By Jack Smith

There have been several posts recently on our message board about why we do not cover the DeSoto Speedway news.

Hopefully this will answer those questions.

The owner of the speedway said two things on March 13, 2004 while Rebecca Richards and I were in the DeSoto Speedway office in preparation to cover the TBARA Sprints.

1. "No way in hell are you coming in here" to Rebecca Richards and myself with his secretary present. We were thus denied entry to the speedway.

2. When I asked "Don't you want us to cover your racers?" He replied with only the following "I really don't give a f_ _ k".

Nothing more or less occurred than than.

Other related facts are:
This was a few weeks after I personally arranged with the publisher of Florida Motorsports Magazine to have a feature article done on the speedway and the son of the owners, which subsequently appeared in the next issue of that publication.

Repeated attempts through (speedway public relations person) Margi Nanney to have whatever issues the ownership of the speedway has with KARNAC resolved through meetings with the ownership got absolutely nowhere, as the speedway owner flatly refused and the last statement transmitted to me was that the owner "wanted nothing to do with KARNAC".

The statement made by Rick Anges (DeSoto Media Rep) in a post dated 06/07/2004 "We do not pay karnac for advertising there for we are not covered!" is a complete and utter falsehood and he knows it quite well.

We will in the future cover the speedway's operation exactly when and by what means we choose, and are extremely sorry to know that there is an ownership with such a closed attitude toward mutual cooperation to improve and expand short track racing in Florida.

We have repeatedly said in e-mails to Rick Anges and in conversations with Margi Nanney, that we were willing to meet with the owners at any time or anyplace to resolve whatever issues they have with KARNAC.com

We have no idea what those issues are, have asked repeatedly and have never been given a clear answer.

We will not be harrassed nor intimidated in the Florida racing community by these falsehoods any further.

Any further questions may be sent by e-mail to karnac@verizon.net.

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