Attendance is down in racing across America. Television audience numbers are dwindling even for Nascar. Everyone it seems has their own opinion on why and what the answer is. My friend Michael Knight in his Spin Doctor 500 blog talks about the problem he sees. John Daly through his The Daly Planet blog tackles what’s [...]
The Daytona 500 once again “The Great American Story.”
I’m a sucker for a great story. To me, great stories are what make racing so interesting to me. This year’s Daytona 500 had three of them. The first great story was that of Brian Keselowski. I’ve known Brian for several years and talk to him whenever I can at the race track. I know [...]
Is it time to shorten Nascar Sprint Cup races?
Everyone is trying to find an answer to Nascar’s declining television ratings. Some point to a dull Chase format, some to boring races and some to bad television production of Nascar races. One idea that I like has actually been suggested by Fox Sports Chairman David Hill. (Here’s the story) His idea? Shorten all Sprint [...]
What will 2011 bring?
Unfortunately I do not have a crystal ball nor can I read the future. If I could, I’d be on a beach sipping those umbrella drinks after hitting the lottery. I do have some questions though as the 2011 racing season is about to get underway. The top question, as it has been now for [...]
Ringing out the old year
2010 was definitely an interesting year in auto racing. Jimmie Johnson comes from behind to win Nascar Sprint Cup title #5 in a row. Dario Franchitti not only wins the Indianapolis 500 but he comes from behind to claim the IndyCar title. Chip Ganassi won the Indianapolis 500 as a team owner with Franchitti plus [...]
Time to end Driver of the Year in Nascar & IndyCar
Congrats to five-time Nascar Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson for winning the “Driver of the Year” award for the fourth time in his career. However, he should never have gotten the award. Here’s my thinking on this. Could Johnson have done anything he did on the race track without his team? How many times during [...]
Is Nascar suffering media overexposure?
Last time I asked if Nascar can be fixed. Now I ask if part of Nascar’s problem is that it is overexposed. Let me ask you this. Is there anything that a fan DOESN’T know about Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards or any other top Nascar driver? Between all the media that is out [...]
Can Nascar be “fixed?”
A giant topic of discussion for the last several months has been the declining attendance and television audience for Nascar. Attendance could be a direct correlation to the economy but the television ratings is the mystery. Some point to the struggles of live television taking an event that has no time outs such as other [...]
Nascar it’s time to give Pocono Speedway an ultimatum!
Twice this year fate has been tempted at Pocono Speedway because of a lack of safety improvements. In June, Kasey Kahne almost went out of the track when turned at high speed. This past Sunday, Elliott Sadler went head first into a wall in front of a dirt embankment that tore the [...]
Fan friendly? Nascar could learn from NHRA!
This past Friday I spent the day at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at nearby Norwalk, Ohio. To be honest, and as hard as this is to believe by many that know me and my involvement in motorsports, it was my very first time to be at a NHRA event! How that happened I [...]
