Heats, Not Stages, Might Be An Even Better Way To Get NASCAR Cooking Again

Heat racing has been going on since the beginning of time. I remember watching Chariots race and all they did was change horses during the race, or was that stage coach racing?
The point being that the racing is what will draw any fans and yet the TV productions think
they can produce something else to entertain you. As long as "stupidity" gets the advantage
(Rutledge and Waltrip) fans will tune out.
I tuned in to see a race and got a dumb comedy act instead. :idunno::idunno:
 
Johali said:
Leave Nascar alone for a few years. It's screwed up enough already. :mad::mad::mad:
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Most young people tie their shoes when they buy them and from then on they are flops never to be untied.

Brian France is still trying to find a better rubber boot.
 
No thanks. I like that all of these cars are out on the track for all the laps they are capable of running. I don't really like the idea of my driver(s) sitting out one of the two preceding races before the main event. Especially if I am paying to travel 1000+ miles investing the time/expense.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
No thanks. I like that all of these cars are out on the track for all the laps they are capable of running. I don't really like the idea of my driver(s) sitting out one of the two preceding races before the main event. Especially if I am paying to travel 1000+ miles investing the time/expense.
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I do like the stage racing and it has proven (to me) the drivers are racing harder more often.
No one can deny it helped get a couple of drivers to the final 4. Having said that, I am sure there is one more change that could help to improve the TV show. Lets face it, the TV money is supporting racing right now and is also a big part of the track purse. That said I would like to see "green flag" pit stops only. With modern tech they can split the screen much better than present and run commercials simultaneously.
OH and make racing the show, leave the idiots ( Rutledge) alone at the track to excite the audience.
 
It's been tried several times in the Xfinity series over the last couple of seasons. It failed to produce dramatic changes in the racing. As the article speculated, most drivers nursed their vehicles along to get to the main race.

Maybe it would have been different if the heats had been used to cut the field in half, as the article suggests. Maybe it would be different if the heats awarded points, like the stages do. Or maybe not.

I have no opposition to the idea in general, but there's no point in doing what was done in the X series. IF the idea is tried again, for gosh sakes, test it at the X or Truck level for at least two full seasons before applying it to Cup.
 
Team Penske said:
... With modern tech they can split the screen much better than present and run commercials simultaneously. ...
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The stumbling block to split screen commercials isn't a technological one. It's a contractual one. Someone will have to convince TV sponsors that it's in their interest to share more of their purchased screen space with live content. I've only seen one sport that was able to pull that off - World Cup, an international 800-pound gorilla that makes the NFL look like a weakling in a Charles Atlas ad.
 
So like the 500, only condensed into one day, instead of a week?
 
If I bake a really poor tasting cake and serve you the entire thing or cut it up in 8 pieces it still will be a poor tasting cake. Fix the recipe and ingredients and you will all sorts of people trying to get a piece of it.

The most important thing Truex said is getting new and younger fans and I don't believe that they can't pay attention for long periods. They will pay attention if it is something they are interested in.
 
I agree with what Truex said. Absent this year from the race threads was: "It wasn’t just watching the first couple of laps, take a break and come back and watch it again."

He then said of dividing races into three segments: “The stage racing this year was something everybody was excited about. I think it panned out well. I think it added a lot to the races, more excitement, more to pay attention to. It wasn’t just watching the first couple of laps, take a break and come back and watch it again. Everybody was racing hard all day. That was a good thing.”
 
ToyYoda said:
I've never understood the fascination with heat races. They would be absolutely terrible at this level.
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off season, got to find something to write about. The guy took a Truex interview and twisted it. Can't believe his bosses let that one go. How he got from stage racing to heat races was interesting. I don't think he knows the difference and what all that would entail. I hope Brian doesn't see it, he doesn't need any more ideas for awhile.
 
I disagree and I think stage racing caused a lot of people to keep the TV off altogether instead of watching a few laps here and there. The basis of my thinking is due to Nascar's viewership being down year over year again.

An alternate view could be that Nascar would have lost a lot more fans if it hadn't been for implementing things like the playoffs and stage racing but IDK if I will have any buyers on that one or not.
 
At ARCA and K&N level they have a full course pit in the middle of their races. Heats wouldn't work at that level even.
 
ToyYoda said:
I've never understood the fascination with heat races. They would be absolutely terrible at this level.
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Oh, I was full-tilt behind the idea for years. Then I saw the Xfinity experiments and that cured me. I'm recovering now; it's been almost two years since my last desire to see heat races at the national touring level. It's not even a daily struggle anymore. :D
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
I disagree and I think stage racing caused a lot of people to keep the TV off altogether instead of watching a few laps here and there. The basis of my thinking is due to Nascar's viewership being down year over year again.

An alternate view could be that Nascar would have lost a lot more fans if it hadn't been for implementing things like the playoffs and stage racing but IDK if I will have any buyers on that one or not.
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I'll go back to our being unable to know what the viewer numbers would be like without stages last year. I haven't fixed my multidimensional golf cart yet. When I do, checking that out across the multiverse will be my second goal, right behind sleeping as many different versions of my wife as I can find..
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Oh, I was full-tilt behind the idea for years. Then I saw the Xfinity experiments and that cured me. I'm recovering now; it's been almost two years since my last desire to see heat races at the national touring level. It's not even a daily struggle anymore. :D
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take it one day at a time Charlie..say no heats no heats no heats ahmmmmm. that works for me anyway.
 
That s what I thought when I read it..everybody here came up with the same thing..well almost everybody ;) that writer hasn't been around very long
 
Heat races in NASCAR won't work. They already tried in XFINITY and it was an epic failure.

The thing about heat racing is, there has to be risk and consequence. There has to be a reason to go hard. In short track racing, if you finish outside the top-5 or top-10 (depending on race and format), you don't make the show. If you finish 11th, you're going home.

The Daytona qualifying races have become useless because pretty much everyone is guaranteed a spot in the race. Those used to be the best races in speedweeks because of the consequence of a bad run or the reward of a good run.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Heat races in NASCAR won't work. They already tried in XFINITY and it was an epic failure.

The thing about heat racing is, there has to be risk and consequence. There has to be a reason to go hard. In short track racing, if you finish outside the top-5 or top-10 (depending on race and format), you don't make the show. If you finish 11th, you're going home.

The Daytona qualifying races have become useless because pretty much everyone is guaranteed a spot in the race. Those used to be the best races in speedweeks because of the consequence of a bad run or the reward of a good run.
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Bingo, the duels, are worthless at this point, there is no reason to run them now. Just line them up how they qualify on Sunday.
 
Oh dear no more gimmicks please, I begrudgingly accepted the stages. Let’s give it some time to see how the stages play out before we go ahead and change more things
 
Heat racing is good at your local short track where you don't have to worry about the issues that plague aero racing. If this comes to fruition, the same problems will be masked with another band aid. Sure you might have more accidents, more exciting restarts, but the main issue is to fix the cars. Whenever that is? The new Gen 7 car hopefully will be better than this one, but I have my doubts, and if it isn't I'm sure Nascar will come up with another gimmick to put a band aid on it and call it fixed!
 
Mopardh9 said:
Heat racing is good at your local short track where you don't have to worry about the issues that plague aero racing. If this comes to fruition, the same problems will be masked with another band aid. Sure you might have more accidents, more exciting restarts, but the main issue is to fix the cars. Whenever that is? The new Gen 7 car hopefully will be better than this one, but I have my doubts, and if it isn't I'm sure Nascar will come up with another gimmick to put a band aid on it and call it fixed!
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After reading that article that was posted, I think Nascar is doing more than bandages for the new car. What I think I read was they are doing away with most of what makes the current car such a dud.
 
Team Penske said:
After reading that article that was posted, I think Nascar is doing more than bandages for the new car. What I think I read was they are doing away with most of what makes the current car such a dud.
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Which if is the case, and the racing is better, then all these gimmicks wont be needed , so its a win win .
 
Simple Fan said:
Guilty of such but I never tie them. Just cut the strings and ball the ends to keep them in.
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lol same here, and I am in my mid to late 30's, I only tie mine if they have been untied by the cats or the kid.
 
No amount of "fixing" is going to get people they lost, back.

Cater to the ones you have by not ****** up the system even more and you might just see the light of day going forward.
 
Check out the end of the fall North Wilkesboro race from 1989, Earnhardt and Rudd had a run in. It's on youtube. Better than heat races or stages. Old School short track stuff. It's what NASCAR needs.
 
Reck said:
No amount of "fixing" is going to get people they lost, back.

Cater to the ones you have by not ******* up the system even more and you might just see the light of day going forward.
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Right, worry about what you have, not what you lost.
 
kyle18fan said:
I dunno ......... but we are getting MORE stages whether we want them or not
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You got a mouse in your pocket? :D
I was hoping whomever stepped on their junk would figure it out and dump the scheduled cautions after this year’s trial run. This is the reason I don’t tune in.
 
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