SOME DAYS ARE JUST BETTER THAN OTHERS
By Mike Fields

April 12, Long Beach, NY--- When things go well at a track, they can go very well. When they’re bad, it can be devastating. If you’re not at the track, you’ll read about it in a press release. Although you read the story, quite often the person who wrote that release is anonymous.  

One person that writes some of those releases we find quite extraordinary. This person is highly respected, and a tremendous help to all of us in the pressbox, as she is held in very high regard. 

That person is Dale Wolbrink. Never heard of her?  

Well, if you’ve read the releases for this past March’s SpeedwayEXPO, then you may know some of her writing. Or how about some of the releases sent out by Thompson International Speedway? Or the Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout®? Her name is also attached to a variety of releases sent out by different race teams and racing related companies. She also writes the successful On Target column for the Area Auto Racing News. Even outside of racing, you’ll see her name on things such as the ALS Family Charitable Foundation. She is one very busy lady. 

In fact, the Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout® wouldn’t be what it is today without Ms. Wolbrink. A few years ago, Dale took an idea about a race that hadn’t run a lap yet, and through an absolutely brilliant Public Relations campaign, she turned that race (that still hadn’t run a lap) into an event that has all the glamour and prestige of the old Race of Champions, when it ran Trenton and Pocono. Remember when the best of the best got together at the end of the year? 

Just one interesting fact about the Shootout; it turns out that according to track personnel at Concord Motorsport Park where the race is run, this past November’s annual race brought more fans than any other race in the history of the facility! 

At last year’s Shootout, there she was, stationed in the events trailer in the pits as usual, doing her always very demanding job. What was interesting is that Dale was just out of the hospital, obviously not yet back up to snuff that weekend. Still, she hung in, and did what was a very difficult job. To be honest, we’re not certain of everything she does during those days at the Shootout. The only thing we know is that everyone wants a piece of her, she gets pulled in 20-different directions, her two-way radio wais constantly going, and we can’t figure out how she gets anything done. Yet when we finally leave late on Saturday night when the grandstands are empty and the track is dark, she’s still hard at work, trying to get every last contingency award handed out to all the entitled drivers and teams. 

Dale is also the Pressbox Coordinator and writes at least some of the press releases at Thompson International Speedway. She’s the one to let all of the media know starting lineups, finishing positions, who’s on the lead lap of the race, and a thousand other things that keeps her occupied during the course of a race weekend. 

That’s not always an easy job. This past weekend at Thompson, 27-year old NEMA driver Shane Hammond lost his life in a freak crash. That follows the loss of John Blewett III last October in a Whelan Modified Tour race--- the same race which had claimed Tom Baldwin three years previously. As we were all waiting word on the condition of the driver, Dale was cautioning and reminding the media in the pressbox about the federal HIPAA Medical Privacy law. That’s the law that set national standards to protect the privacy of personal health information, which was enacted on April 14, 2003. 

For that reason, any information that she received overhearing track workers talking about Hammond’s condition could not be relayed by her to the pressbox. Finally, she was legally allowed to tell us that Shane had incurred “Multiple and serious injuries”. That was all we knew until he was pronounced dead shortly after at Day Kimball Hospital. 

And then Dale had to type up the press release. Writing a column about a racing fatality is never easy. Writing about it while you are there on the scene is doubly difficult. 

When I turned and made a passing comment, Dale replied without looking up and with a slight sigh, “Some days are just better than others.”

  Mike Fields has written for the Area Auto Racing News, Raceway Media Magazine, various track programs, as well as being a contributing author for the book Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul.  He has also been a co-host of a weekly motorsports radio program, and a track announcer. Fields currently writes a weekly internet column, and is the editor/publisher of Long Island Motorsports News.  He may be contacted by e-mail at MFields@LongIslandMotorsports.com or by phone at (516) 376-4028.

   As always, you have a chance to weigh in and leave your comments below. All posters MUST leave their names, although they will not appear on The Blog upon request. After those comments have been reviewed, they will be placed on The Blog.

VIEWER COMMENTS

Response at 7:55am, 4/03/08 from: Fran Lawlor

Mike you never cease to amaze me. Whelan Modified Tour? How about WHELEN. Right on the same page as the blog you have on about the tours loss of John Blewett III yet you put he passed in October?

And the JBIII NSS was a dream of Charles and Chad Kepley and they got the best Pr person in the business to do the job and you are right, she has made it one of if not the premiere race it is. You think you would have learned from Eno Lirpasti.

EDITORS' NOTE: Fran, you are correct. In my haste to put up a blog the other evening on one subject, I got distracted and wrote Whelan, instead of Whelen. It happens, and I'm sure Phil Kurze will let ne know about it at Stafford. I'm surprised that WJ didn't pick it up immediately when it was uploaded onto the internet.

You are correct about who dreamed up the Shootout. But that wasn't the point of the Blog, which is why I didn't bring it up.

However, my gaff about the death of John Blewett III is not a joking matter, and for that I apologize. John was one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet and one hell of a racer. His passing was actually on August 16th of 2007.

Finally, don't knock my favorite driver. When you bring up Eno's name, it should be done with reverence, or I'll sick T-Bax on you!

Response at 4:30pm, 4/03/08 from: Walter Johnston

Gee, I did miss those mistakes. But none are as egregious as some of the ones I've seen on the forum that Fran is connected with, and they don't get corrected at all. Misspellings of people's names, race tracks, things like that are also disrespectful.

Bottom line is, no one does the kind of job that Dale Wolbrink does as well as she does it. That was the gist of Mike's writings, and Dale certainly deserves this recognition and more for all she does for our sport.

As for you, Mike, when Phil Kurze is done with you, I get my shot, lol!

Response at 11:24am, 4/19/08 from: Richie Grodski

Mr. Johnston, there is a very big difference between members making spelling mistakes in a forum and editors, writers or site owners making a mistake in facts and spellings. When a member in a forum writes a post, it shows his character and they have a chance to edit it, if they want to. If one word is misspelled, then it makes sense to edit that for them.

I presume we have also forgotten about the stories, written in Microsoft Word no less, that were submitted weekly, from writers, with a minimum of 20-25 spelling, grammar and sentence structure mistakes, when Word has built in functions to check this. That makes no sense at all.

A few mistakes were made above, big deal. It was pointed out and addressed by Mike, that should have been all that was needed. I, and many, don't understand why you are carry things out as you do. No one else is.

EDITORS' NOTE: I'm not exactly sure how this came about in this fashion. Fran pointed out obvious mistakes that I made (but never should have). I appreciate him letting me know.

After that, I see things that can potentially get out of hand. As long as it doesn't get any worse than this, I'll let it go. However, I'd appreciate it if everyone would kind of "ratchet back" a little.

If you want to hammer me, fine. Usually, when I get it, it's deserved, which is why I posted the responses. Don't hammer each other. That's when I'll edit those responses.