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Disenfranchised Fans ~ Here's What's Wrong With NASCAR
An Opinion



November 15, 2007
By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden



Let's get this point out of the way up front: There is definitely something wrong with the current NASCAR.

Some of the proof for this assertion is easily quantifiable: Things like lower TV ratings - the overnight numbers for Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 in Phoenix were down 17% - and empty seats at many race tracks throughout the 2007 season.

But other aspects of the problem are more subjective - even intangible - though no less meaningful to the big picture than the hard data: A general sense of unease, unrest, unhappiness among many race fans, particularly the old school ones who feel increasingly disconnected from the sport that used to be their passion.

I get email every day from readers of this column who pour out their NASCAR-related woes to me. They share happy memories about the way the racing used to be and then, with all the wistful regret of someone who has literally lost a best friend, lament the slow destruction of what had been a cherished part of their lives.

Here's a recent message board posting that typifies the frustration and sorrow I hear from fans every day: "I'll be so glad when this farce of a season is over, and I'm not really looking forward to '08 either. I am sick and tired of NASCAR's BS!! I'm sick of what they call parity when in reality it's a monopoly of a few scant teams dominating to the point where the races are no longer interesting until a handful of laps are left. I'm sick of hearing how great the Chase is when it's obviously NOT!! I'm sick of seeing only 3-4 cars competitive week in and week out and they all belong to one team. I'm sick of hearing how NASCAR is making all these changes 'for the fans' when it's obvious that NASCAR couldn't care less about the fans except for their wallets!!! I'll probably watch the (Daytona) 500 only because of the pageantry of it all and I am interested in how NASCAR will screw up the 50th running of the Great American Race. Other than that, thanks NASCAR - you just gave me 36 reasons to find another hobby on Sundays from February to November!!!"

Sound familiar? Perhaps you've read similar rants. Perhaps you've written a few yourself.

Either way, you have to wonder when NASCAR will start listening to the legions of disenfranchised fans. How low will TV ratings have to sink? How empty will the stands have to be?

Analyzing all the concerns that I've heard and read and witnessed over the past few years and distilling them down to the core problem, I have formulated the following theory:

The problem with NASCAR is that there is no real excitement left in the sport.

There may be excitement, but for the most part it is fake excitement, not real excitement. And therein lies the rub.

Real excitement: A points battle for the championship that comes down to the final race of the season -- like the one in 1992, where Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, and Bill Elliott were separated by at total of 40 points with one race to go, and three other drivers - Harry Gant, Kyle Petty, and Mark Martin - were still within reach of the title.

Fake excitement: Any points battle since the introduction of the Chase, which attempts to manufacture drama, often by erasing a team's legitimately-earned points lead like an errant mark on a chalkboard. Despite NASCAR's best PR efforts, fans have seen through this contrivance since the start and they just aren't buying it.

Real excitement: Grizzled, hardcore racers who hang it out on every lap and are willing to do anything, risk anything, for a win.

Fake excitement: Drivers who do the best they can to race while hamstrung by too-strict rules, sponsorship pressures, and fears of making a "mistake" in the Chase that either hurts their chances or the chances of another Chase contender.

Real excitement: Watching two drivers who have differences on the track hash it out after the race in the manner of their choosing.

Fake excitement: Waiting to see what the fine and penalty will be after a driver says a naughty word on TV.

Real excitement: Watching crew chiefs find every legitimate competitive advantage to make their cars just a tad bit faster than the rest on race day.

Fake excitement: The Car of Tomorrow.

Real excitement: Watching a kid you've followed for years through the stock-car racing ranks finally get his big break in the Cup series.

Fake excitement: Watching open-wheel drivers land a Cup ride despite never having driven a stock car in their lives.

Anyway, you get the idea. And feel free to add your own thoughts to the list.

I am convinced that race fans are far more discerning than NASCAR gives them credit for. They know when they're seeing the real thing, and they know when someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

I plead with NASCAR to give the sport back to the fans, the drivers, and the teams, before any more damage is done, and before that which has already been done becomes irreversible.



Discuss this and other racing matters in the Prodigys@Speed Forum



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.




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