It's no secret that NASCAR has struggled recently. Attendance at races are down and television ratings are dropping. But what is the cause of this? Here are some of my theories:
Economy - No doubt the economy has effected everyone. More people than ever are unemployed and having to penny pinch just to make a living. That means things that arent necessities of survival arent being bought. In the NASCAR world, that means fans arent buying tickets, merchandise, etc. if they dont have to. Why spend the money to drive or fly back and forth to a race when you dont have the money to spend?
Lack of Excitement - In years past the sport has had its fair share of excitement. Unfortunately, that has dropped off the last few seasons. The racing has become boring, close finishes are rare, and the same handful of drivers seem to win every week. An unpredictable sport has become predictable. Think about it. The dominance of Kyle Busch in the Nationwide Series and Jimmie Johnson in the Cup Series has made the races unsurprising. Why should I sit and watch a three-four hour race when I already have a good idea of how its going to turn out?
Poor Decisions - What is or isnt poor decision making by the heads of NASCAR is debatable. Choosing to leave racetracks that were rooted in the sport for new, cookie-cutters could be one. Dates were taken away from tracks like Rockingham and Darlington and given to newer tracks. Attendance was down at these tracks and NASCAR thought moving to other tracks would help. Not so. The non Southern tracks are facing much of the same issues. California/Auto Club Speedway for example cant fill the seats either. IMO that is because the majority of people on the West Coast really dont care about what they still ignorantly believe to be a redneck sport.
The Chase - This could also arguable be put under the Poor Decisions category. The new formula to make the process of crowning NASCARs champion every year a little more dramatic has really fizzled out. No doubt the inaugural running of The Chase was a barn burner, with the championship battle coming down to an exciting race at Homestead. Since then its been all but Jimmies show. Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team have The Chase figured out, and he is looking to win his fifth straight championship under the playoff scheme. Whether or not he does it has yet to be seen, but the fact that everyone but Johnson and his fans are sick of it is easy to see.
No Rivalries - The have at it boys attitude has helped this in creating short run rivalries, but the lack of a long term rivalry has hurt the sport. Fans want to see a couple of drivers go at it hard, and should they get together during the race, they want to see a discussion between the two afterwards. Two drivers may do that now but it will only last the one race and then the drivers choose to move past it before the next race. Only occasionally does a dispute continue more than a week. And who says a rivalry just has to be between two drivers that dont care for each other for 15 minutes. The hard racing between the likes of Petty/Pearson and Earnhardt/Gordon made for great rivalries. It wasnt a rivalry of distaste, but a rivalry of respect, to see which driver could outdo the other any given weekend.
These are just a few reasons why NASCAR is struggling, what is your take?
Economy - No doubt the economy has effected everyone. More people than ever are unemployed and having to penny pinch just to make a living. That means things that arent necessities of survival arent being bought. In the NASCAR world, that means fans arent buying tickets, merchandise, etc. if they dont have to. Why spend the money to drive or fly back and forth to a race when you dont have the money to spend?
Lack of Excitement - In years past the sport has had its fair share of excitement. Unfortunately, that has dropped off the last few seasons. The racing has become boring, close finishes are rare, and the same handful of drivers seem to win every week. An unpredictable sport has become predictable. Think about it. The dominance of Kyle Busch in the Nationwide Series and Jimmie Johnson in the Cup Series has made the races unsurprising. Why should I sit and watch a three-four hour race when I already have a good idea of how its going to turn out?
Poor Decisions - What is or isnt poor decision making by the heads of NASCAR is debatable. Choosing to leave racetracks that were rooted in the sport for new, cookie-cutters could be one. Dates were taken away from tracks like Rockingham and Darlington and given to newer tracks. Attendance was down at these tracks and NASCAR thought moving to other tracks would help. Not so. The non Southern tracks are facing much of the same issues. California/Auto Club Speedway for example cant fill the seats either. IMO that is because the majority of people on the West Coast really dont care about what they still ignorantly believe to be a redneck sport.
The Chase - This could also arguable be put under the Poor Decisions category. The new formula to make the process of crowning NASCARs champion every year a little more dramatic has really fizzled out. No doubt the inaugural running of The Chase was a barn burner, with the championship battle coming down to an exciting race at Homestead. Since then its been all but Jimmies show. Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team have The Chase figured out, and he is looking to win his fifth straight championship under the playoff scheme. Whether or not he does it has yet to be seen, but the fact that everyone but Johnson and his fans are sick of it is easy to see.
No Rivalries - The have at it boys attitude has helped this in creating short run rivalries, but the lack of a long term rivalry has hurt the sport. Fans want to see a couple of drivers go at it hard, and should they get together during the race, they want to see a discussion between the two afterwards. Two drivers may do that now but it will only last the one race and then the drivers choose to move past it before the next race. Only occasionally does a dispute continue more than a week. And who says a rivalry just has to be between two drivers that dont care for each other for 15 minutes. The hard racing between the likes of Petty/Pearson and Earnhardt/Gordon made for great rivalries. It wasnt a rivalry of distaste, but a rivalry of respect, to see which driver could outdo the other any given weekend.
These are just a few reasons why NASCAR is struggling, what is your take?
