Earlier this week I read an article quoting Brian France, after he appeared at the Reuters Media Summit in New York last Tuesday.
He actually inferred that the 13% downturn in ratings was partially Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s fault.
Huh?
“It would have helped if (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) would have been competitive. He didn’t win an event and he certainly didn’t make our playoffs. And that’s unhelpful if you’re trying to build ratings.”
Brian France, 11/27/07, Reuters Media Summit, New York
While I can see where this may have contributed slightly to the ratings drop, what about:
- Poor television coverage
- Top 35 locked in field
- Three wide at Bristol??????
- The Chase
- 3:00 Race Starting Times
- Lucky Dog
- Unnecessary Cautions
- Reporters acting like they work for the National Enquirer
- Drivers trying to be as tactful as the Secretary of State
- Series ownership with their eyes wide shut to their fan base
- Ticket prices way too high
- Director of Competition that is actually Czar of Conformity
- Cookie Cutter Tracks
- Commercials, Commercials, Commercials
The above list is mostly by MotorSportsNews.Net site visitor Neal S., commenting on a Lou Modestino article, but since I agreed with his list so much, I decided to reproduce it here.
The general feeling among long-time NASCAR fans seems to be that they have been left behind in this more world-wide NASCAR we have now.
I’m not suggesting that NASCAR should just go back to 1985 or something. Those days are past and will never be seen again.
But the 2007 version of Cup racing has gotten so dang boring and predictable. The race outcome is predictable. The celebratory donuts are predictable. The victory lane interview and celebration are predictable. The controversies are predictable, in that they’re non-existant, because everyone’s spooked into being robots.
I can honestly say that I did not watch more than one or two races all the way through all season long.
Something needs to be done.
Do “I” have all the answers? Nope.
But it looks to me like the very successful and popular Craftsman Truck Series is a good model to try to follow.
Oh, wait… wasn’t the COT supposed to drive like a truck? Hmmm…
Car Insurance Used Toyota Tacoma
Blame yourself France. Lets get back to the fastest cars and best drivers. I believe most of us could drive the COT. Isn’t it called Raceing. The current tracks are fine, take the restrictions off, let the crew chief build a race car, let the owner hire a driver that can drive a race car and let’s race. Remember when Racing was fun? I am happy to have rediscovered my Friday and Saterday nite local tracks again,and will fiqure out my Sunday activities next season. And who gives out TV contracts? (crap)
I agree with most everything said above. I especially agree with post #38 by Mike C.
Suggestion::::: if NASCAR doesn’t have a direct e:mail and they won’t read anything we post if its negative, how about a few hand made signs that can displayed from the stands. I am sure a few thousand of those would get someone’s attention.
I would like to add that brian france sitting at the awards banquet friday night, reminded me of The Godfather, reeling in all the accolades from his
subordinates.
ps…I’m going to make my sign now!!!!
Nascar you people havn’t got a clue! Your ratings have been falling since Dale Sr. pasted away, you have been trying to fix everything so that nobody else will get hurt or killed! This is Racing you knucle heads! These drivers know what could and will happen if they get stupid and they are the ones that have to live with itor die from it. Go back to bumping and banging on each other and lets do some racing, kind of like they do in the trucks. Oh yeah! loose the damm restrictor plate racing.
One reason and one reason only for decline in interest. PREDICTABILITY. Come on. Are you kidding me? Monday morning you can almost guess the finishing order without having seen the race! Until they figure out a way to to keep each race from being a repeat of the week before, they can keep it! Who in the world could get excited watching the same teams succeed and the same ones fail wek after week with no change. And how about those in car interviews during cautions? Could they be more stupid? Come on - get back to racing and stop all the pretty boy crap. Lately I use the race as a sleep aid. Works every time.
What a bunch of crap. He is out of his ever loving mind. Earnhardts lack of a good preformance is not your problem its to many dam commercials and not only one driver. So I think u owe all us fans an appoligy for that comment.
Maybe if they didnt turn each race into an all day event like the super-bowl every weekend. Get the 200 or so cameras to actualy catch the action instead of focusing on the top 5 cars all the time. How many times have you seen someone all out of shape or wrecking while their talking to somone in the pits about Their favorite charity or something. When somone does a 360 at Bristol and makes a cloud of smoke, do you really need 10 laps of caution. I remmber when Sr. spun around and only lost 1 position, they still show that on highlights, no caution there. When you stick a microphone in someones mouth after they where shoved into the wall at 190 mph be prepared to hear some colorful speech. Maybe use 5 second delay in those interviews, dont fine the driver for being human, or take points from him that could cause him to miss the chase.
1. When they start a new season, please start a new season. The fact that the top 35 teams from last season gets a free pass for the first five races is junk, especially with the way teams qualify at Daytona.
2. Do away with the top 35 free pass.
3. If they keep the top 35 free pass, no rookies should benefit from it. All rookies should race into every race. Make it as fair as possible for all rookies
4. If you allow 50 teams into some of the races what happens when 60 teams show up? Somebody is still going to go home.
5. To have all the non top 35 teams qualify at the same time is counterproductive. It’s admitting their teams aren’t as good as the top 35 teams so why are they even there?
6. Right now the top 35 teams are using qualifying time trials for more race setup practice.
7. Everybody runs their qualifying laps and the top 43 teams race.
8. I would like to see only the fastest 30 cars race at short tracks. Everyone else gets their race points from the 31st thru 43rd place by where they are in drivers points.
9. Nobody goes out for practice until everyone has gone through inspection
10. Impound races – save money for NASCAR on facilities and personnel? It hurts smaller teams that may need to tweak their cars right up to race time
I’ve been attending NASCAR races since 1984. As I walked onto the track at Daytona Cale Yarborough was qualifying for the 500 that year at 201.848 MPH. That’s right folks over 200 MPH. That was racing, but unfortunately those speeds came to an end in 1987 when Bobby Allison took down the fence on the front stretch at Talladega.
Restrictor plates were now mandated and although a few teams came close to the 200 mark NASCAR made sure they would never hit it again by making even smaller plates. Before restrictor plate racing you had a maneuver called the sling shot. No driver wanted to be the front runner on the waning laps because he knew he was a sitting duck as the cars behind him would literally sling shot around the man running in 1st. place to take the checkered flag. I saw as many as four sling shots on the final lap at Talladega one year. Then there was the brawl after the 1979 Daytona 500 between Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison because of the last lap crash between Cale and Donnie. And let us not forget Ole Ironhead Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Neil Bonnett, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarret and last but not least Richard “The King Petty. These are just a few of the gentlemen that made this sport what it is today. These men “run what they brung” and put on a show week in and week out that kept the fans on their feet from start to finish.
Today we have a dismantling of the foregone era with high dollar amounts and multi-car teams, broadcasters in the booth that do not know their ass from a hole in the ground, drivers that are heavily fined for driving agressively, and cars that designed and mandated by NASCAR for their equality all in the name of being PC, not to mention the fact that there are now jap cars running around the track. Well let me tell you, I have never been PC nor will I ever be politically correct and neither should NASCAR. This touchy feely crap needs to come to and end and it needs to end A.S.A.P.
Let’s bring back the days of yore, get the jap crap off the track, remove the restrictor plates, get rid of the multi-car teams, have Ned Jarret train today’s braodcasters and start rubbing once again. You’ll see Nascars ratings sore to the levels they were at ten years ago.
And before anyone says that Toyotas are made here in the US I will tell you that no matter where they are made the money ultimately winds up in the hands of the japs and not a one of those cars has a place on a NASCAR track. This is an Amercan sport! WAKE UP NASCAR and quit blaming the drivers for your shortcomings!
Mr France needs to take a good looong look @ his self for the downfall of NASCAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey #51 Alan Coon, NHRA keeps looking better and better doesn’t it
There is only one way the stock car racing of old will come back to us fans ond that is one name, Bruton Smith, we all know he is waiting to make his move and it looks like that will be sooner rather than later.
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
NA$CAR has been ruined by Mr. Brian France and his greed. We got high dollar tickets and the COT is the other reason for the demise of NA$CAR! I’m pretty much done!
I am 43 and started going to Darlington when I was 10, it was a labor day tradition. France needs to look at himself and not blame any driver. I agree with what everyone is saying and France needs to start listening to the fans.
*Races start too late, used to I could sit down to eat Sunday and watch the race, now I never know when it starts so I do not bother.
*Cookie cuter mile and half tracks…..boring build another Bristol, or Richmond. Short tracks are way more exciting.
*Don’t forget where you came from….Taking away Darlington for CA…..very stupid The fans in the southeast put NASCAR on the map do not forget that.
*COT….crazy if 1 make has a better car it makes the others try harder…
*Toyota….with there money I expect they will rule like they do in the Truck series, I will quit watching all together.
*Debris Cautions
*Way too many commericials
*politically correct drivers, give me some personality.
Years ago when I was in infantry OCS at Ft. Benning Ga., one of my classmates took me home to Hickory Nc. We went to Hickory Speedway where I saw Pearson, Petty, Baker and others battle it out in stock cars. Being from the North, that was the first time I saw bigtime stockcar racing and I got hooked. Some years later I would fly a group of friends every yeat to Charlotte. Many time we would stand for 20 or more laps while Pearson and Petty would run side by side. Night racing is all about money. Joleit is going to nights next year. I still hold 4 seasons tickets for the October races at Charlotte up on row 36 on the start finish line, but I have sold them for the past 3 years. I agree with the reasons listed above for Nascar ratings going downhill, and add to that their rule volation policys. They need to spell it out in there rule book what the fines and penalties would be, not this cover all the bases with “detrimental to stock car racing” They need to be consistant with there fines too, its always different depending on whose team it is. If Dallas pulls a face mask its an auto 1st down, same for every NFL team. They dont keep changing the rule everytime or adding more $$ to the fine for the same violation like Nascar.
Well when they made all the changes and 35 cars are already in the race some of the best cars are sent home and this championship 10 race crap. The broadcasters can only talk about Jr Jr Jr bull I gave up on Nascar don’t even bother to turn it on anymore.
Someone needs to start a new race format and compete with Nascar.
1. Only cars allowed in the pits under a yellow should be those involved in the cause of the yellow and must go down at least one lap.
2. Either run a day race or a night race not the combos we have seen this year.
3. Don’t fine a driver who has a mike in his face after just being involved in an accident. It the networks don’t utilize a time delay, tough do-do.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make Sprint Cup racing exciting again.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone.
As a Jr. fan I got tried of it being the Hendrick show. That all we felt we heard about. Jeff this and Jeff that and Jimmie this and Jimmie that. There were races that we felt as if the broadcasters did not even show Jr. The are not showing us racing. They show us the leader for 3 laps with no challengers and then go to commercial and then come back and show us the leader again for 3 laps with no challengers. How boring is that? In the meantime we will see on the top of the screen drivers who started in the back of the pack and now working their way into the top 15. Show us the hard driving guys the position changes not just the boring leader 20 car lengths ahead of everyone.
GET RID OF COUNT DOWN TO GREEN,ITS LIKE ANOTHER LONG COMMERCIAL
YOU ALL KNOW THATS TRUE!!YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK IT UP BECAUSE I ALREADY DID……..
I would like to know if anyone has ever told Brian France exactly how it is.If Dale Sr. Was alive you can bet Nascar would not be in this sad state of affairs. There is no one who will stand up to Nascar because they are too quick with the fines to further Brians wallet. Shame I loved (past Tense). Nascar, No more.
I agree with you 100% on why Nascar is losing it,s ratings. I love Nascar and Dale Jr.. Dale Jr. is my favorite Nascar driver, but come on don,t blame Jr. If you would just let the drivers drive, then everything would be allright.
Let them voice their opion,s when they get mad or someone wreaks them. Let it be like it used to be, with banging and drafting. Let,s have some fun, like it used to be.
Jr. is not to blame for the decline in racing. I watched Nascar, even when Jr. was having trouble and I think Jr. Nation watched also.
Get rid of the C O T. That will fix it a little.
in my opinion nascar wants to control everything. mr france and the nascar orginization want to play god.let the auto industry design the cars, when they take a licken they will do something about it. rember daytona when they ran on the beach. what pictures i have seen there are cars that aren’t all ford chevy dodge and what humility toyota out there running.let all factories run so be it foreign or domestic set some rules and don’t change them for someone for who they are or what they own,or in the middle of the stream. let the drivers drive the cars like it was when dale, bobby, harry,neil,ned,and the list goes on and on. thats when it was great these drivers and others could take a bad car and win with it . they weren’t pretty boys that the only part of a car they new was a sterring wheel.