April 26, 2009
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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As much as I love NASCAR, I will admit that among my racing friends, I am one of the few that still enjoys watching a race every weekend.
When I became a fan in 2004, I was lucky to also meet a great group of people who had been fans for “ages”. They were from all points across the country: Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nevada, California, South Carolina, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, Idaho, Toronto (yes, Canada), and multiple points in between. All had been fans of the sport for years, and they covered the gambit of who they rooted for: Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Dale Junior, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Steve Park, Michael Waltrip….well, you get the idea.
In the ensuing 5 years, we have all remained friends, but fewer and fewer are going to the races…or even watching them. With fewer and fewer exceptions, I am apparently one of the few of that original group who actually works their weekend around race time, and work to go to several races in person each year.
The primary example to me of how far some of my friends have fallen out of love with this sport is my friend Shantell, who has been a die-hard Mark Martin fan since he came into the sport.
Her response to his win last weekend: “(I) do not care that Mark Martin won the race yesterday. As a matter of fact, I haven't cared about NASCAR for the last two years”.
That statement almost broke my heart.
So, I spent the week trying to find out what it is that has disenfranchised these former NASCAR fans so much that a sport they used to live for no longer matters to them.
“The COT for one. Wishy washy decisions. Too many penalties. Not letting the drivers express their feelings. Hell sometimes I have seen more emotion flow at the barber shop.” explained Dom, who has been a fan for as long as I have been alive….and then some. “Catering to the big buck people. Commercials.”
Roger has some similar complaints. “I like the safety of the COT, but they all are identical---ugly. (They do) the politically correct thing. The gag order on the drivers. The TV coverage sucks!!! Tough to explain---but the racing just ain't the same. I occasionally come across a 10, 20, 30 year old race. Even though it's history I find it far better than MOST Cup racing today. I mean they are RACING!!!! There's too much emphasis on the show---not enough on the racing.”
Wynn points to the man at top as being to blame for his lack of interest. “Mike Helton in my opinion is the leading cause for NASCAR’s many changes resulting to doubling and tripling expense of racing, causing small teams to collapse and others to have no chance to win races.....Taking the Manufacture appearance out of racing sucks.......Safety is the only issue that Helton has improved on...
November 2000 when Helton took over as Pres of (NASCAR) he said quote: I am not here to start making changes, things are going great the way they are. And since then there have been 32 rule changes with approximately 3 that served a purpose for good racing and 29 resulting in the current bulls**t racing........Banning the Dodge engine in 2002 started to process my thoughts that Helton was an… idiot with all intentions to favor other makes. NASCAR will never be racing again...I will still watch a few laps at times but will never spend another dime with NASCAR.” After a moment, he added “And one more thing......NASCAR use to care about the fans and sorta listen to their complaints.....these days since Helton has been in charge, NASCAR don't give a sh*t about fans or their opinions and only care about GROWING and making big bucks...well let’s see how they survive in the future.”
Kenny says it isn’t so much the racing…but the time involved. “Single biggest reason I don't watch as much as I used to is simply time. I find it harder as I get older to justify sitting in front of a TV for that long for anything on a weekend. I rarely miss a Saturday night race (unless it's real late) because I'm done for the day and can relax. This also applies to other sports; I don't watch nearly the football or basketball I used to watch so it's not really NASCAR specific.
“Next is the racing, it's ALWAYS been boring (to me) at certain tracks from a TV watching standpoint. Being there is one thing but watching a parade at the front at a track like Cali doesn't do anything for me but really never has.....so it kinda goes back to that time thing.
“There are certain races I will not miss (Richmond, Martinsville, Darlington) and if it looks like I might...TIVO, stay off the net and watch it in the evening....this weekend being a great example, I'll either watch it live or catch it over dinner.
“I don't have a problem with the COT, it doesn't race any worse than the last car IMO, clean air still rules the day, the lucky dog is better to me than the old BS of letting cars back on the lead lap and calling it "racing back to the flag" LMAO...sorry that line always makes me laugh. The chase, while I still disagree in principle DOES make for an interesting end of the season verses the old way of cruising the last 10 if you had a good lead.”
Trish, who has to be one of the biggest Steve Park fans I know, has discovered the smaller series by following her driver, and that has drawn her attention away from the big races. “I'd say ditto what Kenny said but truthfully…the truck series and the Camping World East Series spoiled me. It seems the racing is more exciting when there are a shorter number of laps run. Everything seems to be more crucial and there is a lot of door to door racing going on …even three wide on short tracks.
“The Camping World East Series is affordable and so much more can be seen at the track... like someone taking their transmission out and it being fixed right there in front of a fan in the pits. And it's an affordable fun way to spend a Saturday night if you have a home track nearby. They are night races though... so you end up camping or getting a hotel for the ones further away... 80 bucks for a hotel can be a pain in your wallet. But I like the simplicity of the small tracks; it's so easy to get hooked on it! NOT TO MENTION...Steve Park is running this series and I'm going where he runs. They change out the drivers and their numbers too frequently. And when you drop a driver… you drop those fans, if he is not picked up by another team.
“I do miss the flyovers though! LOL.”
Corky, who is my host when I camp at Daytona and has had the same campsite in the infield for well over a decade, says there are some pro’s to the downturn in fan interest. “Stiff necks…I used to look forward to having one after a week of watching the cars at over 200. On the other hand, the extra room we seem to be experiencing in the infield is quite enjoyable. Where else can you just pull up to a fence and park (to watch the race up close?)?” He also defends the prices that are being quoted for races these days. “It’s not NASCAR that is trying to make big bucks. They are just going by market value. If they were trying to get anymore from the fan, that would be gouging. NASCAR has also lowered prices at most if not all tracks. That’s what the fans have been saying is holding them back.”
Bobby Hamilton Jr., who has driven in all three of NASCAR’s top series, blames the fact that there is no mystery in the race any more. “The racing everywhere is horrible, because of the difference between the teams. The money gap is so big…for example what I think they are going to have to do to pick up the racing…I think Carl Edwards is great for any sport he is in, but at the same time, he needs to do his backwards flips on the Cup side. We need to go back where….the (Nationwide series) used to have its own identity, it don’t have its own identity no more. You wouldn’t believe the fans who come in who say I don’t even go to the Cup thing anymore because I can see all the same people on Saturday.” He uses the Truck Series as an example of what needs to be done. “It is pretty close to having its own identity, you have your own superstars over there…but guess what the racing is good over there, you don’t have all the big teams over there.
“It needs to be the way it used to be in the Nationwide Series where on Saturday night you sit down because you had the Tommy Ellis’ and you had its own stars…like the truck series, you’ve got your Ron Hornaday’ s and you have your Mike Skinner’s . That’s not a bad series…it’s got its own identity, they are crazy and wild and you never know who is going to win. But come Saturday now, I can probably tell you who is gonna win…it’s probably gonna be a Toyota with Kyle Busch or Joey Logano or something…and on Sunday, I can tell you Dale Junior is gonna be fast, and it’ll be Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson or something like that…it’s gotten too predictable.”
“If you put the racing back in our hands, and put it back to where there is going to be a real Nationwide Champion, not a Carl Edwards or Kyle Bush…you know who is going to win the Championship…Carl Edwards or Kyle Bush…who is gonna win the majority of the races? Carl or Kyle. These guys don’t even show up for practice and they win the race. How exciting is that? If they know what is going to happen…that is why reruns are there to fill time…you don’t watch it unless you have nothing else to do. It isn’t like it used to be when you used to haul ass home from church, grab something to eat in the drive thru, because I have got to see the start of this race, I have to see this race because it is gonna be crazy.”
Tammy agrees with Bobby Junior. “It's been said over and over that if you don't like the way NASCAR is doing things now....then don't watch. With all the commercialism, the cartoons, the announcers, the PC bullsh*t, Toyota, the prices, the penalties (for some, then not for others), the inconsistencies...I just don't find it as exciting as it used to be. You pretty much know who is going to win it before it even starts.”
So, what can be done to bring the old fans back to the sport they used to love? Unlike Bobby, Wynn thinks it is too late to go back. “There is nothing that can be changed, it's too late, ...too many changes since 2000 and too many factors to correct......It's just like the economy, it would take many years to change back to real racing and doubtful ever....and yes I believe in manufactures race design and not something NASCAR has dreamed up........ANY race car can be made safe and it certainly don't have to be NASCAR’s design........The decals they use on the Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota can all be used on any of the 4 COT's, regardless what they call them. Let the four makes use what the manufactures have designed and fans could see the difference in the features. The four makes that run today are NASCAR cars, NOT manufacturer.”
Personally, I don’t think the sport is unsalvageable from the way the fans want it, but I also believe it will not ever be the way it used to be. I know many tracks are working hard to bring fans back to see the races in person with lower prices and deals with local hotels to not require minimum stays and set outrageous prices. Next week, Richmond International Speedway has set up special “meal deals”, for adults and kids, where you can get a food and a drink combo meal for $3 less than they used to charge for the items individually. They also still have seats available on the back stretch for $40, which is the lowest price they have charged in over a decade, and they will be having a free concert with the Charlie Daniels Band in the midway before the race Saturday night. (Oh, and don’t forget to give the new Richmond hotdog a try…I got a sneak taste this week, and have to say it is pretty darned good!)
The best way to get change is to ask for it. If you have suggestions for NASCAR, send them an e-mail. If you have ideas for a track, call them. If you don’t make your voice heard, then how will they know that you want change? Sure, you individually might not be able to get the change made, but if all fans that have concerns took the time to send a note with their problems and suggestions then who knows what might happen. And don’t just sent a complaint…send a solution. If you think there is a problem, then you must have an idea of how you would like it fixed, right? Share the idea. You never know what that idea might trigger.
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.
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