Blog: Mourning Loss of Richmond PR Man:

Posted By: Joshua Boyles

FRIDAY, March 31:

Martinsville, Va. — Sometimes it would be nice to be in two places at once.

I left Richmond early this morning to make the long drive to Martinsville Speedway for this weekend's NASCAR races, and that means I'm missing a memorial service.

Robert Kenneth Campbell was a long-time PR man in Richmond, and had been warned before I arrived in town 11 years ago that the extent of my knowledge of NASCAR was the bad Northeastern joke about how the first guy to make X number of left turns wins.

Not long after I got to the city, he called and invited me to come out to the track to meet everyone and so he could show me around, an invitation I gladly accepted.

On the day we met, Ken was wearing a dress shirt and tie. Important point.

He showed me the press work areas, the track, the medical center in the infield, introduced me to all the folks I'd need to know and made me feel like I was important.

Class guy, that Ken Campbell.

He died last week after a long illness, and the memorial service was tonight in the infield media center that now bears his name. I would have been honored to attend.

In thinking about Ken this week, though, I recalled a story that I now realize was partially his fault because there was one thing he neglected to share that afternoon.

On the day my first NASCAR race weekend began, I wore a tie, too.

"You must be Hank," another track PR guy said as I strolled in.

_AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Racing on a city street circuit is far more like a festival than an auto race, and the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is one of the best examples.

The 1.8-mile, 14-turn race course is built on the wide runways and taxiways of the downtown Albert Whitted Airport, tucked between Tampa Bay and the busy streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

Standing on the roof of the Mahaffey Theater that abuts the front straightaway of the track, the views are reminiscent of the Grand Prix of Monaco, with yachts, sailboats and sparkling blue water providing the background to the speeding cars.

There is entertainment and all kinds of food — from track dogs to gourmet cooking in the glitzy hospitality tents and suites around the course.

It's fun to hear the whine and growl of the engines reverberate off the buildings and watch spectators mill around the track, the paddock, the midway areas and the concession stands, enjoying the warm sun and the chance to see and maybe get an autograph from the IRL IndyCar Series drivers or former drivers like Mario Andretti and Rusty Wallace or KISS bassist Gene Simmons.

Last year's rookie phenom Danica Patrick can't take a step outside without drawing a crowd that seems to follow her like a swarm of bees as she walks from motorhome to garage to pits.

Some of the people who show up may not even see a race car on the track — or care. They just want to join the party.

All of this brings a broad smile to the face of Indianapolis native Rick Baker, now the mayor of St. Petersburg and an avid race fan.

"I grew up in Indianapolis, going to the 500, and I love it," Baker said. "Having this race here is like heaven for me."

The area around the race course is undergoing a major renovation with a $22 million makeover of the theater already well under way. Coming soon are a new plaza next to the theater, next to that, a new park and, eventually, a new Salvador Dali museum.

The mayor said the plans for the new park were all drawn up before Barry Green, a former open-wheel team owner and now promoter of the St. Pete race, saw them and lodged a mild complaint that the grassy park was encroaching on "his" track.

"We figured out how to redesign the park to fit with the racetrack," Baker said. "We know the drivers love this track and we want to keep it that way."

• AP Motorsports Writer Mike Harris

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TUESDAY, March 28:

Jeff Gordon began making not-so-subtle changes in his life back in 2002 during the early stages of his divorce. He began showing up at bars and restaurants around Charlotte, N.C., hanging out with the in-crowd every so often — just becoming one of the guys.

The shift opened doors for him. He landed a gig hosting "Saturday Night Live," began dating models and frequenting New York City's hot spots.

Now, NASCAR's goody two shoes is turning it up a notch.

He shoved Matt Kenseth after Sunday's race in Bristol, and NASCAR penalized him for it Tuesday by fining him $10,000. It's the first time in Gordon's 14-year career that he's been punished for his conduct.

Big deal.

It's awesome to see Gordon show a little emotion. The people deep inside the industry have known for the past four years that he's got it inside of him. But still, when the cameras came on and the sponsors and fans were watching, he reverted to that squeaky-clean kid.

Now he's letting it all out (albeit with his helmet still on, so if Kenseth wanted to fight back Gordon was pretty well protected). But the more of that aggression we see out of him the better. And, it might just help him get back into the Chase for the championship.

• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

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SUNDAY, March 26:

If there was any doubt that Kevin Harvick really doesn't like Kurt Busch, he eliminated it at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Harvick opened the weekend with what was believed to be some lighthearted poking at his longtime rival. When asked if there was one thing he could change about the way he's perceived, Harvick began ranting about Busch.

"I think I would have whooped Kurt Busch before now," Harvick said. "I probably shouldn't have said that ... but I'll still tell you what I think — I'd still like to whip his (butt). Before the year's over, he'll make a fool out of (car owner) Roger Penske."

Busch gave his response on the race track Sunday, winning here for his fifth victory in the last nine races.

Harvick wound up second and was irritated to lose to his nemesis. Then, when he stopped by the media center for his post-race interview, he was asked if he had any respect for Busch as a driver.

"I meant exactly what I said," he snapped. "I am not going to take it out on the race cars when we are on the track. If I have to, I will take it out on him. He took at cheapshot at me last week (in Atlanta) on the race track and that is not something that goes over well.

"I meant every word and stand behind everything I said."

NASCAR doesn't like it, but these types of rivalries are good for the sport.

The series is driven by personalities, emotions and conflicts and the more the public gets to see, the better the ratings will be. It's awesome to hear Harvick sniping at Busch, so much so that it overshadowed his win.

And when Jeff Gordon angrily shoved Matt Kenseth on pit road after the race, the crowd went wild.

But NASCAR isn't as gung-ho about the drama as everyone else seems to be. The sanctioning body wants the sport to look professional, and all the off-track activity takes away from that. Fearing that it makes NASCAR look too much like professional wrestling, they often try to muzzle the emotion.

Watering the drama down will never work. Let Gordon and Kenseth go to Martinsville Speedway next week still feuding, and cross your fingers that Harvick has some more choice words for Busch.

It makes things A LOT more interesting.

• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

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SATURDAY, March 25:

BRISTOL, Tenn. — When I tell people I cover NASCAR, most instantly imagine a glamorous lifestyle of travel and rubbing elbows with the sport's biggest stars.

It's weekends like these that remind me just how wrong they are.

It's been miserable at Bristol Motor Speedway since I got here. All of Friday's track activity was canceled because of a cold rain, and action Saturday has been halted because of SNOW!

When poor weather becomes a factor, everything comes to a standstill. Drivers scatter to their motorhomes, where they hide out watching movies or playing video games. Crews crowd into their haulers to stay warm and dry, and reporters become prisoners of the media center.

In there we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

NASCAR hates canceling races because rescheduling is so difficult. So the sanctioning body holds out as long as it possibly can to make a decision.

But even if they called it a day, it's not like there's a whole lot to do on this trip. The media hotel is a dive in Johnson City, a room that probably goes for about $59 a night 50 weekends a year. But during a race, we pay over $200 a night to stay in a hovel I refuse to walk barefoot in and touch as few furnishings as I possibly can.

And it always seems that I get a room facing a highway, where every serial killer passing through East Tennessee could stop by to kick in my door and kill me. Hey — I watch "Dateline" a lot. That stuff happens.

So I'll just sit here and wait, watching the snow through my tiny window in the media center and wonder if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is keeping warm while trying to set a new high score on his Xbox.

• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

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FRIDAY, March 24:

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Chad Knaus was unrepentant — maybe even arrogant — the first time he publicly discussed his NASCAR suspension.

Four weeks away from the race track will change that in a hurry.

Knaus returned to his job as crew chief for Jimmie Johnson on Friday clearly a changed man. He said his time away from racing was painful, and I believed him.

There's no doubt Knaus is ego-driven, intent on establishing himself as the best crew chief in the business. That drive has made him an obsessive workaholic unable to show much emotion, prioritize his life or focus on anything other than winning.

Yet he seemed close to tears twice on Friday when he talked about watching his team race on without him. A huge part of him was proud to see protege Darian Grubb fill in for him and lead Johnson to two wins, one runner-up finish and a sixth-place in Knaus' absence. But as a competitor, it broke his heart not to be there running the show.

Perhaps this suspension — the fallout from being caught cheating during Daytona 500 preparations — is the best thing that could have happened to Knaus. It made him realize just how quickly the one thing he truly loves in life can be taken away, and just how miserable he is without it. One only had to see the sincere smile on his face when he walked up and joined a conversation with some of his crew members to see how much he missed it.

• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

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