I thought I knew what I was going to blog about this week. But I had a change of heart. Or rather, a change of mind.

For a while now, there has been a big story in sports, mostly centered on football, about the effects of concussions.

It is not a new story, obviously. Football players, especially in the National Football League, have been keenly interested in all the latest developments in the study of the brain, specifically brain injuries.

As more is learned about the cumulative effects on the brain of concussions, sports at all levels of competition have taken notice, and are trying to catch up with the latest information available and make sports safer.

There are even those who would want to ban certain sports, at least at the Primary School level. But seriously, that is not the answer. Better protection and better coaching of safety for all players is a much better option.

NASCAR, and all racing series, is becoming much more aware of this issue. Obviously we are aware of what concussions can do. You bang your head too hard or too much, and things start going wrong. We’ve all known this for years.

Just take a look at Bobby Allison. A founding member of the Alabama Gang, he started his winning ways in NASCAR at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway in 1965. His final NASCAR win was at the 1988 Daytona 500, where he beat his son Davey in NASCAR’s first and to date only 1-2 Father-Son finish ever. Father and son both celebrated that accomplishment in Victory Lane.

Unfortunately, Bobby Alison now has no memory of that celebration. Later that year he suffered massive head injuries in a crash at Pocono Raceway that not only forced him to retire, but it also took away his memory of his final win.

Ernie Irvan, Jerry Nadeau, Steve Park and Ricky Craven are other drivers who have had problems. All had to spend time out of their race cars to recuperate after major problems from a crash, or in Ricky’s case, a series of wrecks that had a cumulative effect on him. While in Ricky’s case he was able to come back and eventually win races, none of these drivers were ever the same again.

Even “The Intimidator” was not immune. In the 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington, Dale Earnhardt blacked out while racing. It took several laps for Dale to finally find his way in to the pits, which he said at the time was due to suffering from double vision. No cause for his blackout or the double vision was ever found at the time.

For years, many drivers would drive hurt, not wanting to get out of their car or admit publicly that they were hurt and had a problem. They knew there would be a chance that they would be labeled as “damaged goods” and might never get another chance to drive. Just look at what Ricky Craven went through after he took himself out of Rick Hendrick’s number 25 car due to Post-Concussion Syndrome. For that matter, athletes in all forms of professional sports have done, and continue to do, the same thing.

Look back at some of the driver interviews from back in the day after a huge accident. Not always, but occasionally, we see a driver who looked like his bell was rung pretty good and he wasn’t 100% coherent during their brief interview after their accident.

But today, we know better.

Safety improvements in NASCAR used to take something catastrophic to suddenly become something that needed to be looked at and dealt with. In May of 1987, Bobby Allison had a wreck at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) while racing at speeds of over 200 Miles Per Hour. His car shot up into the catch fence and almost into the grandstands along the front stretch. This was the same weekend that Bill Elliot set the all-time NASCAR qualifying speed record at over 212 Miles Per Hour. In response, NASCAR first made all the race teams use a smaller carburetor at both Talladega and Daytona for the rest of 1987, and then the restrictor plate came into use in 1988. This was to keep the cars from going over 200 MPH.

In 2000, NASCAR lost three drivers: Adam Petty in May and Kenny Irwin, Jr. in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Tony Roper in October at Texas Motor Speedway. Adam’s and Kenny’s death at New Hampshire led NASCAR to use the same restrictor plate that NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour uses at the Loudon track in the Cup cars that September. That caused probably the most boring NASCAR race ever, of 300 laps of follow the leader racing.

But while changes were in the works, it took the death of Dale Earnhardt eleven years ago during the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 to really kick safety up to the level it is today. The HANS (Head And Neck Support) device, the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier and the COT (Car of Tomorrow) all have made NASCAR, and racing in general, a much more safer sport.

But as we all know, the more we study and learn, the more we find we don’t know.

Whack-A-Mole is a nice arcade game, but it is not the best use of an athlete’s head. Stopping sports or any other potential activity that might cause a head trauma is not the answer. Finding ways to limit potential injury and better protect the athlete is.

Let’s hope that safety designs are found and implemented as quickly as possible, before someone else loses a memory or pays the ultimate price.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

NASCAR Media Day is on Thursday, February 16th. Part of NASCAR’s Daytona Speedweeks, ESPN will be there with three hours of coverage, starting at Noon Eastern on ESPNews.

This NASCAR Now Special will have Ricky Craven and show host Mike Massaro back in Bristol, CT, with Nicole Briscoe reporting live from Daytona International Speedway.

With this three hours special, there will be extensive coverage of what is going on at Daytona and plenty of driver interviews.

And don’t forget, the regular 30 minute edition of NASCAR Now is on at 3 PM all week on ESPN2.

So set your recorders now (or prepare to call in sick to work) to catch all three and a half hours of the latest NASCAR news and more from Daytona.

OK, today is Valentine’s Day. For the record, I have not yet (ever) received a box of chocolates that looked like lug nuts. If any chocolate manufacturer decides to do that next year, you can thank me then.

Valentine’s Day is when you either do something special for your sweetheart, or you hope that Cupid finds someone special for you. So with that thought, let’s try and figure out all the matchmaking that has gone on during this off-season.

Kasey Kahne gets a new ride, driving the number 5 for Rick Hendrick, and a new crew chief this year. Kenny Francis comes over from Red Bull Racing with Kahne. Let’s see how well and how quick they gel together in Mark Martin’s old ride. Hendrick Motorsports other three teams, the 24 of four-time Champion Jeff Gordon, the 48 of five-time Champion Jimmie Johnson, and the 88 of perennial favorite driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., all remain intact.

Mark, meanwhile, will be driving the former number 00 for Michael Waltrip Racing this year and is scheduled to drive in 25 races in the 55. Owner Michael Waltrip is currently scheduled to drive the 55 in all the restrictor plate races this year except for the Daytona 500. But Waltrip fans may still get to see the 2-time Daytona 500 winner in this years race, if he can race his way in to the field driving the number 40 for brand new Hillman Racing. Aaron’s will be Michael’s primary sponsor, as well as being on the 55.

Are you confused yet? Grab some aspirin then, as we’re just getting started. Danica Patrick is next.

Danica will be a full-time driver in the Nationwide Series this year for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in JR Motorsports number 7. Great news for ESPN, as they have the contract to televise the series. They already are pushing Danica hard and, I’m sure, will do everything they can to get a few races on ABC. Meanwhile, she is scheduled to drive the number 10 car (the old number 36) for Tommy Baldwin Racing in 10 Sprint Cup races this year. In a unique arrangement, Stewart-Hass Racing will partner will Tommy Baldwin Racing for Danica’s 10 race schedule with Hendrick Motorsports supplying the engines. Greg Zipadelli returns to partner as a crew chief with 2011 Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart, but he will be Danica’s Crew Chief, not Smoke’s.

Meanwhile, Tommy Baldwin Racing will be very busy this year. Dave Blaney, who drove the 36 last year, will be in last years TBR’s number 35. Now renumbered the 36, Blaney will have to race his way into the Daytona 500. Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines will be the power under the hood, as well as in the number 10 for the 26 races that Danica is not driving the number 10. David Reutimann will pilot the number 10 for those races, coming over from MWR after being let go from the 00.

Oh, TBR is also planning a few races in the Nationwide Series, too. Quite a huge step up from the “Start and Park” operation they were forced to do to survive last year.

Back now to Michael Walrtip Racing. Martin Truex, Jr. returns to drive the number 56 and that team remains intact. Clint Boyer moves into the number 15 this year after several years with Richard Childress Racing in the number 33. RCR will run a very limited schedule for the 33 this year, as they could not get funding for a full-time effort for their 4 cars. Elliot Sadler gets the nod to drive in the Daytona 500, with Brendan Gaughan getting the next 4 races. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress’ grandson and the 2011 Camping World Truck Series Champion, is scheduled to also drive the 33 once this year while he drives full time in the Nationwide Series in a black number 3 and his little brother Ty takes over the black number 3 truck.

At Richard Childress Racing, the only change to their other three cars is in Crew Chiefs. While Slugger Labbe remains with Paul Menard in the number 27, Shane Wilson moves over from the 33 to work with Kevin Harvick this year in the 29, and Drew Blickensderfer comes over from Roush Fenway Racing to be Jeff Burton’s Crew Chief on the number 33.

Much like RCR, Roush Fenway Racing also had problems getting sponsorship for all of their cars. The number 6 will run in the Daytona 500 with 2011 Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the drivers seat. After that, with no sponsorship it appears that ride will not return to the track. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards in the 99, Matt Kenseth in the 17 and Greg Biffle in the 16 all return with their teams intact.

Over at Richard Petty Motorsports, Marcos Ambrose returns to an intact number 9 car, while Aric Almirola comes in to drive the number 43, driven last year by A.J. Almirola, who takes over the Penske Racing number 22 after the “mutual agreement” dismissal of Kurt Busch after the 2011 series finale. The 2004 Sprint Cup Champion has a one year deal to drive the Phoenix Racing number 51 (formerly the #09) and hopefully rebuild his career. Owner James Finch will continue to get equipment from Hendrick Motorsports, but as of now he only has sponsorship for Daytona.

Penske Racing’s other car, the number 2 driven by Brad Keselowski, returns intact from last year, as does Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing’s number 1 car driven by Jamie McMurray. EGR’s other car, the 42 driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, gets a new Crew Chief. Chris Heroy comes over from engineering duties at Hendrick Motorsports. Stewart-Hass Racing driver Ryan Newman returns to an intact number 39 team, while 2012 Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart returns to the number 14 with a new Crew Chief. Steve Addington left Penske Racing just before Kurt Busch did, while 2011 Crew Chief Darian Grubb moves over to Crew Chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing number 11 of Denny Hamlin. JGR’s number 20, driven by Joey Logano, also gets a new Crew Chief. Jason Radcliff gets a promotion up from his Crew Chief duties at JGR’s number 18 Nationwide car. As for Kyle Busch, JGR’s number 18 returns intact.

Front Row Motorsports has new drivers and crew chiefs for both of their cars this year. Jay Guy will be the Crew Chief for the number 34, which will be driven this year by David Ragan, while Pat Tryson will be the new Crew Chief for David Gilliland, who moves over to FRM’s number 38.

As for the single car teams, Germain Racing’s number 13 driven by Casey Mears will have a new look, as they have switched to driving a Ford this year. Last year, they drove a Toyota. Meanwhile, Bobby Labonte returns to drive JTG Daugherty Racing’s number 47, with Todd Berrier coming over from RCR to be the teams Crew Chief.

That just about takes care of the full-time teams for 2012. I’d go into all the changes with the part-time teams, but at this point even I need to find some aspirin.

Don’t forget, the Bud Shootout is Saturday night. It’s time to get the 2012 season started.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

The Daytona 500 is near, so it is time. NASCAR Now returns this week, and Ricky Craven is in the house.

Monday through Friday this week, tune in at 3 PM Eastern to watch Ricky and show host Mike Massaro catch us up with what has happened and changed since the end of the 2011 NASCAR season. There will also be a rebroadcast of Monday’s show at 11:30 PM Pacific and Tuesday’s show at 1:30 AM Pacific early Wednesday. No replays are scheduled for the rest of the week. All shows are 30 minutes in length, and are also available online, on tablets and on smartphones via Watch ESPN, for those who have that access available to them.

While Ricky and Mike will be at the NASCAR Now Studios, on Thursday and Friday Nicole Briscoe will be reporting from Daytona.

So make sure you set your recording devices now and catch the start of the sixth season of NASCAR Now, all this week on ESPN2.

Today was a busy day in Arthur’s World.

Early this morning, I was stuffed into an MRI scanner. The good news was that we were able to prove that I had a brain. Unfortunately, we were looking to see if perhaps there was a small problem with it, which might explain some issues that have come up since my accident way back in September. Turns out, everything looks good. So, the search for what is causing some (so far) minor issues continues.

Last week, NASCAR reported on the economy and sponsorship deals.

It was almost like reading an economic story straight out of Washington, DC.

The economy is turning. That’s the story, and they’re sticking to it.

Loosely broken down, the story seemed to claim that every team is fully funded for 2012. Except maybe Richard Childress Racing. Oh, and the sponsorship packages are worth about half what they were a few years ago.

Kind of like the current housing market.

The story I saw didn’t mention any of the smaller teams. Almost like they didn’t count and weren’t really all that important, anyway.

Which kind of feels like what most of us in what is left of NASCAR nation feel like.

The folks in charge say that the NASCAR economy is improving. Makes sense they would feel that way, as they just signed title sponsor Sprint to another huge deal.

By the way, thank you, Sprint, for believing that sponsorship of NASCAR’s top series is still worth it to you.

However, the teams, no matter how you want to spin it, are still trying to regroup and get a grip on what this “new” economic reality means to them. The smaller the team, the harder things get. No big surprise there. Just check out any Main Street in America today.

Just who is the man behind the curtain? And how long will it be until we can ignore him?

I now know for sure that I have a brain. What is their excuse?

Let me know what you think.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

All the rumors were indeed true.

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing announced on Monday that they had reached a deal with Turner Sports Interactive to regain full control of NASCAR’s online content.

The first foray into the online world by NASCAR was way back in 1996. ESPN was in charge back then of the nascar.com website. It was a very basic website back then. But then again, a lot has happened to the Internet and the way we all interact in these past 16 years.

Turner took over in 2001, just in time for the Daytona 500. It was still just a very basic web site design that first year. A new design arrived a year later, offering more on the home page than the year before. Things stayed pretty much the same for years, with a slight site design refresh in 2007, until a modest revamp in 2009. Then last year, another revamp of the web site.

Throughout all of this, two things have happened. NASCAR didn’t have much to say about what was on it’s own website, and Internet and web technology advanced about as fast as stock cars run in the draft.

NASCAR was stuck in long-term deals it made years ago, and could only sit back and watch the technological world pass them by.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman had a wayback machine, that they would use to go back and check out what happened back in time. Usually, they had to fix things. Say what you will about those in charge at NASCAR today, but obviously someone high up in the food chain realized that something had to change, and convinced those who controlled the purse strings to open up the checkbook. NASCAR now has the opportunity to fix things from the past and take this sport into the future.

Financial details were not released, but you and I both know that it had to cost some big bucks to do this.

Turner will still be in charge of NASCAR’s online content this year. The new contract starts in 2013, with Turner still overseeing the online advertising and sponsorships of all things digital through 2016.

But NASCAR itself will be in control of its own digital and social media footprint. If they do this right, NASCAR should be able to catch up with online technology in no time, offering fans what they want, wherever they happen to be and with whatever technological gizmo they have.

During 2012, NASCAR plans to try to figure out what it wants to do with this “Brave New World” it is about to venture into. It plans to look inside the industry to figure it all out.

Which is where things could go horribly wrong.

NASCAR still needs to realize that while it obviously needs to listen to those who have a huge financial stake in what is the largest racing sport on the planet, it must listen to and pro-actively take care of the fan base. That is you and I, who watch the races on TV (or listen on the radio), and if possible make a trip or two each year to watch the action live at a nearby track, no matter if it’s the Sprint Cup series stars or those in the feeder series trying to make a name for themselves.

What NASCAR needs to do is send out a small team of true race fans, to interact weekly with the folks at the track. Not folks who study and crunch data for breakfast. Real, long-term, NASCAR fans. The ones that both Big Bill France and Bill France, Jr. knew.

The same folks that Brian France apparently knows nothing about.

Start actually listening to the folks who, despite the current economy and despite the best efforts of the TV partners to make it almost impossible to see a race on TV, still love to watch the race.

Send out the average race fan, to ask questions of other average race fans, what can and should be done to not only make the true fans happy, but to also find ways to bring in more new fans.

But, even more importantly, to listen.

Now, if the powers that be at NASCAR happen to read this and like this plan, please get a hold of me ASAP. I’m ready to go on this cross-country adventure, to meet other true fans and gather the ideas necessary to make this a truly fan-friendly sport again, not only for us “old school” fans, but for all the new fans coming on board, too.

And there is not much time left to put this together. The Bud Shootout is in less than 3 weeks.

Meanwhile, share your thoughts and ideas here. I, for one, would love to hear them.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

Yeah, I know. I kind of vented last week. Big time. But I asked the question “Haven’t We Been Here Before?” because going “Back To The Future” didn’t seem to make much sense to me.

It still doesn’t. And never will.

But for what seems like the longest time, the powers that be at NASCAR didn’t seem to be listening to their core consumer group: Stock Car Racing Fans.

Any company, group, government, etc. that doesn’t listen to the folks that they are serving ends up in big trouble. People lose interest, get mad, throw temper tantrums and otherwise show their displeasure at being ignored, or worse, having something forced upon them that they totally dislike.

Then, they vote with their feet.

NASCAR used to be good at knowing what their fans wanted. It was easy, really. Old School NASCAR was run by race fans, who spent time with other like-minded fans. If something wasn’t working, they knew it, and they went about the task of finding a solution to it.

Today, we get focus groups, put together by folks who don’t get their own product and don’t know their core constituency, which are put together in such a way that they will come to a predetermined conclusion.

It’s the same problem we see with all the NASCAR TV media. It’s all set up to show a predetermined view of a predetermined story that has been predetermined to be what the focus groups have been predetermined to want.

And if you didn’t get what that previous sentence said, you might have a future career in the media. Or politics.

When the people keep telling those in charge that they don’t like something, yet those in charge continue to ignore the people, bad things happen.

Yet there is hope.

Today, for instance, Ford introduced the 2013 version of their Fusion Race Car. What does it look like? The 2013 Ford Fusion that you and I will be able to buy off the showroom floor of our local Ford dealership.

Yes, there will probably have to be a few tweaks here and there to the current Race Car version before the 2013 Daytona 500, but all the styling cues will be there. The race car will look like the showroom car.

So do not fret, NASCAR fans. Somebody is listening to you.

Now that one manufacturer has heard us, perhaps the others will follow, and maybe then NASCAR, and the TV media partners, will get the hint.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

Daytona testing has come and gone for the Cup boys. And Danica.

Everybody was trying to learn something. Like how will the new rules package effect the cars? And what about the injectors? And who’s driving which car? And who’s his (or her) Crew Chief?

I’m still trying to figure it all out.

What I do know is one of the things NASCAR specifically tried to do was to stamp out the two-car tango.

They failed.

What’s worse is they tried to make everybody go “Back To The Future”. They decided they wanted everyone to race in a pack.

Now, I could be wrong, but didn’t NASCAR start tweaking the rules and areo package about three years ago to try and get rid of the boring pack racing at Daytona and Talladega? The fans wanted these races to get back to what they once were: Actual races. Not white-knuckle chess matches played out at 195 Miles Per Hour, with any wrong move having the ability to wipe out half of the racing field.

The result of those tweaks a few years ago was just as bad, if not worse. Suddenly, two cars, racing nose to tail like they were welded together, went faster than the pack. Way faster. Soon, everybody was doing it.

And the fans were not happy.

So this year, testing began with multiple rules changes, all designed to “eliminate” tandem racing.

Surprise! It didn’t.

So a few more tweaks were tried, and they also failed. Finally, NASCAR went back in time, so to speak, and told the drivers to race in one huge pack.

And this is supposed to help the racing?

Meanwhile, with all the tweaks, several drivers went over 200 Miles Per Hour. Way over. A couple managed to hit 206.

This is not progress.

The meaning of insanity is trying the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

NASCAR instituted restrictor plates when the cars stared to go 200 Miles Per Hour at Daytona, because the human body just is not built to go hurtling into solid objects at that speed. This gave us the dreaded pack racing. Small tweaks to the plates and other rules changes brought the same results. Finally, a couple of changes brought us tandem racing, followed by more tweaking to bring us back to… pack racing. Only now, at speeds well over 200.

And NASCAR is “fine” with this.

I am a race fan. I want to see drivers drive their metal chariots as fast as they can. Safely. Because at the end of the day, I want every driver, every crew member, every safety worker and every fan to be able to return home to their loved ones.

It is time to stop this insanity.

This is the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing, not the Daytona High Speed Automobile Chess Club.

Put the safety features built into todays rolling marshmallows into a car that looks Stock. One that looks just like what you and I could buy off the showroom floor, with no rear spoiler and no stupid splitter. Yeah, you read that right. A stock Race Car should look exactly like the stock Show Room car. Without the racing decals, of course.

Obviously the stock Race Car does have to be built from the ground up, with every safety feature available. But if the stock Race Car doesn’t fit the stock Show Room car template, it does not race.

As for those damn restrictor plates, which removes the drivers control of the car, they must go. How does NASCAR then slow down all the cars when they start to approach an unsafe speed? NASCAR makes the cars less aerodynamic. They dirty-up the air flow. Voilà, the cars can’t go as fast.

Now some tweaks will have to be made that will supersede the truly “stock” look in the name of safety. For instance, nobody wants a car to become a flying wing. Thankfully, NASCAR did fix that problem already. They just have to keep improving on that success.

Now, is all this a perfect solution? Probably not. But I dare say it’s better than NASCAR insanely banging it’s collective head against the wall. NASCAR needs to keep everybody safe, make everybody play fair, and let the drivers do what they do best.

Put on the best damn show in auto racing, not play chicken at 200+ MPH.

And they need to do it quickly, before somebody gets hurt. Or worse.

That is a past that needs not be repeated.

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

Homestead was just over seven weeks ago.

I know, for many of us NASCAR fans, it seems like it was an eternity ago. But NASCAR’s Preseason Thunder starts on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

This off season has had a lot of news and changes. Almost none of it has hit the TV.

I’m not even going to try to catch everyone up with all the personnel changes. This week, anyway.

No, this week, it’s just a time for celebration. And rules changes.

Most of the new rules for Daytona this year came about to try and prevent, or at least minimize, the dreaded “two-car tango”. Some of the biggest swings at addressing this is that there will be a slightly larger restrictor plate and a much smaller radiator, overflow tank and rear spoiler.

I hope it works.

The two-by-two racing at Daytona and Talladega last year was nuts. The rules in place caused drivers to become nothing more than tandem pilots, hoping that everything went according to plan when they swapped ends with their “partner”.

This year, a smaller radiator system should mean less tandem pushing. I mean tandem racing. As a driver, if your car starts pumping water out of the smaller cooling system, you are in big trouble, since there isn’t much there in the first place.

That is the theory, anyway.

A smaller rear spoiler, combined with a larger restrictor plate opening for more horsepower, should force the driver to have to lift off the accelerator a little bit going into the corners. Oh sure, many drivers won’t, at least not early in a run. They will still try and run pedal to the metal, wide-open, every lap. But at some point, the tires will start to give up grip, and then they either will have to lift, or risk smacking the wall.

I am not a fan of restrictor-plate racing. I understand why it’s there, but I am one of those who believe there are better, and safer, ways to keep the cars from going too fast, while at the same time giving control back to the drivers to actually drive the car, instead of just running around the track in a big pack, waiting and worrying about when someone will mess up and take you out, along with half the field.

And yes, 43 cars all doing 235 Miles Per Hour for 500 miles is way too fast.

But that rant can wait for another day. There is some adrenaline that needs to be let loose, and testing of new rules needs to start.

The 2012 Daytona 500 is now less than seven weeks away.

Can you feel it?

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive

In todays world, the Internet keeps changing. So, to keep up, we were due to make a few around here.

Sometimes, we end up ahead of the curve. Our new look here on the Archive site actually started two years ago, but for some reason the back end (or backbone, if you prefer) of our web site wouldn’t let us do what we wanted to on the front end (the part you see… think of it like skin). So, we ended up shelving it.

So, during this NASCAR off-season, we again started to look at making some changes, but we just could not find what we were looking for. So, we took a look back at what we’d tried before.

Well, it seems that all the changes lately, both on the “skin” and in the “backbone” side of the Internet, has brought us back to the future.

And so, here we are with a new look to the Archive site.

Everything came together just in the past 48 hours. We still have some general housekeeping issues to fix, as you will plainly see as you peruse our site, but most everything seems to work correctly, even if some things just don’t seem to look right.

Working on a web site today is much like working on a NASCAR race vehicle. First, you work on the general aerodynamics of the car body, then truck it down to the wind tunnel to tweak on it some more.

With this redesign, we’ve also got a few things working that never did work right before. They were really subtle things that we wanted to have work one way, but despite our best efforts they just did not want to play nice. They are now.

We expect to add a new section or two to the Archive site soon. One new section in particular was always one of those things that we wanted to do from day one, but never did find a way to make it happen. This new design holds the promise of finally being able to make it a reality.

As part of that new project, we also expect to make other changes around here. Isn’t that always the way? One project changes many things. It’s all good though, and we look forward to continuing to make improvements around here.

We also like hearing from you, so keep those cards and letters comments and emails coming!

The View From Arthur’s World
© 2012 Ricky Craven Fan Club Archive