GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Jeff Striegle has a need for speed.
“It’s what I do for a living but its more importantly what I love,” he says proudly
You can hear that passion anytime he gets behind a Mic. For 23 years the 60-year-old West Michigan native been calling NASCAR races on the radio.
Now however there’s nothing but dead air.
“All of a sudden, we came to a screeching halt,” he recalls. “Like everything in the United States did. Like everything in the world did.”
If all goes well, Striegle says NASCAR is targeting June for a big come back. But even if that happens, things will be different.
“I think we are all ready to go back under the assumption that their won’t be any fans in the grand stands,” Striegle says
It won’t be great but at least it would be some much-needed good news. More than any other sport, NASCAR relies on corporate sponsorships. With that on the decline, layoffs are already happening, and more could be on the way.
“Any time we have downtime, it’s not good,” Striegle admits.
For now, drivers are staying busy and staying in front of the camera with televised virtual races. Striegle enjoys it but says not as good as the real thing.
“My hope is that we can go back to work soon and start calling races at Michigan and Charlotte and Bristol, and Martinsville.
He can’t wait and we can’t wait to listen.
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