Thinking Outside the Box
By Walt Newcomb
Monday, December 3, 2007
The Banquet; Then and Now
Hey gang! It has been a while since I checked in here. Fifteen years ago I crashed the NASCAR Winston Cup Banquet at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. I’d like to compare that evening and other previous NASCAR awards ceremonies with what we saw Friday night on ESPN Classic.
Just when one thought that NASCAR couldn’t come up with a comedian who would possibly pull off a performance that could be lamer than that of Jay Mohr; let us introduce Mr. David Spade. Spade actually had picked some humorous ideas out. His delivery was so cold that the crickets didn’t even respond.
Kelly Clarkson performed a couple of songs and did her best to try to get the crowd into it. She tried to whip those seated into clapping over their heads. The response of the audience was a few weak golf claps.
Bill France, Sr., or “Big” Bill as most prefer to remember him, brought the Cup awards banquet to New York in 1981. Some saw it as a bunch of hillbillies trying to have a big party in the bright lights of the big city. It was a calculated move which brought exposure to those who really drove the sport, NASCAR’s sponsors. It was a play at Madison Avenue and it worked.
Back in 1992, NASCAR remembered Big Bill at the banquet as he passed earlier that year. Friday night, the passing of Bill France, Jr. was honored as well. As media savvy at Brian France is supposed to be, one might have thought he would have had a few more words to say when he had his opportunity.
It has been said that the “real” coronation of a Cup champion does not take place at the NASCAR banquet. For several years, the real crown was given out in Ken Schrader’s room at the Waldorf. That of course was after the cameras had been shut off and everyone could let their hair down. If Schrader wasn’t there perhaps they carried on this tradition in Tony Stewart’s room.
The banquet is black-tie only. Perhaps that is the reason that most of the folks in the audience appear so stiff. In reality, the only people who really seem comfortable or enjoy these events are the representatives of the major sponsors.
The two most unique dresses of the night go to Jimmie Johnson’s wife Chandra and Kelly Clarkson. Chandie’s dress looked appropriate for a California style outdoor semi-formal. Clarkson’s looked like she was prepared to be the featured dancer at the “real” championship coronation. At least they looked comfortable.
Most of the awards that were given out in New York were actually presented at the Myers Brothers NMPA Awards lunch on Thursday. Back in ’92 many of those awards were a part of the Friday evening program. Despite that, the broadcast of the festivities appeared to be just as long.
Few of the addresses Friday night were very entertaining. That is in great contrast to those made in ’92. Barney Hall would remember that well.
Hall, the voice of NASCAR for ever, served as the emcee of the program in 1992. He dealt with a number of technical difficulties that night. It actually turned into several moments of great television. Barney was honored with the Bill France Award of Excellence Friday night.
T. Wayne Robertson, the Sports Marketing Director for R.J.R. at that time failed to come to the stage when Barney called his name in ‘92. Several moments later, Robertson emerged. With a smile he said, “If you think the competition is tough in NASCAR, you should see the battle for the stalls in the men’s room.”
During the playing of the champion’s video, there was a technical difficulty. The tape suddenly went into a review or “play in reverse”. At that point the tape was showing Alan Kulwicki’s original “Polish” victory lap. Big Bill said, “That’s what you get for driving the wrong way on the track”.
The exchanges between the drivers were cool too. Alan brought a date to the banquet. Kyle Petty turned to the head table and told Alan, “You’re going to have to marry that girl or all of the pictures from tonight are going to get thrown out.” Kulwicki replied later, “People told me that I’d probably get nervous up here. I thought they were talking about the Winston Million, not this marriage stuff.”
To be honest, the best part of the program Friday night was the highlights of the Myers Brothers NMPA Luncheon that preceded the Cup awards program. The entire main ceremony could have been shrunk by at least an hour. That would have allowed for an expanded version of the Luncheon which appeared to be a whole lot more entertaining than the highly scripted, highfalutin and painful to watch broadcast of Friday night’s show.
That’s how I see it.
Opinions vary.
What’s yours?
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