It was electronic communication, namely the 'Net, which finally gave the
layman an opportunity to find out the "when and where" information which kept
the SCTA on par with the Tri-Lateral Commission for more than a half-century.
I've kept accurate statistics on the success of Speed Week for more than
three decades, (making a me a grey-haired "young punk" in salt years), and can
verify that, as the InterNet and its influences grew, so did the number of
spectators and machines during Speed Week. Due to small luxuries such as the
SCTA
website and the Amo's LandRacing.com, the fans and racers who once only
dreamed of heading for Mecca suddenly realized it was a real place with a real
schedule. After we all watched the numbers increase from the stagnant 220-car
events of the 1980s to the 300-400 car meets of the '90s, this year's five
hundred entries was almost expected. I'll be the first to admit the shock we
all experienced at the number of paid spectators, campers at the Bend, and rat
rods at the Stateline but we can certainly expect even larger crowds when
the largest number of media impressions is created not by the automotive print
media but by The Discovery Channel. For goodness sakes, the Weather Channel
included Speed Week in its "spotlight events" each morning! For those who
didn't make it this year, you'll be interested to know that the National
Geographic Channel shot multiple shows at the event. It's only going to get
bigger!
While 2006 was a phenomenal year in terms of performances, weather, crowds,
and pre-event publicity, I'm actually just as excited about the influx of new
fans who will be able to experience the thrill of Bonneville for the first
time due to the "ink" we can expect to be presented over the next eleven
months.
It's definitely a wonderful period for the salt! Bret Kepner
_BRETKEPNER@Prodigy.net_ (mailto:BRETKEPNER@Prodigy.net)
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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