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NASCAR should re-examine fans' presence in garage area

As a NASCAR icon, Richard Petty remembers the salt-of-the-earth loyalty that characterized his sport decades ago. When stock-car racing wasn't a TV darling, and one shopped for fans as vigorously as sponsors.

Some things, however, haven't changed.

"After a race, when I got ready to go to the truck, or go get in the car, there was always a bunch of people around, OK?" Petty said recently. "And the first thing you know, here comes somebody that's been drinking a little bit too much, or gets too enthused about what's going on -- jumps right in front of you. Grabs your shirt or collar -- 'Sign my autograph.'"

The King wasn't reminiscing. After last Saturday's announcement that Georgia-Pacific will sponsor son Kyle next season, Petty hung around the Richmond International Raceway media center to chat. One of the topics was Tony Stewart's latest controversy.

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If you overindulged on football and pennant races last weekend, here's a synopsis: The Sullivan County (Tenn.) sheriff's department is investigating a female fan's complaint that Stewart shoved her post-race in the Bristol garage several weeks ago.

What happened, why, and the resolution isn't the point. We're not debating Stewart here; rather, an issue, and one of NASCAR's thornier recent ones -- the plethora of fans in the Winston Cup garage. If you're a fan, you're probably all for such access. No other major sport allows its masses to walk among their heroes, and it's a core ingredient of NASCAR's 53-year-old appeal.

However, if you work in the garage, it can be a pain. Pure. Simple. No sugar-coating. Veterans are inured to it -- crews, officials, drivers, media, track workers. You quickly learn to dodge hordes of strangers every week, and occasionally you meet someone interesting, or someone who's awed at seeing The Show for the first time.

As of Saturday, Petty said he hadn't talked to Stewart. Didn't know the circumstances, but could appreciate the quandary: You've just climbed from your car, your heart pounding, your demeanor a Cuisinart of emotion and exhaustion, and there's no locker room, dugout, bench or stadium barrier separating you from John. Q. Public. (Or the media. We'll save that one for later.)

"I turn around and blame NASCAR for letting people in the garage area and the pit area in the first place," Petty said. "If these people weren't in there, we wouldn't have that problem."

Nobody in the NASCAR world obliges more fans, more often than Richard Petty. That's part of the King's appeal. He's also one of those guys -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are current examples -- who can't walk from hauler door to garage bay without a crowd surging around them. Stewart's in that category, too. So are most marquee drivers.

"Any time when you're getting ready to go from point A to point B -- if you don't believe it, you just follow me outta here," Petty said, "We're just trying to get back to the garage area -- and I'm not even one of the players -- and they'll jump in front of you, they'll grab you, they'll pull your shirt."

I took the King's offer. As soon as he exited the media center, people zoomed toward him like meteors drawn to, and crashing against, a planet.

Cries of, "There's Richard Petty!" followed him through the gate, past other teams' trucks. Adults raced after him, in front of him. Thrust placards or programs toward him. He never stopped, his trademark smile intact, his tone congenial as he whip-signed his name, but the hubbub didn't end until he'd shut a mirrored hauler door.

Understand that I see worse every week. That I know those of us who work in the sports industry wouldn't have jobs without fans, and that I understand the fun and joy of being a fan. Also understand that just because those drivers make many more dollars than you or I, doesn't mean they're honor-bound to scribble across your T-shirt.

Think of your job. Being chased by 50 people every time you go to the restroom.

"Just because you buy a ticket, to a football game, a basketball game or a race, that does not entitle you, in any way shape or form to an autograph," Richard Petty said. "You didn't buy that. You bought a ticket to watch the race."

Manners, and maturity, apparently matter to the King. He has other concerns, too, particularly safety. Petty thinks fans shouldn't be allowed in the garage or along pit road when cars are on the track.

"If there's no race cars going on and people are working on them, fine," he said. "Let people in. When the race starts, don't let anybody in the garage area, because these guys come in here -- just run into the wall, they tore a wheel off, they ain't got no brakes -- they come in wide open and people are just standing there looking at 'em."

There should be alternatives, he agreed. Proximity is crucial to NASCAR fans and the sport's popularity and maybe more autograph sessions can happen outside the garage. Perhaps there are sponsor or appearance answers that can satisfy the fans' need of a photograph, or glimpse of their favorites while simultaneously decongesting the garage.

As he fielded questions Saturday about Stewart, Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president for corporate communications, acknowledged the access-crowding debate. He said officials were considering solutions.

Still, don't expect any action until next season. And if you're in the garage for these final 10 races, be courteous -- and careful.

"In football games, do you see where as quick as the thing's over, all of the spectators are down on the field?" Petty asked. "It don't happen. You can't. But it happens in racing. And I think it needs to be controlled a little bit more from NASCAR's standpoint."

Denise N. Maloof covers NASCAR for CNNSI.com.

 

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