RIR: Keep Your Butts Out of Our Stands
By Ward Smythe | Monday, January 17th, 2011 | Catch-All
Just this past week, Richmond International Raceway announced that it would go smoke-free in the stands. Restrooms, buildings and other areas had already been smoke-free. Now, beginning this season, patrons will not be permitted to smoke in and in front of the grandstands or in the portals leading to the grandstands.
It’s somewhat ironic, considering Richmond’s long time association with tobacco companies. And, the Spring Cup series for more than 30 years was known as the Winston Cup based on support from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
I’m not a smoker, nor am I a crusader for smoker’s rights. And, while we’re at it, I’m not really a NASCAR fan. RIR says this was in response to requests from fans.
So the key here is that this was a decision made by the owners at RIR, unlike the restaruant smoking ban mandated by the government.
And that’s the way it’s supposed to work.
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About the author
Ward Smythe is a pseudonymous aspiring freelance writer from Central Virginia. Until late 2007 Ward blogged at the now defunct "Ward View" and was active in Virginia and national politics. Ward's signature style of snarkery gained him a unique following that he hopes to regain here at Bearing Drift. Ward uses humor, satire and sometimes photoshop to make his point. Ward is proud to be an equal opportunity offender.
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Comments
5 Responses to "RIR: Keep Your Butts Out of Our Stands"
You’d think if RIR was really interested in public safety, they’d ban beer sales and/or have cops posted all over the exits to arrest people for DUI. Great money maker and if you get a DUI you have mandatory AA meetings and/or counseling sessions plus ASAP classes plus at least one night in the slammer, and court appearances. Gee, everybody wins with this idea. Would raise millions of dollars.
Oh, I forgot. Restricted license which would really cut down on driving hence saving gas which is good for the environment and helps keep gas prices down.
Not quite sure I would have gone to RIR before, but this move means that I will now never go to RIR. I don’t frequent establishments that make arbitrary decisions like that. They could have made a smoking section, but no, they choose to go totally smoke free of their own volition. Sad, so sad.
Good move. It is disgusting to have to whiff someones smoke while taking in the cleansing aroma of olefins, parrafins.. alkyl’s, benzine, methylated esters, other methyl ethyl death compounds and molten rubber spewing from the track and pits… How dare them. No really, banning smoking was a good move and should help sell tickets in this ailing economy.
Turbo: Not so sure. I’d think there’s a pretty good number of NASCAR fans (I”m not one) who smoke (I still do that, unfortunately). I come from a family of NASCAR fans who smoke. And I think your point about what’s spewing out of the backs of those no-emmission-controls cars being more dangerous to the public health than a little second-hand cigarette smoke is probably accurate.
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