It’s A Kinda Magic
Firstly, I’m going to take this opportunity to
introduce myself: I’m Paul Hines and I race
a Brisca F1 stock car number #259. I’ve
been racing for almost a decade but I’ve
been a lifelong fan and spectator.
I’ve been given the chance to voice my
opinion as to why I think stock car racing
really IS Magic. I don’t mean in the mystical
sense of course and the only mystery is
where on earth does all your money go?
The magic I’m talking about is the overall
awesomeness that stock car racing can
create because I really love everything
there is about the sport. I know I’m
perhaps a little biased and probably
preaching to the converted in this
magazine but hopefully, I can highlight
some of the things that make our sport so
great.
The People
Stock car folk are a cult that started back in
the 50s and has just lived on generation
after generation. All of us are different yet
somehow we are all the same. There’s a
passion we all share for the ‘Heroes’ who
risk life and limb racing around the short
oval tracks to thrill and entertain us.
You’ll probably have noticed that stock car
folk tend to smile a lot. If you haven’t, if you
can take your eyes off the race for a
second, look around you at the crowd next
time you watch a race. You might want to
compare those faces with others at say a
football match, some look like they’re
8
spoiling for a fight. Happy people are
usually friendly people which makes for a
great atmosphere and a pleasure to be
around. I can assure you there’s nothing
better than being in the middle of that
crowd when Wainman, Speak, Smith,
Moodie or Lund are in full battle on the
track.
There’s no big secret either - we love stock
cars and don’t mind who know it. Car
stickers, t-shirts, twitter and facebook are
all ways we manage to tell the world what’s
happening.
Take it from me, the stock car fraternity are
a decent lot and I can’t think of a better
group of people I’d rather spend my time
with.
The Drivers.
I take my hat off (well, I would if I had one)
to anyone who races the oval track,
especially the regular drivers who obviously
race because they love the sport.
It takes a special kind of person to keep
turning up time and time again knowing
that inevitably they’re going to get knocked
literally from pillar to post with a slim
chance of winning a trophy.
These guys show such determination to get
their cars to meetings, sacrificing many
hours in the garage to ensure their cars are
up to scratch and comply to the high
standards of the scrutineers.
The Tracks
Rated as a ‘working man’s’ sport we are
blessed with some really fantastic tracks
and the promotors do a sterling job
preparing the ovals for our lads to race on.
We might think they’re earning the big
bucks, but with the high standards they
have to comply with and compared to the
crowds from the 50s, they’ve just got to be
doing it for the love of the sport.
The promoters are very much like the fans
and the drivers and have been a part of
oval motorsport all their lives. They face
some challenging times if the sport is to
thrive and we can all play a part in the
future of the sport by supporting them all
we can.
The Product
In ‘Marketing’ terms you need to work on
the 5 Ps; the Place, Product, Price,
Promotion and the People and if you can
get all these right, you’ll have a successful
business. The fact that it’s survived for
nearly 60 years is proof enough so they
must be doing something right.
We have so many reasons to be positive
and so many reasons why this sport can
excel in a modern world. Hope you enjoyed
this read. If you have any comments
facebook me or tweet me @f1stox259
Paul Hines
Tel: 0844 840 8104