Yep, I agree with you.
This sport was continuing it's growth until shortly after the Chase implementation. Many of us were against it from the outset. Others gave it a year to play out. The ratings/attendance tell the story from that point on.
They always seem to be convinced that further changes are necessary. Change is what stunted the growth of this sport. They had it right and they effed it up.
I went back a looked at some of the comments about the viewership and interest in Nascar pre-chase and it a 180 degree change from what we see today. It was a good time to be associated with Nascar as the stands were full and people were engaged all over the country.
http://www.jayski.com/pages/tvratings2002.htm
NASCAR Gives FX Biggest Audience Ever: The NASCAR ratings juggernaut paid off in a big way for FX from Dover. The live coverage of the MBNA Platinum 400 delivered a 4.7 rating, reaching 3.65 million households and 5.6 million viewers. These results made it the most-watched telecast in the history of the network. Additionally, the MBNA 400 was the highest-rated show on cable TV last week, even beating out Spongebob Squarepants and WWE wrestling. It helped that The Osbournes wasn't on, allowing NASCAR to take the weekly crown. For the four Winston Cup races on FX so far this year, the overall rating is up 6% from last year, 25% in total households, 20% in average viewers, and 12% in they key male demo of 18-49 year-old couch potatoes. The large 20% and 25% numbers are due to the rise in the number of households receiving FX.(
MotorsportsTV)(6-7-2002)
Pocono TV Ratings II: The Winston Cup action from Pocono saw a dramatic increase in ratings, with the Dale Jarrett victory pulling in a 5.1 rating and 15 share. This is up 16% from last year's 4.4 rating and 12 share. Also, the race was up 18% in average viewers (8.0 million vs. 6.8 million). The total number of households reached was 5,393, 000. For the week, it was beaten only by Games 1 to 3 of the NBA Finals and the Belmont Stakes.(
MotorsportsTV.com)(6-14-2002)
NASCAR on NBC & TNT Up 13% Heading into Final 2 Races: Through 17 telecasts, NBC & TNT have produced a 4.3 national rating/10 share (excluding this year’s Daytona 500 and last year’s primetime Pepsi 400 - the two races which alternate between NBC and Fox each year), representing a 13 percent increase over a 3.8/10 for the comparable races last year. This growth builds on last year’s 34 percent ratings increase (3.9/10 vs. a 2.9/8) for the inaugural year of NASCAR on NBC & TNT over the comparable races in the 2000 season. TNT’s coverage of last Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup race from Rockingham, N.C. delivered a 3.0 converted national household rating/8 share, which represents a three percent improvement over last year’s 2.9/8 on TNT.(NBC PR)(11-6-2002)
