prisonermonkeys
But is there a market for NASCAR to go overseas?
NASCAR does have a reputation for being popular with rednecks, and as being boring oval-based racing. Now, whether or not that is representative of the truth is beside the point - the fact that it has that reputation in the first place is a serious barrier an international race would have to overcome. There are a handful of oval circuits outside the States that could handle NASCAR (Motegi, Lausitz and Rockingham all spring to mind), but if there is no market for those races, then there is no point in spending all that money setting it up an flying everyone out there.
The thing about reputations, or in this case stereotypes, is while though there may be some truth to them, they're generally exaggerated and all encompassing or are simply wrong.
In the United States soccer has a reputation, or is stereotyped, as being popular with poor countries and very boring because its low scoring and you cannot use your hands among other limiting rules. Like the NASCAR red neck and boring oval course stereotype, the above belief about soccer may be true in some instances, but overall the truth is anything but.
NASCAR has alot of red neck fans because the sport originated in the South. Over the past 25 years NASCAR has expanded dramatically in the United States. California native Jeff Gordon helped NASCAR break through the barrier as a mostly Southern sport and reach out to fans all across the country. As it stands now, few of the drivers are from the South but from all over the country, whereas it use to be most were from the South. I'm not saying anything is wrong of the South, but NASCAR has long since broken past the barrier of being a mostly southern sport.
Back to the soccer analogy. Though the sport is stereotyped wrongly in a negative way here in the United States, there still is a market for it. The Major League Soccer league has sprung up and as far as I can tell its doing OK.
I myself have never watched more then 15 minutes of any one soccer game. But when traveling across the United States we passed a newly built soccer stadium and our entire car group, none of which watch any soccer at all on television, really wanted to attend and experience the game first hand.
As the old movie quote goes, "if you build it, they will come."
If folks in Europe or elsewhere hear NASCAR is coming to town, how many of them are going to say, "I dont want to watch a boring oval race, that's only watched by rednecks." See how funny that sounds? Based off my experience with a relatively foreign sport like soccer, I think their curiosity would get them to at least try it in person, and they may get hooked.
A week ago I remember seeing the fans at the Kentucky oval get right next to the fence for the start of the race. I can't imagine what it would be like to get that close to 43 cars racing past you at 200mph. Seeing a race in person is much different then watching it on TV.
Also, NASCAR doesn't have to race on an oval overseas. NASCAR is in the business of making money and expanding it's brand. If the data says its better to run on a roadcourse in front of so and so crowd, then they will do it rather then try to upgrade some crumbling oval track. NASCAR's current race outside of the states is on a roadcourse in Montreal Canada with the 2nd tier Nationwide series. Before that the Nationwide series ran at a road course in Mexico not too long ago.
And one more thing. Think about American football which now plays one regular season game in London every year now. American football has a bad reputation/stereotype too across the world, as boring and played by fat players. But the game has sold out 60,000 seats all except for the last year in which a lockout disrupted ticket sales. I think NASCAR could do better then that for many reasons.[/quote]
prisonermonkeys
V8 Supercars is coming to America for two reasons: firstly, the organisers feel that there is a market for the category. After all, there isn't much in the way of circuit-based touring cars in America when oval-based stock cars are so popular. And secondly, V8 Supercars has saturated its domestic market. The sport continues to grow, but there are no more circuits that could host the racing. They've either been bulldozed (like Oran Park), are too small (like Mallala), are incredibly expensive and/or unpopular (like Hamilton) or are in markets where there is no real forecast for growth (like Hampton Downs; one race in New Zealand - not at Pukekohe - is thought to be enough).
V8 Supercars does have a reputation as good racing. The problem is, the United States isn't really full of the most passionate racing fans. That more then anything is why F1 has failed here. The stereotype saying in the US is "Nobody likes racing except rednecks and Europeans". The US's two biggest racing series, NASCAR and Indycar, are both struggling right now with lower fan attendance and TV ratings.
But V8 Supercars is doing what I think NASCAR should try. Just take a stab at it. If it doesnt work out, if the fanbase doesnt respond and they dont support the event, just pull out. The world is a big place. Try somewhere else. Even if the event doesnt get enough support to stay you will have at least made some lifetime fans that will watch the races on TV.
But looking closer at the current state of NASCAR I see a 36 race schedule already filled with 2 roadcourses. Talk about saturation. NASCAR doesnt want to add too many roadcourses and I think everyone is against going to 37 races. The only way NASCAR can add another race overseas is if they cut an existing race. There are a few with poor attendance they can cut to make room for a race overseas, but will they want to expand to 3 roadcourses? To take a shot at an untapped market I think they will.
prisonermonkeys
So V8 Supercars Australia really have four options: 1) they can start building more permanent circuits, but this is very, very expensive and will take years for them to be ready while in the meantime, the category stagnates; 2) they can start introducing more and more street circuits to the calendar, but between Adelaide, Homebush Bay, Townsville, Surfers Paradise and Hamilton, it is felt that the series already has enough; 3) they can start visiting circuits twice in one year, and while this hasn't really been explored much, I can't imagine it would be too popular; or 4) they can start to push into overseas markets. They're going to Austin, and there is also talk that the category could visit Mexico City, the Philippines (there's an old US Air Force base that has been converted into a racing circuit), India, Singapore (they've been variously rumoured to be a support bill for Formula 1, or racing on a purpose-built circuit at Changi that never seems to have been constructed) and even a street circuit in Hong Kong.
Obviously, they feel that there is enough of a market overseas to justify these moves. V8 Supercars is broadcast (albeit with two-week delays) in America, and Bathurst was broadcast live last year (and I've heard they might do it again this year). Even with Marcos Ambrose racing in NASCAR and getting a reputation as one of the best road course racers the category has ever seen (at least, that's the way it's being reported down here), I just can't imagine that NASCAR would make the same impact into the Australian sporting consciousness.
If NASCAR showed up in Australia nobody would come out and watch Marcos Ambrose?
When the Nationwide Series goes to Montreal who knows how many tickets are sold because Jacques Villeneuve is in the race.
If V8 supercars is planning on doing that many races worldwide then surely they must already have easy and cost effective ways of transporting the crew and cars. NASCAR uses big haulers to travel the United States going from track to track. I think the issue is more logistics then cost. If Indycars in it's current miserable financial condition can transport it's cars and race in other countries, then NASCAR certainly could if they started getting the right equipment over the next few years. Its just that Indycar has always been perpared to do it while NASCAR has not
Darn good.
