Announcing The Prelude

Undoubtedly one of the biggest events I announce all year is the Prelude To The Dream.  I feel like I talk nonstop the entire night because, honestly, it's a different type of crowd than what we usually have at Eldora.  That's tough for me because I'm a firm believer that, the more a person talks, the less people pay attention.

A lot of folks who will be at tonight's Prelude have never even seen a Dirt Late Model race before, let alone been to Eldora Speedway.  With that in mind, there are continuous tidbits about the cars being 2300 pounds, putting out nearly 900 horsepower, etc.  The night's procedures have to be explained over and over again... what qualifying really mean, how the heat races are set-up, and what all of it means for the 40-lap feature.

Reminders, reminders, and more reminders.  That's the biggest part of my job on a night like this.  Concession stands, sponsors, programs, restrooms, merchandise trailers, post-race traffic patterns... I've got to make sure I'm hitting it all, constantly, throughout the night.  And there's things like Eldora's upcoming events, the Dream-week schedule, and so on.

On top of those reminders are the races themselves.  I've spent the better part of the last week compiling notes, organizing information, and making sure I have everything I need to get through the night.  You see, when you announce weekly, it actually gets to be quite easy because you know the drivers, you know their history, and you know their sponsors.  You spend weeks...months...years...learning all of that over time.

But for tonight, I've got to throw all the info together for just this one event.  "What year was Dave Blaney the USAC Silver Crown Champion?"  Hell if I know, but I should probably look it up just because it's a good note to have.  "How many years was Bill Elliott NASCAR's Most Popular Driver?"  Not sure, but I'll add that to my to-do list.

It's stressful, it's fun, it's nerve-racking, and it's hard work all wrapped up into one. I'm thankful tonight that'll be working alongside Ozzie Altman and Johnny Gibson to, hopefully, help ease some of that pressure.

If you're reading this and you're heading to the Prelude tonight, have fun and enjoy yourself!  Your house announcer has a binder full of notes, reminders, and announcements waiting for you.