial word. Thanks Greg.

Shadowracer,

Getting material from Flamboro and Delaware has been - for the most part - a challenge this summer.

Delaware: I have received agates but no photos or stories. For the record, I have a great relationship with the Delaware photographer and I credit the trouble with him sending me photos more to technical challenges than anything else.

Flamboro: On Monday of this week, I received a write-up from Flamboro. That was just the third I've gotten all summer. I received virtually no photos and the effective banning of Dave Franks has been well documented.

In lieu of receiving stories, I have taken to paying writers to do stories on racers at these tracks. I did this last issue (Scott Lyons / Flamboro) and I did it in the issue we're finishing right now (Jesse Kennedy / APC / Delaware).

In my opinion, someone has made a conscious effort to cut the flow of information from Flamboro to the outside world. It's not just me, either. Just this afternoon, I received a note from Jim Carson at Late Model Digest looking for results from Oktoberfest. Dave Franks sent him photos, but he has nothing on the winners.

I did press releases for CASCAR for almost 10 years. Yes, I have a magazine. But I was paid by CASCAR to get them (and their racers & sponsors) as much publicity / exposure as possible. And that means I sent everything I produced to anyone who might possibly be interested in them... including direct competitors.

If I were a racer at Flamboro, I would be furious that the people supposedly in charge of public relations were doing everything possible to knee-cap any chance that the outside world would be able to read about my efforts or see my sponsors.

In my opinion, it is up to the racers/fans/sponsors to change things if they see a problem with the current state of affairs.

If they're happy that they get great coverage solely in a piece that you characterize as a "souvenir program," then they should remain silent. But if they want their racing efforts (and sponsors) to see the light of day beyond a single publication, then it's up to them to convince the owners of the track to order the change.

But know this.... I bear no ill will against the racers, fans & sponsors at these tracks and certainly haven't made a conscious effort to leave them out of my magazine.

And this, my friends, is why our sport does not grow further!

sorry this is the first i heard of Dave Franks being banned form Flamboro, when did this happen and why?  also did i not see him there this weekend?

sorry this is the first i heard of Dave Franks being banned form Flamboro, when did this happen and why?  also did i not see him there this weekend?

The story is murky.

Basically (If I'm putting this all together properly) Flam has a new track photographer as of this year...he's the guy who does GRR Illustrated's photography and is also listed as the official Flamboro photog.

Dave was their long time official photographer (as he was ours, at one time), but now he goes to Flam as an Inside Track photographer....and they come up with safety concerns as the reason that he's not allowed in the infield to take his pics anymore. Which, in many people's opinion, is bogus - the guy has been taking pics there for like...a hundred years. It's not like he doesn't know how to stay out of the way.

Apparently they feel he can take photos just as well from the outside, but I don't buy it. I've taken a pic or two myself there and there are very few spots outside where you're not shooting through a fence.

Anyway, some opine that Flam doesn't want him there because the GRR guys want to be the only ones with access to the good shots. Others say its just business...only room for one track photog etc. I don't really know the reasonings behind it.

Take that as you will. This is pure speculation, based on a scan of a thread in Flam's fan forum. 

Shadowracer can I ask one question seeing that you are around Delaware alot .All Delaware press releases are they all sent to the press (local papers and magazines Inside Track ) I am refering to the September 24 th interview with Johnny Benson,ARCA racetrucks press release and there are a few more on the Delaware site.from what I saw did not get coverage in the papers or I.S.T. If this track wants to get new fans to see racing get these stories out to the papers and magazines not just on the web site.Note the Free Press put a Benson story in the paper day of the race and on Saturdays paper but why wait so long from September 24 to September 28th and that was when that interview was done Sept.24 but actually word was out on Benson coming to Delaware just after the Labour Day race.Why wait so long is it not right to get all info out as quick as possible so fans can make plans and save there money to go to these events. You had a good crowd at ISMA but you would have had better if all info was sent out to the public by proper channels not just your website