Couch Potato NASCAR Fans

I watched Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel last week and caught a few comments about whether NASCAR should focus on being a real sport for the ticket-buying fans or entertainment for television, and whether a fan was a true fan or not if they didn't spend the money on the sport. 

At least, that's what I think they were talking about.  Either that or the cough syrup I was taking had a lot more alcohol in it that it says on the bottle.  Since I don't remember exactly what they were talking about, I'll just make this up as I go along. 

I guess the first question is whether or not the guy sitting in his living room is a real true NASCAR fan or not.  If they're not spending the money on tickets, as an argument I've heard before goes, then they're just a "casual fan" and aren't as important. They come and go and aren't the people really supporting the sport. 

First of all, that statement may have held some weight back in the mid 90's when the economy, and the sport, were growing faster than anyone could have expected.  But this is 2011, and two out of the big three automakers have gone bankrupt since then and the only economic indicators that are high are unemployment and foreclosures.  A NASCAR race is an expensive outing for a working class family of three, and I don't think anyone can blame a family for choosing rent payments over race tickets.  Telling people that have fallen on hard times that they're not even real true NASCAR fans anymore because they can't afford to be NASCAR fans is just kicking people when they're down. 

Being a fan shouldn't be about how much you're able to spend but rather how you feel about something.  Would you describe yourself as a NASCAR fan to someone you just met, not caring how they may judge you and knowing that's how they may remember you for a long time to come?  Then you're a NASCAR fan.

Besides, it's not as though the TV fans don't spend their money on the sport in smaller ways.  Sure, I haven't been to a national NASCAR series race since 2008, but in the meantime I've added a few die cast to my shelves.  I've never seen Dale Jr. drive the 88 in person, but I have a t-shirt to wear on race days spent on the couch. 

Secondly, even if a fan watching on TV isn't handing over his own cash at the ticket booth, they're still putting money in the pockets of NASCAR teams.  Have you ever been to a house with a little box on top of the TV with blinking red lights and the guy who lives there has to enter your gender and age into the box when you're watching TV there?  That's how TV ratings are calculated.  NASCAR is an advertising-funded sport, and the more eyeballs there are in front of the screens, the more the advertising is worth.  In an extreme example, this is why commercial time during the Super Bowl cost a hell of a lot more than commercial time during late night reruns of How It's Made. 

The more viewers there are, the more money that Fox, ESPN, and Speed can charge for commercial time.  This makes the programming worth more to them and NASCAR can get more money from them for broadcast rights to its events.  The more people watch, the more sponsorships are worth, and the teams get better funded. 

Now, the big question is whether NASCAR should concentrate on attendance or ratings?  I'm going to argue for ratings, and not just because I'm one of those couch potato NASCAR fans. 

For my argument I have to say that I think that concentrating on attendance is an issue of geography.  If it's an exciting race in person, it's probably an exciting race on TV, and vice versa.  I've never actually gone back and watched a tape of a race I've gone to, but one has to assume that an exciting race is an exciting race and a boring race is a boring race no matter where you're watching it from. 

So some races are less exciting than others but are held in areas of the country that don't have a more exciting venue to race on (by the way, who decided the cookie cutter track should be a mile and a half? why couldn't Bristol have been the model for the "cookie cutter?").  The worst example of this is the Nationwide race at Road America, an absolute snoozer of a race held in the stock car friendly northern state of Wisconsin while the historic Milwaukee Mile sorts out its problems.  How about Fontana?  Sure, the last five Cup championships have been won by a driver from California, so it's got a lot of potential as a market for NASCAR to grow, gain fans, and make money, but watching that race on television usually results in an involuntary Sunday afternoon nap for me.  If NASCAR keeps putting on shows like that, they'll find that people probably won't pay to see something they won't even watch for free on TV. 

Speaking of which, consider this: the average NASCAR fan outside of the Carolinas has maybe three or four Cup races within a day's travel of their homes, leaving over 30 events that are largely out of reach to all but the most dedicated fans.  And for the sport itself, there are only a few hundred thousand seats to fill on any given Sunday, but millions can fit into all the bars, man caves and living rooms that have their TVs tuned to the show. 

Including the TV in front of me here in Woodstock, where there will be at least two (sometimes three) race fans comfortably enjoying the broadcasts each week.  Keep up the good work, and one of these years we'll fill some seats in Joliet.  Eventually, Daytona and Charlotte, too.  And a return to Indianapolis, if NASCAR is still racing there. 

Which is the last point I'm trying to make:  just concentrate on putting on a good show, and the attendance will take care of itself.

Selling Cars and NASCAR Fans

Opening Lap

 

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday is dead, right?  Weakened by parity, mortally wounded by the common template, and finally killed off by the Car of Tomorrow? 

True, the old method of proving your product is better than the competition's by racing the same cars that are parked in the showrooms is long gone, but the basic concept is still viable.  It just needs a little nudge from the marketing department. 

Instead of selling products, the automakers involved in NASCAR could use their on-track triumphs to sell their companies.  And if you convince a potential customer that your company is better, it shouldn't take much more effort to convince them that you make better cars, too. 

For an excellent example, take a look at what Honda has done with their participation in the Izod IndyCar Series.  Bonus points for finding an accomplishment worthy of advertising when there is no competition for them to beat. 

The Grandstands

 

Kudos to Kenny Wallace for pointing out that the folks outside of the NASCAR garage don't really know all that's going on behind the scenes in regards to Kasey Kahne leaving the 9 car.  I had wondered exactly what was going on there, assumed there was more than a stomach virus involved, and kept quiet.  Others, apparently, called Kahne a quitter, and Wallace came to Kasey's defense telling those watching that they didn't know all that happened in that garage. 

Something to remember, though: NASCAR claims 75 million fans and I'm betting that there aren't nearly that many "hard cards" issued each year.  Even if NASCAR drew an attendance of a quarter million a race over 37 Cup races (don't forget the All-Star Race!), and no fan went twice in the same year, that's still only 9.25 million tickets. 

Tens of millions of NASCAR fans every year don't get to go to the races.  So for most NASCAR fans, we see the sport through the rectangular images displayed before us each Sunday as we watch from the comfort of our couches (or occasionally, the discomfort of a hard bar stool).  There's an entire industry based on discussing sporting events, and NASCAR is no exception.  A lot of amateurs like to add their two cents (yeah, I'm one of those), and what would have been water cooler discussions twenty years ago are now worldwide arguments thanks to the internet. 

NASCAR is one of the best-covered events of any type I have ever watched, which makes a lack of information more attention-getting than a minor disagreement resulting in a driver walking out would have been.  In a field of light, the black hole is what stands out.  So there are a few things that can happen in incidents like these.  1.) you can keep secrets and people will fill in the hole with whatever fits their preconceived notions, 2.) you can tell fans to shut their traps, and they might, but citizens of the nation that came up with the First Amendment also might be offended by that and decide they'll stop listening to the person that says it or may even decide to change their channel if they hear it often enough from enough people, or 3.) tell people what's really going on so there isn't a conspiracy theory or unnecessary and untrue badmouthing! 

Points Standings

 

I've often said that whoever can beat Jimmie Johnson for the championship when he's on his game (it doesn't count if he finishes 8th) will be a hero to millions.  Rarely in the history of sports are opportunities presented the likes of which has been presented to Denny Hamlin.  Like the US Olympic hockey team in 1980 claiming victory over the unbeaten and unbeatable Soviets, the triumph of defeating an unpopular and seemingly unbeatable opponent while overcoming personal hardships is a compelling story.  Coming back from surgery to win races, then coming from behind in the Chase to beat the juggernaut of the 48 team would be a great story for the sport's history books.  While my hopes are with Kevin Harvick in 3rd place, I would like to say "good luck" to Denny Hamlin in his efforts to secure a place for himself in stock car racing history.

Of course, for Jimmie's fans I should say that this would be just another year like any other were it not for the dominance the 48 team has shown in the last half decade, and since it takes a truly great opponent to make a great triumph, there is no one better to have to beat than Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports.

ARCA Edition: The Sum of the Parts is a Championship for Patrick Sheltra

First, the obvious (in case you haven't heard):  Patrick Sheltra is the 2010 ARCA Racing Series Champion. Woohoo! 

Then, the less well known:  I am a Patrick Sheltra fan. 

Of course, I should say that being a fan has nothing to do with him winning a championship.  After all, I still haven't gotten around to liking Jimmie Johnson, and I like him even less with each Cup trophy he takes.  Being a Sheltra fan has to do with the type of driver he is, the type of team he drives for, and how he won that championship. 

For me it all started in 2007, when my online Library was tiny and new and few would answer my e-mails.  Chris Knight did, and I will always be grateful for that.  Chris did the public relations work for multiple ARCA teams, and his drivers became the ones I followed on race day.  Among the many drivers he wrote for were Phil McGilton, Dexter Bean, and Patrick Sheltra. 

Chris Knight would go to work for Sheltra Motorsports full time for the 2008 season.  Sheltra Motorsports was a relatively small dirt-and-asphalt racing operation based in the Sheltra's hometown in Indiantown, Florida.  They had operations in Indiana and their ARCA team was based in Whitesville, Kentucky.  More on them later... 

Reading about a driver doesn't always mean you're automatically a fan, but then most drivers don't have PR guys like Chris Knight.  A bigger factor was Sheltra himself.  When I first read the releases, referring to the driver as "Mr. Showtime" I dismissed it as marketing.  After all, what I was reading about him was written by his PR guy!  That, and the nickname reminded me of Jimmy Spencer's "Mr. Excitement" tag, and to me the only thing Spencer did in his career that was exciting to me was retiring.  But Patrick Sheltra knows how - and when - to put on a show.  He took a horrific hit in the season opener at Daytona last year, and (thanks in part I'm sure to a six-week break until the next race), bounced back to score his first ARCA win.  And while I don't remember exactly where and when it was, I do remember Sheltra pulling up behind a three-wide battle at a track where three wide didn't leave a lot of room to run, and since it was slowing those cars down Mr. Showtime used his momentum to pull up alongside, and finding some room somehow somewhere at the very top of the track he passed all three at once.  It was a move that took guts to attempt and skill to pull off. 

I had the opportunity to meet both Chris Knight and Patrick Sheltra in 2009 at a local Buffalo Wings & Rings.  Chris Knight is one of the best human beings I know, finding optimism in the worst of adversity and giving the smallest of small-time writers (me) advice and encouragement.  Any team that hires him in the future is more than OK in my book, and any driver he writes for has my respect.  And Patrick quickly topped my list of nicest stock car drivers I've ever met, but I should say that haven't met a lot of them in person.  That's why I brought along my father-in-law.  He has met just about all the greats of the sport in the 80's and early 90's, and he's not afraid to tell certain people in private exactly what he thinks of many of them.  That he was impressed by the young driver, and is now a Patrick Sheltra fan himself, is a credit to the kind of person he is.

2010 began in Daytona with a broadcast that was all about Danica Patrick's attempt to go stock car racing for the first time.  The sixth row of the field was all Patrick, with Danica starting to the outside of Sheltra.  Sheltra's car, however, featured a sticker that said, "Sheltra #60 … the other Patrick" which instantly drew attention in the media circus.  Sheltra would go on to finish the race one position ahead of Danica, scoring a Top 5 to start the year and upstaging The Danica Patrick Show. 

2010 Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 Photo by Glenn Bure for OnPitRow.com/BethAnne Heisler View photo of Patrick Sheltra at the 2010 Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200, 84KB This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

The Sheltra Motorsports #60 is one of the easiest cars to keep an eye on in the broadcasts.  Even when it's in the background, you can't mistake or miss the rainbow sherbet paint scheme of green with orange accents and yellow numbers.  That and the number 60 are about all that stays the same from week to week, however.  While Sheltra Motorsports made the move in the 2009-2010 offseason to Mooresville, North Carolina to work alongside the big-time NASCAR teams, their record shows a cobbled-together mix of cars and sponsors, reminding fans that even in ARCA, Sheltra Motorsports plays the role of David against the Goliaths of ESR and Venturini Motorsports.  After scoring his 5th place in Daytona in a Dodge, he used a Chevrolet at the road course in Palm Beach, and a Toyota in just the fourth race of the season.  Counting his ride in RAB Racing's Nationwide Ford at Talladega, Sheltra had driven all four makes in major league stock car racing by April 25th!  The sponsors likewise changed frequently, the team constantly working hard to fund their operations without the comfort of a cushy big-dollar yearlong deal. 

But they didn't just make it to the track, they won two races (one on dirt, another on the asphalt, both in Illinois) and took a razor-thin 10 point lead to the final race at Rockingham.  It was thin, but they were in the lead.  The fact that they accomplished this in a variety in cars, combined with the variety in tracks, and the fact that the team won on dirt in a Dodge and at Chicagoland Speedway in a Toyota is simply incredible.  As I'm someone who always tries to give credit to the crews, now would be a good time to mention that the team's crew chief is former NASCAR crew chief Jon Wolfe. 

In the end at Rockingham Mr. Showtime put on a show again, building a six-second lead on the field before fading back to finish 4th in the race in suspenseful fashion just ahead of second-place points finisher Craig Goess charging ahead from back in the pack.  The fade at the end of a race was overshadowed by the victory in the championship points by a slightly less thin 20 point margin and forgotten in the cloud of smoke created when Sheltra parked his car against the wall and burned the tires off of it. 

Sheltra Motorsports, in their defining style, started the season in Daytona with the PowerTrac Machinery Dodge and finished at Rockingham in the Tequesta Road and Bridge of Florida/Jones Group International Toyota.  In between they won races in the Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Dodge, a Recycling Services-Ferguson Pipe Toyota, had second places in a Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant-Speed Media Dodge and a Buffalo Wings & Rings-Ferguson Pipe Dodge.  There was even a 10th place road course finish in a Recycling Services-Sheltra & Son Construction Chevrolet.  But all the cars were the familiar rainbow sherbet #60, all the points earned added up together, and Patrick Sheltra got to take the championship trophy home.

Congratulations Patrick Sheltra, and thanks for the show! 

Patrick Sheltra's website is at http://www.patricksheltra.com/
More on the final race of the season and the significance of the championship in the article, Patrick Sheltra Caps Off Stellar Season With First ARCA Championship

The Intersection of NASCAR and Hockey

Rookie camps start today in the NHL, while NASCAR is in Richmond preparing to finalize the Chase for the Sprint Cup field tomorrow.  It's gotten me thinking about a topic where NASCAR could learn from the NHL.

In NASCAR, there are awards other than the Sprint Cup Champion.  There are the individual race winners, as well as a Rookie of the Year contest and a Most Popular Driver.  In the NHL, there is of course the Stanley Cup, but there is also a whole series of trophies and awards for individual efforts, often named for figures in hockey history.  They are, of course, not as desireable as the Stanley Cup, but they are prestigious awards and an honored tradition in the sport that ties past with present while recognizing the play of individuals who make the sport what it is, even if they're not on the championship team. 

The one that springs to my mind, as NASCAR approaches the end of the "regular season" is the President's Trophy.  Awarded to the team that finishes the regular NHL season with the most points, a similar presigious trophy could be very beneficial to NASCAR.  Kevin Harvick has this year's regular season wrapped up, 219 points ahead with one race to go, but in future seasons it could be incentive to keep teams focused on the races they're in and not testing for the Chase.  It would also be nice this season to give some attention to Kevin Harvick's and Richard Childress Racing's turnaround instead of focusing on what happens when Jimmie Johnson resumes the points lead after tomorrow night's race (unless Denny Hamlin wins it, of course). 

Having more sponsored trophies would make NASCAR more money, but it could also get confusing.  NASCAR could be charitable here and simply name them after figures in NASCAR history, adding little "presented by" sponsorships that wouldn't have any bearing on the trophy design or the common name that fans would refer to them by.  If NASCAR were to create a trophy for the regular season points winner, it would be fitting to name it the Winston Trophy in honor of the points system that had been the hallmark of the Winston Cup for so many years.  But with the government prohibiting tobacco marketing, regardless of who pays for the trophy itself, perhaps 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee T. Wayne Robertson's name would be a suitable substitute.  Or Dale Earnhardt, who won the most Winston Cups in NASCAR history (remember, a couple of Richard Petty's championships were Grand Nationals, under a different points system). 

What trophy, then, could bear The King's name?  To whom else do you give an annual award named for the driver who won the most races in NASCAR's top series history and the most wins in a season?  The winner of the most races, of course!  NASCAR added more points for winning and bonus Chase points for races won in the regular season to make winning more important.  However, a driver who won 8 races in a season could have the championship wrapped up over a driver with 5 wins with two weeks before the end of the season, and that's the exact opposite of what NASCAR has been trying to accomplish with the Chase.  So how about making winning and consistency two separate awards?  Sure, some years the Sprint Cup and a winner's award would be won by the same driver (2009, Jimmie Johnson), but some years the winner's award would be taken home by different drivers (2008, Carl Edwards; 2007, Jeff Gordon...). 

It would also be nice to keep Richard Petty's name in front of the fans as his team struggles and we contemplate a NASCAR Cup field rolling out on the track someday somewhere without the familiar 43 in it.  Someday there will be a NASCAR Cup race without a Petty involved in it, just as Cup races are run without Junior Johnson today.  Which is a big reason such awards should bear the names of NASCAR's past stars and not be sold to motor oil manufacturers - to keep the names and accomplishments of the people who made NASCAR what it is in the weekly NASCAR broadcasts, and not just something for a museum in Charlotte. 

Hockey also has the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded for "sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct" along with a "high standard of playing ability" so it goes to a recognized star player and not a third-line filler.  While Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski grab headlines and occasionally race wins from knocking each other around the track, and that's certainly good entertainment (or NASCAR wouldn't have said "have at it" at the beginning of the season), it would be good to recognize drivers like Mark Martin and Jeff Burton, guys who can win races in a clean and fair way.  Who knows the drivers better than themselves?  Have all the drivers who competed over the full season vote on the most gentlemanly driver among those who won a race that season (fulfilling the high standard part), and award them the trophy at the banquet after the season ends.  It even adds a little suspense to the banquet, if the voting is kept secret nobody will know who among that season's winners will get the award until it is announced at the banquet.  After all, the NASCAR banquet isn't exactly the Oscars, people know who won the Sprint Cup long before it's announced in Las Vegas. 

In the driver-centric world of motorsports, I'm always interested in seeing a series recognize the contributions of other members of the team.  Trophies could be created for most valuable crew chiefs, car chiefs, over-the-wall crew and engine builders.  Dale Inman would be a good candidate for a the naming of a crew chief's award.  However, in my opinion the best way to recognize the total team effort that is required to win a Sprint Cup would be to put the names of everybody on the team on the trophy itself.  The Sprint Cup trophy is both a permanent trophy residing in Daytona inscribed with the names of all the winners as well as a driver's trophy given away each year to the driver.  I think NASCAR should make the permanent Sprint Cup even bigger, as it should be inscribed with the names of the winning teams, drivers, owners, and their crews.  That way, those who made valuable contributions to championships by changing tires or carrying gas cans or building engines would have a tangible presence in NASCAR history, and fans could read their names and see just how much a NASCAR championship is a team effort, despite usually only seeing the driver hold the trophy after the final race of the season. 

I generally don't switch over to watching hockey until after the last checkered flag is waved in Homestead, picking NASCAR back up in February and watching both until the Stanley Cup is hoisted sometime in early summer (unless the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks are both knocked out of the playoffs).  Every year, when the NHL awards are handed out, I always wonder, "why doesn't NASCAR do something like that?"  It would be beneficial to NASCAR's goal of promoting the history of the sport, it would tie the present day drivers with the legends of the past, giving different awards for different accomplishments would solve the problem of trying to make the Sprint Cup trophy mean all things to all fans, it would give more interesting attractions to the Hall of Fame, it would give fans a better reason to watch the postseason banquet, and (in hopefully a limited way) it would give NASCAR more sponsorships to sell.  Not bad for the cost of a half dozen nice trophies, which would be paid for (and then some) by those sponsorships...

Budweiser, Momentum, and a Ford Guy

Sponsor Tent

 

I have some mixed feelings about Budweiser's sponsorship of Kevin Harvick's #29 car starting next year.  The big red logo is a blue chip sponsor in the world of stock car racing, having adorned the hoods of cars owned by Junior Johnson, Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty over the past quarter century.  The drivers' seats of those cars have been filled with the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Ricky Craven, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kasey Kahne.  Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick fit in well with that esteemed group. 

But I'm annoyed. 

Every time a beer brand sponsors a driver, the collectibles market fills up with fake-logo crap with the drivers' name in place of the beer brand name.  It was just a few years ago that I happily saw Bud leave Dale Jr. and in return the fans got inexpensive die cast in the toy aisle at Walmart.  Now Kevin has the dubious distinction of having a fake Budweiser logo made out of his name, and it's going to cost substantially more to add new cars to my collection of Kevin Harvick die cast. 

From top to bottom:  2008 Dale Jr. National Guard, 2008 Kasey Kahne fake, 2007 Dale Jr. fake  

Points Standings

 

Well, Jimmie Johnson's not looking good lately, and Bud's new star is on a hot streak.  Is this Kevin's year (I hope)?  Is Jimmie done collecting championships at four (for the time being)? 

Don't bet on it. 

This isn't the old days of consistency-wins-championships.  It still does, but only within the final 10 races of the year.  Otherwise, NASCAR's "playoff" system works just like a playoff system in other sports:  sometimes the 8th seed beats the team that won the most games during the regular season.  I'm a Detroit Red Wings fan, so I remember how the 2nd-seed Wings lost to the 7th seed Anaheim Ducks in 2003, scoring just one goal in four games.  I remember it quite bitterly, so I know that unless Jimmie drops out of the top 12, and not accounting for the winner's bonus points for the next 3 races, the lead at the start of the Chase goes to...Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. 

Momentum might count sometimes, but as long as you're struggling because you're saving your best stuff for when it really counts, and you know how to turn it on when it matters, the last few weeks before the playoffs can really mislead the fans and commentators.  When the green flag drops on the first race of the Chase, it will still be Jimmie Johnson vs. the NASCAR world, the Sprint Cup his to lose.  Three or four races in, he may well have already lost it, but until then, he's still the safe money bet to win the Championship. 

Driver Introductions

 

I'm happy that Marcos Ambrose is back in a Ford.  I'm not a Ford man, but I am an Ambrose fan, and I have high hopes that Marcos can find Victory Lane in a Cup car and keep Richard Petty from closing up shop for good.  Based on Kasey's performance of the past few weeks, it's a step up from his current ride.  Hopefully, if the team comes together properly and works well together, that Marcos won't be looking for his first Cup win when the show pulls into Sonoma. 

I've heard that the Ford vs. Holden battle in Australia is just that...a battle.  Literally, with bats and fistfights.  Maybe Jeremy Clarkson isn't the most credible source of information in the world, but even if its greatly exaggerated there must be some kernel of truth to it to make the jokes funny. 

Marcos started his career in Fords, won two major championships driving Fords, and Ford brought him to NASCAR, so unless he's hiding a love of Holdens that goes back to childhood, I'm betting he's a Ford man.  You'd have as much likelihood of seeing him willingly drive a Chevrolet as you would see Dale Jr. buy Fords for his racing team.  But he's driving a Toyota now, you say?  Don't forget, JTG/Daugherty Racing was a Ford team when Marcos started driving for them.  They're a Toyota team now, and he's on his way out the door. 

I admire his loyalty, even if it's to "the other guys."

Keselowskis, Johnsons, and the Schedule

Scheduled Events

 

There's some hubbub around Jay Hart on Yahoo! saying that NASCAR needed to "get out of the NFL's way."  What he specifically said is that, "...there is no answer as long as the Chase kicks off about the same time as the NFL season.  What NASCAR really needs to do is get out of the NFL's way. Start the Chase in August, end it in early October." 

Well, with new tracks in "new markets" competing with traditional tracks in traditional NASCAR strongholds, it's damn near impossible to shorten a season without seriously pissing off a LOT of fans.  However, as someone who has faced Sunday afternoon having to pick between watching Jimmie Johnson march towards another Cup championship and a winning Chicago Bears team, I can tell you I've chosen the Bears a few times.  The same thing happens in early summer when the Stanley Cup Playoffs get rolling.  To me, a Detroit Red Wings playoff game takes precedence over another 1.5-mile tri-oval race.

That doesn't mean I'm not a NASCAR fan.  I just have other things in my life, in particular other sports.  I know I'm not the only one. 

Today, it's not just about getting new fans to tune in to NASCAR.  Growth was easy when people were discovering the sport for the first time, or fleeing the implosion of American open wheel racing and looking for somewhere else to get their oval track speed fix.  Now it's about getting people to tune in by being better than everything else on television at the time the races are run.  Unfortunately for NASCAR, the NFL puts on a good show. 

The people that run NASCAR have to consider the gains that could be made in the ratings by avoiding direct competition with the NFL.  Network television dramas and comedies are scheduled with a thought towards what other shows are in their time slot.  The sport doesn't need something as dramatic as cutting off a huge chunk of its schedule, what it needs is a schedule that allows fans to catch the Cup race and their favorite NFL team's game in the same weekend. 

And if you don't think fans can change from the Saturday night/Sunday afternoon routine, just look at the competition itself.  I'm sure lots of people questioned Monday Night Football in the beginning.  Who's going to watch NASCAR on a Friday evening?  Maybe the same fans that watch football on a Monday night. 

Caution Flag

 

There's a certain bravado to racing "balls out" all the time like Brad Keselowski.  A lot of fans respect that, and there's a long tradition of drivers from Oldfield to Earnhardt who collected a lot of trophies and fans racing like that.  However, that style of racing also leads to a lot of bent sheetmetal and bent tempers.  If successful, you can get in other drivers' heads, like "The Intimidator" did.  If unsuccessful, a driver risks getting payback (and then some).  To be successful, a driver needs to know who he can push, how hard he can push, and when to push, and it can't be "on everybody all the time as hard as you can." 

Brad, apparently, missed that message in his driving lessons, but then from all I've heard if his father's been giving the lessons then I don't think restraint is in the curriculum.  Now we've seen that there's at least one driver who's not afraid of his schtick, as Brad's already gotten dumped on his head and spun around for pushing Carl Edwards just a little too hard.  Carl overreacted both times, but he did react...an action for an action, he didn't just drive out onto the track both days looking for trouble and finding Brad Keselowski.  Trouble, in the form of Brad, found him, and Carl pushed back. 

I could say more, but what I wanted to say here has already been said better by Valerie Wood at http://valerie-femmefan.blogspot.com/2010/07/where-are-all-these-keselowski.html

 

Except that I don't think Bob Keselowski should have his hard card pulled.  I'd personally like to see him suit up and take a shot at Carl.  Then we can all see just what driving like a Keselowski means.  But that's just not safe. 

And I'll just add that maybe Carl should read up on the Law of Unintended Consequences, particulary this part:  "a perverse effect, that may be contrary to what was originally intended (i.e. when an intended solution to a problem only makes the problem worse)."  Every time Carl intervenes in Brad's driving line to express his dislike of Brad's driving style, he tends to have the unintended consequence of making Brad look like the victim in this scenario. 

Congratulations Jimmie Johnson!

 

Congratulations to Jimmie and Chandra Johnson for the recent birth of Genevieve Marie Johnson.  A well chosen name, as well, especially considering how difficult it must be to name a baby when your last name is Johnson.  Pick a common name, and your child is destined for anonymity (there are 13 Jimmy/Jim/Jimmie Johnsons in just the sports category in Wikipedia).  Reach too far for the unusual, and you risk looking like Frank Zappa. 

I recently asked, "hasn't anybody in stock car racing had a daughter?"  I now have my answer, and perhaps someday nearly two decades from now Genevieve will join the Sprint Cup series.  Hopefully, by then she won't be racing for the first female win in the series.  Hopefully by then someone will have broken Jimmie's championship win streak, too.

Dale Earnhardt's Legacy was in Victory Lane This July

Four wins in the past two weeks have been the indirect result of Dale Earnhardt's actions nearly a decade ago... 

The racing world lost Dale Earnhardt nine and a half years ago.  Nearly a decade later, his impact on the sport can still be seen even beyond his recent induction into NASCAR's Hall of Fame, the safer cars that NASCAR races to prevent another accident such as is, the absence of the number 3 on the Sprint Cup circuit, and the remnants of his team (Dale Earnhardt, Inc. having become a part of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing) winning the Daytona 500.  Particularly since the beginning of July, as reminders of his legacy have been all over the top three levels of NASCAR racing since the beginning of the month.

Win #1: Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Daytona (Nationwide Series)

 

The most visible, emotional and direct of the Earnhardt connections of the past few weeks was when his son raced a Wrangler #3 to Victory Lane at Daytona in tribute to Earnhardt's inclusion in the inaugural Hall of Fame class.  It was a special moment in the Earnhardt legacy, but it was only the beginning... 

Win #2: Kevin Harvick at Daytona (Sprint Cup)

 

The day after Jr.'s emotional victory at Daytona, Kevin Harvick drove to victory in the Sprint Cup race at Daytona.  Kevin was supposed to run a part-time schedule in the #30 AOL car for Richard Childress in 2001, and instead was brought in to replace Dale in the renumbered 29 car for the second race of the season.  While most NASCAR fans were understandably focused on Dale Jr. after his loss, I made note of the fact that Harvick achieved what most stock car drivers dream of - a full time ride with a competitive Cup team - in a way that no one wanted to get it.  There have been a lot of personnel changes over the years, but in a way the team that won last week at Daytona is the same team that had to somehow carry on without Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel all those years ago.  Kevin has scored 13 Cup victories as a driver for that team and in the meantime has also become one of the top Camping World Truck Series owners with 2 recent championships. 

Bonus: The Return of Steve Park

 

Daytona also saw the return of Steve Park to the Cup Series.  2003 was the last time Park drove in a Cup race, and aside from one truck race in 2009 his first time in a top-level NASCAR car since 2006.  He was Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s first full-time Cup driver, winning 2 races for the team.  Although Park didn't make it to Victory Lane this weekend, according to the TV reports he was a welcome sight in the garage and finished 13th. 

Win #3: David Reutimann at Joliet (Sprint Cup)

 

The next week saw the Cup series go to Joliet and David Reutimann raced to his first full-distance Cup victory of his career.  It was also Michael Waltrip's first full-distance victory as an owner.  In 2000, Mikey's disappointing 15-year winless career was winding down.  But for 2001, his 16th full Cup season, he would finally get his chance and make good on it by winning his first race as a driver for Dale Earnhardt.  Nine years later, NAPA is still sponsoring his team, having stuck with him through thick and thin.  While Aaron's is regularly on the side of Reutimann's car and Tums was on it at Joliet, it is quite likely that Michael Waltrip Racing wouldn't be in a position to win Cup races if it weren't for NAPA, a connection that began at Daytona all those years ago and still continues to this day with sponsorship of Martin Truex, Jr., another former part of DEI. 

Win #4: Austin Dillon at Iowa (Camping World Truck Series)

 

The next day the Camping World Truck Series visited Iowa Speedway and different rolling Earnhardt tribute visited a different Victory Lane as Austin Dillon drove a black, red, and camo #3 Chevrolet to a dominating win.  8 days after the Dale Jr.'s Wrangler #3 won in Daytona Dillon made the #3 two-for-three in NASCAR's top series, a triumphant return for the number which has yet to see competition on the Cup level since Dale's death in 2001. 

Without Dale...?

 

Of course, without Dale Earnhardt the NASCAR of the 80's and 90's would have looked very different.  Seven championships and 76 wins would have gone to different drivers, but that is only the most obvious of changes.  Four wins in the past two weeks have been the indirect result of Dale Earnhardt's actions nearly a decade ago (or earlier).  His influence was such that made careers for drivers who might not have made it at NASCAR's top levels without him, people who are currently winning races might not have succeeded if it weren't for Dale Earnhardt. 

Without Dale, would Richard Childress be the top-tier Cup team owner that he is today, able to provide Kevin Harvick with a winning car or support to start his truck team?  Without Childress, would Harvick have faded into obscurity as a journeyman short track driver?  Would Richard Childress be able to provide his grandson Austin with the support he needs to make the most of his talents?  Would Michael Waltrip's career have ended without him ever reaching Victory Lane in a points race, and would he have been able to field a winning multi-car Cup operation today?  Would anyone in the Cup garage even know who Steve Park was?