Re: How Is It Not Exciting?

On Nov 16, 6:54 am, Jesse <jessecjo...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Nov 15, 11:41 pm, Mark <mblackwell1...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



That's what they said about the Indy 500 in 95 too.

Did I miss something? Did they stop running the Indy 500? I confess,
having grown up in Bristol and living now in Charlotte, NASCAR is the
only racing I know, but I do believe they are still holding the
Indianapolis 500.

I would not be the least bit surprised or upset to see NASCAR incomes
fall dramatically. I will let the suits worry about that. As with
all professional sports, commerce takes us places real fans would
rather not go. I hate what Monday Night Football did to the NFL, and
sacrificing races at Darlington, Rockingham, and North Wilksboro in
favor of national television audiences disappoints me.

But I remain convinced that whether they are earning 8 figures or 7
figures or 6 figures, there are folks who are going to race. I have
no resentment that they take advantage of whatever economic
opportunities are before them, but however big or small the pot is,
those that love to race are going to race, and those that love
watching racing are going to watch racing.

Maybe there will come a time when I shift my own focus to small track
racing, but I started out watching, what was it called then, Grand
National, racing at Bristol in the Sixties, and I enjoy the races I
watch still.

So this sky-is-falling talk does nothing but irritate me. Let the
suits worry about the business. Let's talk about racing!

Suits decisions are making the racing stink. That is talking
racing. I remember the Grand National days fondly, but getting to a
track was out of the question. I have watched almost every form of
racing out there at some point or another over the years. I wasn't
just a stock car fan as you appear to be and even then you by your own
admission fell out of it for a while. Swamp buggies, sprint cars,
midgets, lawn mowers, if it had an engine and raced, I usually wanted
to watch it. Nothing like seeing the trophy girl come out of the
sippy hole all wet. lol

The open wheel situation is the perfect comparison for Nascar today.
The last real Indy 500 was won by J Villenue, yep the one that is
going cup racing next year. It was the last year of more or less open
competition at the Indy 500. There was a set of rules and you build a
car and engine that complied with those rules. Enter the IRL in
1996. Many call it the IRL 500 ( I am one of them and consider the
real Indy 500 a thing that has faded into history even though there is
still a race that is run there on Memorial day weekend) and it had a
totally different set of rules. The series split and the IRL 500 is
now a spec race. You MUST run one of the approved chassis and
approved engines. Spec racing and dumbed down spec racing at that.
Worse than that they managed to split the fan base that still must
choose a side. The way the split was handled you can't be on the
fence and be a fan of both. If you are, chances are it was at best a
causal fan that had no clue what was going on in the first place and
wasn't likely to watch many if any races to begin with. Ratings
dropped. Attendance for many events dropped dramatically immediately.
Sponsor dollars dried up fairly quickly and frankly if both series
were not run by men so wealthy that they fund the entire field out of
their own pocket for life, neither would likely still exist. Greed
ego and control fueled the open wheel split. Many of the same traps
that got open wheel, Nascar is falling right into without a care.

Racing will exist, but it may not be NASCAR racing. Series come and
sometimes they go. Sometimes it series that are big. By any chance
do you remember the USAC Gold Crown series? How bout Can Am? Its
just part of the human spirit to want to compete. Yet just because
Nascar has always been on the up, does not mean it will always be so.
One major issue that I think will likely be heard before the Daytona
500 is the lawsuit Kentucky has against ISC and Nascar claiming a
monopoly. IF Nascar loses, and it could go either way, you will see a
huge shift in what happens in Nascar.

So far the attendance is still high enough for the tracks to make
money. Look at the attendance though at the open wheel race in
Phoenix and the difference between 95 and 96. That can go in a
hurry. So can TV numbers. When the numbers drop far enough sponsors
don't get the value for the dollars invested and spend the cash
elsewhere. In open wheel it all happened in a very short time frame.

Short tracks would be a good alternative. I didn't make it to any
this year. The trouble is when I go to a local short track the talent
level at some is better than others. Watching Uncle Joe go into the
corner with Cousin Cleatus isn't something I really want to see unless
both Uncle Joe and Cousin Cleatus can drive. Then there is nothing
better.
.

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