The 2022 running NASCAR, IMSA & other racing things thread

I can't speak about DW, but I can assure you his little brother his completely different when the cameras are rolling and when they are not.

 

This interview would back you up.

 

Boy, ain't that the truth. Some of the guys who drove me to the Twins were shocked to find out Mikey was a grade-A asshole in real life.

 

That’s how I feel too.

 

Clearly NASCAR is no longer in "growth mode" - tracks are "reconfiguring," a dirt race in Bristol on Easter no less, and the drying up of sponsor dollars. Don't know if the costs of sponsorship grew too high for the returns, or companies found that involvement in NASCAR didn't move the needle in reaching their customers - in any event, I wouldn't mind seeing the return of some owner/drivers, maybe even a "luxury tax" on the megateams to keep the sport healthy.

Personally, what attracted me to the sport in the '80s and '90s were the personalities of the drivers. They spoke their mind, they were honest, they were real. Now? They mostly seem interchangeable and have no personality.

 

And yet NASCAR will still get a massive TV deal (although it may be Fox and YouTube/Peacock) because "content" and the 4-5 million avid viewers are still better than most other spring-summer Sunday afternoon options.

ABC/ESPN has been burned twice. CBS has golf. TBS has baseball. NBC shuttered its sports network. So there aren't a lot of players out there for NASCAR to pit against each other.

But the difference in crowds between Daytona and St. Pete couldn't have been more telling. Ninety percent of the NASCAR crowd had AARP cards, while the IndyCar paddock was predominately Gen X. Now, the venue could have a lot to do with it -- and Thursday night was a school night -- but it confirms my gut feeling that V8-powered sedans don't translate to a market where the manufacturers are severely cutting back on that specific product because nobody's buying them.

 

Until NASCAR realizes it's not 1992 anymore and makes major adjustments, stock car racing -- like baseball --- is becoming more and more disconnected from what the next generations of fans expect from their experience.

NASCAR's growth bubble burst more than a decade ago, but the suits in Daytona Beach refuse to accept that, mainly because the TV money has continued to prop up a bad business model.

The season is too long.
The races are too long.
The tracks are too similar.
It still costs way too much for a family to attend.
There's an amazing amount of technology in these cars, but they look like what your grandma drives.
They have no idea how to pivot to EV or even hybrid technology. (It took them 60 years to stop using leaded fuel and carburetors.)
Other than Chase Elliott, none of the current crop of drivers moves the fan needle.

Ben Kennedy is being groomed to eventually take over the family business, but there may be no way to stop the slide before he can implement the changes necessary to bring the sport into the 2020s.

 

NASCAR's problem is twofold. They can't attract younger fans because they aren't interested in car culture, and they have driven away older guys like me who don't care for the modern cars.

 

I’m sitting here waiting to start the grill because I figured there would be a wreck (and probably at least one green-white-checkers) at the end in Talladega.

Dinner’s gonna be a little late, y’all.

Also, if Ross Chastain isn’t already a member of the Moose they need to expedite that.

 

The front of William Byron's car must be caved in after the way he was pushing Erik Jones for those last 20 laps or so. He was beating the shit out of Jones' back bumper to keep him up front.