Dumb question but are low ratings alone enough to kill NASCAR?NASCAR

[twitcher]

Off road racing is my first love (Baja 1000 etc) been to a lot of those but not since I turned 30 because you go all the way out there, it's hot, the vehicles come by and you never see them again. It's not worth it. Still love it though.

So it’s something worth experiencing once, but not something you’d go back to year after year? Sounds about right.

 

[Blood Eagle]

So it’s something worth experiencing once, but not something you’d go back to year after year? Sounds about right.

On the NASCAR side I think the TV coverage is great with the angles and replays. You'll never truly respect the broadcast until you see a race live. Most people are there to get out of the house and party. On the offroad racing side there is almost no TV coverage and you can only grasp how awesome a trophy truck is if you see it in person. Most people are there to get out of the house and party as well. The infield RV camping at a NASCAR event would be pretty cool. I think it's worth a go if you have mutual friends who are interested..... and want to get out of the house and party

 

[twitcher]

On the NASCAR side I think the TV coverage is great with the angles and replays. You'll never truly respect the broadcast until you see a race live. Most people are there to get out of the house and party

I agree that the NASCAR broadcast is very good, definitely better than F1 in most regards.

So if I’m understanding you correctly, you’re basically saying that going to a live race is expensive, involves many hassles / unenjoyable aspects (sitting in traffic, queues, etc), and leaves you more in the dark as far as what is going on than if you were watching on TV.

Like I said, I’ve never been to a NASCAR race, the closest would be a little dirt oval outside of Toronto when I was a little kid. Having never been to one, I could only speculate what it would be like, and my speculations are not far off from your described experience.

When you go to the races, even with free tickets, what do other people there say? Are they regulars? Are they like you, just here because of free tickets? Do they enjoy the live experience more than on TV?

On the offroad racing side there is almost no TV coverage and you can only grasp how awesome a trophy truck is if you see it in person. Most people are there to get out of the house and party as well. The infield RV camping at a NASCAR event would be pretty cool. I think it's worth a go if you have mutual friends who are interested..... and want to get out of the house and party

Being that there’s basically no TV coverage, that right there sounds like pretty good motivation to go see it live, no? In the documentary about the Baja 1000 called “From Dust to Glory,” I think someone mentions how that in area of Mexico where the race is held, there isn’t much else around in the way of pro sports. They don’t have local baseball or soccer teams, desert racing is their thing.

So again, with little to no tv coverage, and it being the only game in town, I could understand why baja would draw people out into the middle of the desert to catch a glimpse of a trophy truck driven in anger.

Furthermore, in regards to a direct comparison between NASCAR and Baja, I would argue that the Baja has the potential to by far more interactive than NASCAR. I have friends who all have KTM 500s, and they routinely make the trip from BC Canada down to the Baja for the race. They go for almost a month at a time some years. They drive down to Mexico, but then tour the Baja on their bikes. They go out and ride sections of the course before and after the race, they can get right in the thick of it. And if they really wanted to, they could enter the race themselves. NASCAR, or any car racing for that matter, doesn’t quite have that intimacy.

and want to get out of the house and party

Could that be part of the issue? Is people’s primary motivation to get out of the house and party, or is it to watch a NASCAR race? If the motivation is to party, and NASCAR is just an excuse to do it, new excuses to party can be found around every corner.

 

[Blood Eagle]

I agree that the NASCAR broadcast is very good, definitely better than F1 in most regards.

So if I’m understanding you correctly, you’re basically saying that going to a live race is expensive, involves many hassles / unenjoyable aspects (sitting in traffic, queues, etc), and leaves you more in the dark as far as what is going on than if you were watching on TV.

Like I said, I’ve never been to a NASCAR race, the closest would be a little dirt oval outside of Toronto when I was a little kid. Having never been to one, I could only speculate what it would be like, and my speculations are not far off from your described experience.

When you go to the races, even with free tickets, what do other people there say? Are they regulars? Are they like you, just here because of free tickets? Do they enjoy the live experience more than on TV?

I'm a huge NASCAR fan and have been for several years. I don't have any friends who are NASCAR fans but I do take people from time to time who want to go and they usually have a pretty good time be it my friends or friends of my wife or mutual. I think for my wife it's more of a social thing because they get to stay in a hotel and order room service. For my friends and I it's more of a lets drink beer and watch a NASCAR race thing even if people aren't fans of the sport it can be fun but I guess what I'm trying to say with less words is that NASCAR is way better on TV than it is in person. I don't think NASCAR is a sport people just watch on TV one day and enjoy on their own. It's more of a passed down from elders to kids type of motorsport. I myself had to sit and watch NASCAR races with my grandfather and hated it but over time started to like it and now have been a regular for many years.

Being that there’s basically no TV coverage, that right there sounds like pretty good motivation to go see it live, no? In the documentary about the Baja 1000 called “From Dust to Glory,” I think someone mentions how that in area of Mexico where the race is held, there isn’t much else around in the way of pro sports. They don’t have local baseball or soccer teams, desert racing is their thing.

So again, with little to no tv coverage, and it being the only game in town, I could understand why baja would draw people out into the middle of the desert to catch a glimpse of a trophy truck driven in anger.

Furthermore, in regards to a direct comparison between NASCAR and Baja, I would argue that the Baja has the potential to by far more interactive than NASCAR. I have friends who all have KTM 500s, and they routinely make the trip from BC Canada down to the Baja for the race. They go for almost a month at a time some years. They drive down to Mexico, but then tour the Baja on their bikes. They go out and ride sections of the course before and after the race, they can get right in the thick of it. And if they really wanted to, they could enter the race themselves. NASCAR, or any car racing for that matter, doesn’t quite have that intimacy.

Between NASCAR and off road racing for me, attending an off road race is a more enjoyable experience overall and you can get very close to the action. Seeing one of those things blast down a rough road and just hearing it is an amazing experience. There is no admission fee and everything in Mexico is cheap by comparison. The food is great and Baja is a beautiful place. Sort of like a vacation but you get to see the race too. My biggest problem is that I can't take a lot of time off of work and even though I can be in Ensenada in about 4 hours there is usually hours of wait at the border coming back through and the main festivities before the race take place during the work week and I cannot attend. It's like a get off work on Friday blast down there only have about a day to spectate and have to blast back home for work. It's too much trouble for me in most cases. Plus I have an employee who always goes to the races and even raced the Baja 500 in 2007 and in 2014. I give him first priority of going over me because he's a good worker. We definitely both couldn't go. There is racing in the US but you are very limited as a spectator of where you can spectate and it's even a further drive than Baja for me.

Could that be part of the issue? Is people’s primary motivation to get out of the house and party, or is it to watch a NASCAR race? If the motivation is to party, and NASCAR is just an excuse to do it, new excuses to party can be found around every corner.

I think most people are just looking to have a good time. You don't have to be a NASCAR fan to have a good time at a NASCAR race. It's more for the experience. You'd need a set of binoculars to actually follow it. TV offers much better representation of what's actually happening on the track. Technology is great.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Disregard DP

 

[homeforsummer]

Is there a "NASCAR radio" thing that people can tune into during races to keep track of the positions? It's definitely something that helps when I've been to Le Mans.

I guess one of the joys of endurance racing is that you can dip in and out more than you can with a race that only lasts a couple of hours. At Le Mans you can watch the start of the race, go to a different bit of the track, hop on a tram to go into the city for dinner and a beer, return, watch them race at night for a bit, go to sleep, catch some more racing in the morning, go have lunch, and then watch the finish. It may not be any better as a trackside spectator but it doesn't need to be...

Surprised to hear how expensive going to a NASCAR event can be though. I'd always assumed low cost for spectators was one of the attractions.

I thought going to see motorsport in the UK could be a bit steep (BTCC is maybe £30 for a race day ticket, plus fuel, plus probably £10 per person for food, plus say a programme for £5 - if I went alone the day would cost me maybe £60 on average) but I guess it also depends how far you follow it. If I had to travel to Knockhill in Scotland to watch the racing I'd be looking at a 7-hour drive each way (so I'd probably have to book accommodation too), which would rapidly increase costs - maybe a tank of fuel there and back (£100), a hotel (another £100 assuming it's relatively close) plus the event costs. When you're in the US and want to follow the event to a venue four states away and have to add in a couple of days of travel or flights or whatever, I see how it could stack up.

I'm of the opinion that younger people nowadays have a very short attention span and can't make it very long without having other distractions like their phones, the internet, dank memes and what have you.

Quoting this because I found it irrationally funny.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Is there a "NASCAR radio" thing that people can tune into during races to keep track of the positions? It's definitely something that helps when I've been to Le Mans.

Yes MRN broadcasts races you can listen in on. https://www.mrn.com/

Quoting this because I found it irrationally funny.

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[CodeRedR51]

Surprised to hear how expensive going to a NASCAR event can be though.

Depends on your location I think. Since PIR is local to me, It would really only cost me tickets (hillside ftw), a tank of fuel and food for the day. Souvenirs if you prefer, but not necessary.

 

[raven214]

I've been a Nascar fan since the late 80's because my parents watched it. They took me to Watkins Glen one year and I was hooked. That being said, I really came to despise the CoT visually. I drove a Chevy Impala at the time and the comparison (again, visually) became so laughable when I realized the cars were literal unibody copies of one another with the only difference being the set of stickers they got for lights and grills.

Nascar has tried to address this with the current generation cars having unique, manufacturer designed front/rear ends, but for me it's fast becoming too little too late. My favorite driver (Jr) has retired, but even before that my interest was waning. I want to see more road courses. I'm finding ovals repetitive. Also, I want to see cars that actually look like the real thing. Something similar to Aussie V8 super cars running on the best of ovals and road courses in America is what I'm thinking of.

To top it off, the elimination round playoff system is a joke. I didn't care for the post-season when they started it but now it's a confusing mess that just drives me away. Not to mention stage racing which is totally rediculous. It's not the points payout that gets me - I'm used to that from the endurance races of the IMSA season - it's the way the segments are structured. The laps are counted separately and, most agregiously, the caution being thrown takes out the strategy element and makes everything feel artificial. I'm 3/4 of the way out the door unless Nascar makes some big changes to the cars and schedule, instead of stupid gimmicks.

 

[BadFlounder]

Personally, I've never quite understood the appeal of NASCAR. Growing up in Colorado in the 80s and 90s, nobody here really seems to care much about it, and my dad was a mechanic and owned an auto shop! All I can remember is Rick Mears and the Indy 500, etc. Seemed like Indy was much bigger back then before the IRL fiasco. That said, I certainly also remember the 90's when NASCAR absolutely exploded in popularity and I would see Dale Earnhardt jackets and Jeff Gordon stuff, etc. There is still a bigger following out here than pre-90s, but it isn't as much now as it was back in the heyday.

As many have mentioned, I couldn't see NASCAR ever dying off entirely, but I think it is more well suited being a bit more of a regional series. It still has national appeal, of course. But the heyday of the 90s has gone for good IMO.

For me, the convoluted playoff system in NASCAR is an abomination. I don't follow it, but I watch a ton of sports so I see bits here and there, and I just can't believe they went and did that. Just use a points system like every other racing series. Maybe it's just me, because I don't follow it closely, but I just find that system crazy.

 

[RVDNuT374]

Is there anyway that the members of GTP can somehow raise enough money to buy NASCAR outright to save it from further destruction? On a more serious note, I believe NASCAR has been on its way to an early grave since 2004 thanks to the idiocy of Brian France and company, although major rating and attendance declines didn't start until more recently.

What NASCAR needs to do to save itself is get rid of the WWE and ball-sports inspired rule book and return to basics (no playoffs or stage racing) before ratings and attendance get to a point where each track is losing money on a regular basis. Unfortunately, they'll probably implement a rule next year where each driver comes out in driver introductions to theme music and a sponsor-inspired costume, complete with pyrotechnics in an effort to attract younger fans.

 

[twitcher]

Is there anyway that the members of GTP can somehow raise enough money to buy NASCAR outright to save it from further destruction? On a more serious note, I believe NASCAR has been on its way to an early grave since 2004 thanks to the idiocy of Brian France and company, although major rating and attendance declines didn't start until more recently.

What NASCAR needs to do to save itself is get rid of the WWE and ball-sports inspired rule book and return to basics (no playoffs or stage racing) before ratings and attendance get to a point where each track is losing money on a regular basis. Unfortunately, they'll probably implement a rule next year where each driver comes out in driver introductions to theme music and a sponsor-inspired costume, complete with pyrotechnics.

Like a talent portion of the contest? That would be pretty cool 👍