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Monte ranks right up there as perhaps the best jounalist covering NASCAR right now. IMO of course.
DARLINGTON, S.C. — One cannot help but wonder if, by the miracle of a finish that was one of NASCAR’s greatest, Darlington Raceway has saved its spring race for at least another year.
What’s it going to take?
Ricky Craven’s victory — by a distance measured in inches — over Kurt Busch came on a day in which the grandstands were mostly full despite the threat of bad weather.
During the weekend, dozens of drivers expressed their support for the historic old track. Many of them added that they understood the economics, but the overall message was clear. They value the challenge of racing at the track and want to continue coming here twice a year.
NASCAR has a habit, not uncommon in business, of basing its decisions on the amount of money that can be made, and there are larger tracks in more bountiful markets that are coveting the slot in the schedule that Darlington now occupies.
But look at the big picture, for gosh sakes.
Television exposure is NASCAR’s first priority nowadays. Does a fan in, say, Pocatello, Idaho, care whether the telecast originates? Probably so, but it’s not based on the size of the market. It’s based on the anticipation of a good race.
Darlington races are always good. The one on Sunday was great, along with quite a few others at the track over the years.
What does Fontana (Calif., east of Los Angeles) offer that Darlington does not? More luxury suites. More opportunities to wine and dine the captains of industry. More hype. More glitter.
More racing? Quite the contrary. The same can be said of Phoenix, Kansas City and Chicago. As for the last track, by the way, Pocono is as accessible to New York City as “Chicagoland” (the track is in Joliet) is to the Loop, O’Hare International Airport and Rush Street.
NASCAR’s officials, their eyeballs figuratively obscured by dollar signs, try to pass themselves off as farsighted, but taking a race away from Darlington is just the opposite. For every race taken away from a Darlington or a Rockingham and moved to a “cookie-cutter track” — how much do you think NASCAR hates that cliché? — the quality of the spectacle is diminished. The skill it takes to be Winston Cup champion is diminished. The goose that’s laying all those golden eggs gets a little bit sicker.
Why are all these tracks being built virtually alike? Because the people who build them cannot count on NASCAR dates. They have to build tracks that are versatile because, to keep from going bankrupt, they have to host other kinds of races.
For the stock-car enthusiast, though, what has been constructed is an entire generation of multi-purpose tracks that serve none of the purposes well. You’ll recall that many cities made the same mistakes during the 1960s and 1970s, when generic stadia with names like Riverfront, Three Rivers, Atlanta-Fulton County, Busch and Veterans Memorial were constructed.
You’ll also recall, by the way, that most of them are now gone, unlike stadia with names like Fenway, Wrigley and Lambeau.
Remember the Alamo! Fifty-four-forty or fight! Tippecanoe and Tyler, too! Save Darlington!
DARLINGTON, S.C. — One cannot help but wonder if, by the miracle of a finish that was one of NASCAR’s greatest, Darlington Raceway has saved its spring race for at least another year.
What’s it going to take?
Ricky Craven’s victory — by a distance measured in inches — over Kurt Busch came on a day in which the grandstands were mostly full despite the threat of bad weather.
During the weekend, dozens of drivers expressed their support for the historic old track. Many of them added that they understood the economics, but the overall message was clear. They value the challenge of racing at the track and want to continue coming here twice a year.
NASCAR has a habit, not uncommon in business, of basing its decisions on the amount of money that can be made, and there are larger tracks in more bountiful markets that are coveting the slot in the schedule that Darlington now occupies.
But look at the big picture, for gosh sakes.
Television exposure is NASCAR’s first priority nowadays. Does a fan in, say, Pocatello, Idaho, care whether the telecast originates? Probably so, but it’s not based on the size of the market. It’s based on the anticipation of a good race.
Darlington races are always good. The one on Sunday was great, along with quite a few others at the track over the years.
What does Fontana (Calif., east of Los Angeles) offer that Darlington does not? More luxury suites. More opportunities to wine and dine the captains of industry. More hype. More glitter.
More racing? Quite the contrary. The same can be said of Phoenix, Kansas City and Chicago. As for the last track, by the way, Pocono is as accessible to New York City as “Chicagoland” (the track is in Joliet) is to the Loop, O’Hare International Airport and Rush Street.
NASCAR’s officials, their eyeballs figuratively obscured by dollar signs, try to pass themselves off as farsighted, but taking a race away from Darlington is just the opposite. For every race taken away from a Darlington or a Rockingham and moved to a “cookie-cutter track” — how much do you think NASCAR hates that cliché? — the quality of the spectacle is diminished. The skill it takes to be Winston Cup champion is diminished. The goose that’s laying all those golden eggs gets a little bit sicker.
Why are all these tracks being built virtually alike? Because the people who build them cannot count on NASCAR dates. They have to build tracks that are versatile because, to keep from going bankrupt, they have to host other kinds of races.
For the stock-car enthusiast, though, what has been constructed is an entire generation of multi-purpose tracks that serve none of the purposes well. You’ll recall that many cities made the same mistakes during the 1960s and 1970s, when generic stadia with names like Riverfront, Three Rivers, Atlanta-Fulton County, Busch and Veterans Memorial were constructed.
You’ll also recall, by the way, that most of them are now gone, unlike stadia with names like Fenway, Wrigley and Lambeau.
Remember the Alamo! Fifty-four-forty or fight! Tippecanoe and Tyler, too! Save Darlington!
