Athens, NY—Of the 4½ writer guys who earn regular paychecks creating commentary about the Champ Car World Series for independent publishing entities, at least three of them supplement their income by creating commentary for CCWS’ house organ website.

Therefore, it would be highly inappropriate for the J-word (journalism/journalist) to ever be used in the same sentence with the names of these 4½ writer guys, the Champ Car house organ, or even the independent publishing entities that employ the writer guys.

Perhaps the aforementioned commentators will resent my suggested prohibition of the J-word in respect to their product but, despite the knowledge that they have proper journalistic credentials and have served apprenticeships in straighter journalistic endeavors, one hopes that they would all follow this renegade scribe’s example, humbly protesting any attempt to apply the J-word to their current body of opinionated works.

Of course, we all know which of the three aforementioned duplicitous writer guys enjoys the greatest name recognition and who by far gets the most TV face time. Well, that particular writer guy recently penned a rant for his primary employer in which he was highly critical of the partners and management of the Champ Car Company; in which he, in essence, bit the other hand that feeds him.

Some believe that the lambasting was intentionally mean and sensational. But that is precisely what makes people continue to read this writer guy’s commentaries and what motivates fans and detractors alike to endure the hi-def creep-out that his countenance creates on their TV screens.

In the piece’s punch line the writer guy goes so far as to heretically suggest that the general ineptitude of Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe et al have so diminished open-wheel racing that we would all now be better off if these dopey rich guys would just entrust the remains of our divided beloved speed sport to its splitter.

The writer guy’s implied better choice for the position of Racing Boss, therefore, is the same dyslexic visionary that has accomplished Jack Diddley Squat improvement-wise with his own watered-down version of open-wheel racing. Over a dozen years, despite burning through a huge portion of the fortune he inherited and which has enabled him to destroy open-wheel racing in the first place, f-inheritor is not only inferior in every way to the CART from which it was rent but even its main attraction, the Indianapolis 500, has degenerated into a ground hog’s shadow of its pre-split self.

Does the Champ Car World Series need lots of fixing? You bet it does. So much so, in fact, that most of the writer guy’s complaints ring true with most realistic fans—especially those of us who were around to enjoy the diversity of technology and personality of Champ Car racing’s heyday.

Nonetheless, while being a strong advocate for a commentator’s right to criticize but remain credentialed, keeping ungrateful sensationalists off the payroll would certainly be a priority if I ruled the world. Any money saved would be better spent on a spin doctor or PR agent.

Then there are the other 4½ underpaid writer guys who would jump at the chance to pen constructive rants for a dying company that they would love to have a hand in saving.

Road Rage! An op-ed feature by Ed Donath.

Copyright © 2007 by Ed Donath and Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.