WSJ: NASCAR, Once a Cultural Icon, Hits the Skids

jr/shotglass · Feb 22, 2017

Yes, but the casual NASCAR observer is what put them over the top. And what seems to be leaving now.

Alma · Feb 23, 2017

PCLoadLetter said: ↑

I'm sure they would, but that's not a NASCAR issue. It's a federal law issue.
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Should have been clearer with the "they."

playthrough · Feb 23, 2017

PCLoadLetter said: ↑

I'm a huge racing fan. I've been to a lot of pretty great races in far flung places. I'm going to the Austrian Grand Prix this summer.

I just can't get into NASCAR. I've tried. Ovals bore the hell out of me, the gimmicks are out of control, and it's frustrating for me to watch because I'll try to figure out what strategies teams are using but the announcers act like there's no strategy involved at all. They assume the audience is stone dumb. I mean... I realize that's probably not the worst assumption to make, but I could use less "boogity boogity boogity" and more actual analysis and explanation.
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The broadcasts have tried to inject some explanation over the years, like with the cutaway car and "tech garage" segments and such. But then, yes, they throw it back to the Waltrips and a bunch of other folks who sound like they're on Nascar's payroll. Agree, very tough watch.

Michael_ Gee · Feb 23, 2017

The incredibly sophisticated engineering that's done on these cars is almost never covered. Why not some more (I assume there have to be some) features on the offices and garages back in Charlotte? And why are a bushel full of complicated split second decisions by drivers and crew chiefs boiled down to the eternal questions "two tires or four" and "tight or loose."

playthrough · Feb 23, 2017

maumann said: ↑

So many great points already made so far.

In my mind, this is Humpty Dumpty (not Humpy Wheeler), not a burst bubble. NASCAR is irrevocably broken unless someone at the top is willing to overhaul pretty much everything that's wrong about the sport. And Brian France has pretty much made every wrong decision possible, from the Chase to the "segment" points.

NASCAR's core fans grew up watching guys from local tracks move up to the big show, driving Ford Torinos and Dodge Chargers and Chevy Monte Carlos -- cars they could actually buy and show off and customize. And because races weren't shown live on TV until 1979, if you wanted to see a race, you had to buy a ticket and spend a day at the track. And it wasn't just that wrecks were more dangerous. Cars would have mechanical issues, so you never knew who might make it the entire 500 miles.

Now, much like everything else, it's oversaturated. The 38-race (all-star events included) season runs 10 months. Everything is homogenized. There's nothing special about any race. The tracks are all the same, year after year. The cars are all the same. The drivers are basically all the same: sponsor mentions first, don't say anything critical about the sport.

The only reason the sport wasn't on life support before this was the influx of stupid money from Fox and ESPN in 2005, followed by even more stupid money from NBC in 2013. That's kept the ship afloat despite water rushing in from all sides. Plus, manufacturers need to sell cars -- and NASCAR has always been the best way to do that.

The average age of a NASCAR ticket buyer is closing in on 60. Just like print, their audience is showing up more and more on the obituary pages. And the drivers who helped create the juggernaut in the 2000s are all retiring, or about to. Local tracks are almost extinct, so all that's left are guys who can bring sponsorship money or grandkids with family connections. It's Dale Earnhardt Junior and the 39 Dwarves.

So NASCAR's trying to sell V-8 mom sedans with races taking four hours to run to a generation of Tesla buyers with tiny attention spans. There's a huge disconnect that the folks in Daytona Beach and Charlotte aren't getting.
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I'm having a tough time still believing that Nascar sells big numbers of cars. I know there are some direct connections, like Rick Hendrick's dealerships, and a heckuva lot of people drive a Chevy because Junior does. But I'm not buying the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" when it's, say, Denny Hamlin winning in a custom race car with Toyota decals. People are buying cars because the economy is OK and they were going to buy anyway. They're not choosing one over the other because a certain driver got a big run off Turn 4 last weekend.

Also, Dodge weaned itself off the sport and is still in business.

BitterYoungMatador2 · Feb 23, 2017

The cars NASCAR races aren't even available models at dealerships. Used to be Ford raced Thunderbirds and Chevrolet raced Monte Carlos. There was some talk when Cadillac and Lincoln were sagging in the 90s of entering the Eldorado and Mark VIII (a race car with a fake spare tire hump). Since neither makes a two-door anymore they've modified the Taurus and Impala. Toyota races a modified Camry I believe. No regular person can identify with these cars.

Inky_Wretch · Feb 23, 2017

playthrough said: ↑

I'm having a tough time still believing that Nascar sells big numbers of cars. I know there are some direct connections, like Rick Hendrick's dealerships, and a heckuva lot of people drive a Chevy because Junior does. But I'm not buying the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" when it's, say, Denny Hamlin winning in a custom race car with Toyota decals. People are buying cars because the economy is OK and they were going to buy anyway. They're not choosing one over the other because a certain driver got a big run off Turn 4 last weekend.

Also, Dodge weaned itself off the sport and is still in business.
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One of my grandfathers worked at a Ford dealership for more than 50 years. My father has had a Dodge dealership for more than 35. I can assure you, nobody is buying cars these days based on race results.

jr/shotglass · Feb 23, 2017

Michael_ Gee said: ↑

The incredibly sophisticated engineering that's done on these cars is almost never covered. Why not some more (I assume there have to be some) features on the offices and garages back in Charlotte? And why are a bushel full of complicated split second decisions by drivers and crew chiefs boiled down to the eternal questions "two tires or four" and "tight or loose."
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Well, again, the question is whether you're catering to the "motorheads" or the unsophisticated viewer who just enjoys the spectacle. I think NASCAR had the "motorheads" at hello.

Michael_ Gee · Feb 23, 2017

jr/shotglass said: ↑

Well, again, the question is whether you're catering to the "motorheads" or the unsophisticated viewer who just enjoys the spectacle. I think NASCAR had the "motorheads" at hello.
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I think all fans like the idea of being "in the know" at least a little bit. Plus, more focus on technical stuff would help fill up broadcast time during those "long runs" midrace where even the uninitiated know nothing is happening.

jr/shotglass · Feb 23, 2017

You might be right with some, and it's a good point about the midrace dead time. Myself, I don't much care about the inner workings of the restrictor plate. I want to see them trade paint.

playthrough · Feb 23, 2017

BitterYoungMatador2 said: ↑

The cars NASCAR races aren't even available models at dealerships. Used to be Ford raced Thunderbirds and Chevrolet raced Monte Carlos. There was some talk when Cadillac and Lincoln were sagging in the 90s of entering the Eldorado and Mark VIII (a race car with a fake spare tire hump). Since neither makes a two-door anymore they've modified the Taurus and Impala. Toyota races a modified Camry I believe. No regular person can identify with these cars.
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And Chevy's discontinuing the SS, which never caught on in the marketplace (they were imported from Australia, a fact that I'm pretty sure was never uttered in a race broadcast). So there will be a "new" race car in 2018, bet on the Impala or Monte Carlo returning again.

BitterYoungMatador2 · Feb 23, 2017

playthrough said: ↑

And Chevy's discontinuing the SS, which never caught on in the marketplace (they were imported from Australia, a fact that I'm pretty sure was never uttered in a race broadcast). So there will be a "new" race car in 2018, bet on the Impala or Monte Carlo returning again.
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Considering GM hasn't mentioned any plans of bringing the Monte Carlo back I'm assuming it'll be the Impala. Be weird to bring back a nameplate that hasn't been in showrooms in a decade (and it still pisses me off).

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WSJ: NASCAR, Once a Cultural Icon, Hits the Skids

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