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racewriter10
What is wrong with NASCAR?
Count the number of fans dressed as bleachers at recent Cup events and you may wonder.
Bill Simonson - better known as "Huge" of nationally syndicated sports radio's "Huge Show" recently posed that same question to the listening audience on his Sunday evening program. Callers from Des Moines to Dallas chimed in with their "Huge" opinions.
The rants and raves were interesting. A woman from Michigan offered the August race at Michigan International Speedway as an example of what was "wrong" with the sport - the race she just spent a fortune to take her family to was, in a word, "boring."
When I heard that, I wondered if she missed the last finish? After 199 laps of dominance by two cars (No. 16 of Greg Biffle and the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson), those same two cars ran out of gas, giving the win to the crafty "senior" Mark Martin - who himself ran out of gas crossing the finish line.
Ok...I guess she was right. Only three drivers in contention for the win is boring.
While many others commented, the best answer to the question posed by "Huge" was given by a fan from Nashville, Tennessee. In the best of all southern styles, the gentleman stated he had been a fan of the sport since 1991. He followed Davey Allison back then, and after his untimely death, became a fan of Jeff Gordon.
He went on to state he could count on one hand the number of races he had missed on television since he first started following NASCAR. Mostly because, he stated, he can't attend the races in person at today's ticket prices.
"Guys like me just can't afford 'em," he said.
He felt the "boys" who run the show today have forgotten what it was like back in '91. The championships were decided back then on a season's worth of effort - not in a playoff system like the stick and ball sports do.
In fact, he had an interesting points proposal for "young" Mr. France. 43 cars start the race, so there are 43 points available - the winner gets 43 points, and the driver finishing last scores a single point. He also offered five bonus points for the race winner.
That's it...easy to follow. Oh, and one more thing, he added, "quit charging a couple days' pay for them tickets."
So the "simple" answer to the "huge" question is a two-parter - follow closely - simplify the points so the fans can actually understand the process, and lower ticket prices so we can all afford a day at the track.
While it might not stem the single team dominance, or for that matter, perceived boredom, at least we could all afford to form our opinion at the track.
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4 Comments
fullspeedgirl +Delete - on Oct 19th 2009 at 8:20pm
Amen, brother.
brady_halbasch +Delete - on Nov 17th 2009 at 1:13pm
I see where your coming from, RaceWriter10. I know that partial reason why the ticket prices are so high is because NASCAR has to over compensate the drivers and teams that lack sponsorship to keep their racing team alive. That is the root of the problem why these races are so boring. How can you compete with a team like Hendrick??? They have endless success because Rick has relationships with deep pockets everywhere: Kellogs, Lowes, Dupont, Quaker State, Delphi, National Guard, Go Daddy. PEPSI... these are fortune 500 companies or government run, a lot of TV time, tons of merchandise is sold, they're attracting the best drivers and crew... and yes Jimmy johnson, or one of the Hendrick boys, will be the Sprint Cup champion of 2010. ALL MOTORSPORT ORGANIZATIONS ARE SUFFERING FROM THE SAME SYNDROME = "NY YANKEE" TYPE TEAMS THAT WILL ALWAYS BE THE ALPHA DOG = BOOORRRIINNNGGGG!!! I think the World of Outlaws probably had the best championship shootout this year on America broadcasting. Hello, can any organization or team hear me? Unified sponsoring to keep your series alive? IROC-type competition, again? Hell, when I want to see good racing I go on YouTube and watch Skip Barber lol! What happened to "stock" cars where drivers make the difference and close racing? What happened to the other cars when Castroneves pushed the "nitro" button to win the Indy 500 by a mile (and this happens year after year when the big money teams pull away EVERY RESTART.)? Why hasn't Dan Wheldon smelt success since he left Ganassi? I don't have the golden answers, but I'm barking up the right tree. People want to see tight racing, why do you think TV ratings are huge when a ball game goes into overtime??? Obviously, I know their isn't change because of ego's and money (power) ...but if it doesn't change, racing as a sport is going to lose their ass. Why do you think these big sponsors have pulled out of 2010 and said they were never coming back?? POLITICS, that's why. People get burnt out emotionally so they blame it on the economy because there is no benefit for the business. Yes, the economy is horrible but you can't sit there and tell me that Toyota can't afford to be in F1 and that BMW, Ferrari, Renault, and Mercedes can??!?! Racing organizations need to come down to earth, give the FANS what they want, and simplify things to make racing more even or "fair." Without fans, we are nothing, guys. We are just idiots driving expensive cars that go fast and we'll spend money we will eventually run out. I know what I wrote won't go far at all, but hey, atleast I feel better after venting a little bit :)
Shaun_Hensley +Delete - on Jul 10th 2010 at 10:22pm
Most of the changes since 2001 have really detracted from the series. I don't care for the Chase. I don't care for freezing the field on a caution, or the lucky dog. I don't like the top 35 owners' points rule.
I don't like how NASCAR is cracking down in the garage area, it's starting to seem like IROC style racing because no team's allowed to explore "grey" areas to their advantage.
racewriter10 +Delete - on Jul 13th 2010 at 10:10am
You're right on the money Shaun. I long for the "good 'ol days" when the guys who pushed the limits and ran on the edge of the rules were the winners - not just the teams with the deepest pockets! We used to pride ourselves as being different than "stick and ball" sports. Now, thanks to the dramatic control of corporate sponsorship dollars, we're becoming more and more like the "stick and ball" sports.
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