As Requested By the Fans… and Other Fairytales
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I bid you welcome gentle readers. Some might have
noticed that I’ve stopped greeting our assigned reader of all things NASCAR. We
are still read… each and every column… but if no one listens, we might as well
be that tree that falls in the forest when no one is around. If we’re not
heard, then why bother?
If one listens to the NASCAR spin coming out of Daytona
Beach, you’d think that the fans ran the show; that they have only to ask and
they’ll receive. Supposedly we asked for the Chase; we asked for the Lucky Dog
rule; we asked for counting by onesies because we couldn’t understand Latford;
we asked for the COT; we asked for an ever-changing point system; we asked for
Stage racing and we asked, along with “all the drivers” for that 5-minute crash
clock.
Really? REALLY? How many of those things, or the
numerous other changes foisted upon us over the past decade and more did you
request? Do you even know of a fan that asked for any of those things? By and
large, the folks that come here to read and comment do so because these pages
deal with logic and common sense. The things suggested here are summarily
ignored by those running the “show”, though they come from some of the most
devoted fans of the sport that still care. So… who and where are these “fans”
that requested all the change and are listened to so intently?
NASCAR has what they call a “Fan Council.” Sounds
impressive, doesn’t it? Have you ever wondered who they are and why they seemingly
react favorably to every idea that comes from Daytona Beach or Charlotte? Well,
your scribe is acquainted with several that have served on that Council, though
quite honestly I don’t think I know anyone currently admitting to membership.
To start with, one has to be aware that any poll is only as good as the
questions asked, and can be controlled by those same questions.
For the most part, I’m told the questions come in survey
style, where answers are typically yes or no, with no place for comments.
Sometimes the fans were/are asked to rate something, from 1 to 10… those
include such things as races, sponsors, broadcasts, etc., but again, the
answers were numbers only, with no comments. Occasionally, I’m told, a space
for comments appears at the end of the survey, but I’ve yet to find anyone that
was privy to the results of a survey or to anyone else’s comments. One perfect
example of a question with no “right” answer would be, “Have you stopped
beating your wife?” Think that one over… it’s all about how the question is
worded, and remember, the choices are limited to yes and no.
Here, we sometimes have discussions that go on for days,
with intelligent folks contributing thoughts and desires, likes and dislikes, which
NASCAR would do well to read and heed. Instead, they lean on fixed and guided
surveys that contain loaded questions; then here comes another zany idea or
crazy change and we’re asked to believe that the “fans” requested this. Um… NO!
The fans did not request or even consider most of the things that have taken
this sport on a path to the nether world “Like a snowball headed for Hell!”
(Thanks Merle Haggard… I love that line and borrow it often)
Let’s look for a minute at the TV ratings for the first
4 races of 2017.
Daytona:
Daytona 500 Ratings Among Lowest
Ever Despite Viewership Bump
Atlanta:
NASCAR’s Second Race of Season
Lowest in At Least 19 Years
Las Vegas:
NASCAR Vegas Ratings Fall to
Record-Low
Phoenix:
NASCAR Phoenix Overnights Hit
Record-Low Opposite Tournament
Links are from SportsMediaWatch.com where you can read much more
about not only the Cup races to date, but Xfinity and trucks as well. No longer
do the fans get even the always inflated attendance figures from a race, but we
have eyes, and excepting Daytona, even grandstands greatly reduced in seating
capacity are far from full and in some cases almost empty.
This scribe grows weary of hearing how attendance and
ratings are down for other sports as well, so it’s no big deal. When I read
that the NFL for example… that bastion of the sporting world that is so praised
and emulated by Brian Z. France… is down 6% compared to NASCAR being down 49%,
I’m sorry folks, but that is HUGE! NFL is off a tick, but NASCAR, once the #2
most watched sport in America is only half of what it once was.
Maybe it’s no one’s fault. I honestly don’t know, but I
know that everything that has been suggested by folks here has been ignored…
with one shining exception. A few years back, NASCAR announced the end of the
“guaranteed top 35”, which meant that the top 35 in points would be in the race
no matter what. Someone finally saw the fallacy in that and that it made
qualifying virtually unnecessary and rendered the Twin-150s at Daytona a joke
without a punchline. The fans rejoiced! At long last, someone was listening!
Not so fast. A year or so later, the Charter System was introduced, and there
were then 36 cars guaranteed to race. We’re not supposed to notice that sleight
of hand I guess. They merely undid the first guarantee to make room for the
second, which I’m certain was already in the plans or at least on the drawing
board.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve grown
extremely weary of being lied to, conned and treated like a fool when I’m not.
I love racing! That statement can’t be challenged. I’ve loved it since I was a
young teen, and still do. However… I don’t love, nor can they make me love an
endless series of gimmicks and tricks that wouldn’t fool a 5-year old, yet they
expect me to become the trout on their hook. Nope… not gonna happen.
The important line in that statement is, “I love
racing!” What it does not say, gentle readers, is that I love NASCAR. I very
much fear what will eventually come to pass is that sanctioning body will be
gone from racing. The snowball mentioned above is picking up speed and is close
to becoming an avalanche. It hurts my heart to think of the jobs that could be
lost, cities and towns dependent on races could be financially crippled (See:
North Wilkesboro) and a once proud sport in shambles with the pieces there for
the picking.
No, they’re not listening to us. I doubt they have any
intention of listening to us. Racing, in the guise of NASCAR, has become a huge
tax write-off for the France family, and we the fans are merely pawns in the
game they play. When I came to the keyboard today, I had at least ten reference
pages open dealing with what I thought I might say. Instead, I went in a single
direction and cited none of them but the TV ratings. That’s OK, as I’ll write
again. I just wish that once in a while they’d give me something positive about
which to write.
Oh Lord, just when you think it’s safe to go back in the
water, here come the sharks again. I just read something on the NBC website that hit me in the pit of my
stomach and then bounced off the walls on its way back. Please, tell me this is
a joke… even though it’s not funny! NASCAR is going to put restrictor plates on
the Xfinity cars at Indy! “Those that do not learn from history are doomed to
repeat it!” Indianapolis Motor Speedway is flatter than my singing! Does no one
remember New Hampshire, when it seemed to someone a fine idea to put restrictor
plates on the Cup cars there? New Hampshire of course, is another very flat
track, and the addition of restrictor plates made passing not unlikely, but
impossible. Jeff Burton started outside Bobby Labonte and passed him on the
first lap, for the only pass of the race. Burton led all 300 boring,
sleep-inducing, soporific miles of that rolling cure for insomnia! So, with
that in mind, let’s try it on a track 2.5 TIMES as big and see how that works.
I honestly don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but tears
are going to win, I’m sure. NASCAR says if they like what they see, they’ll be
extending the idea of plates to the Cup cars for 2018. Oh wait! That’s not all!
Speculation abounds that if NASCAR likes what they see, they’ll be considering
adding plates to the Cup cars at Pocono and Michigan as well. Has the whole
world gone berserk? Flat tracks with restrictor plates. NASCAR, I promise you
one thing. Do that and I will not watch! There would be no reason to watch. I
sleep perfectly well at night. Good grief, who stays up nights thinking up new
ways to screw up racing?
Oh, and NO, the fans did not request this either!
“I spent more time
than I would have liked last week explaining to people how a driver with an
average finish of 15th (Kevin Harvick) was then leading the point standings,
while a driver with a sixth place average finish can be eighth.
It's honestly not
that enjoyable a practice when the people I'm explaining it to look at me as
though I'm selling snake oil.”
Those words come from an ESPN article by Rickey Craven, and are but part of a much
more comprehensive collection of thoughts. I find them interesting, especially
when one is looking at the points and how they stack up
after 4 races
in this young season. In what is supposed to be a “Win and you’re in” system,
we see young Kyle Larson atop the leaderboard. The funny thing is, Kyle has no
wins; he’s won no stages and he has no bonus or “playoff” points. He’s there
for the simple reason that he has raced extremely well to date, and has left
many of the others in the dust.
Some of the expected front-runners are far down the
list. Jimmie Johnson is 91 points off the pace; Matt Kenseth is down 112, Dale
Earnhardt Jr. 114 and Austin Dillon 118. At this point, I’m not even sure what
that means. I do know I’d be amused to see Larson go into the playoffs as the
point-leader by simply racing the best and beating the rest. Isn’t that the way
it used to be… in the days before the games and gimmicks?
Time now for our Classic Country Closeout and I’ve found
a true Classic for your listening and watching pleasure. This is an early
edition of the Porter Wagoner Show. It features one of Mama’s favorites as a
child and still today, Tex Ritter. It also gives us a look at Mac Magaha, that adorable fiddle player that was a one-man show
all unto himself. We were fortunate to see the Wagon Masters several times in
live shows, and they were awesome. Please enjoy!
Be well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling.
It looks so good on you!
~PattyKay