Throwback journalism at Darlington never goes out of style

DARLINGTON, S.C. – It was throwback weekend at the Darlington Raceway, a few days when stock-car racing remembered its past.

Legendary drivers returned to the oldest speedway in NASCAR, where 75 cars started the first Southern 500 in 1950. Most were gray. Many seemed hobbled or rendered immune to normal conversation by years of sitting atop enough horsepower to launch a car 200 mph.

Seeing old friends like Greg Biffle, Geoff Bodine, Terry Labonte, Rick Mast, Rusty Wallace, Mike Wallace, Kenny Wallace, Richard Petty, Mike Skinner, Dave Marcis, Jack Roush, Ron Hornaday, Ray Evernham and Jeff Burton back at the track was fun. But seeing a small group of scribes I’ve worked with for at least 30 years was even better for an old reporter like me. There aren’t a lot of us remaining. Some have died. Others have retired. Too many have been unceremoniously pushed aside by business people who are more interested in easy money than focusing on journalism.

That’s opened the door for bloggers and podcasters. All you need is a website, a streaming page and camera, and you can post stories. Truth isn’t a requirement because they’re often just re-reporting what they read from another site. It’s what news has become, and it’s certainly not journalism.

Andy Petree, who’s been a driver, two-time Cup Series Championship crew chief with Dale Earnhardt, car owner, Executive Vice President with Richard Childress Racing and television analyst during his 36-year career in NASCAR, has witnessed how the media has changed during his career.

“Back when I started, there were guys like you who traveled with the sport. If you had a question, you asked it,” he said. “We knew all of you, and we trusted you. If we told you something off the record, we didn’t worry about it.

“Social media has changed everything. I understand they have a job to do, but we don’t know any of them. And I don’t trust any of them.”

I remember when Petty sat on the back of his hauler in the Talladega Superspeedway garage area to hold court. He told reporters, “If you have a question, come ask me.” Because everyone now has a cellphone and quick access to X, Facebook and TikTok, that doesn’t happen anymore. Drivers are like anyone else: they tend to be more forthcoming when they know and trust you.

It’s difficult for old reporters like me to watch what’s become of our profession, particularly at major and national outlets. Very few can pick up the phone and make a call to someone who can answer a question. Worse yet, even fewer have built a level of respect to be able to ask questions and get answers, so they rely on what others have to say. In short, they fill space.

The best journalism happens at the local level. We work to build respectful relationships within our communities. We don’t tell a story with a photo and a set number of characters.

In racing, younger drivers have learned to control their messages. Some create podcasts, and just about everyone has their own social media pages, so they can control the message. After that, the bloggers post stories on those posts without doing any real work.

Being back at Darlington brought back some fond, yet almost outdated, memories, especially after seeing longtime reporters and friends like Deb Williams, Lee and Reid Spencer, AP’s Pete Iacobelli, Bob Pockrass and Dustin Long still trekking through the garage area, pouring through their notepads for first account quotes and notes, and then professionally writing their stories.

That’s a throwback that never goes out of style.