The NASCAM experience

By now, many of you may already be aware of the recent debacle of the Philippine team that was sent to Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina last week to represent our country by racing in an official NASCAR entry series; but just so we’re all on the same page, I’ll fill in some of the blanks just the same.

Before I go any further though, I would like to clarify as early as now, that this fiasco is no reflection on NASCAR as a series (which enjoys the largest attendance of any motorsport anywhere in the world) and most especially the campaign of Enzo Pastor, who is competing in the Euro NASCAR series. This is quite simply the unbelievable tale of one man’s incredible confidence to be able to sell a country a dream and deliver a nightmare that could continue to haunt future Filipino racers for years to come. 

Mark Twain once famously said that truth is stranger than fiction simply because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities while truth isn’t; and  never have those words echoed so clearly as they did in the Charlotte Motor Speedway last May 9, as the heavily sponsored ‘Philippine Team’ landed to the deafening sound of silence.

There were no screaming fans, nor were there fifteen drivers from 8 countries filling up the pit lane. There were no grid girls, no interviews, no forty-two-million-pesos worth of media coverage, no practice sessions, no welcoming committee...there was no race. Period. Just a bunch of senior citizen tourists who signed up for a track day according to those who were there.

The alarm bells started to ring early in the week when the Philippine team, comprised of Stefano Marcelo, Carlos Anton, Michelle Bumgarner, Pia Boren and Gabby de la Merced noticed that not just was there no hype during their arrival, but there were no members of other teams anywhere to be found, no announcements on the Nascar RaceEx website, no hotel reservations, nor were there any booking records of the teams.

Concerned, the team called a meeting with the man who took them there––who refers to himself as their main sponsor despite reportedly raising 15 million pesos of private sponsorship––sports philanthropist, Paul Monozca from the Monozca foundation.

There was a very simple explanation, of course. The team wase told that in light of the Boston bombing, considering that this is an international event, two FBI agents appeared and demanded, that for the team’s safety, and the safety of the American public, there couldn’t be a trace of their existence in this prestigious international event. Seriously.

And someone even goes as far as taking credit for it.

“In this day when any inspirational program is targeted by negative forces, our very own Philippine team experienced what it means to be well taken care of,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying in a May 7 article that appeared in the Inquirer––even though we all have a fair idea who that source was.

Even more amusing was that aside from drastically cutting the amount of media and race personnel, even the fans would be limited to less than 2 percent of the track’s capacity to comply with homeland security. The Philippine team wase also informed that could only wear their team’s national jackets from the Los Angeles International Airport to Charlotte due to safety reasons.

According to the team, Monozca announced on their scheduled practice day that they couldn’t go to the track because the other countries had finally arrived and were practicing. Smelling a rat, the team demanded to be taken to the track to see for themselves. Not just were there no foreign teams, no cars and no FBI agents hovering in choppers, the reason they couldn’t go on the track was simply because there was no scheduled event, which gave the management a perfect opportunity to conduct their properly scheduled repainting––presumably in camouflage colors and stealth paint so as not to be vulnerable to aerial attacks from Philippine NASCAR-hating terrorists.

Now, while most people understand that the first rule of a hole is: when you’re in one, stop digging, at this point, Monozca actually claimed that he had also been duped. He insisted that he was promised a race, and heads would roll as a result. Needless to say, the team asked for a meeting with the VP Sales and Marketing of Mario Andretti Racing Experience, Heather Lutz, just to straighten things out.

Lutz was described as transparent, professional and void of any emotion when she dug out the correspondence between Monozca and herself that clearly shows that this is NOT a race, but just a regular arrive-and-drive experience that can be enjoyed by anyone for as little as $199 plus taxes––hence the random senior citizen tourists who were waiting for their turn alongside the ‘Philippine team.’

As I have all the email exchanges as well as copies of the sponsorship packages, it appears that Mr. Monozca deliberately deceived the Philippine team, the sponsors and the Filipino public, by packaging what is simply an arrive-and-drive ‘experience’ that is available to anyone with a driver’s license and a credit card, as an international racing event.

In fact, in the correspondence that I was forwarded, not just was there no mention of allowing a race, Heather Lutz was extremely clear about the fact that racing in one these ‘experiences’ is strictly forbidden precisely because she noticed Monozca’s persistence in trying to package it as one. Still, knowing that, Monozca not just raised a reported 15 million pesos from sponsors like Philippine Airlines, Cebuana Lhullier, Goodyear and other massive private companies, he also charged some drivers $40,000 each for the seat.

Monozca even commissioned a special supplement in the Inquirer to hype up the event without any confirmation that there would indeed be a race. Yet as blatant as it was, and outrageous as it may all seem, if Bernie Madoff can get a fair trial, I thought it only proper to give Mr. Monozca an opportunity to be heard, which prompted me to send him this email.

Paul,

By now you must be aware that this whole NASCAR Experience fiasco has gone viral in the Philippine motorsports community and is already getting mainstream attention. As you are being painted as the person who deliberately deceived our ‘Philippine Team,’ the sponsors, the public and those who run the NASCAR racing experience, I would like to give you the opportunity to defend these allegations before I file my column for the Philippine STAR on Monday.

As I already have the official press statements stating how disappointed you are in the outcome, I would like to ask a few questions instead.

You told me last October that 8 countries have confirmed with 15-20 drivers. Who are these other international drivers and their representatives (with contact details) that confirmed to race? I would like to verify this.

You claimed that the teams couldn’t use the track on the promised testing day because the other countries were on track at the time, yet when the team went, the management not only confirmed that nobody had been there that day but that the track was actually being painted. Please explain.

You claim to have been duped yourself, yet aside from the fact that you claimed to me that your foundation has interests in the NRE, an email exchange with Heather Lutz clearly shows that there was never/could never be any possibility of a race in a NASCAR experience. How did you see it fit to sell it as one? Can you forward me any official communication from NRE that confirmed it as a sanctioned race?

You claim to be the MAIN sponsor funding this event yet you took $60,000 from both Carlos Anton and John Marcelo to cover Stefano’s, Carlos’ and Michelle’s seat, even if her father had already told you that he was pulling her out. How much sponsorship money was actually raised versus the amount that the Monozca Foundation put in so that I can get an accurate percentage that can support your claim?

Did you get permission to use the NASCAR logo to SELL this event? It is in every sponsorship package, of which I have copies.

You said in October of last year that there is an 865hp Sprint car draped in Philippine colors ready for winner of the NRE race that he/she can use to race in the actual Sprint cup series. Can we have proof that the car actually exists and that there is a confirmed slot in the Sprint series that can back up your claim?

I have plenty more questions but we shall leave it at that for now. I welcome your side of the story but I would need the answers to these questions by Monday, 12noon, Philippine time if you want an equal voice in all this.

11:47am, May 13: I received a 2,312-word reply from Mr. Monozca that maintains complete innocence but due to the 13-minute time frame, and the fact that no contact details were given of the people he accuses to verify these claims, we extend the benefit of doubt and are printing it at face value.