NASCAR's Big Changes Before it is too Late
By Richard Tix
I will start out with this statement. This is not the first "NASCAR has a problem and needs to fix it," article nor will it be the last. That's because in some sense NASCAR does have a problem it needs to resolve. Everyone has heard hundreds of times by now that NASCAR has an attendance problem.
In recent years less and less fans have been going to see races. When NASCAR hit it's boom they did not think ahead to the day when things even out. NASCAR just went for the jugular and expanded aggressively. They left the southern roots behind for a more general demographic.
NASCAR needed to, at that time, move to more areas in the country. Many fans across the nation were hooked on NASCAR. At that same time NASCAR forgot what was working. Southern tracks had a more home town feel, and a lot of this was because NASCAR had a lot of good short-intermediate tracks on the schedule.
Well, when NASCAR expanded it was mostly 1.5 mile tracks that many fans call "cookie-cutter" tracks. I do enjoy most of these tracks, but what NASCAR was thinking with these 1.5 mile tracks was more seats, better views, more money. They thought more seats was good for the fans as well as themselves ($$$), but they were living in the moment and not thinking about the day it could catch up to them.
The day has come where this grand expansion has caught up with NASCAR. This happen's in every major sport that we know. It is how NASCAR handles it from here on out that will decide the sports future and how its fan base take it. NASCAR is not yet too deep to dig itself back out. Let's be honest, NASCAR still brings in far more fans in a single weekend race then any other US sporting event. Just because we saw how big it was doesn't mean all the less fans we see in the stands every weekend wasn't going to happen anyways.
But NASCAR has to start considering some changes before it is too late. A race weekend becomes too expensive to go to for the normal fan. When these fans have a family that also loves the same sport as them it becomes almost impossible to go to the track on Sunday (Saturday night). These same fans would much rather visit there local small town track for a much more reasonable price, plus its arguable that the action is just as good on a given night.
So what should NASCAR do? This is the part where everyone has there grand idea that will be a sure fire fix. Most don't realize it won't be that easy. I mean heck, the NASCAR fan base didn't take a Chase points system change with a grain of salt. The changes will have to be a wait and see change and as we know, NASCAR fans get upset over that. First reaction is, "Mr France is ruining this sport." "This sport has gone down hill starting with Dale Earnhardt's death." The reactions go on and on without giving NASCAR a chance.
So, it has to start out with us fans admitting things need a change and we have to actually accept change. Next, something has to happen to the schedule. I am all in favor of adding more short tracks, road courses, and tracks with character.
New Tracks (Short and Unique)
Iowa Speedway in my mind would be a great addition, which many drivers have also said. This is just one of many ideas. Short tracks would allow NASCAR to fill the smaller stands while still giving the fans great on track racing with some bumping and banging. When NASCAR heads to a 1.5 mile track the smallest nudge can ruin both drivers day. Racing started with bumping and banging and short tracks give these drivers that opportunity without ending there day because of a dent ruining the "aero."
When adding in the short tracks, take some 1.5 mile tracks out of the schedule who get two stops. Even a track like Michigan International Speedway (which I really do enjoy and go to every year) could be reduced to one stop a season. Texas, Kansas, and Pocono all also come to mind. Same with Dover (not a 1.5) if they don't figure out attendance issues of there own.
Some of these smaller or unique tracks can start there own history. How Darlington lost a second race on the schedule after a storied history is beyond me. NASCAR needs to bring the character back to the tracks. Even when a 1.5 mile track has some weird bumps that actually provide great racing rumors pop up that they are going to repave it.
More small tracks, less two stop 1.5 mile track (or larger tracks like MIS and Pocono), and add a road course or two (including in the Chase). Road courses don't exactly provide the best views and sight lines, but they do create a lot of great on track racing (beating and banging). Adding one to the Chase would only amplify the excitement on the track and hopefully some fans in the stands.
Race Length:
Past my scheduling ideas NASCAR needs to take a look at race lengths. This has been talked about a lot and every angle has been looked at. I am in favor of changing some of the race lengths. Some fuel mileage races a shorter race would be beneficial. I don't want to touch some of the traditional races, like the 600 or the Daytona 500, but some events can be shortened to provide more excitement. As much as I love scheduling my Sunday around a 4 hour race, fans attention spans are becoming shorter. Not only that but the longer the race, the better chance we have of a drawn out fuel mileage finish.
Weekend Expense's:
One more thing that NASCAR really needs to take into account is the expense of a race weekend. The big issue isn't the ticket price (in general a good seat to a Cup race ins't far off from say a good ticket to a NBA
or NFL game) but rather the rest of the expenses. NASCAR has a very unique dilemma when it comes to fans attending its events. Unlike most other sports where I would say 70-80% come from the nearby area (this is just a simple guess), NASCAR brings in fans from surrounding states. I know at the Michigan race I go to fans from touching states plus Minnesota, Iowa, and Canada all attend. This is the norm when it comes to track attendance.
Nearby hotels are on to this and will jack up prices for the weekend. I am lucky as we have friends that live 45 min from MIS in Brooklyn MI, but many are not so lucky. What NASCAR really needs to look into is a package deal. In a sport that is known for its sponsors and sponsor relations why can't they look into partnering with airlines or hotels in the area to help out the budget conscience fan? Package a deal that is a two night stay with tickets to qualifying and the race. Sort of an all inclusive deal but for a race weekend.
Chase Scheduling
I am also a believer that the Chase races needs some rearranging. I know it isn't going to happen now that Ford and Holmstead inked a new deal, but I think at the very least the last Chase race needs to rotate between a few tracks (ones that would work during that time of the season weather wise). If the last race is going to mean so much (top finisher of the final four wins the title) then the venue needs to change so that drivers who are strong at Miami do not always have the obvious advantage.
If NASCAR did change more then just race #10 I would start by tweaking the last 9 (including taking a few tracks out and adding a few, like a road course and maybe adding Bristol, Richmond, or both). I think each segment should be set in there three race group as to keep something in the schedule constant.
Example:
Segment 1
- Loudon- Always stays first segment
- Bristol- Always stays first segment
- Sonoma- Can move between segment's if needed for scheduling conflicts because its in CA.
Segment 2
- Segment 2 can switch with segment 3 and vice versa.
- Texas- Warm enough to be the last race.
- Charlotte
- Martinsville
Segment 3
- Richmond
- Talladega
- Phoenix
Championship
- Miami- Phoenix, Texas, Talladega, Martinsville (might be too cold, 60's), and Richmond (also probably too cold for November) could all be interchanged. Really, I just want at least two tracks to switch with, so Texas and Phoenix would work.
So, explaining this a bit. Segment one would always stay there (except Sonoma can move being in CA) because NH and Bristol, CT will just be too cold to move around to later dates. Segment #2 and #3 can swap spots. So in 2015 segment 2 can come first and then in 2016 segment 3 can come first. Within each segment Miami can be exchanged out for Texas or Phoenix (or any track deemed ok to run that late in the season).
I would like to keep some consistency from year to year for fans to know about what the schedule will be. Many fans like to schedule these trips to the tracks annually, so knowing the track they go to will be a part of the same segment every year helps. Also, for the most part other then the Championship race, the race will only have one of two days (depending on if the segment comes second or third during the Chase (segment one doesn't move).
One thing I couldn't work in would be adding Fontana or Las Vegas into the Chase. Both could also be good decent weather tracks for the Championship. I would be open to the idea of even moving out Miami in a given year to the beginning of the season and replacing it with either track. I do like both at the start of the season because they have helped 2013 and 2014 get off to hot starts. "If it's not broke, don't fix it." But, in the future this could be a possibility easy to swap. As we know, in this day in age NASCAR will make a change whenever they feel like it.
Obviously, after looking at the way I would possibly set up the Chase schedule, I am ok with keeping NASCAR new rules. I do like the new rules in general (except for the last race always being Miami), but I also know NASCAR isn't ready to explode there newest idea (so why mess with it).
I think after moving Richmond into the Chase and Dover out, that Dover could be a big draw as the last race of the regular season. Yes, Jimmie Johnson wins a lot there, but he will start to fade eventually. Plus, Dover would gain some attendance with its new spotlight and it (in my mind) is an exciting track. At the same time, if there attendance stays down later this year for the Chase race, I would also pull one of the stops at Dover in this new schedule off (making Dover another track with one stop and possibly adding another new short track).
Fan's "ways to fix NASCAR" ideas are endless. What will actually fix NASCAR has yet to be seen, but I don't really think it needs to be fixed as much as tweaked to fine tune the system. Sometimes we as humans are exposed to something that is too good to be true (that was NASCAR's hay day). We start to think too much about, "man those were the good ole days," and then it is too late to realize we could have made things better in the present. Getting back to the roots of more short track racing where cars can trade paint and still stay competitive, making a weekend trip a bit more inexpensive, and changing the Chase schedule are just a few of my ideas to get the ball rolling back in the right direction. Then one day we can think, man those were the days when we changed NASCAR for the better forever.
So what are your ideas? Let me know on Twitter or Google +. Do you like these ideas? Do you think they would help? What else needs a change?
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