Trouble in Turn2

One of the best things about blogging is the community. There are a lot of really cool, genuine people in this little NASCAR cyber-circle. So I thought it would be a good idea to get to know some different bloggers better. This is a series I plan to do on a weekly basis.

One of those cool people is Bob Ellis, who might be better known as 4ever3. His blog NASCAR Ranting and Raving was recently named as one of the 10 most influential NASCAR blogs by the Sports Media Challenge. Don’t be mislead by the title, his posts are well thought out opinions backed by facts and examples rather than off-the-cuff rants that you might find on a forum.

How long have you blogged? “20 months.”

Why do you blog? “It has become a hobby - I watch less TV now.”

What made you start blogging? “It was an accident really. I was a frequent visitor at Jerry Wilson’s old site “The Diecast Dude” and when he switched to Blogger I accidentally registered for an account instead as a user, so I decided to start writing my much longer opinions at my site compared to the ones I left at Jerry’s place.”

Where do you blog from? “Usually at home in my office. I do check my comments at lunch and respond if I have time.”

How long have you been a NASCAR fan? “Don’t want to date myself, but since the mid-70’s.”

Do you attend races, and which ones? “I used to go a lot, but then we started a family and I haven’t been much in the last 6 yrs, but now that the kids are older I can start taking them with me. The tracks I go to are usually the ones closest to me - Mich., The Glen, Pocono (although it isn’t that close really). I have been to Darlington on Labor Day back in the early 90’s - what a race!”

Is NASCAR better now or back in the day? “Wow. I think comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are better for different reasons. Back in the day you had more contact with the drivers, but you could only watch 3 or 4 races a year on TV, now you have less contact with the drivers but you get 100 hours of TV coverge on the Daytona 500 alone. I do miss the ‘attitude’ of the old days though, some of these drivers are just too polished now, but for good reason, there is alot of money riding on their image now than in the past. What makes NASCAR good now is also what makes it bad. It is a catch-22.”

If you could change one thing about NASCAR what would it be? “The earlier introduction of the safety features currently found on the CoT. NASCAR already had two deaths in Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty, but they didn’t do anything until Dale Earnhardt died. That is sad, it is like saying those lives aren’t worth anything. Instead of being proactive NASCAR has been reactive when it comes to safety. They have recently looked like they are being proactive in this area, but it is still reactionary as far as I am concerned - all of this stuff; safer barriers, HANS Devices, the CoT, all should have been instituted earlier than it was.”

What do you enjoy about your blog and the NASCAR blogging community? “Meeting other passionate NASCAR fans and sharing our ideas about the sport. I even got to be a guest on Charlie and Steve’s On Pit Row radio show just before Christmas. That was cool, I hope to get a chance to do it again.”

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about blogging, or the NASCAR online community? “Other people ‘taking’ my stories or ideas without credit and posting them on their sites/forums etc. as their own with out reference to me. This isn’t just amateurs doing it either, I’ve had stuff of mine ‘borrowed’ by people who are paid to do this and are considered to be professional journalists of the sport. Go figure.”

How much time per day do you spend blogging? “According to my wife too much time, but really 1-2 hours per day unless something big has happened like jet fuel in the intake manifold last year, then I spend a little more time.”

Do you have a favorite driver? “Yes, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Some people think I’m a Dale Jr fan because I write about him a lot and I have certainly become more of a fan since he left DEI, but is he my favorite driver? No. I really haven’t had a favorite driver since Dale Sr died. It would be easier for me to tell you who I don’t like instead. Let’s just say I’m a fan of the sport.”

Is there one thing that was key to your blog’s success? “I think it was a combination of things like being so easily accepted into the NASCAR blogging community and the help that I got from other bloggers like Jerry (Restrictorplate This), Marc (Full Throttle), Janelle Ramon (Track Talk) and Antonette (Unrestricted: My Rants and Raves). Being from Canada probably helped too because I might offer up a slightly different opinion to certain issues as I don’t really have to battle with the regionalism of the sport that happens between fans as well as the media in the US - it is hard to be stereotyped as a red-neck when I live in an igloo (not really).”

Name something cool that has come as a result of your blog. Some of the stuff companies give me to give away like games, tickets to races, DVD’s, etc. To think companies are actually coming to me to help them promote/sell their products. Cool.

Do you have any strange or funny stories about your blog (funny or outrageous comments or emails from people, etc.)? “I have been asked if I was married. I got a 2 or 3 thousand ‘manifest’ on the evils of the sinners who live in California and how God is going to make them pay by destroying California and have it fall into the Pacific. I sometimes get people emailing me complaining about certain things in NASCAR and asking me to pass it along to NASCAR - I really don’t have a direct line to NASCAR, honestly. I also get people who sometimes email me their NASCAR rants and then thank me at the end for listening to them. It is like they just need someone to vent to and they choose me.”

What is something your readers wouldn’t otherwise know about you or your blog? “I’m a huge Kiss fan, and love watching horror movies no matter how bad they are - actually sometimes, depending on my mood, the cheesier the better.

“One other thing I’d like to include is the fact that I’m poor at making comments at other people’s sites. There are so many good blogs out there, which I do go to often, and read, but I very rarely leave comments. I just don’t have enough time to read other blogs and sites and then leave comments while maintaining my site in conjunction with reading and answering emails related to my site. If I could improve one thing about my blogging it would be to become better at leaving comments at other people’s sites.”

My thanks to Bob for taking the time and giving such great answers. If it isn’t already a daily stop, be sure to check out his blog. Let me know what you think about this series, or send me an email if you are interested in being profiled in the future.