Trouble in Turn2

This week it’s time to know more about Darren Fauth, creator, designer, editor and blogger of the ultimate NASCAR stats website One Bad Wheel.

How long have you blogged?
I started my blog in August of 2005.

Why do you blog? What made you start blogging?
I had been into web design for about 5 years and would read the great ‘web design’ blogs everyday. I knew I couldn’t compete with them for content, ranking and popularity; they were my source of learning. But I also knew I wanted to have a blog, just didn’t know what to blog about. Then like a brick it hit me on the head that I am passionate about NASCAR. I could blog about that.

Where do you blog from?
I do all my blogging from my home office. I’ll get ideas while on the road or watching tv, but I blog from the desk. I still haven’t got used to the idea that my laptop is portable.

How long have you been a NASCAR fan?
I’ve been a stock car and sprint car race fan my whole life. My dad used to race at Lorain County Speedway and Sandusky Speedway in Ohio when I was real young. I watched some NASCAR with my dad in the late 90’s. But, it wasn’t until 2000 that I became a diehard fan.

Do you attend races, and which ones?
The only NASCAR races I have been to are the ones at Texas Motor Speedway. I go every year to every race they hold (Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Craftsman and IRL).

What do you enjoy about your site and the NASCAR online community?
I get a great deal of satisfaction knowing that people actually use the statistics to help them do better in their fantasy games. I get emails where people will tell me how they have advanced in their fantasy NASCAR leagues using the stats. Then they usually say they are not going to tell any of their friends about the site. Ha ha. It’s a double-edged sword. I’ve meet several cool people online that I would never have known without having created the site.

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about blogging, or the NASCAR online community?
Blogging is hard work. It takes a lot of time that I usually don’t have since the stats and programming take so much time. During my short gig with Yahoo! It was crazy the amount of time it took to write 4 or 5 solid posts. I was also really surprised by the meanness of some of the comments there as compared to my own blog.

How much time per day do you spend on your site?
I work 20 – 30 hours a week on my site. I’m fortunate to have help from other people too.

What is it about stats that interests you?
I just am fascinated by numbers. I’m not a math person. Basic College Math was all I ever took in college. But I have always liked to combine numbers in different ways.

Do you have a favorite driver?
My favorite drivers are Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett. So right now, I’m a fan without a driver. It actually sucks…I can’t currently find the driver that compels me to throw my support behind him.

Any drivers you don’t like?
You know, I don’t actually not like any drivers. What irritates me is how supportive some fans are of certain drivers…and that makes me not like them. Kind of like hating the most popular stars because they are so popular. My short list of these drivers include: Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne. Jeff Gordon has a lot of fans and a lot of haters, so that evens him out for me. I secretly like him, but shake my head at all the unwarranted fanaticism he receives.

Is there one thing that was key to your blog’s success?
Not giving up.

Name something cool that has come as a result of your blog.
New friends. Lou Lauer, Steve McClearn, Jeff Gutowski, James Jones, Charile Turner and you….Mike Maruska. These are all guys that I talk to, respect and appreciate. Plus, a slew of other people that comment or email me regularly but are too numerous to list.

How did Champs, Chumps and Sleepers come about?
The site is created for the NASCAR fantasy gamer. So, it just is natural that the site should also have a game.

Do you have any strange or funny stories about your blog (funny or outrageous comments or emails from people, etc.)?
Well there was the girl that told me that she hopes ‘I rot in hell’ for calling Kasey Kahne an idiot.

Why do you hate Kasey Kahne so much?
Because I’ve seen him be such an idiot and boot a couple of drivers out of his way after wrecking with them. He’s a punk.

Is NASCAR better now or back in the day?
I don’t think I could say. I do enjoy watching the old NASCAR races that are broadcast on ESPN Classic. But really, there are so many good things about today for the fan and driver that looking back to the past is probably not realistic. Everything seems better looking back, but surely our memory is just not accurate.

If you could change one thing about NASCAR what would it be?
No mega teams.

What is something your readers wouldn’t otherwise know about you or your blog?
My wife and I recently bought a house and some race days I would just rather do yard work then feel like I have to watch the race. I haven’t not watched a race and immediately gotten the race stats up the whole time I’ve had the site. But sometimes I just want to plant some flowers and mow the lawn.