[The following is a repost of a message I sent to the ONMC forum on NASCAR.com ... if you are interested to know more about the Club, please reference my ID number as I get credit for referrals!]
As a (fellow) Charter Member who signed up as early as I knew this Club existed (which was February 2005, prior to Daytona), I can relate to the comments you have made.
The Official NASCAR Members Club is not the everything-to-everybody club because, financially, such a club cannot and will not ever exist. With an annual membership of $40 from the time I signed on and now having renewed for the first time in March, I am very pleased with what my money got me in my first year in the ONMC.
While I certainly had no guarantees of any of the "special" VIP-only experiences, I did hit the jackpot by responding to an e-mail for last year's Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's. As one of the selectees, I had no idea exactly what the reward was going to be. All I knew was that I needed to get race tickets (which I did not have at that point) and to plan a drive down to Charlotte from Ohio. Needless to say, the experience itself was nothing short of incredible.
There was no way possible to do that All-Star night what I did without an ONMC in existence. I got to walk across the LMS track, stand on the infield to watch the race qualifier (which Brian Vickers won), and then walk on the track itself all the way down to the start-finish line. The moment itself is emblazoned in my mind as I stood right in front of the Driver Introductions three-part stage (I was at the right-hand stage) where all of the pit crews and drivers would be introduced. Not only did I get first-hand contact (literally) with the crews as they came by for high-fives but also got some amazing photos of most of the drivers being introduced that night (with detailed close-ups I could never have gotten from the stands). Equally cool was giving a high-five to Ryan Newman, the only driver to go from one end of the stage to the other giving high-fives along most of the way. A nice perk: having all of the action saved from the live telecast on Speed Channel (where I can see myself prominently on camera) -- priceless!
I honestly thought I could die and go to heaven at that point because the club had already exceeded my expectations for the year. When I realized I had more races to attend (previously planned) where I knew ONMC would be, I didn't want to miss the possible opportunities there as well. All of those events were still first-come, first-serve (which changed by the end of last year with all of that bickering as well), so I knew I had to be early (i.e. on the ball) to be one of the chosen few.
At Chicagoland, I got in line bright and early on Saturday morning to sign up for another Driver Introduction experience. Although this was for the Busch race, it was no less exciting being able to see so many Cup regulars (i.e. the Buschwhackers) as well as the up-and-coming stars of the Busch series. I have to say that the entrance into this event was even cooler (if that was possible) as we were scurried along via golf carts from near the Nextel Experience pavilion through the auto tunnel into the back gate of the Busch trailers and garage area. Nothing like walking through some of the most exclusive area of the whole track en route to the stage itself at the start/finish line. We walked as a group across pit road, through the infield grass, and stopped at stage right (the exit side) of the intros stage. My photos from that event were once again incredible, with even better shots in the daytime sun than I got at night in Charlotte. I was even lucky enough at that same experience to meet one of the new National Advisors (Steve Benoit) from California, who had already had some previous great experiences.
I hopefully haven't bored all of you who read this with my lengthy stories, but my experiences with the Club have been absolutely wonderful. At the point at which I realized more people needed to experience how great the ONMC could be, I signed up to be an LCP for my area. Granted, I can only stretch myself so thin in a given year (with work and family commitments), but I believed that being an LCP and forming a local chapter was the right way to make the overall club that much more effective. Other posts in this chain and in other chains make the point well: for as many members and chapters as this club has already, the opportunity for growth is that much greater than already achieved.
For all of those who believe the Club has failed them (possibly because you haven't been able to experience one of the unique opportunities I noted), I am sorry you have been "hurt" by something that monetarily has impacted you very little in the grand scheme of things. Expectations are truly a personal thing when it comes to what you wanted this club to be when you made your payment to become a member.
If you signed up expecting the first year of this club to be perfect from day one, then you have unrealistic expectations of a "start-up" organization. One thing that continues to frustrate me personally is how *personal* everyone seems to respond either pro or con to the ONMC and what it has or has not done for them. While I and others may consider the club to be great, others have expressed dissatisfaction. Difference of opinion should be admired, but the reality is that we are early in year two of what hopes to be a long journey. If the ONMC ended tomorrow or after this season, would the majority be satisfied with what the club brought to them that they didn't know, see, do, or have before?
Inevitably, people have to make choices. Am I in the club for the long-haul, or am I out? Patience is an important thing, and take to heart the adage that if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. It is easier to complain where others are failing but not to offer your talents for fixing the issues. In some cases with this club, complaining to the right people is just as important as complaining in general. Just complaining for complaining sake does nobody on either side of the pro/con fence any good in making the club better in the future.
My opinion is my opinion, and your opinion is your opinion. If our two opinions do not agree, it does not make one of us right and the other one wrong. Remember to exercise respect in all criticisms that are made, whether they are constructive or destructive, by thinking first from the other person's perspective and then from your own. Your response may be different than you had planned.
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