NASCAR and Video Gamers... A Sign of a Losing Battle?

Just when NASCAR sees a couple of weeks where TV Ratings went up a smidge over last year comes a sign that it's struggle to attract a younger audience may not have been as successful as hoped.

Reading a report at Gamespot.com, it appears that EASports is moving away from the NASCAR series of video games and transitioning it's resources to support a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) game.

What does this mean to NASCAR? While it's not necessarily BAD news, because it probably frees them up to try and license the product to a different manufacturer, it seems a sign that, at least with the video gaming population that NASCAR just isn't appealing enough over time to create a lot of sales.

Reading the comments at the Gamespot article, die-hard NASCAR fans may actually wonder whether those criticisms are of just the video game or the sport itself.

So, we're faced with yet another 'reality check' for NASCAR. While local racing continues to be incredibly exciting with shorter heat races and feature races, NASCAR is left wondering how to generate more excitement in the sport to not just bring back many core fans who got frustrated, but to also appeal to a new audience.

Although one might think that NASCAR and MMA are totally different sports and totally different audiences, It would seem that NASCAR might be able to learn something from MMA. I mean, really, how many bars in your town host 'fight night' viewing parties where people pay a higher than normal cover charge to come and watch the fights with other fans? Have you ever gone to one of those nights? While the crowds are primarily male, there are also women mixed in and they're almost predominantly 21-35 years old. Doesn't that sound a lot like the audience that NASCAR is trying to grow itself with?

And after all... when was the last time you saw a bar selling tickets to a NASCAR viewing party?

While you're thinking about that question, don't forget to look for great local racing at RacingIn.com... For Fans of Fast!

Now THAT is Racing!

At RacingIn.com, we love NASCAR as much as we love every form of racing. Watching the IRL race from Chicagoland on Saturday night, I wondered if NASCAR was watching and seeing what I (and many others) were seeing. It was a little late in finishing (close to 11pm central time), but there was something worth seeing there.

COMPETITION... TO THE VERY LAST FOOT OF THE RACE! Even better, it wasn't just competition for the win, it was competition among EVERYONE on the lead lap!

When a race is won by 8/1,000ths of a second, that's something to see.... unless you blink of course.

Chicagoland Speedway has hosted several finishes that have been measured in thousandths of seconds and I hope NASCAR is taking a look.

Don't get me wrong.. I KNOW there are MAJOR DIFFERENCES between the cars.. and the audiences for that fact, but here are the other facts.

On the final 8 laps, there were several cars fighting it out out for the first few spots... AND there were twice as many cars fighting it out for twice as may spots just behind the lead pack.

They drove 3-wide around the track for MANY laps at a time...

They have a button they can push in the IRL called an 'overtake' button that gives them an extra boost of power... Everybody gets the same number of pushes per race and it's as integral to strategy as winning pit strategy!

Again.... Technically, VERY DIFFERENT cars.... but for all the knocks that the IRL has taken over the years for 'the split', it seems that the reunion (at least at this race) is giving a lot of competitive racing for the fans of MANY racers to be excited about.

Can you imagine a 10 lap, end of race green flag run in NASCAR (at any track other than Daytona and Talladega) and ending up with 16 cars within a second of each other, fighting up to 3 wide ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TRACK?

Now THAT would be a sight to see! It'd be a heck of a lot more exciting for a lot more people whose drivers would have a greater chance at something more than a few more parade laps in a car that sometimes seems to stick to the track as good as a used post-it note.

Cheers to NASCAR For Acting... Now, let's see some Racin'!

Kudos to NASCAR for instituting the double file restarts this weekend at Pocono!

The end of the Dover race proved that the current car CAN show off some great racing, but it obviously also depends on not just a drivers' ability, but their teams ability to maximize the little bit of flexibility they get in the set up of the car.

There's a part of me that thinks the double file restarts actually showcases the CREW CHIEF'S abilities as much as it does the drivers. Without 'lap cars' to pass, EVERY RESTART will be a true showcase not juse of how a driver restarts but how their crew chief was able to tweak their car to get better over the last run.

Yeah, there's always a few laps of racing at the start of a race, but Pocono being such a long track will also show that they get stretched out pretty quick too...

NASCAR has always had top talent both in-car and on-box and now we'll really get a chance to see how well 'in-race changes' are able to be made to make cars better or worse.

And now that Digger's gone from the TV coverage, we won't be distracted by those darn cartoons either!

Cheers folks!

With NASCAR, No Action is as Powerful as The Wrong Action

First, let me say that I agree with Matt Kenseth who, at the end of the race in Dover commented that this car does allow for some great racing... keyword 'some'.

But, let's get to 2 issues where NASCAR's 'INACTION' is really giving fans a chance to assess what NASCAR's actual INTENT is in walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

Issue #1:  Enacting Double File Restarts with lap cars IN THE BACK.. this has been avoided even though...

...  EVERYONE KNOWS from the experiences in the AllStar Race that 2x2 restarts are exciting.  

...  The Lucky Dog eliminates the need for lap cars to fight with leaders over track position

...  The great racing between Tony and Jimmie on Sunday COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN BETTER if a few in the latter half of the top 10 werent stuck behind drivers like Kevin Harvick who were a lap down and fighting over their 'lap down position' in front of drivers still trying to move up in the top 10!

Imagine if all of the top 10 had started double file with 30 laps left?  Would Jimmie have gotten up to the front so quickly?  The RACING would have been absolutely incredible instead of just great.

ISSUE #2:  Carl Long and his suspension/fine being upheld as originally announced.

Looking through comment boards at Yahoo and ESPN to articles on this, I don't think anything needs to be said about how 'wrong' it seems and how angry people are with NASCAR about seeming to not care about the little guy.. so I'm going to offer a different analysis.

NASCAR prides itself on enforcing rules with Black and White... this gives them the 'consistency' and 'by the book' excuse for ruling by the LETTER OF THE LAW.  Of course, their penalties lack the same consistency, but that's written about by too many already.

What I'm hoping is that NASCAR starts to appreciate the GREY area a little more... no, not by 'altering' or 'bending' the rules, but the grey area I'm talking about is the 'Grey Bleachers' showing through at more and more venues because they are unoccupied by fans.  That's the Grey Area they should really be concerned with and this latest Long fiasco seems to be the 'last straw' for many fans who are fed up with what appears to be a dictatorial approach.

So, there you have it... 2 instances where NASCAR could have chosen to NOT ACT.

The Competition folks could have instituted double file restarts long ago based on what they have been seeing for a while.... they have chosen NOT TO ACT for too long

The Appeals Commission could have chosen TO ACT in a way that not only abided by the LETTER OF THE LAW but also reinforced the SPIRIT OF THE LAW... They chose to NOT ACT to even reduce a penalty that seems ridiculous to most.

So, the single thing we hope NASCAR recognizes is this... NOT ACTING is as much of a choice as ACTING in a way that is proven to be 'detrimental to stock car racing'.

If you see another example of NASCAR's INACTION as the chosen action, CLICK HERE to add it to the list... let's see how long the list can get!

And, if you choose to spend your previously 'nascar-spent money' at your local track, then CLICK HERE to join your fellow Fans of Fast at their local tracks all over the United States!

Hey NASCAR, Please Make Sure You Meet With The Fans Too!

As I sit sipping my coffee and surfing through Jayski this Sunday morning, eagerly anticipating a GREAT day of all kinds of racing, I read about the expanded focus of the Team/Driver meetings with NASCAR this coming Tuesday in Charlotte.

Supposedly, as reported at mikemulhern.net, there will be 'mini-meetings' for each of the individual cup teams to sit down and talk how Cup racing can be made more compelling... and then it HIT ME!

Wasn't the COT, something that many say is a bore to watch 'race', supposedly designed with the input of all the teams too?  And I thought... Uh-oh... Here they go again.  Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT bashing NASCAR and recognize that there is a ton of great stuff that has happened in NASCAR as it has grown, but i started to think about MY history as a race fan and thought I'd share it because I have a feeling it may be similar to many of you...

I've been watching NASCAR since Bill Elliott drove the #9 Coors Melling Ford all over the place and I was his biggest fan (Really, I was... REALLY!!).  Typically, whenever our family would gather for a birthday or anniversary, the TV would be on 1 of 2 things, a Red Sox game (we lived in South Eastern New England) or a NASCAR race.

I even spent time at Stafford Motor Speedway where my father worked the pit gates for a couple of years and watching those SK Modifieds was incredibly exciting, but I never forgot the indelible images of the #9 Coors Melling Ford zooming around the track... it was recognizable, it looked different than the other cars and I could 'see one' on the road too!

Wow, how times have changed... Little did I know that 25 years later I'd have worked in the world of NASCAR and ended up creating a website that was all about LOCAL racing... mostly because I could see a change happening, almost in slow motion... I felt like I wasn't watching racing anymore, I felt like at least half the time on those D-shaped tracks, I was watching parade laps where there would occasionally be a fight for a position, but seldom a real race for the lead that lasted more than a few laps at the most.  

THEN, I went to Sycamore Speedway in Illinois and I got reacquainted with local racing... I brought my kids... they raced in the bubble gum race on the track... they looked at the cars lined up in the parking lot at the end of the night as we walked to the car... They were TRULY amazed and I felt like I was transported back to those I'd spent at Stafford Motor Speedway with my Dad... I realized I had gotten to a point where I wasn't enjoying the actual racing anymore, I was enjoying the 'Business of NASCAR' and getting sponsors involved far more than I was enjoying the actual competition of Racing... and I was glad to be back at a small local track.

Having been in the media, I can talk about why more commercials cause tune out.  I can talk about WHY people tune-in and why they stay or leave.  I can even talk about how ANYONE in the media should have seen the decreased ratings coming at least a year or two ago when that giant media contract was signed and the car was changed.  But this column isn't about bashing NASCAR and telling them what they did wrong, it's about asking them to do something that many think they haven't done in a long time... Listen to the Fans... Solicit their opinions... AND PLEASE... DON'T MAKE ANY MORE CHANGES UNTIL YOU GET REAL FEEDBACK FROM THOSE YOU RELY ON FOR YOUR EXISTENCE

So, in the case they don't do that directly, let's use this forum as a way to give our feedback about the changes we think would help... Although I can't promise it'll make any impact or truly get considered, I promise I'll make sure they all get to the people I know that are higher up in the chain at NASCAR.  And whatever response I get, I'll post that here too if/when I get it.

After all, whatever you feel about NASCAR today, it doesn't change how you've felt about it the rest of your life and the enjoyment that you've felt from it too... So, think for a second about what you would say if you were sitting across a table from NASCAR officials, hit the 'comment button' below and don't forget, feedback is always listened to more intently when it's conveyed in a respectful way without name-calling, anger and ridicule. CLICK HERE to read the comments so far or to leave your comments now!

Cheers folks and enjoy a great day of racing from all over the world!

Lessons Learned From the NASCAR All Star Race in Charlotte

So, as we sit and think about the great stories that unfolded last night and the great racing that was seen in short segments, there are many, many things that come to mind as lessons learned in Charlotte last night... 

... Tony Stewart and Chevrolet are meant to be together and Ryan Newman is way better than he ever showed at Penske

... Yes, Kyle Busch CAN put a race car pretty much he darn well wants to and where few would think about doing it first

... Pre-Determined segment lengths where 'position counts' in each one really do make for some great racing

... Integrating the pit crews into the competition adds another level of excitement

... The Speed Channel does racing REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY well

... Seeing 20 cars MISS Jeff Gordon within about 1.3 seconds at well over 150 mph prooves that these guys are absolutely incredible drivers

YEAH, those were some of the positive things that I saw... but there were some negative ones as well.. or actually 1 REALLY negative one that scares me about next week's 600...

In Segment #3, with just 20 laps of racing, by the end of the segment the field was separated by almost a half a track....  And this SCARES THE HECK OUT OF ME that the follow-up to an incredible weekend of racing that probably made lots of highlight reels and could actually attract NEW EYES to the sport will probably end up being a race that is more like a lot of long drawn out parade laps.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NASCAR... do something to figure out how to make the racing as exciting at D-Shaped Ovals as it was at Richmond and Darlington (on shorter tracks) and at the All Star Race last night...  This may be my opinion only, but the answer to increasing excitement at those cookie cutters may indeed be more segmented racing.... but I'm just a 'Fan of Fast'... what do I know!

Feel free to leave your comments below on what you liked and didn't like about the AllStar Race and what you think the 600 will end up being.

The Racing At Richmond... Actual RACING!?

Let me be the first to acknowledge that I am probably the first to complain about strung out 'follow the leader, lap half the field, 3 contender' races at those D-shaped 'ovals'.... BORING!!!

I've also said that maybe with all the 'pack' racing at Plate Tracks that if competitive 'racing' is what drives viewership then maybe every track should get a plate... Kind of like IROC Part 2!

However, I will honestly say that apart from the last several laps last night when Kyle Busch shined and pulled away, I think I saw more real 'racing' last night than I've seen in a LONG time.  Until the TV #s come out, we won't know whether it mattered or not because who knows if more people than not have gone away and aren't coming back... BUT... I'm sure as heck glad that Richmond has 2 races!

What do you think?  Maybe the 'solution' is to find a way to 'shortin' the tracks at the D-shaped ovals... After all, most of them only have stands along the front stretch anyway!  Or, if we're stuck with them, maybe NASCAR can find a way to 'sprinkle' the good racing tracks through the schedule a little better so we never end up with more than 2 weeks in a row of 'follow the leader, lap half the field, 3 contender' races.

How would you schedule the races if YOU were NASCAR!?  The world awaits your 'Master Plan'!

How Do You Define Great Racing in NASCAR!?

So, we had quite a finish at Talladega this year... Carl goes high (in the air) after Brad goes low and we saw glimpses of potential tragedy with drivers and fans... Even on Saturday, when Matt Kenseth got bumped too hard and went end over end for a while, we held our collective breaths that he would walk away safely.  Of course, we pray for good health for all those impacted by debris.  

However, the racing that was seen at Talladega also calls to mind exactly what NASCAR fans expect and/or deserve when they think about the term 'Great Racing'.  After all, we've had plenty of it this year.  Yeah, there have been plenty of drawn out parade laps with long runs, but in a few races, we've seen great finishes because of late cautions that (thankfully) bunched the field up.  Then, at Talladega (as earlier at Daytona), we get 'treated' to 3 and 4 wide racing because the cars are articificially controlled to not be able to 'outpower' anyone else... so ultimately, knowing how to 'work the draft' at the right time is a more important skill than manufacturing horse power.

So, the question is, just what is 'Great Racing'?  Is it the 20 lap shootouts we've seen a couple times?  Is 'Great Racing' the controlled chaos of 35 cars running 3 wide within 2 seconds of each other for tens of laps on end like we see at Daytona and Talladega?

Maybe the better question is what's NOT 'Great Racing'?  

... 100 'parade laps' where one by one, there are less than half on the lead lap by the end of the race

... short track races where a tank-like car all but makes passing impossible and guarantees where 'track position' is more important than a drivers' ability to move someone out of the way

... Long green flag runs where you're praying for debris to bunch the field up before the 21st car gets lapped TWICE in the same run

Yeah, those are all definitely NOT great racing.

So, it seems that NASCAR has a task at hand... create a product that offers Great Racing and incredible excitment not just for a few brief periods, but not necessarily for the entire 4.5 hours either.... We wish them luck because in the meantime, we'll be watching Great Racing in heats and qualifiers all over the United States and hoping that NASCAR figures it out before the local dirt tracks around Marion Center and North Cambria, PA are outdrawing the snooze fests across the state at Pocono.

What's your definition of Great Racing?  We think it'd be a GREAT debate!

Is it Gimmick Time for NASCAR? Great Chats Lead to Great Ideas!

So, let's think for a minute about how much excitement plays out at tracks all over the nation every weekend night while modifieds, sprints, and superstocks battle for a little bit of area on a small track...  Much of it with dirt flying into into the beards and sodapops of the families watching on the edge of their bleacher.

While chatting with some great race fans during the phoenix race, we started debating how NASCAR could re-ignite some excitement that could generate some real buzz among current fans and potentially NEW fans.

What did we debate more than anything else?  A multi-night dirt track race featuring all the current NASCAR drivers battling it out for 'King of the Dirt' at a premiere dirt track somewhere in the US.

I know... Tony Stewart has built an incredible event at Eldora... but it doesn't include everybody and if memory serves me correctly, the only way it can be seen by people not in the stands is on Pay Per View.

What if NASCAR decided to put on a gimmick race with no other goal than to try and create some buzz... 43 Drivers... or heck, invite all active drivers including Cup, Truck, and Nationwide... Make it a 2 or 3 day event with blind draws, heats, and even 1 on 1 races between a randomly drawn NASCAR driver and a local champ from somewhere in the US?

Televise it on a Tuesday/Wednesday night (LIVE) and let the program run like only local tracks know how to do it... CONTINUOUS action... as one heat leaves the track, the other comes on.  Have live cameras in the pits out behind the track where the activity is constantly a craze while cars crews race to get their cars ready for the next heat.

Yeah, I know it's probably a pipe dream that NASCAR embrace something like this, but with TV Ratings down in virtually every race this year, maybe it's time for something like this to generate some buzz... maybe it is 'Gimmick Time'!  What do you think?

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Hey NASCAR... What Happens in Vegas... Should Happen MORE In Vegas!

Just a week after another low fan turnout in California, Las Vegas proved it has a NASCAR crowd by a reported SELL OUT of 140,000.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that actually more filled seats than Daytona?  Or at least within 10% of the Daytona crowd?

So, this fan-slash-marketing guy has to ask the question...

HEY NASCAR... Why continue to put on your annual coronation banquet in New York City where it is OUT OF TOUCH with fans?

The Country Music Awards left their home in Nashville for ONE YEAR to give NYC a try and realized NYC didn't care... they went back to Nashville.

My sister works on 5th Avenue and every year I ask her if there's any buzz about the awards and her response is always, "Oh.. is that this week?".  And oh, by the way, she's actually a bit of a fan... the kind who would probably be a bigger one if she was invited regularly.

Yeah... New York City is great... All the ad agencies are there and a lot of your clients... but how about making it time to make the awards ceremony accessible to FANS and not just those sponsors, team members, owners, and all their wives who live off money that only exists because fans support the sport?

Take the awards show out of a banquet hall... put it in an entertainment venue... invite fans to listen to announcers, drivers, bands, see some cool performance shows...  And let someone from OUTSIDE of NASCAR produce it.  How about Dick Clark Productions?  You might actually end up with a program that's fit for TV that more than just NASCAR fans might tune in for!  And who knows... maybe someone tuning in for the entertainment portion might actually turn into a NASCAR fan while you're at it!  

Wouldn't that be a change!

Is Shorter Better for Great Racing?

Watching the racing at California was absolutely incredible... for at least the first few laps after each caution.   

Obviously Matt, Jeff, and Kyle had GREAT cars, but if it weren't for that last rain caution that kept Jr. on the lead lap, we'd have been destined for less than 10 cars on the lead lap and although there was some great 'end of the race' racing between 3 cars, wouldn't it be better if that finish was with 12 or 15 cars battling for the top 10 positions side by side and bumper to bumper within 10 or 15 seconds of each other?

Some say shorter racing... some say 'heats'... some say flip the field on restarts... What about a combination of ALL OF THE ABOVE?

Yeah, Daytona is a different monster because of the size of the track and the banking and so much more... but The Bud Shootout and the All Star race has shown us that GREAT racing can happen AFTER a longer break because SIGNIFICANT changes can be made that make someone who was horrible, at least competitive for later in the race.

Maybe if NASCAR really wants to compete like a stick and ball sport, they need to start realizing that their current model is like televising a marathon rather than a game with quarters, periods, halves or innings?

Think about it... Scheduled Breaks with SPECIFIC ADJUSTMENTS that could happen during each one... More racers would be relevant for more of the race... more fans would be engaged longer... and TV would be able to schedul all those commercials better and not really risk missing some great racing!

Of course, for short race excitement, there's aways local racing on small tracks all over the US! The season is almost here and you can find your local track at www.RacingIn.com.

PLUS, you can create your personal 'Racing Space' too!  CLICK HERE to join the crowd at RacingIn.com... For Fans of Fast!