| One More Commentary on Trucks | By Jack Smith
 The Fastruck racing series, operated by FAST Media Group (FMG) since earlier this year, is going to have to replace its race director, according to Billy Barstow, Series Director.
In a prepared statement issued by Rick Bristol the differences with FMG were too great for him to continue. "I have decided to leave the series because of differences with the operation of the series, I have always tried to put on a professional deal in everything I have done", Bristol said. Bristol had replaced outgoing Race Director Burt Thomas at the beginning of this year.
Echoing more than a few veteran Florida racing observers Bristol also said, "I just feel the series has no real control, and when you attempt to control and organize, things are changed and out of control". FMG has raised a few eyebrows in the Florida racing community since it took over control of the Fastruck series a few months ago. One of the issues has been the fear that the series will out price the average racer, while affordability has been the backbone of the series' success since it's beginning five years ago.
Of course Florida race fans have heard much about truck racing situation since late last year, when the FASCAR organization started their own truck series and conflicts began to mount between the two groups. In a two hour Internet radio broadcast in late May, Fastruck owner Bobby Diehl and FASCAR promoter Don Nerone squared off in what at times was a heated debate over the future of truck racing. In early June KARNAC reported that Terry Roberts, Marketing Director for FASCAR was given the additional duties as Race Director of FASCAR Pro Trucks.
At almost the same time, a new group officially entered the picture. FAST Media Group announced they had taken over control of the Fastrucks and FastKids racing series and Nik Renieris would be the new Director of Marketing for the series. According to press releases from FMG, Bobby Diehl had effectively "entered into an agreement to sell Fastrucks" to the funding group behind FMG.
FMG, since early June, has produced Fastruck and Fastkids advertisements on both roadside billboards as well as rolling billboards through Wheels America, TruckAds and Whitespace Media. According to Renieris, FMG has also been working on an arrangement with SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO to provide live broadcasts of races in 2006, and with Fox Sports affiliate FuelTV. FMG plans to air 26 half-hour episodes featuring the FASTKIDS racers. The most recent piece of the 2006 marketing effort was to ink a deal with Vision Racing Team and Damon Lusk for sponsorship on Lusk's ARCA car.
Big promotions, big plans and big dreams. Therein lies the crux of the problem for people like Rick Bristol and others, including some Fastruck racing folks.
Nik Renieris said today that he agrees the series needs to be restructured, stating, "I agree with Bristol 100 percent, I believe the series needs to be restructured, but it doesn't happen overnight".
Another complaint has been that the new marketing group does not really understand the racing end of the business, to which Renieris answers, "We are not running the day to day operations", insisting that is up to the Fastruck staff. FMG is in essence a marketing group.
Renieris says the main goal of FMG at this point is to develop the series into a legitimate feeder series for a national series such as Hooters ProCup and NASCAR Craftsman trucks.
While there may be a long leap between a Florida based, family oriented and inexpensive truck series, and being a major player in the racing hierarchy, FMG has done a considerable amount of major marketing work in a very short time. It is a also true that short track stock car racing is not known for particularly bold sustained marketing efforts, and many many race people will remain unconvinced of the legitimacy of FMG's efforts until tangible results come to the drivers.
Renieris said, "We are a regional series that wants to grow", adding "we do not want to waste money on television at Auburndale, but we do want to waste money on television at Myrtle Beach, Five Flags, Montgomery and Bristol".
As we see it the bottom line for Florida racers is simply this: if FMG can come through and deliver some tangible results for the drivers, meaning that their ability to acquire such things as better sponsorships and increased purses, then the program will be considered a success. If that does not happen the usual discord, ever present in racing circles, will rear its ugly head and message boards will once again fill with the nastiness that always accompanies failed hopes.
One obstacle FMG will face as long as it is involved with racing is the simple fact that there are plenty of folks in this game who are quite happy to see failure. Some egos are bigger than the short track game warrants, and it is the daily task of promoters to manage this aspect of stock car racing. Too, there are men and women who have been involved with racing for many, many years who would help the sport most by sitting on the sideline, because ego can get in the way of the ability to keep abreast of modern developments. This world of 2005 which is driven by marketing, and the grandstands at too many short tracks are testament to the absence of expertise in this area.
By the same token, racers have too often been lied to, cheated and outright swindled by thieves, calling themselves promoters, businessmen and so forth. Racers have learned to be wary of business men who are going to make their lot better, pay greater purses and promise them the moon, and with good reason.
These are the issues FMG must understand, and while Nik Renieris seems to have a good understanding of this, when the sale of Fastrucks is finalized, will Renieris' new bosses have such an understanding?
Both the FASCAR organization and FMG's Fastrucks have a plan to make a successful series for the fans and drivers. Can either of them achieve their stated goals? Can the two co-exist in the current environment without destroying too much of each other? Can smart and rational minds prevail, or will the ego driven failures of the past once again surface and rule the day? Can FMG make good on what is apparently a drive to create a new business model for short track racing?
We hope all the above are answered yes.
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