It was already a taxing trip.A USAC national midget date at Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway had gone further into the night than everyone had hoped, with the main culprit being a pit area jammed with race cars.
It was already a taxing trip.
A USAC national midget date at Indiana‘s Tri-State Speedway had gone further into the night than everyone had hoped, with the main culprit being a pit area jammed with race cars.
Under normal circumstances the trip north to home seems exceedingly long, but there was extra angst to go around given the task at hand. At best there might be a chance to catch a nap because in front of the traveling band was the USAC Silver Crown Series finale slated the next afternoon at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway.
Luckily, I was assigned to a car piloted by USAC race director, Kirk Spridgeon, who when the situation demands, can be a driving machine. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot at the USAC office at 3:30 a.m., and a bit more than two hours later I was offering greetings as I piled back in his car for our Sunday adventure.
I found a way to contort my body enough to get comfortable and drifted off to light sleep when my cell phone rang. I looked down at the screen and saw it was Dave Argabright calling. It is not unusual to get a call from Dave, but this was an odd time. It didn‘t take long to figure out that something was very wrong.
Doug Auld and I were friends and associates for more than a quarter century. In the most basic aspect of our relationship, he was my editor, a man I worked with going back to his days with Open Wheel magazine.
When Sprint Car & Midget Magazine was launched, he asked me to contribute to the first issue. That request was made two decades ago. There were many twists and turns in this journey, but through it all, he was a constant presence. Over time he would give me specific assignments, but more often he just let me pursue my interests. In a field where editors are rightly concerned about word counts, he gave me room to roam.
It is an odd time for print journalism, but in part due to Doug‘s tireless effort this magazine survives. It is a difficult dynamic. I often hear people wax nostalgic about Open Wheel magazine and I can remember anxiously waiting for every issue to arrive. The late great Bob Trostle described driving miles out of the way to find a copy.
Sadly, at least to me, after an article appears in these pages, the subject of the story often asks where to can find a copy. This is a magazine devoted to a niche sport and more than anything the people most involved in the sport, should support it. It is a different time and the challenges we confront are great.
With that as context, here are some important things to consider when we reflect on Doug‘s life and career. First, he was instrumental in saving Open Wheel magazine.
Second, when circumstances led to that title‘s demise, he founded this title. Surprising to some, there have been more issues of SC&M published, by far, than of Open Wheel.
Keeping the magazine afloat was not easy and it took a personal toll on Doug. At some point it just couldn‘t be sustained in that model but, thankfully, he remained as editor once he sold the brand.
Doug was an interesting man. He worked as a radio and public-address announcer, newspaper columnist, photographer, spent time in rock bands and even raced. At one point he served as the president of the board of directors of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and lent his voice to countless roundtables and workshops.
He loved the sport and the people who made things happen. He was passionate. Sometimes when we chatted the differences between his New York upbringing and my Kansas roots were evident. He could be pugnacious and opinionated, but you always knew where he stood. Throughout it all we were motivated by the same goal.
Yet his crowning achievement, at least for me, is this publication. There are those who think this magazine and others like it are relics of another time. I disagree. This has always been a place to tell stories in depth and provide a platform to share the tales of great moments and the people who comprise this sport. Here is a written record that can be used as a resource for years to come.
I still consult my complete collection of Speed Age, Open Wheel and Sprint Car and Midget magazines. A magazine isn‘t subject to viruses or deletion. I often reflect on all that I learned from great writers and photographers from the past and present.
Doug Auld was a vital link in an unbroken chain of people who have covered this sport and made it come alive for others. He did so with a style and personality that could command a room.
I‘m still numb, but there is much to be done. Most importantly we have a collective responsibility to support his wife and two daughters during this difficult time. It is always hard to deal with a loss of this nature, but particularly so when we are forced to confront the death of a vibrant 59-year-old man who always appeared to be in robust health.
In my time as an announcer and writer I have covered the passing of many of those who have made a difference in racing. This one is personal.
This was a man who continued to give me a chance to do something I could only dream of when I was reading articles by John Sawyer, Bruce Ellis and Dave Argabright. He was a source of support, one of those important people in your life who believes in you. Those types of individuals are impossible to replace.
Doug and I shared something else, we were classmates in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. To be bestowed an honor such as that is a wonderful moment and it also creates a nearly unspoken bond with your class for the rest of your life.
It is a hard time. This was a difficult column to write. Yet, in the end I think of how Doug would handle this, I can only smile. He would say, “Quit sniveling and get to work.” That was his no nonsense approach.
Godspeed Doug. It was one hell of a ride.