Jeffrey Gluck[1] is an American motorsports journalist for The Athletic. Gluck is best known for his coverage of NASCAR races. He has a "12 Questions" interview column where he asks NASCAR and other motorsports drivers 12 different questions each season. He is also known for posting "Quiet Track" photos of empty racetracks and "Was it a good race?" polls on Twitter after races are done.[2] He has previously written for NASCAR Scene, USA Today, and his own reader-funded website.
Jeff Gluck | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gluck (right) with fellow NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass in 2010 | |
| Born | Jeffrey Gluck September 19, 1980 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Delaware |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Employer(s) | The Athletic JeffGluck.com (former) USA Today (former) NASCAR Scene (former) |
Early life
editWhile in college at the University of Delaware, Gluck would be intrigued by a sports writing class offered by the university. As an avid sports fan, he would take the class and would begin to write for the school's newspaper.[3]
In his first newspaper job in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, he was asked to cover a race at the local Rockingham Speedway. This would spark Gluck's interest in NASCAR.[3]
Career
editIn 2007, Gluck was hired by the NASCAR Scene as an associate editor.[4]
In 2009, he was laid off from NASCAR Scene due to economic issues caused by the Great Recession.[1] At the same time, then-startup sports news blog SB Nation was looking for a NASCAR reporter to write for their website. CEO Jim Bankoff would proceed to hire Gluck, before leaving at the end of 2012 for USA Today.[5]
In 2016, Gluck would come under fire from NASCAR after he wrote an article with the headline "NASCAR looks beyond declining attendance, TV ratings".[6] NASCAR, which had been experiencing declining rating and attendance, was worried about their public appearance in the media, and during a midseason update meeting, a high-ranking official told Gluck and drivers that Gluck's coverage was "killing the sport." In a meeting without Gluck, someone held a copy of the article as an example of unneeded and unaffordable negative coverage at the time. Some drivers, including Carl Edwards, were also angry at Gluck, and one driver, who had not read the article, confronted Gluck at the racetrack.[7][8]
In 2017, Gluck would leave USA Today due to "family-related reasons" and would instead start up his own site that was funded by his own readers. According to Gluck, his wife, Sarah, was trying to become a Child Life Specialist, which would need the Gluck family to have flexibility on moving around the country.[9][10]
In 2019, Gluck joined The Athletic when the sports website expanded to cover motorsports.[11]
Personal life
editGluck is currently married to Sarah Gluck. The two welcomed their second daughter in March 2021.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Garrett, Clayton. "Economy Rips Parts Of NASCAR Fans Hearts Out". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (28 February 2017). "'Was It A Good Race?' Poll Results". JeffGluck.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ a b jed012788 (2017-06-30). "A Q&A with Jeff Gluck of JeffGluck.com on venturing out on his own, his connection with readers and covering NASCAR in 2017". The −30-. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Blogs | SceneDaily.com – NASCAR News". SceneDaily. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (2012-12-31). "Goodbye SB Nation, and thanks". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (2016-07-01). "NASCAR looks beyond declining attendance, TV ratings". USA Today. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (2017-06-30). "An unpleasant anniversary". JeffGluck.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ "Jeff Gluck says NASCAR exec told drivers his story was "coverage killing the sport"". Awful Announcing. 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (2017-01-23). "What's Next". JeffGluck.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ "Jeff Gluck still on NASCAR beat under different format". Daily News. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff. "Jeff Gluck: We're here to give you stories about motorsports that you won't find elsewhere". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Gluck, Jeff (2021-03-17). "Where did Jeff go?". JeffGluck.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.