Was running late (what else is new?) to a NASCAR “power luncheon” the other day in uptown Charlotte (we don’t call it “downtown” here, which used to bother me but doesn’t anymore). Anyway, once I arrived, I was told the media table was “up the stairs and to the right.”
When I darted up the stairs, old friend John Roberts from SPEED TV offered a friendly wave. He was seated at the table to the right after reaching the top of the stairs, so I figured that’s where I was supposed to sit. As I scanned the table’s other occupants - Brian France, Mike Helton, Bruton Smith, Humpy Wheeler, long-time driver Ken Schrader, some old guy in a huge cowboy hat I didn’t recognize right away who turned out to be actor Larry Hagman of J.R. Ewing fame - I spotted one empty seat and headed for it, thinking, “Wow. I’m sitting with a bunch of heavy hitters.”
I nearly made it to the chair, was mentally preparing my apologies for running late (the first three garages I tried to park in were full, for goodness sakes), when I spotted the name on the card by the salad plate and realized it wasn’t mine.
The name on the card was Pat McCrory, Charlotte mayor and the recent winner of the Republican primary for governor of North Carolina. It was about this time that I spotted Scott Cooper, the top-notch Lowe’s Motor Speedway PR man, waving to me from a table way in the back.
Turns out Roberts was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, which is why he was seated with the big guys. As for Schrader, at least he made me feel a little at home. We were two of only three guys I spotted who weren’t wearing a coat and/or tie!