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Part Time Fans Driving The Show?
Upon initial estimates from those on the outside, looking in, it seems that fans want the track back to the way it was. At least those that are taking the time to voice their opinions around the web.
But are race fans really comprising the majority of the nay-sayers, or is it just wreck-fest fans who are clamoring for what they want to see? Upon initial oversight, I think the wreck-fest fans make up the bulk of the money demographic? I got a chance to see general fans in action the other day at a bar that just happened to have a NASCAR telecast going. It was a rare opportunity because the bar-goers were actually looking at the TV.
The amount of oohs and ahs that came from the crowd during the crash replays was disheartening and amazing, all at once.
And suddenly I realized that NASCAR has to appeal to the generic fan who gravitates to the visual of the wrecks in NASCAR. Suddenly I realize why Fox promos contain so many wrecks. They need to cater to the bulk of their viewers. The same viewers who take their news-drama from pretty, hot-looking anchors.
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The Variables of Attendance
The boys on The Morning Drive (Mike Bagley & Pete Pistone) on SiriusXM brought up an additional interesting point about the attendance at Bristol this weekend:
The economy and Kansas having a cup date may be contributing to diluting attendance numbers at Bristol. Obviously the economy is hitting folks in many ways. And when you only have so much money to drop on something like attending a NASCAR race, then you probably pick the closest venue. And it's been said that there were concerns that Kansas would impact Bristol attendance.
There are many variables in the background that make up the attendance of a race. Many that fans don't dwell on right away, that what seems obvious might not be at all.
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In Chess, You Save the Queen Till Later
So folks say the racing at Bristol today is boring. They just go around in circles. (For a second, I thought that's what racing was... laps around a formatted structure, testing the mettle of the driver and the machine on each and every lap. Not a figure-eight race.)
That driving strategy, based on wear-and-tear on a driver's machine and the other machines around him, dictating the moves, is what it's all about from inside the cockpit of car. It's not an all-out sprint for 500 laps. In chess, go ahead and throw all your non-pawns out there and go for the throat instantly and tell me how well you do?
Racing is a bit like chess... At least from on top of the pit box and behind the wheel. It just moves a little bit faster.
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Progressive Banking Makes It A True Race
The progressive banking puts the tactics back into primary play and makes the race about the tactics and planning. A well planned strategy wins the day. (Unless you're eaten up by flat tires, exhaust pipes and the wrecks everyone loves to see.) And the masses seem to want the wrecks. Or at least that's what pays out for the tracks and TV numbers.
If, what's been hinted at, Bruton Smith does dump a Million to flatten the track, well, it would be disappointing to some while putting a show back on for others. No one really wins or loses. True fans will stick around. Others will come along to see what the four and five hour show is all about. (Flat Bristol made for verrrrry long telecasts sometimes.)
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My father (a pilot) once said he hates seeing airplane accidents because that's a plane not flying. (Amongst other things.) Cars wrecking isn't racing. But you'd need to be a hard-core fan to understand that.
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