January 3, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
As we say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009, the effects our lifestyle of last year stay with us -- belly fat, cigarette addiction, heaps of debt. These three areas are the top New Year’s resolutions this year and probably every year. All three of these areas are the results of lifestyle decisions we make.
There are a few resolutions that I would like NASCAR to make for 2009. NASCAR is suffering as a result of their lifestyle decisions and needs to make changes to eliminate some bad habits as well.
Sports writers across the country have been giving us ideas for areas of NASCAR improvement.
There have been several on-line stories that take a humorous look at the past year in NASCAR and give predictions for the future.
"A Few Barely-Connected NASCAR Predictions" to Kick Off 2009 posted on -- From the Marbles -- tells what fans will really see in the upcoming season. Marbles talks about important events like who will cause the first wreck (Joey Logano) or who will be the first driver to get beat-up in the garage (Kevin Harvick). I’ll talk more about Marbles predictions later.
ESPN.com’s “Here’s the Real Top Ten Stories for 2008” is in response to NASCAR’s top ten stories. NASCAR sent out a list to the media of seventeen 2008 events and asked them to rank the top stories of 2008. The results of that poll became NASCAR’s top stories of the year.
According to ESPN, NASCAR did not include the real stories. The real number one story of 2008 is the downturn in the economy and its effect of NASCAR.
I agree that the economic downturn effects on NASCAR has to be the number one story because it will be carrying over into 2009 and the possibility in years beyond.
One AP photo from June 2008, at Michigan International Speedway, showed the half-empty stands and the effect of our hard financial times on NASCAR better than anything I could write.
The race tracks are making adjustments in prices to entice fans and keep them coming. But the financial woes of our country are bigger than auto racing and seem to be touching every part of our lives.
NASCAR can use this crisis point to make needed changes and improvements for the future. Not small changes such as the price of a ticket including some food but sweeping changes.
In 1930, when the United States was facing the Great Depression, the film industry in our country was at a similar juncture. Hollywood was producing only silent films even though the technology was available for talkies. It was going to be an expensive change to bring in sound but the industry was unwilling to look at itself and take a gamble of this new world of sound. The film industry bottom line was the deciding factor. Only when the profits began to fall would Hollywood make the needed changes. But as a result, we have an entertainment venue that is still prospering.
NASCAR would do well to a similar move. Small changes in ticket price structure are a good step but not enough. It is time for all players in the NASCAR world to step back and take a look at possible areas of improvement. Use this crisis time to step out the box and take big steps of improvement.
The biggest step would be for NASCAR to look at the industry from a synergistic point of view and make sure all players in the mix are benefitting and profiting not just one family from NASCAR.
When predicting the best race of 2009, Marbles states, “Any of them. I don't care. Just get 'em started, already. I'll even watch a Pocono run, and I never thought I'd say that”
That is my outlook at this time of the year. Just get back to racing and focus on the competition. The fans want good fair racing. If I get that, I promise I won’t complain anymore. Well, maybe, just not as much as last year.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
