July 10, 2009
By Rebecca Gladden
When Emmy-Nominated CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell decided to do a documentary on the business side of NASCAR, he wanted to determine whether dire predictions of the sport's pending economic implosion had any basis in fact.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Rovell told me, "There were a lot of people that were making broad, general statements - 'NASCAR's in trouble because of the amount of people they ask for every week, 100,000 in general, people showing up three or four days before the event, the car manufacturers ...' I wanted to go in depth and see exactly how much trouble NASCAR is in. I wanted to do an in-depth hour on a sport that probably had the most challenges in dealing with the economy, and NASCAR was it."
What Rovell discovered, to his surprise and probably yours, is that NASCAR is weathering the global economic crisis a lot better than most people think. "If you come away from the piece, you would say that, in general, it's tough times - there could be tougher times ahead - but I was actually surprised by how well, for now, the sport is holding up."
Rovell said that although attendance figures are down as much as 25 percent in the stands, he blames the economy more than any organic problem in the sport itself. "We spent time with a guy who usually brings twenty people a year to the All-Star Race in Charlotte and he didn't do that this year. I asked him, 'Have you lost interest in the sport?' and he said, 'No, we just don't have the money to travel.'"
What Rovell does see as a cause for concern is the sport's slumping TV viewership figures. "Ratings are down double digits. That's a real problem, because if people aren't going to the track, you'd think they'd be watching at home. So, what's wrong with the product?"
That's the question that Rovell explores in the CNBC documentary, "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR," which premieres Thursday, July 9 at 9 PM EST, with numerous repeat airings. He interviewed numerous interested parties, including fans, drivers, sponsors, and NASCAR CEO Brian France, to get a handle on the situation from all angles.
Although Rovell came away with the sense that NASCAR is in better shape than many people believe, he did see obvious areas of concern. "I think they see some sort of decline in the Southeast, which is a little bit troubling because that's their bread and butter. Obviously, you can pin something on Dale Jr., with so much hope and nothing in Victory Lane. But it might even go deeper in terms of NASCAR's character, so to speak. Is it possible that, in the ramp up to being great corporate spokesmen, that we've lost some character? You know, Carl Edwards can sure sell AFLAC to you, but can he punch someone in the face if he gets really angry? And I'm serious in that sense. We have Kyle Busch, the villain. But are there enough characters? Are there as many characters now as there were in yesteryear?"
Rovell admits that, although Brian France spoke candidly about the state of the sport, "I was not able to get out of NASCAR what their internal data is - what their studies have shown."
In order to seriously fix the problems, Rovell believes NASCAR must clearly identify them - something he feels they have not done. "I don't think people know (what the problem is) yet. I don't think NASCAR knows yet. I think they're still fiddling." He would advise NASCAR to "try and doing something scientific with a large amount of fans and find out what is wrong," before trying to fix it.
And if the 'fix' necessitates wholesale changes to the current NASCAR product?
"To Brian France's credit, he told me that he's willing to change and that he's willing to make big changes. He just doesn't want to make changes that will be too big. They're looking at everything. "
France is often criticized, even ridiculed by fans who see him as little more than a myopic figurehead, out of touch with the sport's traditional fans and values. Rovell disagrees. "A lot of people think that he doesn't really see things because he's trying to be a cheerleader for his sport, but a lot of commissioners have that. I think he's a realist and he really wants to change things. Look at what they did with testing and, obviously, they were willing to do the double-file restarts. I actually think he's a pretty good leader. He gets a bad rap because of the fact that he 'had' to be the leader because of his grandfather and father."
One of the biggest surprises for Rovell was the level of satisfaction that sponsor AMP Energy Drink expressed with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., considering the disappointing season he's had. "In our piece, we talk about the fact that, even though he has not won, that AMP is completely thrilled and blown away by how big he is. They called it an 'explosion.' It's just such a contrarian story. I mean, the guy's won, what, three times in four years, once in 169 races? How is it possible that AMP tells me that they are so thrilled with him? They've jumped from sixth to fourth in energy drinks and they're up 180 percent in NASCAR alone."
That type of brand loyalty is something NASCAR fans have long been known for, and it may be the one factor that keeps the sport from sinking further into the economic doldrums than it already has.
But the business of NASCAR is a complicated one, and one which Rovell's documentary explores in great detail.
"It's a fair look at NASCAR," he told me. "I'm pretty proud of it. I think we did our due diligence. There's a lot of negative going on, but there are signs of positives."
You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News
You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca
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.
