TV Times: Daytona… From “Shall We Dance?” Back To “Mosh Pit”?
From what transpired during practice sessions at Daytona International Speedway last week, it appears that tandem racing (otherwise known as “Shall we dance?”) could be on the way out. We certainly hope so, as do many others.
Given the recent rule changes and how the drills went at The Big D, we expect to see more strategic and better racing as the cars revert to running together once again in a pack. Though we do have a feeling some cars not in the lead pack may revert back to the “buddy system” in order to catch up.
We have to give NASCAR credit for the effort and foresight put forth in making the changes needed in order to improve the quality of the show. The sanction is alert by responding to what the fans want. And the SPEED Channel’s announcing team was upbeat at all that transpired during the Winter Tests. While in the past, it had been just a lot of hype; this time it seemed to be real.
It seems that there’s not a day that goes by when we learn that some of the one car teams won’t be able to “answer the bell” at Daytona next month because of money and sponsorship problems in the Sprint Cup Series. Many are simply financially tapped out. In previous years, teams with money problems managed to make Daytona as a last ditch effort to line up sponsorship. Now they can’t even do that.
Most of them are not the front line teams, which is no surprise. It could be that some of the single car teams are in such tough shape that even team mergers can’t solve the problem. We’ve also noticed a significant number of Nationwide teams without sponsorship. It can all be traced to the state of the economy and an unwillingness of sponsors to spend $$$ because of the uncertainty of the future. This situation is the worst we’ve ever seen in motorsports. Up until the present, it seemed as if NASCAR had been insulated in previous economic downturns.
On Danica Patrick moving to NASCAR for some selected Sprint Cup races, Hopefully, they will use her presence in advertising and promotional spots as an effort to sell tickets. The IZOD Indy Car Series failed to capitalize on her brand nor did they appear to have pushed it real hard to sell tickets and to get viewers to catch the events on TV. We think that it’s NASCAR’s gain and Indy Cars loss.
It appears that the effort to bring a Northeast Motorsports Museum to the grounds of New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH, is picking up momentum. Some new people have joined the group as associates, and standard bearer Dick Berggren gave assignments to those present at a recent Sunday meeting at NHMS. He’s going to be busy with his Fox/Speed TV pit side gigs starting in February until TNT picks up the baton later in the ’12 season.
Motorsports enthusiasts and race fans will have a unique opportunity to compete for a chance to connect and “hangout” with Hall of Fame race legend Emerson Fittipaldi, thanks to “Are You the #1 Emmo Fan?” It’s a new social media contest beginning January 11. It’ll be sponsored by Motorsport.com, a comprehensive online destination for the world of motorsports and a business division of technology services provider and Internet publisher Net Element (OTCQB:NETE).
As part of the contest, conducted primarily through the Twitter handle @motorsport, one question about Fittipaldi and his career will be posted every day for 30 days. Questions will be retweeted via @emmofittipaldi. All participants will be entered in a sweepstakes for a chance to win an exclusive chat with Emmo through a G+ Hangout and also win a pair of Evoke brand sunglasses. The sunglasses, remakes of the originals signed by Fittipaldi in 1972, commemorate the 40th anniversary of Fittipaldi’s first Formula 1 World Championship title. Five grand-prize winners will be selected.“This is my first online and social media contest,” said Fittipaldi, chairman of Motorsport.com. “I’m excited to introduce this contest as part of my ongoing work with Motorsport.com to leverage digital media outlets that enable me to engage, connect and interact with race fans all over the world.
Fittipaldi, who joined as chairman of Motorsport.com in August, works to help Motorsport.com establish partnerships with top global brands and media companies. He supports and promotes Motorsport.com’s technology innovation, particularly in delivering unique HD and 3D race video and social media content online, and leverages its technology platform to redefine online racing experiences and attract fans to the sport.
Check Jayski.com to see what’s happening on TV in the world of motor racing this week into the weekend. (END)
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