Month: January 2025

By David G Firestone

Well, the Rolex 24 is behind us, and the Clash at Bowman Gray is upon us. With that, I’d like to discuss an aspect of the 2025 Clash that is becoming an issue, at least with me. This year’s Clash is sponsored by Cook Out. Ok, based solely on the name, what does Cook Out do as a business? Do they make grills? Do they make camping equipment? Are they involved in making custom outdoor backyards? Do they make food geared toward camping?

The answer is…none of the above. Cook Out is actually a local fast food burger chain. According to Wikipedia:

“Cook Out is a privately owned American fast-food restaurant chain operating in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989, the chain has since expanded and now has restaurants in over 100 cities. The chain itself has grown in size with many locations now spread throughout the Southeastern United States.”

The problem that I discussed is that Cook Out is such a generic company name, that it could be used in any number of categories. But this speaks of a larger issue in NASCAR in recent years. A decent number of companies are sponsoring cars, but aside from the company name, they give no information on what their company does. No product images, no slogans, no information at all is given.

Someone explain to me why this is a good idea. Advertising should cover two basic fundamentals: This is what our company does, and this is why you, the consumer, should use us. This isn’t even an oversimplification, just the basics of advertising over the last 200 years or so. Putting a logo or a company name with no other identifying info makes no sense, especially if nobody knows what your company does to begin with.

Here is an example of how a slogan helps out. Last year, Josh Berry was sponsored by a company called “eero.” What does this company do? Well, the slogan on the hood states: “The way WiFi should be.” Ok, that’s acceptable. I now know eero is involved with WiFi.

Many companies can’t figure this out. Here are some sponsors from the 2024 Cup Series that did not have any other info aside from their vague company names on the race cars:

Kubota

Zeam

Schluter Systems

Group 1001

USANA

Fanttik

Draiver

Leidos

Alltroo

Raptor

The Pete Store

Frontline Enterprises

Gener8tor

MotoRad

Ohanafy

Amptricity

City of Refuge

Now if I were to ask you what these companies do, would you be able to tell me? Seriously, based sole on the company name, what do they do? It’s not like these are all one-offs. Schluter Systems, Leidos, Raptor, The Pete Store, Frontline Enterprises, and Gener8tor have been sponsoring cars for some time, but I’m no closer to understanding who they are now than when they first started. In addition, two companies, C.H. Reed, and Coble Enterprises have slogans on the car, but the slogan is so vague, it’s difficult to decipher what these companies do.

I get that it’s possible to look these companies up on Google, but let me ask…why is that my responsibility? Why should I, the consumer, work to figure out if I need your company on Google, when you could add a slogan to the car THAT YOU ARE PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR? This isn’t even a recent problem, it’s been going on for many years.

There should be a regulation stating that a slogan or company product should be displayed by a sponsor. Seriously, it will help, and really isn’t difficult to do. I do not understand the logic of spending the thousands of dollars to advertise your company but not telling us what the company does. It’s like the BASF commercials I grew up with. For years, BASF ran an ad campaign where they said “We don’t make the ___, we make it ___.” But BASF never actually explained what they did. Once they started adding “BASF The chemical company” at the end of their commercials, did they start making a whole lot more sense. Why it took them over 20 years to figure this out is a mystery. Bottom line, tell us what your company does when you sponsor a race car.

Now we get to another story that follows up on something I’ve discussed before. Nostalgia in wrestling needs to die. Many of the wrestlers of years past were assholes in one form or another. Nobody embodies this more than Hulk Hogan. His theme song is that he is a real American. That’s true, he’s selfish, greedy, opportunistic, racist, horrible with money, backstabbing, narcissistic, untrustworthy, and out of touch with reality. He has used multiple drugs over the years, steroids and otherwise.

He has a terrible attitude towards women. He has had multiple failed business ventures. He has had multiple extramarital affairs. He has had multiple failed marriages, lies about being a true Christian, was filmed having an affair with a friends wife. He also associates with right wing politicians and conspiracy theorists.

Since wrestling fans are more open, and accepting than in years past, Hogan is not a well-liked individual, both in and out of the wrestling business. When WWE Raw debuted on Netflix, WWE had The Hulkster come out and cut a promo on how great the fans were. Hogan is so reviled, that the fans booed him mercilessly. Hogan would go on to claim that the boos were because he was a Trump supporter. Well, The Undertaker had Trump on his podcast, and he got cheered. It wasn’t Trump, but who Hogan is that got him booed.

While Hogan had been advertised for the most recent Saturday Night’s Main Event, he was pulled from the show. He claims he did this to attend his son Nick’s wedding, but WWE clearly cut him from the show. This is part of the bigger issue. WWE has to come to terms that they can never truly distance themselves from Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon, no matter how hard they try. They can’t rehab Hogan’s image, and they can’t remove McMahon’s influence.

This is just another reason that nostalgia in wrestling never works. It never has, and never will. Focus on the future, not the past.

Next week, more racing news, and my thoughts on the Clash

Sources cited:

Cook Out named sponsor for Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Out_(restaurant)

By David G Firestone

So I was originally going to discuss some racing news this week. However, a few things happened, independent each other, that prove something that I’ve been saying for some time. I’ve been a wrestling fan, and wrestling fans give wrestling fans a bad name. Well, as it turns out, football and baseball fans can also give their own fan bases a bad name.

We start with Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell. During the Wildcard match-up between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell took it upon himself t berate and curse out a female Packers fan. He called her some very nasty and vicious names, and made an ass out of himself. He didn’t realize that he was being filmed, and the footage went viral. Well, Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell is no longer a true Eagles fan, as he has been banned from all Eagles home games, and I suspect many other stadiums might ban him too.

Well, as these things go, it went from bad to worse. Since Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell worked for BCT Partners…a DEI-focused management consulting firm based in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Well, BCT Partners issued a statement via social media on January 14, 2025, which reads as follows:

“We, the management of BCT Partners, have concluded the internal personnel investigation regarding an employee who was caught on a video outside of the workplace making highly offensive and misogynistic statements. In keeping with our company values, which are firmly centered on respect, dignity, and inclusion, we have decided to part company with the employee. This separation is effective immediately.

We condemn our former employee’s conduct in the strongest possible terms. This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society. Such conduct is not who we are and not what we stand for.

At the same time, again to be true to our values, we can condemn the actions without condemning the individual. None of us deserve to be remembered for actions taken on our worst day. We have offered grace and support to our former employee. We hope that he will grow and we all can learn from this deeply disturbing incident. That’s what real inclusion is and does. That is also who we are and what we stand for.

We sincerely apologize to the victim and for the many ways in which these events already have impacted so many people. We remain committed to gender equity and fostering a culture of respect and dignity for all.”

Ryan Caldwell has had his life ruined by his own actions. Rather than just come out and apologize for his actions, Caldwell had a different take on the situation. According to Caldwell himself:

“While attending an NFL game last Sunday to support my beloved Philadelphia Eagles, an incident occurred that I deeply regret. What began as banter with two Packers fans sitting near me escalated to something more serious, and I said things that were unacceptable. In the heat of the moment, I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Ally Keller.

I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, and to my wife, family, and friends, my former employer and colleagues, Packer fans, Eagle fans, the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia, and all who were offended. That said, there are two sides to every story. The video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. I will live with this experience, and I am certainly paying a personal price. For those who don’t know me, this incident does not reflect my values or the respect I have for others and is not indicative of the person I am.”

Ryan Caldwell needs to learn the concept of “let them be the idiots.” Just because other people are acting like idiots doesn’t give you the right to act like one too. Be the bigger person and not respond. You gave the world the rope they needed to hang you with, and now you’ve lost the ability to go to Eagles games, as well as your occupation. Hope you like working at Target. By the way, do you know how shitty of an EAGLES FAN you have to be to be seen as the worst?

The second story took place during game four of the World Series in New York. As Mookie Betts tried to catch a foul ball, Yankee fans Austin Capobianco and John P. Hansen interfered with the catch. Well not only did they get ejected, but Major League Baseball took action. In a letter sent to the duo, the MLB was very clear about their stance on the situation.

“On Oct. 29, 2024, during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, you interfered with play by intentionally and forcefully grabbing a player. Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior. Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities. You are also hereby banned indefinitely from attending any events sponsored by or associated with MLB. Please be advised that if you are discovered at any MLB property or event, you will be removed from the premises and subject to arrest for trespass.”

It’s good to see that the teams and leagues are stepping up and kicking fans out of the fan base. These are not isolated incidents. Two fans were banned from MLB for running on to the field and made contact with Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.. In Braymer, Missouri, the Braymer C-4 School has been banned from participating in high school basketball games because of bad fan behavior. I could go on, but the point is that bad fans need to be dealt with.

I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, fan bases need to eat their own on a regular basis. Fan-bases need to identify the liabilities in their own groups, and expel them from the fandom. If they don’t, then the teams and leagues will, and they will NOT show mercy. The EAS scenario community is a community that will expel their own when needed, and they have not hesitated when needed.

I get being a fan, I get supporting your team, and I get having a good time in the stands. This does NOT justify abusive behavior in any capacity. This does not justify running on to the field, or court. This does NOT justify cursing out other fans. Go to the game, support your team, but behave yourself. As the fans I discussed found out, attending games is a privilege, not a right. Your bad behavior will come back to haunt you in this day in age.

Next week, back to racing news…hopefully.

Sources cited:

https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/sports/internet-sleuths-found-repulsive-eagles-fan-and-his-life-might-be-ruined/

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/nfl/eagles/2025/01/15/philadelphia-eagles-fan-banned-verbally-abused-green-bay-packers-fan/77717513007/

https://nypost.com/2025/01/15/sports/eagles-fan-ryan-caldwell-breaks-silence-on-vile-video/

https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/yankees-fans-who-interfered-with-mookie-betts-during-world-series-banned-from-all-mlb-games

https://apnews.com/article/braves-rockies-acuna-fan-0b9cf0752440a7f93429bae4341be025

By David G. Firestone

I had a few racing stories that I wanted to discuss, but there were a couple of WWE stories that happened that I feel the need to discuss. Two dark skeletons from WWE’s past came back to haunt them. Interestingly, these two stories happened independent of one another, and have nothing to do with each other.

Let’s start with Hulk Hogan. On January 6, WWE Raw debuted on Netflix. To commemorate the occasion, the debut episode was over the top, with a lot of former WWE stars in attendance. Well, one such star was Hulk Hogan. Hogan and Jimmy Hart came out, and Hogan cut a promo about how great the fans are and how they made WWE what it is. Hogan was mercilessly booed for the entirety of the promo. Hogan also announced that his Real American Light Beer, which is actually somehow weaker than his in-ring work, is now part owned by WWE. It was also announced that Hogan will be part of Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 25th.

The booing of Hogan is yet another reason why nostalgia in wrestling is never a good idea. There are a few former wrestlers who are decent and good people, but they are a minority. Between drug use, sexual improprieties, crime, backstage politics, racism, and a plethora of other issues, we see these people for who they are. Modern wrestling is a different animal, since most modern promotions will not hesitate to eat their own. Look at the careers that came to an end after Speaking Out.

Which brings me to my second story. A few days later, it was announced that Vince McMahon and the Securities and Exchange Commission settled that a settlement had been reached. Specifically, McMahon will have to pay a $400,000 fine, and reimburse WWE $1.3 million, and McMahon will not have to admit or deny any wrong doing. There is also a “cease-and-desist from violating certain provisions” but not much was available in terms of what that meant.

Vince, for his part, wasn’t exactly remorseful, and posted the following on Twitter:

“The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today’s resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading.

In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I’m thrilled that I can now put all this behind me.”

It says a lot about the two personalities that made WWE what it is today are persona non grata in WWE today, in terms with the fans. The fact that Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon are seen for the evil people that they are says a lot. Hogan was the on-screen talent, Vince was the man behind the scenes moving things into place. Both of the two are reviled, both inside and out of the wrestling business. Both still have their fans, but neither will ever be at the level they once were.

Nostalgia in wrestling isn’t a good thing. For one thing, as has been just discussed, wrestling has to come to terms with the evils of yesteryear. Second, wrestling is a shell of what it once was. 30 years ago, 10 million people watched wrestling every week, and now WWE draws 1-2 million people, and AEW can’t average over 650,000 people on a good week.

This is not a new thing, since in 1999, Heroes of Wrestling took place at Casino Magic Bay St. Louis in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. According to Wikipedia:

“The event was meant to be the first in a series of pay-per-views that would feature popular wrestling stars from the 1980s and early 1990s, but plans for the franchise were abandoned following the event, which suffered from a poor buy rate and several controversies, including the calamitous main event where a completely intoxicated Jake Roberts teamed up with Yokozuna in a tag team match, only to lose to Jim Neidhart and King Kong Bundy.”

For those who have never seen Heroes of Wrestling, it’s available on YouTube. As a wrestling event, it was a disaster through and through. All of the talent was either too old to have a good match, or high on drugs, or both. The result was almost unwatchable. Even if you get nostalgic wrestlers who are good people, like Mick Foley for example, in this day in age, all they can do is cut a promo.

While there are other athletes who are scumbags, it’s never been as prevalent as it was in wrestling. While it got swept under the rug at the time, now it’s coming to light how bad these people were. These chickens have come home to roost. We all saw the reaction to Hogan, and I can promise there are more skeletons that will get dug up. I predict that there will be more things that come to light soon.

Next week, some racing news.

Sources cited:

https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/43358951/former-wwe-ceo-vince-mcmahon-sec-reach-deal-settlements

https://x.com/VinceMcMahon/status/1877743380349714910

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_of_Wrestling

By David G. Firestone

Back again this week, got a few stories to talk about, so without further ado, let’s get started.

Our first story centers around a couple little details about the new NASCAR Cup Series charter deal. Apparently, as part of this deal, according to Jayski:

“Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass confirmed Friday that the new charter agreement limits teams to three charters going forward.

Teams with four charters – Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing – are grandfathered in and can continue to run four chartered cars.

Those teams that operate with three charters can enter a fourth car in races and run it as an open team.”

It was also revealed that Front Row Motorsports had finalized a purchase of one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters, which came about as part of a court order in the anti-trust lawsuits. Noah Gragson will be driving the #4.

Is it just me, or has the charter system caused more issues than it fixed? Again, look at all the chartered teams that have gone bust since its inception. Look at how none of the teams are profitable right now. When HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS can’t make a dime of profit for years, you think the smaller teams can?

While I get the idea of cost-cutting, at some point you just have to look at all the damage this system has done, and look at all the issues it’s caused, and realize it has failed. The charter system is not sustainable, it never was. NASCAR needs to assess its options, and work with the Race Team Alliance to come up with something better. The original system wasn’t great, the negotiations and their end were a disaster. This new version isn’t much better.

NASCAR and their teams need to realize the survival of the sport is at stake, and with this bullshit streaming deal starting in 2025, that survival is even less stable. The NASCAR Cup Series has six races on Amazon Prime. They lose an average of 1.2 million viewers from broadcast to cable. I can’t fathom how many users Amazon Prime will hemorrhage, including THE COCA COLA 600! How anyone thought this will work is mind-boggling!

Speaking of mind boggling, let’s talk Rick Ware Racing. Rick Ware Racing is a punching bag for NASCAR fans, and justifiably so. Between the length of time and number of teams they fielded, four cars at one time, to their TOTAL lack of on-track success. Rick Ware Racing has proven themselves as a joke.

But for a while in 2024, thing seemed to be looking up. They snagged Corey LaJoie from Spire Motorsports, as well as having Zane Smith as well. It actually seemed like they finally started to make the right moves, and start moving forward. It was really nice while it lasted. Not only did they lose Zane Smith to Front Row Motorsports, but they cut Corey LaJoie from the team as well. Now, while they only have a single-chartered car, the #51, they will run the #15 part time. So, who did they get to replace Corey LaJoie? Well, according to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass…CODY FUCKING WARE!

WHY?!? Who in their right mind would replace Corey LaJoie with Cody Ware? Why would you replace Corey LaJoie with Cody Ware? Who, outside of Rick Ware, thought this was a good idea? How out of touch with racing is Rick Ware to replace Corey LaJoie with his son? Cody has done nothing, and I mean NOTHING in his life, let along his career, to justify a full-time Cup Series ride! Corey LaJoie was the best and most obvious choice to race full-time, and they just blew that up!

Is this real? Is this reality? How in the name of all that is good do you give CODY WARE a full-time ride over COREY FREAKIN’ LAJOIE? I’m struggling to comprehend the logic here! I really am! I get you want the best for your son, but sometimes, you just have to cut your losses! Which is more important, your son’s career, or Rick Ware Racing as an organization? I ask that seriously, because they are on the verge of losing their charters for lack of performance, and this doesn’t do them any favors! SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

This whole thing is almost like being a Chicago Bears fan! I say almost, because the Bears just beat the Packers since the first time since 2018! Even the Shad and Tony Khan Jacksonville Jaguars can win four games in a season! Even the worst teams can find some success sometimes. Rick Ware Racing has NEVER found success, 10 years after they should have stopped trying! At this point, I predict within the next three years, Rick Ware Racing will either go bust, lose their charters, or sell their charters. There is no other option! At this point, Rick Ware should focus his attention on Clay Millican’s Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA, since Millican can, not only win, but win multiple races in the same season! Clay Millican is Rick Ware’s best option, and I’m willing to bet he will mess that up too!

With that, I can’t rant anymore so, I’ll just call things here. I’ll be back next week.

Sources Cited: