The thing that seperates NASCAR from other sports

T

timmyholton

Guest
that people dont really think is that in NASCAR you really have one favorite driver. In sports leagues (nba, nh, nfl, mlb) you are a fan of a franchise. No matter who is the coach or who's on the team you are gonna root for that team

but when your favorite DRIVER retires then you have to go search for a new favorite and it's honestly not the same

I was a huge Rusty Wallace fan, when he retired I figured I would just root for kurt Busch since he took Rustys ride, but it wasn't the same. I found myself not caring. I still cheered for the old guard of drivers but I wasn't really invested like i was with Rusty

Even though its been 12 years im still in the same spot. i have guys I root for but them losing doesnt ruin my day. If they decided to retire tomorrow I wouldnt be upset

My cousin was a massive Jeff Gordon fan, When he retired he decided to root for Chase Elliot but you could tell it wasnt teh same, then of course Jeff came back and my cousin was happy but he said it really didnt feel the same watching him

I think thats one thing that hurts NASCAR

when a popular driver retires ar ethose fans gonna stick around?

It could be a big scary day the day dale jr retires

there could be a possible massive drop off
 
I disagree with you on several points.

First, the attitudes you describe aren't unique to NASCAR. There are fans of other sports that are actually fans of particular players, not the individual teams. When that player is traded, their allegiance follows him to his new team. When he retires, they find something else to do. Their fans that stop supporting teams when a coach or player from a rival team is signed. The NBA in particular is currently driven more by player personalities than teams.

Second, many NASCAR fans have more than one favorite driver.

Third, many have no problem finding a new driver to root for when their favorite (or one of their favorites) retires.
 
There are many layers to the NASCAR onion and the challenges faced by NASCAR as it struggles for relevance are vast. At the end of the day each individual fan decides whether or not they want to watch and attend races. I just want to see an exciting race.
 
I am a huge Matt Kenseth fan, have been since his second year in CUP, but, If he retires I will wish him well and then look at the other drivers in the field and pick a favorite to cheer for. But, hay, that is just me and to each his own way of dealing with the lose or retirement of a Driver.
The Nascar series's are my main interest not any one particular person or thing. It is the whole of the truly all American Sport that Nascar is, that keeps me interested.
It is kind of like this, If you attend a live race, say, at Atlanta and when they start engines and make that first lap after the green flag and experience the excitement and intensity of Auto Racing or your at Daytona and they take the green flag and when they go into turn 3 and the roar of 40-800 HP hot rods echos ominously back across the track, well, if you are not hooked at that point, then you are just not a auto racing fan and that is alright. I get goosebumps just thinking about that first lap under green.:D
 
I've been a fan since 93. First Dale Earnhardt then Dale Jr. I know for a fact it'll never be the same for me after Jr. retires. Once Jr. Began his recovery this past season Homestead was the ONLY race I watched flag to flag.
 
I don't understand the notion of having multiple favorite drivers just as I don't understand rooting for multiple teams in other sports. Sure there are a few drivers I like as people and a few that I mind less when they win, but in terms of rooting interest? One driver. That will never change.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I disagree with you on several points.

First, the attitudes you describe aren't unique to NASCAR. There are fans of other sports that are actually fans of particular players, not the individual teams. When that player is traded, their allegiance follows him to his new team. When he retires, they find something else to do. Their fans that stop supporting teams when a coach or player from a rival team is signed. The NBA in particular is currently driven more by player personalities than teams.

Second, many NASCAR fans have more than one favorite driver.

Third, many have no problem finding a new driver to root for when their favorite (or one of their favorites) retires.
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I used to be a huge Mark Martin fan, I also liked Bill Elliot too because they drove Fords. Now I pull for any one who doesn't drive a GM. Would love to see Dodge back.
 
sdj said:
I get goosebumps just thinking about that first lap under green.:D
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Agreed. The scanner headsets come off, and I just take it in. Unbelievable.
 
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AdoubleU24 said:
I don't understand the notion of having multiple favorite drivers just as I don't understand rooting for multiple teams in other sports. Sure there are a few drivers I like as people and a few that I mind less when they win, but in terms of rooting interest? One driver. That will never change.
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I feel similar. One manufacturer. That will never change.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I disagree with you on several points.
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Absolutely.

With all due respect, OP swung and missed with this one.

One does not stop watching a sport after a driver or player decides to hang it up. Just like a fan of say, the NFL wouldn't skip the Superbowl because their team is no longer in it. Ditto for the World series or an NBA Finals game.

Hell I dont even like or watch soccer and I still see the world cup at least for a few minutes when it's on.

Being a part of something special that happens once or several years apart doesn't require you to have something in it for you. You just enjoy the moment.

As far as for my drivers and players..I have been having a tough couple of years. Gordon and Tim Duncan both retired at the end of the 2015 and 2016 respectively and then my second favorite driver retires before the start of the 2017 season.

Just a sign that I am really getting effing old. :XXROFL:
 
I'm torn with the headset on the first lap lol. I usually like to wave my hat and salute with a cold one as they take the green and as they complete the first lap at speed. One thing I've learned NOT to do is have my phone out. I've got plenty of photos and videos of race cars. I opt out now and just savor it for myself.

I didn't video the last lap of Gordon's Martinsville win, choosing to just keep it stored in memory. But I did video him parking it and the celebration thereafter.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
I'm torn with the headset on the first lap lol. I usually like to wave my hat and salute with a cold one as they take the green and as they complete the first lap at speed. One thing I've learned NOT to do is have my phone out. I've got plenty of photos and videos of race cars. I opt out now and just savor it for myself.
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Right with you on the phone. Never take pictures during a race. Too focused.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I disagree with you on several points.

First, the attitudes you describe aren't unique to NASCAR. There are fans of other sports that are actually fans of particular players, not the individual teams. When that player is traded, their allegiance follows him to his new team. When he retires, they find something else to do. Their fans that stop supporting teams when a coach or player from a rival team is signed. The NBA in particular is currently driven more by player personalities than teams.

Second, many NASCAR fans have more than one favorite driver.

Third, many have no problem finding a new driver to root for when their favorite (or one of their favorites) retires.
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I quite agree Charlie. I am a race fan, I watch the race and I appreciate it when I can see 2 drivers dueling for a spot no matter who they are. Of course there are drivers I like and others I am not so fond of. When Dale was alive and racing he was my favorite but if he was having a bad day and no chance to win, I would cheer for someone else. It could have been Ernie Irving , Mark Martin,
Schroeder or one of many other guys. I was not a manufacture fan. It just happened that many guys were in GM cars. MM excluded. LOL
 
AdoubleU24 said:
... One thing I've learned NOT to do is have my phone out. I've got plenty of photos and videos of race cars. I opt out now and just savor it for myself.
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I've been wondering for a couple of years now how much people are missing because they're too busy taking pictures of it. Not just racing, but lots of things.
Revman said:
Right with you on the phone. Never take pictures during a race. Too focused.
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I'll take a few photos during a race, maybe three or four, usually after the field is strung out. Green flag stops, wreckers doing their thing, parade laps ('cause that's what they're for), etc. NEVER a start / restart or close racing. Always with a camera, never a phone.
 
Reck said:
With all due respect, OP swung and missed with this one.

One does not stop watching a sport after a driver or player decides to hang it up. Just like a fan of say, the NFL wouldn't skip the Superbowl because their team is no longer in it. Ditto for the World series or an NBA Finals game.
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This just isn't true. While it is complicated, these responses are no more on point than the OP. Empirically, data suggests that Jeff Gordon's or Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s absence causes a significant dip in viewership for those who are drawn by them. If you believe that NASCAR and their partners don't know this for certain, I don't know where we start in such a discussion.

Super Bowl ratings fluctuate and NBA Finals and World Series ratings fluctuate much more based on which teams are playing in them. All you have to do is look at local market ratings for such events. But it isn't all about this binary idea of every fan having one favorite driver or team. The Cowboys are more popular than the Colts and draw more attention, the Cubs are more popular than the Twins.

I watch probably a dozen hours of racing per week across many series and disciplines, and I'm not a superfan of any driver. I'm a fan of racing. That doesn't mean everyone who watches is the same way. Some do have favorite individual drivers and tune out when they aren't present.

The OP is being a bit reductive, but NASCAR does have an issue in that there are more consumers that identify with individual drivers than with teams. It isn't unique to NASCAR, but it's more pronounced, because people don't have hometown NASCAR teams to feel tied to, and manufacturer loyalty is at an all-time low (it doesn't matter that remaining Toyota / GM / Ford loyalists wish it weren't). The debate around the NBA becoming a superstar league after Magic and Bird was always about what happens when those guys retire? When Jordan retired, the league did suffer much more than the NFL ever does with the loss of a single player. The same will happen when Lebron retires, though I think they've moved further away from putting all their eggs in one basket with a single player.

The prospect of Junior's departure looms huge for NASCAR. I'm shaking my head trying to figure out how anyone could honestly believe otherwise, whatever your individual preferences are.
 
Earlier last year, I continued to watch NASCAR races despite Jeff Gordon not being in them.

Timmyholton is right. NASCAR races aren't the same when the driver you've been cheering on for years isn't in them.

Before last season began, I told myself I'd find a new favorite driver to cheer for, but it didn't happen. It was great when Jeff returned for a few races, because it meant I had a favorite driver to cheer for again.
 
I don't know many people who quit watching NASCAR because their favorite driver retired. Hell, Earnhardt fans still watch.

I've been a Mark Martin fan all my life and also supported Kevin Harvick (don't ask how this works) since his Cup debut. Also cheer for Jimmie Johnson, which is funny since I used to grit teeth whenever he was leading. When Harvick and Johnson retire, I'll probably root for Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.

NASCAR is also unique in that you can watch the up and comers and cheer for them early in their careers and hope they make it to Cup. It's been fun watching Josh Berry work his way up and I hope this dude makes it to Cup. Same with Todd Gilliland. And if Kate Dallenbach makes it to the major leagues of NASCAR, I'll definitely be cheering for her.

Of course, being a short track guru, I'm usually watching the kids in minors instead of Cup anyway.
 
I don't know how people can be loyal to a manufacturer though. I like Ford and Toyota but I don't root for any of their drivers in Cup.

Well, I guess Harvick's gonna be in a Ford now so there's that. :D
 
AdoubleU24 said:
I don't understand the notion of having multiple favorite drivers just as I don't understand rooting for multiple teams in other sports. Sure there are a few drivers I like as people and a few that I mind less when they win, but in terms of rooting interest? One driver. That will never change.
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I think that is actually fairly common, especially in the college ranks. I have no issue rooting for my undergrad school and the school I grew up rooting for and wanting to go to, and for a lot of people you can add in their grad school as well. And in the professional ranks plenty of people root for, for instance, the franchise they grew up near and the franchise they live near now. Is there a pecking order? Sure. Just as I have no problem rooting for a select few drivers in a certain order and generally feeling indifferent towards the rest of the field.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
I'm torn with the headset on the first lap lol. I usually like to wave my hat and salute with a cold one as they take the green and as they complete the first lap at speed. One thing I've learned NOT to do is have my phone out. I've got plenty of photos and videos of race cars. I opt out now and just savor it for myself.

I didn't video the last lap of Gordon's Martinsville win, choosing to just keep it stored in memory. But I did video him parking it and the celebration thereafter.
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The best opportunity is probably when they come by for the final pace lap, all bunched up, anyways. I don't know how you can take something when they're at speed and spread out and there's a bunch of different things going on.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I don't know how people can be loyal to a manufacturer though.
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I've explained it before, but I feel the same way about being loyal to a driver. I can't imagine being a Harvick fan after he switched to Ford, but I respect those who choose to be.
 
Revman said:
Tried like hell to wipe a smudge off the lens with the TRD sweater, but guess who didn't wash the chicken wing grease off of it the last time he used it?
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Sorry about that bud ........ it was really good chicken
 
I have always loved the game first and the players second so players and drivers coming and going have never caused my interest to dissipate in Hockey. Football or Racing. I totally understand getting married to a sport or racing series but never the participants as they are always lesser than the game.

I have a favorite pro Football and Hockey team and a favorite NCAAF team but I also like others as the NFL and NHL have different conferences and the NCAAF has more teams than grains of sand.

Nascar used to be ruled by manufacturer fans and there are still strong ones like @Revman but it is nothing like it used to be. Believe it or not I was a supporter of Oldsmobile because everyone else was either a Ford or Chevy guy.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
I don't know many people who quit watching NASCAR because their favorite driver retired. Hell, Earnhardt fans still watch.

I've been a Mark Martin fan all my life and also supported Kevin Harvick (don't ask how this works) since his Cup debut. Also cheer for Jimmie Johnson, which is funny since I used to grit teeth whenever he was leading. When Harvick and Johnson retire, I'll probably root for Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.

NASCAR is also unique in that you can watch the up and comers and cheer for them early in their careers and hope they make it to Cup. It's been fun watching Josh Berry work his way up and I hope this dude makes it to Cup. Same with Todd Gilliland. And if Kate Dallenbach makes it to the major leagues of NASCAR, I'll definitely be cheering for her.

Of course, being a short track guru, I'm usually watching the kids in minors instead of Cup anyway.
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I can relate to that. I was a DE fan and liked his son. When Dale died I just latched onto Junior. One day Junior said he would rather lose with his cousin than win with some else and that did it for me.
Junior had a driver in Xfinity (brad) and the cup drivers were scared of him with good reason. While he was driving for Junior Hamlin and Carl tried to scare him. That was the biggest part of my reason to make Brad my driver. Of course I was sure he was going to HMS.
He ended up at Penski driving a dodge to a championship and I thought that was real Karma for Carl and Hamlin. Now I also embrace Joey because he went through the same crap with Denny and in my opinion will get a championship before any of them.

I think I mentioned this before. :)
 
gnomesayin said:
I watch probably a dozen hours of racing per week across many series and disciplines, and I'm not a superfan of any driver. I'm a fan of racing.
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As a general rule, I believe it's more rare to be satisfied by a sporting event when one doesn't have a rooting interest in the outcome. Without a rooting interest, the artistic merit of the event is all you have. A really great race is a really great race, but those are rare. But a merely good (not great) race that your guy wins or is in contention to win becomes a great experience. There are more ways to be satisfied without sitting there complaining about how the tire is too hard or there are too many commercials, etc, etc. Just my $0.02.

An example would be last year's super bowl, a game that was a very poor expression of the art of football in most ways, but one that I found exciting and enjoyable. If I had only artistic merit to consider, it would have rated much lower.
 
LewTheShoe said:
As a general rule, I believe it's more rare to be satisfied by a sporting event when one doesn't have a rooting interest in the outcome. Without a rooting interest, the artistic merit of the event is all you have. A really great race is a really great race, but those are rare. But a merely good (not great) race that your guy wins or is in contention to win becomes a great experience. There are more ways to be satisfied without sitting there complaining about how the tire is too hard or there are too many commercials, etc, etc. Just my $0.02.

An example would be last year's super bowl, a game that was a very poor expression of the art of football in most ways, but one that I found exciting and enjoyable. If I had only artistic merit to consider, it would have rated much lower.
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I will watch an NHL contest and 2 football games today that I have zero interest in any of the teams or players participating and I will watch due to the love of the game. A good game is a good game and a bad game is a bad game regardless of who wins or loses. I have seen some of my favorite teams win ugly this year and I have been happy with the W but understand that the game was not very good.
 
I was a Davey Allison fan, after that is was whomever was in the 28 (quite a few drivers), then in a Ford.

I remember when Dale Jarrett took over the 28, in his first race I remember saying GO DALE!!.
I had to spit, cough and chug a beer...... everyone thought I was cheering for Dale sr.
from that moment on it was GO JARRETT!!

And if the 28 car came back, start that cycle again.
 
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The nice thing about sports and racing is that there are no rules about what may interest a fan to keep them coming back for many, many years. A fan has a whole list of things that can make them enjoy their chosen sport. Another nice thing about being a fan of a chosen sport is that you and your family and friends can all have fun rooting for different teams if you choose to. And if you can't then you are taking it way to serious.
 
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