Doubling up on NASCAR Night

Years ago, I was covering a Charleston (S.C .) Riverdogs game, but I also needed to write a racing column for the next day. It was NASCAR Night, so I went early and interviewed local short-track driver Charles Powell III and wrote the racing column while keeping an eye on the baseball game.

When I'd finished the column and sent it, I kept up with the game, a good one. When the Riverdogs won 4-3, I asked the Riverdogs guys in the pressbox if I should mention Richard Petty, whose number was 43. One of the guys said, "If you don't, we will." So I did.

My lead was something like, "Richard Petty would have been proud. On NASCAR Night, the Charleston Riverdogs matched the King of NASCAR's car number with a 4-3 win over (Somebody)."

The next day, my boss said he was angry when he saw the Richard Petty mention; then from reading on, he realized it was NASCAR Night. He wasn't even aware of NASCAR Night, and my going that day was pure luck.

I was happy with the way it worked out, but I couldn't tell if he was happy.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com

More EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

•  Editor with no experience

Blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Good Samaritan

• The PRESS cap and my friend Mike

• Watching TV

• No luck with Billy Sims

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!

Entries from The Dog Blog

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• Growl and pull

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2015)

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• OOH! OOH! The stereophonic huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing