Sad, sad news last week. The final issue of National Speed Sport News was published on March 23. The weekly – THE model for motorsport journalism for nearly eight decades – passed away quietly, the victim of the usual reasons why quality publications die.
Owned by Corrine Economaki and edited by fabled Chris Economaki, National Speed Sport News remained an independent newspaper ’til the end. The elder Economaki, a remarkably spry 90, turned the day-to-day reins over to his daughter some time ago, but still wrote pieces from time to time.
A sour economy and limited growth prospects – not to mention advertisers abandoning printed publications – killed NSSN. Chris Economaki, who sold the paper at Ho-Ho-Kus Speedway in New Jersey when he was just 13 and became editor in 1950, called the closing “one of the saddest days of my life.”
Every week, NSSN was a massive read. If it had wheels and competed, Economaki was all over it – no matter where, no matter when. Entire competitive careers can be traced through the pages of NSSN, the greats like the Unsers and Pettys and Foyts through thousands of no-namers racing on no-name tracks. He loved them all, he lived them all.
NSSN was described by ESPN thusly: “If the Sporting News was ‘Baseball’s Bible,’ then Speed Sport was auto racing’s Bible, Koran, Torah, Wall Street Journal and New York Times.”
Of course, Chris is best known for his decades of race broadcasting. Who can forget that voice and those thick-rimmed glasses reporting from the pits at Indy or trackside at Daytona or in the booth at Michigan?
In another life, I had the pleasure of working with Chris when he agreed (much to my shock) to be the color commentator for a broadcast of the All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron. I knew he was a big name, and I expected an ego that I would need to babysit and stroke for three days. Not my favorite thing.
And then he showed up a day early, causing a bit of panic. He headed straight to the campground where All-American competitors are housed during Derby Week. He didn’t need me, didn’t need a ride and didn’t expect any fanfare. He came in early because he wanted the chance to interview ALL of the competitors, part of his pre-broadcast prep, and was concerned that he wouldn’t have enough time.
None of the kids had any idea who Chris was, though that distinctive voice resonated with a few older racers. Watching him do his job was unbelievable. He treated each of those racers as though they were an Unser or a Petty or a Foyt. He took his time, and asked deep questions, much beyond the “Who is your favorite baseball player?” or “Why did you paint your car blue?”
On race day, he delivered flawlessly, interjecting the gathered snippets and nuggets and made it one of the best TV broadcasts I had ever witnessed. He could have blown through the nearly three-hour program, making empty statements and letting that voice and well-known name carry him. No, not Chris. This was the Indy 500 to him, and he attacked the broadcast with that mindset. It was, and remains, a brilliant moment.
And he did it for free.
Despite all of the fame he gained from TV (and a couple of movie appearances), not to mention the racing hall of fame in which he is an inductee, NSSN was at the forefront of Chris’ life. ABC-TV paid well, NSSN was his heart-and soul.
Now that is gone. And the motorsport world is that much poorer because of that.
