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Drivers should remember the fans

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Jeff Hammond

FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond is a former NASCAR crew chief who led Darrell Waltrip to two of his three Cup championships. The duo also teamed up to win the 1989 Daytona 500. Prior to that, Hammond was the jackman for Cale Yarborough for all three of his Cup championships. He has 43 Cup wins as a crew chief.

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Updated Nov 16, 2009 4:20 PM ET
     
 
With the 2009 NASCAR season winding down, it's time to look back and see what worked and where the sport can improve as a whole. There's one area in particular that I think we can all do a better job with in 2010 and beyond: Working with our fans. I really would like to see NASCAR work with our drivers to help reconnect with our fans. There are a few drivers, like Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, that go out regularly and spend time with the fans but on a whole, I don't think enough drivers make that type of effort.
When I sit and look at the money these drivers are able to pull down driving race cars, the numbers are pretty staggering. I think our drivers, along with our sponsors, need to understand as a sport that we need to get back in touch with the common man. We need to get back to making NASCAR the fans' favorite. We need to reestablish that our fans, which are the greatest in any professional sport, are the most important thing to us. I really believe it would go a long way to bring people back to our sport. It would put more people in the grandstands and also help the TV ratings. I think our fans are crying out to be recognized and appreciated more. Trust me, I hear it all the time from fans. Now I realize that these drivers can't take care of everyone. That's simply impossible. But wouldn't it be neat, for example, if the fans knew that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was going to give an hour of his time each week for 36 weeks to sign autographs at the track? It would be a great way to make the fans feel special. Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya are awesome guys. The problem has become when they are working, they are working. They have struggled to find a way to detach from race-mode to autograph mode. I think it has hurt them to a certain extent with the fans. They need to try and find a balance where they can give back to the fans and it doesn't interfere with their jobs. Some drivers have jumped on the Facebook and Twitter bandwagon. While that's great, it is still not the same. It's not personal enough. I am talking about doing things with the fans where it is face to face. Maybe it's a handshake, take a picture and sign an autograph. That's the kind of time I want these drivers to give to the fans. There is a lot to be said for taking the time to look a fan in the eye, shake his or her hand and tell them thank you for their support. It's like our Armed Forces. You can send our troops emails all the time, but it's making the extra effort to walk up to them and thank them to their face that really makes the difference. Those are the kind of things that go along with what I am preaching here. I know as a crew chief and now as a broadcaster, I love meeting the fans and hearing what they say. I also like getting their input of what they like and what they don't like so we have an idea of things to work on. We simply need to keep the fans in touch, engaged and part of the racing family. Without these fans, what do we have? We can do all we want to these race cars, but if there isn't anyone in the grandstands or at home watching, then what have we accomplished? I'll say it again. We have to reconnect with these fans. That's what it is all about. It's simply about going back to basics. It's something that we are slowly but surely getting away from. Go talk to Richard Petty. He'll tell you to your face that it's not about Richard Petty, it's about the fans. If it's good for the sport, then it is good for me. This sport has been good to so many people, myself included, yet I am afraid we are starting to take the fans for granted. The fans will keep you in a job for a long time if you treat them right. It's just that simple.

FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond led Darrell Waltrip to two of DW's three Winston Cup championships as his crew chief. They also teamed to win the 1989 Daytona 500.

For autographed copies of Jeff Hammond's book "Real Men Work in the Pits" plus magnets, hats and more, check out www.dwstore.com.

For photos and appearances, visit Jeff's web site www.jeffhammond.com.

Tagged: Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch

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