Reactions to the death of David Poole
Motorsports journalist David Poole died Tuesday of a heart attack at age 50. He spent the past 13 years as the NASCAR writer for the Charlotte Observer. He also hosted a daily show on Sirius NASCAR Radio and was highly respected throughout the industry.
Here are some of the reactions on Poole's contributions to the sport:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to David's family. He was a friend of everybody in the garage area. He could be controversial from time to time but he always wrote and spoke what he believed. He didn't pull any punches with anybody and that's what people respected about him. He was good for the sport and will be missed." -- Richard Childress, President and CEO Richard Childress Racing
"David worked his ass off for our sport, whether it was in his writing or on his radio show. His life revolved around the sport and we're obviously very saddened by the loss. He will be missed." -- Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
"David had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of legendary motorsports journalist Tom Higgins. His success came from bringing his own style, direction, unique vision and perspective to his coverage of motorsports. David always spoke his mind and wasn't afraid to hold people accountable. He was always fair and made us better at what we did. We will miss David's spirit, generosity, principles, and friendship. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Karen, and his entire family." -- Jerry Gappens, Executive Vice President and General Manager of New Hampshire Motor Speedway
"The NASCAR community is stunned and saddened by the loss of David Poole. David was as passionate about NASCAR as anyone and had very definitive opinions about the sport. He served the industry, and most importantly the fans, through his reporting and commentary in the Charlotte Observer and Sirius Satellite Radio. Our thoughts and prayers go out to David's family and friends. He will be missed." -- Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO
"David was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and he was exceptionally passionate about this sport that we all care so deeply for. His voice was unique, his opinions were his own, and his abilities as a writer and journalist were unsurpassed. He had the courage to say what others would not, and he was deeply respected for it. Without driving a car or turning a wrench, David Poole was a racer, and he will be sincerely missed." -- Rick Hendrick, owner Hendrick Motorsports
"I've gotten to know (David) Poole really well over the years. He spent a lot of time with the No. 31 team every weekend and would sit and have conversations with us on just about everything. He was fun to agree and debate with. I admired his professionalism and work ethic and he did a great job of reporting our sport to the fans. He's someone I have a lot of respect for and he will definitely be missed." -- Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet
Rest in peace, David. You will be missed.
Posted at 10:20 AM
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First, David- unlike most mainstream journalists- was a friend to bloggers like us. In fact, he blogged himself and was an enthusiastic embracer of the means.
Two, newspaper columnists with national reputation are few on the ground in the cotton south. It is part and parcel of the institutional east and west coast press bias that permeates all types of newspaper coverage. Consequently, the two popular sports of the deep south- NASCAR and college football- tend to be under-covered vis-ā-vis the stick and ball sports that dominate coastal, and to an extent, mid-west coverage.
Poole stood up to that trend, writing extensively about NASCAR and college sports- and without the snotty attitude that always is featured in east coast coverage.
NASCAR has no major national columnist voice other than David- so it hurts more to lose him because he was great, southern gentleman.
Posted by
FrankApril 29, 2009 10:41 AM
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