Bob Margolis Starts A New Chapter

Yahoo! Sports, Bob Margolis and NASCAR seemed to be a very good combination. Based in Pennsylvania, Margolis was always able to keep a safe journalistic distance between himself and the personalities in the sport. His observations for Yahoo! were often quite different than the Charlotte-based media folks.

His last post on the Yahoo! Sports NASCAR page was November 16th. In low-key style, he offered his thoughts on the 2008 season and signed-off with "that's all folks." That phrase was a bit more prophetic than most readers knew.

Margolis was leaving Yahoo! on his own accord and December 31st was his last day on the payroll. 2009 will allow him to start a fresh chapter in his life. It is a life that took on a brand new meaning only two short years ago.

Many of you read the TDP post entitled "Daytona as a Place of Healing." At that time, we were celebrating Bob's return to the Rolex 24 sports car race as a very personal victory over a daunting opponent.

Margolis had stopped many race fans in their tracks with his brutally honest story on Yahoo! titled simply "A Survivor's Story." For those seeking a fresh perspective in this new year, just click on the title.

Now, after a full season of covering the NASCAR beat one final time, Margolis is headed in several diverse directions. Full of energy and a zest for life, he is turning his writing talents from weekly race observations to a long-form biography.

Project one is a biography of Jack Roush. The man who NASCAR fans either love or hate is one fascinating individual in the world of motorsports. As Margolis reminds TDP, many fans do not know the lifelong love affair with speed that has driven Roush for decades.

While Carl Edwards and the Roush NASCAR teams may be in the headlines, Roush has won with several class entries in the Rolex 24 sports car race in Daytona over the years. There was also a time when he dominated the SCCA Trans-Am category, winning over half of the races his team entered. Margolis clearly has his work cut-out for him where Roush is concerned.

The American Drag Racing Association is the group that races down an eighth-mile distance and this season is title sponsored by the National Guard. As they grow to a ten race schedule in 2009, Margolis is going to coordinate both the Internet and media side of that business as the VP of Communications.

Finally, the Internet continues to be home to a growing selection of social networking websites with all types of different themes. iTeamSports has the idea of allowing participants to own various kinds of professional sports teams, including NASCAR. Margolis is going to be helping that company expand its motorsport presence in several series. It certainly is an interesting concept.

So, for all of you who have been emailing about why Margolis has been gone from Yahoo! Sports for the last several months, there is your answer. Here are some words from Margolis to TDP readers that will ultimately put his move in perspective:

I've been very blessed in my life. Having survived cancer has changed the way I look at everything. Every day is a gift and I plan on enjoying each and every one of them. Ever wonder why they call right now "the present?" It's because it is a gift. I've had to learn that, the hard way. Never take ANYTHING for granted.

For more information, Margolis was a guest on the Rowdy.com podcast. Just click on the "Listen Now" button on the right side of the page.

Best wishes to Margolis on his new challenges and many thanks to him for being a good friend of our efforts at TDP since the beginning. Please feel free to add your comments by clicking the COMMENTS button and following the easy directions.

The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet and Happy New Year to everyone.

Key Story Of 2008 Breaks With No TV Coverage

Lee Spencer from Fox Sports was up at 1AM to author this (click here) story on the end of a legendary NASCAR family franchise.

Several hours later, ESPN.com followed with a blurb (click here) about the same issue. No reporter's name was mentioned, but the details were the same. Even with the Petty name possibly tied to the new merged company, Petty Enterprises was officially closing.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Petty VP Robbie Loomis (click here) was busy denying merger rumors and painting the future as bright. Now, the reality was finally playing-out on a national stage. Unfortunately, that stage did not include TV coverage.

On SPEED, the lifestyle programs continued to race by on Wednesday as the off-season frenzy of truck towing and auto auctions was in full swing.

This (click here) single story by Tom Jensen on SPEEDtv.com talked about the Petty legacy and the reasons this situation was about to have a profound effect on the sport in general. Jensen was not seen on Wind Tunnel, the SPEED Report or any other SPEED TV program. NASCAR on SPEED is closed for the winter.

The nerves were raw at ESPN because the breaking sports news was overwhelming the capabilities of the on-air crews. "Welcome to the machine," said the ESPNEWS anchor on Wednesday morning as the 24-hour network continued to grind out the "content."

Denver's Mike Shanahan was fired, Brett Farve might need surgery and the coaching wheel in the NFL was in full swing. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were going head-to-head in the highlights. Alcoholic golfer John Daly was suspended by the PGA and Charles Barkley was busted for DUI. NASCAR's Petty story had no chance.

Over on the "mothership" of ESPN, the SportsCenter franchise had already made its final statement of the year where NASCAR was concerned. The season's best video clips in all sports had rolled-by and most of them were predictable. But, when it came to NASCAR, ESPN had selected the best moments of the season. Well, as far as they were concerned.

"Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in NASCAR," growled Clint Bowyer again during the red flag in Bristol. Then, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards showed the best face of the sport with post-race slamming and spinning on the high banks. Topping it off were the threat and response soundbites from both those drivers.

ESPN inserted the Petty information as a blurb on the lower third ticker and credited Spencer and Foxsports.com for the confirmation. So, there it was. Petty Enterprises had effectively gone out of business as a lower third graphic on ESPN on a Wednesday morning.

The background of TDP is blue to celebrate Richard Petty's 50 years in NASCAR. Regardless of the bad business decisions, the end of Petty Enterprises is a major story in the history of NASCAR. With the passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr., there was perhaps no more recognizable and iconic figure in the sport than Richard Petty.

We are weeks away from the start of the NASCAR TV season. Perhaps, both SPEED and ESPN will take some time to follow-up on the Petty story and put this transition into historical perspective when they return to the air. Today, there will be no opportunity to see a reporter or hear an expert to help fans understand this news.

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NASCAR Not Good Enough For Primetime On SPEED

Finally, a brand new TV series from the professionals at The NASCAR Media Group is coming to SPEED in January. The title of the series is NASCAR 39/10 and it is a big chunk of programming that should be a blast for fans.

Consisting of ten shows each three hours in length, this series will review the 2008 Sprint Cup Series with lots of never-before-seen-footage and interviews. Just what NASCAR fans want after a long holiday break.

“January is all about getting jacked up for Daytona,” said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. “We’re going to give race fans a chance to relive their favorite moments from 2008 in a unique way, while at the same time, setting the stage for the new season."

What Nickell did not tell fans is that they may have to take a very long lunch break to see any of the thirty hours of NASCAR 39/10.

The shows air from noon to 3PM Eastern Time on Wednesdays and Thursdays starting January 7th. Say it with me, noon to 3PM.

SPEED has decided to keep the "reality lifestyle" programs like PINKS, Living the Low Life and Wrecked in primetime. NASCAR apparently does not make the grade.

Looking at the SPEED TV schedule on the network's website, there does not appear to be a re-air of NASCAR 39/10 currently scheduled. Perhaps, that might change before next week.

This situation once again forces fans to get their hands on a DVR, VCR or TiVo in order to record and then watch the NASCAR-themed programs on SPEED. Thirty hours of brand-new quality shows from NMG that sum-up the entire 2008 series should be a great way to start the new year. If you can see them, that is.

It seems strange that SPEED chose to bury this entire program series in an afternoon timeslot. The NASCAR Media Group only had six episodes of NASCAR Confidential on SPEED during the entire 2008 season. This type of glossy and high-end programming has been missing from SPEED for years.

With shows like Trackside, The SPEED Report and Daytona specials set to begin later in January, it certainly would have been nice to see a new NASCAR TV series be given one airing in primetime.

Given the current issues affecting NASCAR and the fact that SPEED is currently one of NASCAR's key TV partners, watching thirty hours of quality NASCAR TV air up-against the local news at noon and the soap opera block is more than just a little painful.

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