Not sure who the writer is but he likely won't be getting any press credentials to NASCAR events any time soon! http://jalopnik.com/5594594/why-nascar-is-boring RM
Another aspect could be the endless hype. We know that SpeedTV has become little more than the unofficial NASCAR hype machine which now includes NASCAR themed cooking and talent (or lack thereof) shows. If the actual races are dropping like stones in the ratings, what are these lifestyle shows doing on SpeedTV? The "Raceday" hype machine which starts the minute the sun comes up at the racing venues rivals Super Bowl hype on a weekly basis; hype that no sporting event can ever live up to. The hype exhausts the average viewer right up to hard core fans, many of which are likely asleep by lap 25. RM
My feeling exactly. NASCAR is also seeing the effects of over-saturation, something I'm surprised the author didn't touch on. From my perspective, I like to compare NASCAR with the NFL since they share certain elements. The most glaring difference is, with declining viewership, NASCAR's week-long post-race analyses and pre-race hypes are failing to convert into ratings. The NFL right now can't get enough air time--fans just eat it up by the bucket. And so I guess it comes back to the author's points, which suggest they aren't delivering the goods on Sunday, be it because of the cars, personalities, manufactured rules or what have you.
To me while I respect the ability to run at 200MPH and in traffic like they do, the cars and the drivers are very plain... there is no real draw to a "car" guy... its like WWF on wheels to me, which i think says a lot. The couple of races I've been to are somewhat like all other races - a reason for folks to party and have fun, but at NASCAR it seems to me that is the only reason folks are there. I ALSO HATE HOW THEY REFER TO THE CAR BY THE NUMBER ONLY... what ever happend to Chevy, Ford and Dodge??? or what ever the make is? "that number 23 car" those kinds of sentences just make it seem dumb to me.
the NFL season, with preseason and playoffs, is ~25 weeks. NASCAR's is what, 40 weeks? It just never ends. 1st week of February until Thanksgiving. ugh. and I agree, I liked the good ol' days when the broadcast started at noon and the green flag fell at 12:05. and then guys named Dale, Rusty, and Bill started beatin' the hell out of each other.
Turn left,....... turn left, .........turn left,..........turn left. And there are no jumps! I can watch idiots driving around in a circle on each other's bumpers anyday of the week on the Capitol Beltway.
I started to watch NASCAR in earnest about 7 years ago. Before that I was an ocasional fan. It is fun to watch if you have a driver that you are cheering for and that driver wins. I started out as a Jimmie Johnson fan, and then When Montoya joined the show I started to cheer for him (and Jimmie). I also like Smoke because he seems to love to race anything and everything with wheels. This year I started to really get bored with NASCAR and tired of the crap that goes with it. Here is my list of gripes: 1. The races are too damn long. Seriously, I like to watch motor sports but with pre-race stuff, rain delays, cautions etc... you have to invest serious time to watch all the races. Shorten the races to 1.5-2 hours. 2. Wrecking other drivers is okay. I guess since I am a Montoya fan this irks me a lot this year. He has been intentionally wrecked several times. The rednecks say this is how the drivers police each other. You have to play nice or you will get taken out. Why is this allowed? Why are there not sanctions for intentionally wrecking another driver? (I say you get parked for 3 races) This is where NASCAR crosses over to WWF status. I don't want to watch a demolition derby. I don't want redneck justice because "that guy was too aggressive" I want good racing showcasing talent of the driver and teams preparation. 3. The cars are lame. Someone said, "Any suspension will work if you don't let it." That is what the top teams are doing on a lot of the tracks. Taking all of the motion out of the suspension so the car sits on the bumpstops. That means that having no suspension is better than having the crappy suspension mandated in the regs. 4. SOS story lines. I no longer care about Dale Sr. or Dale Jr. Who started the burnout after you win trend? Too much domination by the big money outfits. I think the other half of the story is that a lot of people who don't give a crap about cars got sucked into the whole NASCAR fad. Now these people saw what it was about and have moved on. They never really cared about motorsports, had an opportunity to party but now that time has come and gone. I think they should get back to real racing now. Either that or make it the Death Race 2200 and really church it up WWF style. Until things change I am going to refer to it as NAPCAR. It sure puts me to sleep on a Sunday afternoon.
NASCAR seems to step right over two major rules of marketing: Overexposure cheapens the product. Endless hype means the product is lacking. On their own, NASCAR has fallen down the slippery slope into show business following the WWF business model complete with the attending hype as well as melancholy, scripted finishes all while shoving their product down the throats of their prime demograhpic which has perhaps been hardest hit by the current economic situation. Agree that the NASCAR season is too long and could be another reason for lack of attendance at venues and dwindling TV numbers. Whatever... RM
I've been attending NASCAR races since the mid 80's, been just about everywhere. It kind of got boring for me after Dale Sr. died. I wasn't really a fan of his but he was "the man" on and off the track for NASCAR. I wasn't happy when NASCAR took away a race from Darlington and gave it to California and I wasn't happy when North Wilkesboro went away. The short tracks are where the action is. Races at Pocono, California, Indy, Chicago and Kansas are borefests to me and I just watch the start and ending of those.
Unlike certain NASCAR drivers, at least we have the right to speak out about the series without fear of being fined (for now at least). http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=5417758 RM
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Evidently Newman and Hamlin (15th and 3rd in points respectively, yes had to Google that) had the unmittigated gall to speak out about endless inspection lines and never getting a yellow when he "needs" one. Insinuations being that some rules apply to one driver/team but not another in NASCAR? Get out! RM
The cars is what turns me off, bring back the Stock looking cars. Just look at a 60, 70 or 80 vintage stock car, that's what they should look like, today's safety measures could still be applied. Also set them up so they look right, not one wheel with a ton of positive camber and the other with a ton negative camber. They look like backyard hacks when their setup like that. Let them play with the suspension more and more road courses.
Funny thing--I just got a certified envelope from NASCAR. Hmmm...think I'll open it and see what it says...
Sam Smith at jalopnik writes over-sensationalized garbage, lies and has coerced people into uniformed email attacks on racing sanctioning bodies and gotten people to respond they will make those races unsafe by sabotaging the track. Jalopnik is a waste of space. Don't bother reading it. Back to your NASCAR bashing. I can't agree more.
I thought that's what it's all about. A spectacular crash is all one is waiting for. And the last lap to see who overtook the last guy while slipstreaming.
I thought nascar bought 'speedtv' ? Anything for a buck. Or for the France's, BIG BIG bucks. Oh, so you DID watch the whole thing?!
