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SpeedReading: NASCAR fans are against it - Apr. 22, 2004
By Dave Moody
In the world of NASCAR racing, there's only one thing that's guaranteed. Suggest something new, and the fans will be against it.
NASCAR is talking about taking a race away from North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham next season and moving it elsewhere. You know Rockingham, the track that hosts two NASCAR Nextel Cup events every year, despite not selling a race out since the Hoover administration. Rockingham, the track where 15,000 of its 60,000 fans show up each year disguised as empty seats. NASCAR has apparently noticed those empty seats, and now wants to move one of those ill-attended dates to a track where all the seats might actually be filled.
Sound like logical business practice to you? Not to NASCAR fans. They think it's a lousy idea.
There are plenty of reasons why fans say they don't go to Rockingham, Darlington, or any of the other tracks within a three-hour radius of NASCAR's epicenter in Charlotte, N.C. The weather's bad at that time of year. The facilities are run down. It takes forever to get there, and even longer to get out. There aren't enough hotel rooms. The racing's not that good. And besides, they say, they would rather to go that fancy track just up the road at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
And yet, when anyone mentions the possibility of transplanting one of those cold, rainy, unreachable, rundown, non-competitive races to an underserved market in another part of the country, those same fans scream like their pocket has just been picked. "We have a right to all those races," they say. "After all, we're the ones who made this sport what it is today."
The fact that they don't actually attend any of those races is, apparently, irrelevant. "It's tradition," they say. "It's untouchable. It's our right."
It's a load of baloney.
Fortunately, NASCAR's new President, Brian France, seems to agree. Why? Put yourself in his shoes for a moment, and decide which scenario makes the most sense to you; a 60,000 seat track with 15,000 unsold seats, or a 100,000 seat racetrack jammed to the rafters? Not that tough a call, is it?
And yet, the minute France decides to cut his losses and do the smart thing, the gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair will begin. Swap dilapidated old Watkins Glen for a gleaming new road course in Mexico City? "Sacrilege," they'll howl. Move a Rockingham date to Kansas, Chicagoland, Nashville, or Kentucky? "A slap in the face," they'll cry. Build new tracks in the race-starved Pacific Northwest and metropolitan New York markets? Good God, no. The traditionalists will have a seizure.
But honestly, what doesn't send NASCAR fans into a dither these days?
Suggest deep-sixing those antique carburetors in favor of fuel injection? "Couldn't possibly do it," they say, despite the fact that its computerized, its easy to police, and it's half the cost to the teams. After all, carburetors are tradition, and NASCAR is long on tradition.
Freezing the field to prevent racing back to the yellow? The fans hate it, despite the fact that sooner or later, a driver was going to get killed ignoring a so-called "gentlemen's agreement" while racing back to a meaningless yellow flag.
Again, it's tradition. And we love our traditions.
Remember the old points system that rewarded consistency over winning? The fans hated it; told Matt Kenseth he didn't deserve to be champion. The new system that puts more emphasis on winning? They don't like it, either.
Who can blame them, really? It's not what they're used to, after all
Adding more races? They're against it. Subtracting races? Against it. Making no changes at all? They're not too wild about that idea, either. And how about this rousing debate over NASCAR's 43-car starting fields? Not surprisingly, the fans say they hate the practice, due to a new phenomenon called "field fillers" that's been a weekly part of NASCAR racing for more than 50 years. Suggest cutting the number of starters, though, and you'll have an in-box full of venom within 20 minutes. Apparently, they hate that idea, too.
I've begun to think that the average NASCAR fan is against ANYTHING that requires change of any kind. So fine, I know when I'm licked. Let's go back to the traditions that made NASCAR great.
Effective immediately, there will be no more NASCAR Nextel Cup racing at such non-traditional venues as California, Texas, or New Hampshire. NASCAR was born in the Carolinas and the deep south, and by God, that's where it should stay. You New Englanders can start packing your bags, because going to the races just got a whole lot tougher. Plan on packing a lunch, too, because we're tearing down all but one concession stand, and it'll be weeks before you get your hands on a hot dog.
Seats? We don't have seats. We tore them all down in favor of a tiny, splintery grandstand that holds about 1,000 fans, tops. The rest of you can sit in the dirt. Pick a good spot, though, because you don't want to miss all the cars crashing through board fences after their stock passengers tires blow out - eight or nine tires per car, per race - causing their stock fuel tanks to rupture and critically burn a series of drivers wearing nothing but t-shirts. Those that survive probably won't get paid anyway, because I'm pretty sure I just saw the promoter slinking out the back gate with all the money.
Sound like too much trouble to you? Well, don't plan on staying home to watch the race on television, because we're going back to the traditional way of doing things in that department, too. Four times each season, ABC's "Wild World of Sports" will broadcast the first 15 laps of a race, before cutting away to the Acapulco Cliff Divers. Following that, it's Chris Schenkel and PBA Bowling from DuQuoin, followed by a quick update from the track, showing a couple of crashes on tape. "Curling from Calgary" is next, then back to Darlington for the final 10 laps, a 30-second interview with the winner, then "so long" for six weeks or so, until the next televised event.
Tradition. Ain't it great?
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SpeedReading: NASCAR fans are against it - Apr. 22, 2004
By Dave Moody
In the world of NASCAR racing, there's only one thing that's guaranteed. Suggest something new, and the fans will be against it.
NASCAR is talking about taking a race away from North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham next season and moving it elsewhere. You know Rockingham, the track that hosts two NASCAR Nextel Cup events every year, despite not selling a race out since the Hoover administration. Rockingham, the track where 15,000 of its 60,000 fans show up each year disguised as empty seats. NASCAR has apparently noticed those empty seats, and now wants to move one of those ill-attended dates to a track where all the seats might actually be filled.
Sound like logical business practice to you? Not to NASCAR fans. They think it's a lousy idea.
There are plenty of reasons why fans say they don't go to Rockingham, Darlington, or any of the other tracks within a three-hour radius of NASCAR's epicenter in Charlotte, N.C. The weather's bad at that time of year. The facilities are run down. It takes forever to get there, and even longer to get out. There aren't enough hotel rooms. The racing's not that good. And besides, they say, they would rather to go that fancy track just up the road at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
And yet, when anyone mentions the possibility of transplanting one of those cold, rainy, unreachable, rundown, non-competitive races to an underserved market in another part of the country, those same fans scream like their pocket has just been picked. "We have a right to all those races," they say. "After all, we're the ones who made this sport what it is today."
The fact that they don't actually attend any of those races is, apparently, irrelevant. "It's tradition," they say. "It's untouchable. It's our right."
It's a load of baloney.
Fortunately, NASCAR's new President, Brian France, seems to agree. Why? Put yourself in his shoes for a moment, and decide which scenario makes the most sense to you; a 60,000 seat track with 15,000 unsold seats, or a 100,000 seat racetrack jammed to the rafters? Not that tough a call, is it?
And yet, the minute France decides to cut his losses and do the smart thing, the gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair will begin. Swap dilapidated old Watkins Glen for a gleaming new road course in Mexico City? "Sacrilege," they'll howl. Move a Rockingham date to Kansas, Chicagoland, Nashville, or Kentucky? "A slap in the face," they'll cry. Build new tracks in the race-starved Pacific Northwest and metropolitan New York markets? Good God, no. The traditionalists will have a seizure.
But honestly, what doesn't send NASCAR fans into a dither these days?
Suggest deep-sixing those antique carburetors in favor of fuel injection? "Couldn't possibly do it," they say, despite the fact that its computerized, its easy to police, and it's half the cost to the teams. After all, carburetors are tradition, and NASCAR is long on tradition.
Freezing the field to prevent racing back to the yellow? The fans hate it, despite the fact that sooner or later, a driver was going to get killed ignoring a so-called "gentlemen's agreement" while racing back to a meaningless yellow flag.
Again, it's tradition. And we love our traditions.
Remember the old points system that rewarded consistency over winning? The fans hated it; told Matt Kenseth he didn't deserve to be champion. The new system that puts more emphasis on winning? They don't like it, either.
Who can blame them, really? It's not what they're used to, after all
Adding more races? They're against it. Subtracting races? Against it. Making no changes at all? They're not too wild about that idea, either. And how about this rousing debate over NASCAR's 43-car starting fields? Not surprisingly, the fans say they hate the practice, due to a new phenomenon called "field fillers" that's been a weekly part of NASCAR racing for more than 50 years. Suggest cutting the number of starters, though, and you'll have an in-box full of venom within 20 minutes. Apparently, they hate that idea, too.
I've begun to think that the average NASCAR fan is against ANYTHING that requires change of any kind. So fine, I know when I'm licked. Let's go back to the traditions that made NASCAR great.
Effective immediately, there will be no more NASCAR Nextel Cup racing at such non-traditional venues as California, Texas, or New Hampshire. NASCAR was born in the Carolinas and the deep south, and by God, that's where it should stay. You New Englanders can start packing your bags, because going to the races just got a whole lot tougher. Plan on packing a lunch, too, because we're tearing down all but one concession stand, and it'll be weeks before you get your hands on a hot dog.
Seats? We don't have seats. We tore them all down in favor of a tiny, splintery grandstand that holds about 1,000 fans, tops. The rest of you can sit in the dirt. Pick a good spot, though, because you don't want to miss all the cars crashing through board fences after their stock passengers tires blow out - eight or nine tires per car, per race - causing their stock fuel tanks to rupture and critically burn a series of drivers wearing nothing but t-shirts. Those that survive probably won't get paid anyway, because I'm pretty sure I just saw the promoter slinking out the back gate with all the money.
Sound like too much trouble to you? Well, don't plan on staying home to watch the race on television, because we're going back to the traditional way of doing things in that department, too. Four times each season, ABC's "Wild World of Sports" will broadcast the first 15 laps of a race, before cutting away to the Acapulco Cliff Divers. Following that, it's Chris Schenkel and PBA Bowling from DuQuoin, followed by a quick update from the track, showing a couple of crashes on tape. "Curling from Calgary" is next, then back to Darlington for the final 10 laps, a 30-second interview with the winner, then "so long" for six weeks or so, until the next televised event.
Tradition. Ain't it great?
