To bring back any semblance of the popularity of the 1980's and 1990's would require a complete revamp of the sport. Start with a blank slate. How do they back-pedal to make the sport more exciting, while at the same time retaining the current level of driver safety? Quite a challenge, IMO.
Unfortunately, the rate of decline in NASCAR appears to be escalating, so the need to do something is becoming more and more critical to the future. So many race fans side with specific manufacturers. A good start would be to run cars that actually have something in common with the manufacturer's actual products. Instead of spec racers of today.
The France family needs to take a hard look in the mirror, figure out what NASCAR should look like in 2027 and then decide how to get there. They MUST be aware that the current trend is one of doom and gloom for the sport.
Cloud Dancer wrote:
IMO most of these NASCAR problems do not have practical solutions.
IMO most of these NASCAR problems do not have practical solutions.
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Before every race was televised, many teams did not run a full season.
Before restrictor plates, over half of the races at Daytona and Talladega had only one car on the lead lap at the finish. Only a few times each year were there more than ten cars on the lead lap at any track. (This was the times when 20-25 second pit stops were considered fast.)
The "popularity" of NASCAR across the country only blossomed for a few years, maybe a decade at most, after national TV contracts gave most people exposure to the sport.
When Derrick Cope won the Daytona 500, the race wasn't carried live on almost all the network stations on the west coast. KING TV in Seattle didn't carry the race live until some viewers called to tell the station how well Cope was doing. They aired less than 50 laps live.
That television exposure brought a lot of new 'fans' to NASCAR. A lot of them wanted to go to races, and tracks built extra seats. Many of those fans are gone now because they were not real fans, they have moved on to other things. They also found that going to a race was great for the spectacle, but horrible if a person actually wanted to see the race. Television does a much better job than a person at the track can do of following the race. (One exception - if a fan had a favorite driver they want to follow, they can do that better at the track, especially if that driver isn't one of the top half dozen drivers. )
NASCAR hasn't changed the basics, and that is the problem.
Some ideas
1 - The 'season' is too long. Needs to be Feb to July 4 only. Maybe 15-20 races at most.
2 - The races need to be under a 3 hour time limit. If it rains, call the race. Don't have a long rain delay. Kills the TV audience.
3 - Two lap down cars have to leave the track. They are done.
4 - No more restrictor plates. Either knock the banking down so drivers have to lift/ hit the brakes for the corners, or drop the track from the schedule.
5 - No points. If a driver wins, he/she is in a season final race. Non-winners don't get to run. Winner is the champion.
6 - No requirement to run the whole season to be champion. Get rid of the charters (okay that was a bad idea. See how much charters/ franchises helped Indy cars).
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PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
1 - The 'season' is too long. Needs to be Feb to July 4 only. Maybe 15-20 races at most. Or bring it to an end before the start of college/NFL football. NASCAR will NEVER pull more viewers than football.
2 - The races need to be under a 3 hour time limit. If it rains, call the race. Don't have a long rain delay. Kills the TV audience. Shorter races on the plate and known 'snooze-a-palooza 1.5 mile tracks would be great. The short tracks are pretty good as is.
3 - Two lap down cars have to leave the track. They are done. Interesting concept.
4 - No more restrictor plates. Either knock the banking down so drivers have to lift/ hit the brakes for the corners, or drop the track from the schedule. Anything that ends the rolling roadblock.
5 - No points. If a driver wins, he/she is in a season final race. Non-winners don't get to run. Winner is the champion. Eliminates the mystery of NASCAR scoring. I like it.
6 - No requirement to run the whole season to be champion. Get rid of the charters (okay that was a bad idea. See how much charters/ franchises helped Indy cars).
Here Here! A McDonald's franchise has greater value.
1 - The 'season' is too long. Needs to be Feb to July 4 only. Maybe 15-20 races at most. Or bring it to an end before the start of college/NFL football. NASCAR will NEVER pull more viewers than football.
2 - The races need to be under a 3 hour time limit. If it rains, call the race. Don't have a long rain delay. Kills the TV audience. Shorter races on the plate and known 'snooze-a-palooza 1.5 mile tracks would be great. The short tracks are pretty good as is.
3 - Two lap down cars have to leave the track. They are done. Interesting concept.
4 - No more restrictor plates. Either knock the banking down so drivers have to lift/ hit the brakes for the corners, or drop the track from the schedule. Anything that ends the rolling roadblock.
5 - No points. If a driver wins, he/she is in a season final race. Non-winners don't get to run. Winner is the champion. Eliminates the mystery of NASCAR scoring. I like it.
6 - No requirement to run the whole season to be champion. Get rid of the charters (okay that was a bad idea. See how much charters/ franchises helped Indy cars).
NONE of them are included in NASCAR's future plans. And, THAT'S what I mean by practical solutions. NASCAR owns the business, and only those changes THEY choose will be incorporated. And, I can't say I blame them. If I owned NASCAR I would NOT want it known that I took suggestions from "the peanut gallery". IMO it has nothing to do with right or wrong. The way I see it, the business owner has the right to be the one to figure out how to succeed, or sell it before it fails, or whatever they want to do. As a fan, I enjoy the freedom to look for something else, if what they offer doesn't sufficiently entertain me. Trying to make NASCAR succeed is none of my business. In my case, I ended up LEASING my racetrack after I realized that too many of the racers and fans did not want me to be the one to enjoy the profits (yes, it was profitable). Apparently, they saw it as the ones who were spending their money and labor, and I was the one MAKING money. It was personal. Several different tenants tried to succeed, but didn't. They still blamed me. Then, I announced that I would be willing to sell out,...everything (including the 52 acres of land). THEN, I got an offer I couldn't refuse. And now, the racetrack is closed.
I actually agree with the way NASCAR runs THEIR business.
GO KYLE BUSCH!
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To a group of car owners, who will find that the great money machine isn't really as profitable as they thought.
NASCAR will go the way of CART. I just hope it doesn't happen in the next 10-15 years.
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The best thing is it was carried on a channel that I actually receive. Makes it so much easier to watch the race.
Congratulations to Martin Truex!
Watched the Xfinity race yesterday as well and it was a good race also. Kyle Busch owned that one. No secret that guy can wheel a race car. I don't particularly like the cup drivers being able to compete in the Xfinity races but that seems to be part of the economic reality that is nascar these days.
wrote:
If I owned NASCAR I would NOT want it known that I took suggestions from "the peanut gallery".
If I owned NASCAR I would NOT want it known that I took suggestions from "the peanut gallery".
Another discussion going here....food for thought.
But, I think that the, "peanut gallery," is exactly who Nascar ownership should be listening to....the peanut gallery are the butts in the seats, at the track and at home.
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."
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