BRISTOL, Tenn. – The emails and twitter responses started filtering in halfway through Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
And the messages just kept coming all day Sunday.
Fair or not, some fans continue to be exasperated by the lack of action on a half-mile concrete stage once notorious for non-stop heavy-metal action.
That frustration was reflected in the lackluster attendance numbers for the weekend.
Crowds in excess of 100,000 regularly attended the Nationwide events at BMS. According to the official NASCAR estimate, just 55,000 turned out for Saturday’s race on a sunny day.
The estimate for Sunday’s Food City 500 Sprint Cup event was 102,000. That’s 18,000 less than last year’s official estimate.
Bruton, we have a problem.
Sellout crowds were once common at the 160,000-seat track, but there have been four straight Sprint Cup races at BMS without a sellout.
The wide-ranging reputation of Bristol was built on chaotic moments that serve as fodder for endless campfire arguments and factory floor discussions.
The wider and smoother version is perfect for drivers, who can select between multiple lanes to make passes without having to worry about getting mired in a wreck.
Of course, sports car racing is popular among drivers for the same reason. Fans rarely turn out for sports car events, which often involve celebrity drivers or wealthy playboys.
The radio and television for BMS events continually promote scenes akin to a high-speed demolition derby.
Increasingly, the statistics are revealing a different story. Saturday’s Nationwide race featured just five lead changes and four caution periods. The tally for Sunday included 13 lead changes among seven drivers along with five cautions.
Judging from the sea of empty seats this weekend, it’s clear that some fans do indeed enjoy watching wrecks instead of clean and creative racing.
For the motorsports purist, the Bristol show remains a treat. Thanks to the progressive banking that was introduced in 2007, drivers now work to set up textbook passes on the inside, middle and outside grooves.
But let’s remember, Bristol once represented the ultimate NASCAR survival test of man and machine.
There are still doses of chaos here, but it’s controlled now.
It’s all a matter of taste.
More than ever, BMS needs a spectacular finish or fist-flying feud that can generate captivating sound bites and highlights.
The harshest critics of the new Bristol are even demanding that track owner Bruton Smith tear up the track and somehow spice up the action.
The advancement in tires and car design are also factors in this complex debate, but it’s clear that all is not well with a Bristol fan base that once was among the most passionate and devoted in all of professional sports.
Even racer Aric Almirola admitted that there was a problem after his 19th place finish.
“There weren’t very many cautions and it probably wasn’t very exciting for the fans,” Almirola said. “It wasn’t very exciting for us either.”