Lost another Great One- Chris Economaki

by **dreinecke** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:00 am

I still watch the old Can-Am tapes with him interviewing Sharp, Hall, etc. Great auto commentator and will be missed.

by **Padirt** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:20 am

A great friend of motorsports. I remember when I was a kid the Nascar Grand Am division ran at my local track and after the race we went to the pits and I brushed past this guy wearing green pants, a checkered shirt and a red jacket and we looked and it was Chris Economaki. We were pretty blown away that he was at Flemington but that's why he was cool. Any race was important to him.

by **Cjent** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:57 am

Back in the early 60's, Greenwood Roadway was a terrific road racing course south of Des Moines, IA. The track announcer for the USRRC and most other races was Chris.
He was everywhere.
He will be missed.

by **waaytoomuchintothis** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:06 pm

As far as I know, Chris Economaki was the last one. The guys who informed my love of cars, the guys who were the voices I listened to when things in our family were at the absolute worst. I could always look forward to the weekend, and to being somewhere that I could hear him talking about things I loved, and many times, his voice, especially his passion for something I loved, would give me a way to escape bad things that were going on around me the rest of the week. Every time some bozo the networks hired would say something stupid, I told my boys what Mr. Economaki would have said, and why he represented quality and dedication. Excellence in any endeavor has wide ranging influence, and Mr. Economaki was a genuine blessing to me. I feel like a member of my family died. I never dreamed he was so old. I always thought I might write him someday and tell him how important he was to my life. Its just luck, really, and people like Mr. Economaki, that I didn't become something very different from what I did become. He was just a man, like any of us, but he exemplified an excellence that reached further and more profoundly than he could imagine.

by **ElSecundo** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:48 pm

In my mind, he was the voice of auto racing, and that voice was an important part of the 'golden age' of racing. He was to auto racing what Cronkite was to the news.

by **TsgtRet** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:00 pm

"What was it like out there?" Those words, remembered from my youth, always make me think of coverage of races I had never heard of before: Zandvoort, Brands Hatch, etc. He will be missed.

by **HomeRacingWorld** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:03 pm

by **olskoolslotz** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:12 pm

by **DAVE** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:40 pm

Chris was the father of motorsports journalism. Every writer and announcer took something
from Chris, and used it just as he would have wanted. And he always called the shots as he saw them.

by **baford1** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:57 pm

Chris Economaki even used to make annual trips to Australia for our Bathurst 1000 race he was just a natural commentator from the first time he caught on & was a favourite amongst
drivers & audiences that watched on TV he will be remembered & sadly missed

Richard

by **Larry Lype Motorsports** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:59 pm

by **FootScoot** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 6:34 am

I listened to him all the time when I was young. He had a certain way of talking about things that really held my interest in racing, be it Indy cars to slot cars, he was always straight forward in his announcing, and interviews. Just a sad day in racing. :cry:

by **Florida_Slotter** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 6:39 am

Chris Economaki is the best race commentator ever. He had a unique voice that made you feel that you were part of the action. He never asked those questions that Tony Stewart would call 'stupid'. He reported the facts and had enough class to never stick a microphone in the face of a racer afer a disappointing finish - how the media today ever survives some of their antics, I'll never know. I wish today's media would take a lesson from Chris - just report the facts and let the fans make all the assumptions about the race.

Chris, rest in peace as you have set the standard for many to follow. Thank you!

by **SpeedyNH** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:08 pm

the great man was everywhere for sure.
met him a couple times at Trenton on the late '60s. my slot racing buddy's dad was a freelance photog for NSSN and the good Mr. Econ used to get us kids passes for the infield for the indycars.
Larry that's a great story.
speedy