With NASCAR television ratings on the decline, NASCAR and the television networks are scrambling to find ways to stop the bleeding and get fans back in front of their televisions. NASCAR has already modified the rules for restarts, putting the lead lap cars side by side at the front of the pack. The last few weeks have also seen discussions of consistent, or at least more consistent, start times for the races. I don't know how much consistent start times would help the ratings, but I would appreciate it for the sake of convenience.
Every weekend, my NASCAR viewing consists of checking Jayski to find out the time and station for upcoming events. Should I have to do that? Probably not. The NFL doesn't make me do this. I know that when 1 PM comes around on Sunday during football season all I have to do is decide which game to watch. Why do I know that? I've been conditioned to it. I can't recall it being any other way. Maybe it was at some point, but I don't remember it. NASCAR should condition us in the same way. NASCAR fans are every bit as loyal as NFL fans. Please don't make us take on a research project just to watch a race.
Imagine if your favorite show was scheduled like NASCAR. Sometimes it would be on Sunday at 2:30, other times it would be on at 4:00, and still other times you might tune in on Sunday at 2:00 only to realize it ran Saturday night at 8:00. That's no way to build a following. Sure, the more devoted people will find out the details and tune in but casual fans won't go to that much trouble.
I've heard arguments that later start times help attract viewers from western time zones. While later start times are a bit different than consistent start times, that's a load of bull. I know several football fans on the west coast and they all agree that football season is great on the west coast. They get to see the games starting at 10 AM and are done by a little after 4 PM. Even if they take in the Sunday night game, they're finished with it by a 8:30 most of the time.
The point is that people know where they live and they schedule their activities accordingly. Most of us don't have a great deal of leisure time, so we want to make the most of it. Give us an easy schedule and we'll be there. Come on NASCAR and TV executives, help us help you!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Brickyard is NASCAR's Newest Tradition
The Brickyard 400 is a race with tremendous prestige. Sure, it's a huge feather in the cap of NASCAR to race at the most famous speedway in the world. Coming to Indianapolis in 1994 certainly helped launch NASCAR from a largely southern sport into a national craze. NASCAR took its newly found clout and expanded like never before. Whether all that was good or bad is a topic for another day. What can't be argued is the Brickyard 400 has taken over as one of NASCAR's crown jewels, rivaled only by the Daytona 500.
Ask any driver where they most want to race and the overwhelming majority will give one answer: Indianapolis. Why? History, pure and simple. The Speedway has been around since 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500 held in 1911. The Indianapolis 500 has been the biggest racing event in the world for decades. The luster may have come off the race a little in the years following the CART/IRL split, but the Speedway is still the palace of motorsports. Names like Foyt, Unser, and Mears are just a few that come to mind when Indianapolis is mentioned. Those drivers carved out their legends at Indy. Any race driver wants to be mentioned alongside those giants of racing.
Tony Stewart didn't randomly pick 14 as his number. That number belonged to his hero, A.J. Foyt. Stewart already has 2 wins in the Brickyard 400, but this will be his first attempt at the 400 with his own team driving a car with the number 14 on the side of it. I can only imagine the butterflies he'll be feeling before the green flag waves on Sunday.
I was able to attend the Brickyard 400 in 2000. It was my first trip to Indy and I can say a chill ran up my spine when I walked into the grandstands and looked out at the track. I've been to Daytona, Bristol, and some other tracks, but standing there that day was different. The history of Indy hit me hard. I could almost see and hear the ghosts of races past speeding by me as I stood there soaking up every bit of what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is all about. I actually felt honored to be there. At that moment, I realized I hadn't bought a ticket to a race. I had bought a ticket to be a part of another chapter in the history of the most famous race track the world has ever seen.
As race fans, we seem to complain a lot about cookie cutter tracks, cookie cutter cars, lack of personality from the drivers, too many commercials, mystery cautions, or whatever may be bugging us at the time. I feel that if I'm going to complain about NASCAR, I should also give NASCAR credit for doing something good. Maybe the racing isn't always great, but the event is spectacular.
NASCAR got it right when it tied itself to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Ask any driver where they most want to race and the overwhelming majority will give one answer: Indianapolis. Why? History, pure and simple. The Speedway has been around since 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500 held in 1911. The Indianapolis 500 has been the biggest racing event in the world for decades. The luster may have come off the race a little in the years following the CART/IRL split, but the Speedway is still the palace of motorsports. Names like Foyt, Unser, and Mears are just a few that come to mind when Indianapolis is mentioned. Those drivers carved out their legends at Indy. Any race driver wants to be mentioned alongside those giants of racing.
Tony Stewart didn't randomly pick 14 as his number. That number belonged to his hero, A.J. Foyt. Stewart already has 2 wins in the Brickyard 400, but this will be his first attempt at the 400 with his own team driving a car with the number 14 on the side of it. I can only imagine the butterflies he'll be feeling before the green flag waves on Sunday.
I was able to attend the Brickyard 400 in 2000. It was my first trip to Indy and I can say a chill ran up my spine when I walked into the grandstands and looked out at the track. I've been to Daytona, Bristol, and some other tracks, but standing there that day was different. The history of Indy hit me hard. I could almost see and hear the ghosts of races past speeding by me as I stood there soaking up every bit of what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is all about. I actually felt honored to be there. At that moment, I realized I hadn't bought a ticket to a race. I had bought a ticket to be a part of another chapter in the history of the most famous race track the world has ever seen.
As race fans, we seem to complain a lot about cookie cutter tracks, cookie cutter cars, lack of personality from the drivers, too many commercials, mystery cautions, or whatever may be bugging us at the time. I feel that if I'm going to complain about NASCAR, I should also give NASCAR credit for doing something good. Maybe the racing isn't always great, but the event is spectacular.
NASCAR got it right when it tied itself to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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