By Sara Page, Midlothian Exchange
spage@midlothianexchange.com

Writing is like NASCAR. It takes time to develop; it’s sometimes painful; and it can often feel like you’re going around in circles. And, once you get your first piece published, it feels a whole lot like crossing the finish line.

Richmond International Raceway President Doug Fritz now knows that feeling.

“I’m extremely pleased about it. Shocked a bit but pleased,” Fritz said.

Fritz joined the ranks of published authors last week with the release of “Chicken Soup for the Soul NASCAR,” the latest in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The book contains 101 stories from folks in various parts of the business from track presidents to drivers and their families and friends. The stories range from funny to touching. Fritz’s story, “A Moment with a Legend,” falls closer to the latter.

Beginning on page 15, Fritz recounts his only meeting with the founder of NASCAR, Bill France Sr., and recounts how that meeting touched his career. The then aspiring NASCAR public relations and marketing professional was told simply that “NASCAR is all about family.”

“It’s … an overall way of life and an overall theme and lifestyle for all of us here at the racetrack,” Fritz said of how he has worked France’s words into running his own track. “We work to make this place as family friendly as we can. We’ve got Friday night’s kids 12 and under free, we’re going to introduce new grandstands which are non-smoking sections this year. We’re expanding on our non-alcohol sections as well … We provide the tram service and the welcoming booths and information booths. We have the fan zone that we’ve done for a number of years out here and a lot of kids’ activities … We’re going to continue to listen to the fans.”

The call for NASCAR related stories went out to everyone involved with the sport several months ago according to Fritz. He perused some of the books already on the market to get some ideas about how the stories were structured. Once he’d made the decision to submit a story, he had to figure out which experience to write about.

First as a NASCAR public relations and marketing professional, Fritz has met presidents and celebrities. As a track president, he’s hosted government officials and television stars, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew exactly which story to write about.

“One of the things that has lived on with me for a long, long time is the one and only opportunity I [had to meet] Bill France Sr.,” Fritz said. “That’s one of those moments where you just sense this is very special. His health was failing, and he’s the founder of the sport. You think the founder of baseball or the founder of the NFL or the guy that created newspapers or whatever industry you might be in. You think you’ve got one chance to meet the guy that started the whole thing, you know. It may not mean a whole lot for him, but you know for you, it’s going to be something special.”

Fritz’s recounting of his meeting with France was the only story he submitted. He got a sense that the story may have made the cut during a chance meeting with co-editor Cathy Elliott at a track last year and received notice shortly after meeting her that he had made the final review process.

“They couldn’t commit until the book got published,” Fritz said. “It wasn’t until just recently that I was told I was going to be in the book and then I got my advance copy just shortly before they went out to the public.”

The book hit store shelves Feb. 16.

“To me, it was just an honor,” Fritz said. “You look at who’s in the book: Darryl Waltrip, Brian France, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart. Following those guys in the story is kind of cool. There’s 100 other stories, other than mine. I’m really looking forward to reading those stories because … what makes [NASCAR] unique is the individuals and the relationships and the people in this industry. That’s what the book is all about.”