So far, so good for NASCAR's new car

FLRacingFan

FLRacingFan

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I know we're only a quarter of the way through the season so it's a small sample size but I think there are some telling statistics in this article.

The idea behind the Gen-6 was to improve the racing on intermediate tracks, where it was unwatchable at times last year.
NASCAR suffered through a brutal stretch last spring of painfully long green-flag runs with very little side-by-side racing. There were few cautions beyond occasional yellow flags for debris, and a four-race stretch without a multicar accident.
The problems were never more glaring than Memorial Day weekend, when just hours after one of the most exciting Indianapolis 500's in history, NASCAR staged a nearly four-hour snoozefest at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Only nine cars were on the lead lap of the Coca-Cola 600 when Kasey Kahne beat Denny Hamlin to the finish line by a whopping 4.295 seconds.
The racing hasn't been so monotonous this year and the statistics back it up after nine races:
- There have been 1,203 more green flag passes throughout the field.
- The average margin of victory is .634 seconds, compared to 1.759 seconds last year.
- There are 49.9 percent of the cars finishing on the lead lap this year, up from 38.2 last year.
- The percentage of cars running at the finish of the race is up 3 percent to 83.2.


Read the rest here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CAR_NASCAR_IN_THE_PITS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 
I guess , what people like ,is that no team has yet to find a set up where they could run off and leave everybody . I think this will still happen once they get some more racing under their belt . It is a great looking car though and we have seen a few mid pack teams showing up in the top ten .
 
Wonder what the stats would be if you took out the Daytona 500 and even the Phoenix race?
 
Rick Hendrick said they learned things at Daytona that they didn't have enough time to apply. I am hopeful Talladega will be one heck of a great race.
 
I think they car is decent. I dont mind green flag runs as long as they are competitive green flag runs. It does seem that the racing is closer though. I would say its a step up from the CoT. I think the gen 4 cars were my favorite though.
 
BobbyFord said:
I'm more than happy with the new car. NASCAR just has to leave it alone now and not try to make the racing better.
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Yeah, I know for me that I wouldnt want the cars to be any closer together than they are.
 
it looks to me like the new car actually races better on the big tracks than the short tracks. thats kinda surprising.
 
Daytona sucked. Phoenix was mediocre.. But from then on gotdamn!!! Great racing. Kinda reminds me of the racing 10-15 years ago. I've been surprised more how the finishes have shaped up, even without yellows the races have been close. Alot of comers n goers.
 
I'm 24 and have been an avid fan for 20 years. **** their demographics.
 
DUN24 said:
I'm 24 and have been an avid fan for 20 years. **** their demographics.
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Sure. Everyone here is. NASCAR didn't need a new generation car to fix the Aero problems with the COT. It just needed a few more tweaks.

The whole point of investing in Gen 6 car was to bring back the fans the sport lost by bring back brand identity. It hasn't worked.
 
sloggie said:
The trend isn't good. " The 3.4 is tied as the second-lowest overnight ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX."
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What keeps you coming back?

I wonder what the TV ratings were in 1950, 1960 or even 1970...;)
 
StandOnIt said:
BTW I thought the car was developed for brand identity.
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I agree . To think that a car can change the racing is quite a stretch . Aspects of racing have evolved over the years , but Nascar racing is still the same to me . Back in the day, the cars changed every model year , but we never thought it changed the racing any . Bringing back 'brand identity ' was the objective here , because the fans and consumers said they wanted it .
 
Smoke14 said:
What keeps you coming back?

I wonder what the TV ratings were in 1950, 1960 or even 1970...;)
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I like racing, and I'm not that old!.
If you want unbiased results take a look at Jayski. On most races in his review, the races score well compared to other sporting events. BTW I thought the car was developed for brand identity. Something racing fans have been complaining about for a long time.
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That's where I get my stuff. It doesn't make sense to compare to other sporting events though, as there is little crossover between NASCAR and the NBA or NHL.
 
ted@economy said:
I agree . To think that a car can change the racing is quite a stretch . Aspects of racing have evolved over the years , but Nascar racing is still the same to me . Back in the day, the cars changed every model year , but we never thought it changed the racing any . Bringing back 'brand identity ' was the objective here , because the fans and consumers said they wanted it .
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I agree brand identity was a major part of why the new car came along (Chevy was particularly emphatic about it), but even the drivers themselves have discussed how it drives better and easier than the COT did and allows them to do things they weren't able to do before.
 
sloggie said:
The trend isn't good. " The 3.4 is tied as the second-lowest overnight ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX."
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Overall viewership in comparison to last season was up through the Texas race a few weeks ago. Maybe the last couple of races have changed that, I'm not sure, but it's been a good start. It's unrealistic to expect ratings to shoot right back up to where they were in 2004 or so. NASCAR will probably not be that popular again for a while, if ever, but they have to be pleased with the increases they do see.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Overall viewership in comparison to last season was up through the Texas race a few weeks ago. Maybe the last couple of races have changed that, I'm not sure, but it's been a good start. It's unrealistic to expect ratings to shoot right back up to where they were in 2004 or so. NASCAR will probably not be that popular again for a while, if ever, but they have to be pleased with the increases they do see.
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People go on Nascar.com and see what a train wreck that thing is and judge the entire sport by it and that will surely turn some people away.
 
Johali said:
People go on Nascar.com and see what a train wreck that thing is and judge the entire sport by it and that will surely turn some people away.
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That's probably true. They really need to clean up and simplify that thing. The casual fan probably has no clue about sites like Jayski and ultimately has nowhere to go for news, info, etc. ESPN.com's coverage is pretty sparse. I don't know about sites like SPEED, FOX Sports, wherever.
 
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