June 20, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
Watching events unfolding at Michigan International Raceway last weekend raised three intriguing questions for me? Is the Internet becoming the way to watch NASCAR as television coverage used to be? Is Twitter to modern racing fans what talking back to the television was before? And finally, is any of this good for NASCAR -particularly Brian France, NASCAR’s CEO and Chairman?
Here is why I ask. During the past few years the computers, the internet and the growth of Internet availability and wireless technology have changed the way we do business, are entertained and conduct our daily lives. If you do not have a computer or even use one, you are still affected because all around you businesses are computer-dependent and require you to be tracked on a computer.
Race day used to be so very simple. All I needed was a comfortable spot to sit, the television remote and something to eat or drink for the first hour or so. By then, it was nap time until the last portion when the racing would once again get interesting and could hold my attention.
I was dependent on the TV commentators to describe the action and let me know of any controversies in the racing world. But not anymore.
Now I’ve added the virtual world to my racing enjoyment. Race Buddy, NASCAR’s product to present the race on the Internet, has streaming video and variety. Race Buddy presents the race from many different angles giving the fan choices of what camera to follow and access to information not presented on the traditional television coverage. Race Buddy has been offered free since the TV coverage went to TNT.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Twitter, the 140 character message system that is changing world events in Iran this week, is also changing the way I follow NASCAR news-both during the race and even after.
You can ‘follow’ people on Twitter which allows you to receive their short updates about what is going on in their lives. At first, Twitter seemed of little use to me. But with its growth and popularity, Twitter is now adding to my enjoyment of racing.
During the race, NASCAR drivers are using Twitter or ‘tweeting’. Now I know, or hope, the actual drivers aren’t on Twitter. But someone in their pit crew is. I’m kept up to date to what drivers are thinking without the TV commentators pushing their opinions to me.
Blogs are now becoming standard fare for me during the race. Blogs, which is short for web log, are web locations where anyone can express their opinion and can send this opinion, good or bad, out to the world. In my eyes, the beauty of a blog is that they can be interactive. Most allow the reader to respond and ‘comment’. That is, send a message that allows you to state your opinion for the entire world to read.
I like to follow a blog such as The Daley Planet during a race. There we discuss the race in an in-depth and unfiltered way. There are many blogs that allow this type of interaction and it brings a new dimension and depth to my race enjoyment. When I’ve had enough, I simply return to the television coverage.
NASCAR recently acknowledged the importance of the Internet in race reporting with a new approach to race reporting.
“The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced its intention to invite the top independent NASCAR-related websites to join a newly-formed “NASCAR Citizen Journalists Media Corps.” NASCAR is providing this group of new media access to cover the sport while maintaining their independence. The initial list of Citizen Journalists will be formally announced in the coming weeks.” (NASCAR.com)
Traditional reporting media, especially newspapers, have been struggling because of reduced readership. I recently canceled my local newspaper subscription very reluctantly. However, every day when the paper arrived, the majority of the news was old news. I had already read it on-line. Any local information I need is available through the newspaper’s web site in a much more convenient format.
Reductions in reporting staff have caused the number of reporters devoted to NASCAR full-time to be almost non-existent. So NASCAR may be attempting to fill the gap. But I am hoping that this will bring in a new light to my enjoyment of the world of racing.
Will this be good for Brian France and NASCAR? NASCAR will be losing some ‘control’ or influence over the reporting. But it could increase the readership of racing and actually be spreading the word about racing.
Has technology changed the way you follow NASCAR? Let me know what you follow and how this has changed the way you enjoy NASCAR. We can become our own virtual racetrack commentators.
By the way, you can follow me at Twitter @nascarfaithful
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.
