RaceDayCT had planned to be at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H. on May 17 to cover the Tri-Track Open Modified Racing Series event.
Unfortunately, we were informed on Friday evening by Tri-Track Modified Racing Series public relations director Kyle Souza that RaceDayCT would not be allowed credentials to cover the event.
Souza cited “limited space” for media at Lee USA Speedway in denying the request. RaceDayCT covered last year’s inaugural Tri-Track Series event last May at Lee USA Speedway, in addition to multiple other events at Lee in the past, and media space has never been any type of issue at the track.
In full disclosure, it should be noted, last March Mr. Souza, a teenager, was found to have plagiarized a story from RaceDayCT. Mr. Souza was not affiliated with the Tri-Track Series at the time. Mr. Souza became affiliated with the Tri-Track Series in his current capacity following the conclusion of the 2014 racing season.
On March 23, 2014, a column Mr. Souza submitted under his name was published on the website Race Chaser Online. The column was found to be comprised of numerous passages lifted directly from a column about racer Todd Szegedy that had been published on RaceDayCT on March 20, 2014.
At the time the plagiarized story was published Mr. Souza claimed the editors of Race Chaser Online added the passages from the RaceDayCT column to the story he submitted without his knowledge or consent. The owner of the website later confirmed that Mr. Souza had submitted the plagiarized material himself from RaceDayCT.
Race Chaser Online removed the column from their website and published a public apology for running plagiarized material from RaceDayCT.
We understand at this point the reason why Mr. Souza would deny this website the opportunity to cover the event Lee, based on past history and the opportunity to level a measure of retribution for being publicly embarrassed a year ago, and that is unfortunate.
We apologize to the readers of this site for not being able to offer coverage for this event. We also apologize to the the competitors at this event, who deserve the readership attention gained from coverage on the most widely read Modified racing focused website. The decision by series management to block RaceDayCT from covering this event only stands as a disservice to the competitors involved in this event and the fans of Modified racing.
Wow. Now that is a really bad decision made off of poor insight and judgment! I would be shocked if series leadership did not reverse this decision. Talk about “career” suicide!
Wow, sure doesn’t say too much about the credibility of the people that the Tri-track Series hires now does it. Shawn, who needs their stinking credentials anyway, just do on your own. You can always sit in the same seats as the rest of us, you just will have to do without the free perks like padded seats, air conditioning, pizza and soda.
well you could just pay to get in and write it off as a business expense but that would require effort. Maybe there wasn’t room.. Kinda tight quarters there.
Larry,
In all honesty, I haven’t eaten food at a local track – free or otherwise – in years. And I bring my own beverages wherever I go. It’s not about the paying part, or the padded seats and air conditioning (every event I’ve ever covered at Lee I’ve done standing in the grandstands). It’s about the professional acceptance by those organizing and promoting the event that you are there professionally to cover what they are doing.
Hey, I am at New London Waterford Speedbowl. Come on down
I love this drama because it just reaffirms what I have been saying about the quality (and qualifications) of individuals who are employed by race tracks & racing series in New England for media work these days.
The people putting on this clown show at Lee really don’t have a clue as to what they are doing. I don’t think this year’s crowd will be much bigger than last year’s crowd (which was a flop) and to think media up & down the east coast are going to be tripping over themselves trying to cover this “event” is a joke.
There will be plenty of empty seats in the grandstand to use for media members if the press becomes too filled – LOL
Shawn, I was not really serious about the perks, it was meant to be a joke. I understand the value the media brings to an event at such a small investment(complimentary admission) on the tracks part. I do consider it an investment which provides a very good return. Unfortunately not all tracks see the value and do not appreciate the media’s efforts. Just look the amount of negativity was generated when the previous Speedbowl management team decided that Sid and his crew had to go over almost nothing.
Larry,
I knew you weren’t being serious, though there are a lot of folks out there that have that mentality. Again, it’s not the matter of “buying a ticket” like many like to think. Being credentialed is essentially an agreement between the media outlet and the entity being covered that you’re there to do a job professionally and that those being covered know, understand and accept that. I operate a professional media outlet. No different than if the local TV station called them and said they wanted to come over to the track that day and get some highlights. The second I go there without the credentialed consent and acceptance of those putting on the show then I’m saying I’m not doing this professionally any longer. That will not happen.
You’re right about one thing Andy, it’s just a bunch of drama. If all these different writers aren’t slandering one another, it’s the photogs these days. Let me ask you this though, have you spent thousands of your own money out of your own pocket to put on events like these? Have you spent countless hours of your own time organizing, and promoting events like these? Clown show? Hardly. Stick to posting negativity on social media.
Its everybody’s loss, this website is the first site I visit when I’m on my computer. Thanks for all you do for local racingm
Wow!
Shawn,
Sorry to hear about the credential problems at Lee. Sounds like a little immature payback to me. I don’t always agree with you but beyond a doubt you provide the best outlet for news on the local racing community. This site is where myself and racing buddies get our local racing news. Hopefully this foolishness will be resolved and you will get the credentials and full access to the tri-track series events that you deserve. Keep up the good work
This is what happens when you put children in charge. The Souza kid is going to have to share a booth with you at some point this season. He might as well man up and get the face to face over with. This seems very petty on the tri track folk’s end.
If you report from the grandstands at Lee how can there be “limited space?”
LOL… no media space. These little tracks are starving for media coverage and exposure.
Lou Grant – Weather in Minneapolis still have you feeling crabby?!
This is why these type of OPEN events will always be a steb below NASCAR Bush league!
I was going to support this event…. key word: WAS
ISN’T HE THE ONE THAT PISSED ALL OVER THE RACE A LEE LAST YEAR …………
HES NOT BLOCKED ……………. HE IS PISSED BECAUSE HE HAS TO PAY TO GET IN ………….
Maybe they prefer a more professional writer???? Instead of having this clown put his opinions in a article and call it live coverage
Shawn: How the hell can you be blocked when we have this funny thing called the FIRST AMMENDMENT?
“I operate a professional media outlet. ” – A professional wouldn’t have gone into a tirade and stated he was “BLOCKED” from COVERING the event. You are only not being issued press credentials not being denied the constitutional right of freedom of press. A professional would have titled the story as it is, not with a crybaby headline. I understand you run a professional news reporting site but with this headline you just put yourself into the tabloid category of news. Face it, you called him out last year and now he is getting his payback. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Time to do what you preach you do so well and cover the event, without prejudice and bias like a good writer does. Is that really asking too much? Your pettiness with the management team only undermines your supposed purpose for your site, to cover racing.
Dan Shaughnessy made a career out of dumping on the Red Sox. They still let him every night. Just saying…
Of course a week before one of the biggest events of the season Mr look at me, it’s all about me has to stir the pot. I thought racing was about the fans and the action on the track, not some meglamaniac reporter.
This is all chicken stuff and a bad move by Tri-Track. Even if you don’t always agree with Shawn ( I don’t )
his site and reporting is legitimate and he certainly needs to be at Lee reporting. Modified racing doesn’t need this and hopefully cooler heads will prevail. To Mr Souza ; grow the F up!!
I don’t always agree with Shawn, but his coverage is thought provoking and sorely lacking in any other form. Every good reporter has some sort of angle and an opinion. That’s simply human. RaceDayCT is a legit source of information for Northeastern short track racing, even if we don’t like everything written. I remember when local racing was news. These days, if Shawn didn’t write it, it isn’t there…. Even Indy Car and F1 allow dissenting viewpoints without banning reporters.
Denying any legit outlet press credentials is silly. RaceDayCT, and Shawn as a Hartford Courant reporter, is a bona fide news outlet. Will ESPN or CBS Sports be covering Lee? Buying a ticket doesn’t allow you to get the thoughts of drivers, or press quality photo vantage points. Shawn has every right to share why he can’t cover the event, that’s racing news in itself.
Folks who want every story to be something they agree with are free to watch Glenn Beck, or Fox News, or Al Jazzeera… I’ll read the reporting here, and enjoy and believe what makes sense to me.
Just more drama and bad press for the Modified division in whole. Seems every time the division makes steps forward, some stupid BS sends them 20 step back.
I believe Speed51 is doing live coverage all weekend from Lee. That’s probably why the Media booth is full. But If I’m gonna get my info from anyone here in New England I’m coming here to Shawn’s site!
Some of you should know all the facts before you buy the kool-aid Shawn is selling. Shawn is a whining cry baby who if he doesnt get his way does what all children do. Starts tearing down all other people . Shawn you are the Biggest POS around, you wouldnt pay 1 penny to get into a race. You lived in Stafford and never even went to the race track until the Courant made you go. I see you report on all kinds of stuff but you are not at the event. Heck last week you used a picture of Szegedy in the mystic missle for an mrs event. Sorry but he doesnt drivethat car on the mrs. Oh the same mrs you destroyed time in and time out. There is a reason who the mod tour never returns your phone calls bud.
Amen Lucas!!! you are the man! took the words out of my mouth
Actually Lou Grant I have spent thousands of my own money supporting those promoters putting on clown shows. The difference between me and them is that I don’t expect to make a profit at the end of the day.
The asphalt Modifieds in the northeast need another tour like most people need another hole in their head, and this one seems to lack the professionalism the other 3 have!
Just like last year I would expect the grandstands to be a lot less than full and the organizers to again blame the public on their short comings.
Wow.
So first, Shawn, thank you for putting your energy in to bringing information about all of these tracks on to the scene. Wouldn’t know about Barrett’s DUI if you didn’t report it, and then all of these folks who are slashing at you wouldn’t even know why their driver didn’t show up.
As far as those of you who are bashing Shawn, and saying that he’s just bashing a kid who didn’t do anything wrong, let me ask you a question. You spend thousands of dollars designing a magazine and publishing it, and then someone copies all of the articles in it and starts giving them away instead of letting you collect for subscriptions. Are you going to just let them? And also, if this kid has such great standards, am I going to want to read his write-ups of the race?
Anyway, this is probably the same person posting under 4-5 different names because he’s pissed off that Shawn is still reporting on the Barrett problems. Keep doing what you’re doing. There are lots of folks out their who appreciate it.
AMEN