Re: Official NASCAR Series News Thread
I get the need for the changes. I really do. I'm 35. I started following Nascar when I was about 16 years old. I can honestly say the interest I once had to sit and watch a 3-4 hour race is slim to none right now. I used to go to both Michigan races. Went for about 6 or 7 years straight when I was younger. Now? Little to no interest.
There's no doubt in my mind that the general Nascar fan has lost interest in the sport. It's not just me, the empty grandstands show that (of course there's other factors affecting that as well). For some of you long timers, and those who are simply just resistant to change. I get the negativity. Some people just don't like change. I wasn't a huge fan of the chase originally either, but I also wasn't a fan of the title race being over before the season was over due to a drivers "consistency".
That being said, this new change to me... I don't like it on the surface. I get it. I completely understand what they're trying to do. Lets face it, unless you're hardcore into the sport, the best parts of a race for the average fan is the start. Crashes. Restarts. The finish. The 3-4 hour grind through a race has gotten incredibly mind numbing most of the time. Follow the leader, ride around. They've made changes to improve the racing through the years, but it's still lacking in the duration of 3-4 hours. So, how do you fix that? Well, add more starts. More finishes. More incentive for teams to actually RACE, the entire distance of the race. So, I completely get it. I think it might actually work to drive up interest. However I don't see it helping to grow the sport and reach to new fans again. As someone stated earlier, I think it's drivers, and action that does that. Nascar has lacked action for the typical sports fan, so they have to try and generate it.
The problem I do have is people saying it's manufacturing drama. I get it, it is. However, that's really only the reaction because traditionally Nascar events were 400, or 500 miles straight through. One start. One finish. Now it's three starts. Three finishes. So, it's the drastic change that I think is going to bother people the most. I think it will make a lot of people tune in again, but I don't see it helping bring new fans.
I would have preferred them really to shorten most races by 100 miles or so, except of course for the premier events. Make the 500 milers special again, not the norm. Shorten it, and cut it into two segments I think would have been the better approach. I used to love the "haltime" break the truck series had when it started. It was nice to have a sprint type race, have a good finish, take a break, let guys stew over what just happened, and adjust a bit, then get back out there and run for the finish.
This new points system, bonus points, points in each segment, special playoff points. It's just, too much to try and follow. Again, it might re-invigorate some current fans who've lost interest, but still follow, but ultimately, for someone new they're going to go... huh? I'm lost. I'll just check online when it's all done and sorted out on Monday and I'm good.
I really do hope it does what they intend, and that's to create better racing over the traditional full event distance. Unless you're a diehard fan, living and breathing Nascar, the 3-4 hour long mostly uneventful (at a lot of tracks) race doesn't appeal. There's not enough action. So, I get the intent. I think it will help make the event itself more exciting, because lets face it, there's a lot of races through the year that need that through the middle parts of the race.
I don't know, I get it, I understand it, I like the idea of it, I don't like the execution of it, I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I'd have preferred if they were going this route, shorten the distance of the non-premier events, split them into two, not three, and finally I'd add this... leave the premier events alone. The thought of the Daytona 500 being run this way... I don't like it. I get it, but I don't like it. I think they can easily change the format for the Hunkydory Doors 400 at Kansas because it really has no tradition, but the Daytona 500?
Anyways, sorry for the "rant". Just not sure how I feel about these changes. I get it, people want more entertainment value for their time and money, I'm just not sure they should have gone this far, this quickly.
I get the need for the changes. I really do. I'm 35. I started following Nascar when I was about 16 years old. I can honestly say the interest I once had to sit and watch a 3-4 hour race is slim to none right now. I used to go to both Michigan races. Went for about 6 or 7 years straight when I was younger. Now? Little to no interest.
There's no doubt in my mind that the general Nascar fan has lost interest in the sport. It's not just me, the empty grandstands show that (of course there's other factors affecting that as well). For some of you long timers, and those who are simply just resistant to change. I get the negativity. Some people just don't like change. I wasn't a huge fan of the chase originally either, but I also wasn't a fan of the title race being over before the season was over due to a drivers "consistency".
That being said, this new change to me... I don't like it on the surface. I get it. I completely understand what they're trying to do. Lets face it, unless you're hardcore into the sport, the best parts of a race for the average fan is the start. Crashes. Restarts. The finish. The 3-4 hour grind through a race has gotten incredibly mind numbing most of the time. Follow the leader, ride around. They've made changes to improve the racing through the years, but it's still lacking in the duration of 3-4 hours. So, how do you fix that? Well, add more starts. More finishes. More incentive for teams to actually RACE, the entire distance of the race. So, I completely get it. I think it might actually work to drive up interest. However I don't see it helping to grow the sport and reach to new fans again. As someone stated earlier, I think it's drivers, and action that does that. Nascar has lacked action for the typical sports fan, so they have to try and generate it.
The problem I do have is people saying it's manufacturing drama. I get it, it is. However, that's really only the reaction because traditionally Nascar events were 400, or 500 miles straight through. One start. One finish. Now it's three starts. Three finishes. So, it's the drastic change that I think is going to bother people the most. I think it will make a lot of people tune in again, but I don't see it helping bring new fans.
I would have preferred them really to shorten most races by 100 miles or so, except of course for the premier events. Make the 500 milers special again, not the norm. Shorten it, and cut it into two segments I think would have been the better approach. I used to love the "haltime" break the truck series had when it started. It was nice to have a sprint type race, have a good finish, take a break, let guys stew over what just happened, and adjust a bit, then get back out there and run for the finish.
This new points system, bonus points, points in each segment, special playoff points. It's just, too much to try and follow. Again, it might re-invigorate some current fans who've lost interest, but still follow, but ultimately, for someone new they're going to go... huh? I'm lost. I'll just check online when it's all done and sorted out on Monday and I'm good.
I really do hope it does what they intend, and that's to create better racing over the traditional full event distance. Unless you're a diehard fan, living and breathing Nascar, the 3-4 hour long mostly uneventful (at a lot of tracks) race doesn't appeal. There's not enough action. So, I get the intent. I think it will help make the event itself more exciting, because lets face it, there's a lot of races through the year that need that through the middle parts of the race.
I don't know, I get it, I understand it, I like the idea of it, I don't like the execution of it, I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I'd have preferred if they were going this route, shorten the distance of the non-premier events, split them into two, not three, and finally I'd add this... leave the premier events alone. The thought of the Daytona 500 being run this way... I don't like it. I get it, but I don't like it. I think they can easily change the format for the Hunkydory Doors 400 at Kansas because it really has no tradition, but the Daytona 500?
Anyways, sorry for the "rant". Just not sure how I feel about these changes. I get it, people want more entertainment value for their time and money, I'm just not sure they should have gone this far, this quickly.
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