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So Far, So Good, NASCAR Looks To Be Back On Track

An Opinion




March 14, 2011

By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato



Over the off-season, NASCAR officials entirely revamped the sport that many fans used to love. The old point system is a thing of the past, drivers can only compete for one Championship per season, and more tweaks have been made to NASCAR's playoff format, The Chase.

It seems that officials make changes to the Chase after every season in an effort to win back fan interest, so changes to the playoff format come as no surprise. However, most fans dislike the Chase so much that no amount of tweaking can ever fix it.

The biggest surprise over the off-season was the decision by officials to install a new point system. It was a move that many said would have no affect on restoring fan interest, yet something seems to have done the trick.

The races at both Phoenix and Las Vegas sold out and the television ratings for the first three events of the year are up. Is this just a coincidence or is it an effect of all of the changes that officials made to the sport prior to the season beginning?

NASCAR chairman Brian France seems satisfied with the way that the season has started.

"No one around here is celebrating," France was quoted as saying on Wednesday during a media teleconference. "We're obviously pleased we're up dramatically in our ratings, but we know that is an ebb and flow thing. We're focused on a lot of things that will give us growth down the road. We're going to work on those, not get too excited or too down.

"Obviously, the competition has never been better. There's still some challenges for us and for many, many sports, many companies, with still an uncertain outlook for the economy. As we said all along, we're not economists, we're not building around doom and gloom [or] a robust economy.

"We're doing what we think we need to do."

Regardless of what officials may think, there are two people who are responsible for the upswing that NASCAR is seeing so far: Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Both drivers are lightning rods when it comes to media attention. When either one of them succeeds, so does the series they are competing in.

Just look at the attention that Danica Patrick has garnered for the IndyCar series since she began racing there. Whether she is on the track or posing for Sports Illustrated, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Her transition to stock cars can only be good for NASCAR.

In the first three Nationwide races of the year, Patrick has proven that she has the skills needed to compete in NASCAR. She made history with her fourth place finish in Las Vegas, the best ever for a woman in a national NASCAR race.

Yet, it is probably the early season success Dale Earnhardt Jr. that has had the biggest effect on the ratings upswing that NASCAR is seeing.

He was paired with his third crew chief since signing with Hendrick Motorsports over the off-season and so far all of the buzz surrounding the No. 88 team is about how well driver and crew chief, Steve Letarte, are working together.

Earnhardt had a strong car at Daytona and would have had a shot at a win had he not been involved in an accident toward the end of the race. He's been consistent in the first three races at currently sits in the top-ten in points.

If Danica Patrick were to win a Nationwide race this season or if Dale Earnhardt Jr., wins some races this year and qualifies for the Chase, television ratings would spike through the roof and tracks would sellout every weekend.

The key to NASCAR's success in the future is not how many changes they can make to the sport or what aspects of the sport they can change, but the success of its favored drivers.



If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.



You can contact Matthew Pizzolato at .. Insider Racing News

You Can Read Other Articles By Matthew Pizzolato

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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