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IndyCar
MILLER: Remembering Economaki
“He was a typical in-your-face journalist who always got right in the thick of things and that’s what made him and why we loved him,” said Mario Andretti.
Long before Twitter, Facebook, chat rooms, message boards and the internet there was Chris Economaki and Speed Sport News. It was the racer’s bible, the fans’ source of information and a weekly melting pot of features, commentary, race results and want ads.
Economaki, who passed away Friday at age 91, was easily the most influential member of the motorsports press corps for 50 years as he commanded a major presence on television while operating the popular newspaper.
And making into his Editor’s Notebook column was the status symbol.
“As a young driver, until you were mentioned in the famous notebook you could never consider yourself like you had arrived,” said Mario Andretti. “It was the bible of the racers and you had to be noticed by Chris to be affirmed.”
A.J. Foyt agreed with his longtime rival.
“Chris meant a whole lot to my career. He saw me when I first started and he said I’d be the next one coming up who’d be a good race driver,” recalled Foyt. “I don’t know if it was Ted Horn or who but he compared me to those old greats and I felt very honored.
“In his heyday of writing I’d say more people would read his column than any other column that’s been written today by far – I know I did.”
After selling SSN as a teenager, the Brooklyn native became its editor in 1950 and then its owner as the paper covered just about every midget, sprint and stock car race from Seattle to Sarasota.
Many of us who wrote stories for Chris gladly did it for free because it was a badge of honor to be published in SSN. Ditto for the photographers who submitted pictures on a regular basis.
But his persona really took off when he began working for ABC’s Wide World of Sports in the ‘60s and bringing auto racing to a whole new audience.
His voice had an air-raid siren quality and his style was east coast brash so he never hesitated to ask the tough questions.
“I remember being at Speed Weeks in the Bahamas and Graham Hill had a problem with his Ferrari and was sitting in the pits,” said Andretti. “Chris leans in with his microphone and says ‘Graham, what seems to be the problem?’
Hill says, ‘Right now it’s you Chris.’
“He was a typical in-your-face journalist who always got right in the thick of things and that’s what made him and why we loved him.”
Foyt never had warm and fuzzy feelings for reporters, writers or talking heads but he always considered Economaki a cut above.
“Chris was writing about racing when it was at its very best and he saw the sport grow to where it is today and he contributed to that growth,” said Indy’s first 4-time winner. “He knew what he was writing about and he understood the sport in every different type of racing.
“Today’s writers haven’t done that and they don’t understand racing like Chris did. Sometimes you didn’t agree with all his articles and you might not agree today when he wrote it but in the next two or three weeks what he said happened so you have to give him credit.”
Of course Economaki and Foyt combined for one of the classic moments in Indy car television history. After being crashed by Kevin Cogan at the start of the 1982 Indy 500, A.J. was stomping back to Gasoline Alley when Chris intercepted him and asked what happened. “Damn Coogan,” replied Foyt. Then Economaki pressed for details. “Well, that god damn Coogan run right into the side of me,” said our favorite interviewee.
From hawking a racing newspaper in the ‘30s to building it into a weekly staple of North America to his inquisitive style in front of the camera, Economaki transcended all forms of media and carved his place in our memory.
“He was a precious piece of our history,” said Andretti.
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
Economaki, who passed away Friday at age 91, was easily the most influential member of the motorsports press corps for 50 years as he commanded a major presence on television while operating the popular newspaper.
And making into his Editor’s Notebook column was the status symbol.
“As a young driver, until you were mentioned in the famous notebook you could never consider yourself like you had arrived,” said Mario Andretti. “It was the bible of the racers and you had to be noticed by Chris to be affirmed.”
A.J. Foyt agreed with his longtime rival.
“Chris meant a whole lot to my career. He saw me when I first started and he said I’d be the next one coming up who’d be a good race driver,” recalled Foyt. “I don’t know if it was Ted Horn or who but he compared me to those old greats and I felt very honored.
“In his heyday of writing I’d say more people would read his column than any other column that’s been written today by far – I know I did.”
After selling SSN as a teenager, the Brooklyn native became its editor in 1950 and then its owner as the paper covered just about every midget, sprint and stock car race from Seattle to Sarasota.
Many of us who wrote stories for Chris gladly did it for free because it was a badge of honor to be published in SSN. Ditto for the photographers who submitted pictures on a regular basis.
But his persona really took off when he began working for ABC’s Wide World of Sports in the ‘60s and bringing auto racing to a whole new audience.
His voice had an air-raid siren quality and his style was east coast brash so he never hesitated to ask the tough questions.
“I remember being at Speed Weeks in the Bahamas and Graham Hill had a problem with his Ferrari and was sitting in the pits,” said Andretti. “Chris leans in with his microphone and says ‘Graham, what seems to be the problem?’
Hill says, ‘Right now it’s you Chris.’
“He was a typical in-your-face journalist who always got right in the thick of things and that’s what made him and why we loved him.”
Foyt never had warm and fuzzy feelings for reporters, writers or talking heads but he always considered Economaki a cut above.
“Chris was writing about racing when it was at its very best and he saw the sport grow to where it is today and he contributed to that growth,” said Indy’s first 4-time winner. “He knew what he was writing about and he understood the sport in every different type of racing.
“Today’s writers haven’t done that and they don’t understand racing like Chris did. Sometimes you didn’t agree with all his articles and you might not agree today when he wrote it but in the next two or three weeks what he said happened so you have to give him credit.”
Of course Economaki and Foyt combined for one of the classic moments in Indy car television history. After being crashed by Kevin Cogan at the start of the 1982 Indy 500, A.J. was stomping back to Gasoline Alley when Chris intercepted him and asked what happened. “Damn Coogan,” replied Foyt. Then Economaki pressed for details. “Well, that god damn Coogan run right into the side of me,” said our favorite interviewee.
From hawking a racing newspaper in the ‘30s to building it into a weekly staple of North America to his inquisitive style in front of the camera, Economaki transcended all forms of media and carved his place in our memory.
“He was a precious piece of our history,” said Andretti.
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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