The coronavirus is destroying everything

[Max Rockatansky]

NASCAR's been losing in-person attendance to the point where some tracks are actually removing grandstands.

Dover Speedway in Delaware did that.  You can still see the girders that held up the topmost rows.

ixnay

NASCAR losing attendance has far more to do with corporatization of the sport, inflated costs of attendance, some real lackluster racing, and a lack of compelling drivers.  If I recall correctly even the private vendors were kicked out of most if not all tracks.  The pre-race diecast car and parts hunt was one of the best things about attending a race weekend.

Is NASCAR mostly popular among older folks?

It has an older demographic than most sports.  A lot of that can probably be attributed to car culture being less of a thing with younger generations. 

[jeffandnicole]

NASCAR's been losing in-person attendance to the point where some tracks are actually removing grandstands.

Dover Speedway in Delaware did that.  You can still see the girders that held up the topmost rows.

ixnay

NASCAR losing attendance has far more to do with corporatization of the sport, inflated costs of attendance, some real lackluster racing, and a lack of compelling drivers.  If I recall correctly even the private vendors were kicked out of most if not all tracks.  The pre-race diecast car and parts hunt was one of the best things about attending a race weekend.

Is NASCAR mostly popular among older folks?

I wouldn't say so...although it depends what you mean by 'older'.  I'd say it draws relatively evenly across many age groups 30 years of age and up...and their younger kids.  The millennial generation just wants to sit around and talk to each other, which loud racing tracks don't lend to being very good at.

Going back to the popularity of the sport - it had a few years of very good growth.  However, the racetracks apparently decided that this growth would last forever, and added large amounts of seating to their tracks.  They should've enjoyed the popularity and sellouts while they were happening and invested elsewhere.  As popularity dropped again, the racetracks were stuck with huge areas of empty stands, and 'empty' never looks good in person or on TV.

[formulanone]

NASCAR's been losing in-person attendance to the point where some tracks are actually removing grandstands.

Dover Speedway in Delaware did that.  You can still see the girders that held up the topmost rows.

ixnay

NASCAR losing attendance has far more to do with corporatization of the sport, inflated costs of attendance, some real lackluster racing, and a lack of compelling drivers.  If I recall correctly even the private vendors were kicked out of most if not all tracks.  The pre-race diecast car and parts hunt was one of the best things about attending a race weekend.

Is NASCAR mostly popular among older folks?

I wouldn't say so...although it depends what you mean by 'older'.  I'd say it draws relatively evenly across many age groups 30 years of age and up...and their younger kids.  The millennial generation just wants to sit around and talk to each other, which loud racing tracks don't lend to being very good at.

Going back to the popularity of the sport - it had a few years of very good growth.  However, the racetracks apparently decided that this growth would last forever, and added large amounts of seating to their tracks.  They should've enjoyed the popularity and sellouts while they were happening and invested elsewhere.  As popularity dropped again, the racetracks were stuck with huge areas of empty stands, and 'empty' never looks good in person or on TV.

Amazingly, I was right...about people willing to watch them race "virtually" on TV.

This opens up the avenue for live-streamed E-sports as the next big thing!

https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2020/03/24/dale-jr-denny-hamlin-nascar-iracing-tv-viewership-esports/

...and now everyone's going to be tuned in to see who's next to drop a verbal bomb!

[Max Rockatansky]

NASCAR's been losing in-person attendance to the point where some tracks are actually removing grandstands.

Dover Speedway in Delaware did that.  You can still see the girders that held up the topmost rows.

ixnay

NASCAR losing attendance has far more to do with corporatization of the sport, inflated costs of attendance, some real lackluster racing, and a lack of compelling drivers.  If I recall correctly even the private vendors were kicked out of most if not all tracks.  The pre-race diecast car and parts hunt was one of the best things about attending a race weekend.

Is NASCAR mostly popular among older folks?

I wouldn't say so...although it depends what you mean by 'older'.  I'd say it draws relatively evenly across many age groups 30 years of age and up...and their younger kids.  The millennial generation just wants to sit around and talk to each other, which loud racing tracks don't lend to being very good at.

Going back to the popularity of the sport - it had a few years of very good growth.  However, the racetracks apparently decided that this growth would last forever, and added large amounts of seating to their tracks.  They should've enjoyed the popularity and sellouts while they were happening and invested elsewhere.  As popularity dropped again, the racetracks were stuck with huge areas of empty stands, and 'empty' never looks good in person or on TV.

For clarity I'm talking 30 and up.  I want to say there was a survey a couple years back that places the average fan in their mid 40s.

Regarding E-Racing I can't get into that even with the Kyle Larson debacle.  To me that's not real like all E-sports don't feel real to me. 

[1995hoo]

So if the PGA Tour returns but they disallow fans from attending, how will the ball know to get in the hole?

[hbelkins]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

[Roadgeekteen]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

[Max Rockatansky]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

Apparently he dropped the "N"  word on a live broadcast. 

[1995hoo]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

Apparently he dropped the "N"  word on a live broadcast. 

He did. I think HB's point is that had it not been for the virus leading to this fake racing, it wouldn't necessarily have happened, or if he said it on the radio there would be less chance of it being heard on TV.

[Max Rockatansky]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

Apparently he dropped the "N"  word on a live broadcast. 

He did. I think HB's point is that had it not been for the virus leading to this fake racing, it wouldn't necessarily have happened, or if he said it on the radio there would be less chance of it being heard on TV.

Most of those drivers can be heard on scanners on a normal race weekend by almost anyone at the track.  I've never once heard any of them say something as stupid as that even with that looser standard of monitoring.  You'd might be really surprised how many f-bombs are uttered in a typical race that can be picked up on scanner. 

[formulanone]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

Apparently he dropped the "N"  word on a live broadcast. 

He did. I think HB's point is that had it not been for the virus leading to this fake racing, it wouldn't necessarily have happened, or if he said it on the radio there would be less chance of it being heard on TV.

Most of those drivers can be heard on scanners on a normal race weekend by almost anyone at the track.  I've never once heard any of them say something as stupid as that even with that looser standard of monitoring.  You'd might be really surprised how many f-bombs are uttered in a typical race that can be picked up on scanner. 

TV usually gets to censor on a delay; but a little less so a few decades ago.

Even after watching F1 for over thirty years, I had no idea how often the drivers/teams curse aloud (over minor stuff) until I saw the Drive To Survive series on Netflix. So I'd figure all the others do it to, in all sorts of sports/activities where adrenaline and tempers run high.

[Alps]

He thought his mic was off. So... that lets you be racist? True colors.

[jeffandnicole]

I actually watched the iRacing event from Texas a couple of weeks ago. For what it was, it wasn't bad at all.

Could one say, in a roundabout way, that the virus destroyed Kyle Larson's career?

I thought he said something racist?

Apparently he dropped the “N” word on a live broadcast. 

He did. I think HB's point is that had it not been for the virus leading to this fake racing, it wouldn’t necessarily have happened, or if he said it on the radio there would be less chance of it being heard on TV.

Most of those drivers can be heard on scanners on a normal race weekend by almost anyone at the track.  I’ve never once heard any of them say something as stupid as that even with that looser standard of monitoring.  You’d might be really surprised how many f-bombs are uttered in a typical race that can be picked up on scanner. 

TV usually gets to censor on a delay; but a little less so a few decades ago.

Even after watching F1 for over thirty years, I had no idea how often the drivers/teams curse aloud (over minor stuff) until I saw the Drive To Survive series on Netflix. So I'd figure all the others do it to, in all sorts of sports/activities where adrenaline and tempers run high.

With more and better mics around home plate area in baseball, you hear it a lot on TV.  They generally let the muffled ones go, but you can make them out.  Especially if you read lips.

After the whole hubbub of needing ratings for every TV show, if anything the issue kinda relaxed itself.  I'll love to see what the parents who demanded those TV ratings are up to nowadays.

[Roadgeekteen]

He thought his mic was off. So... that lets you be racist? True colors.

Oh dear that's an awful response. Should have just apologized.

[hbelkins]

He thought his mic was off. So... that lets you be racist? True colors.

Oh dear that's an awful response. Should have just apologized.

He did apologize. And he and Bubba Wallace have talked about the incident. Bubba has accepted the apology.

As for scanner traffic, it's usually on a delay these days when TV picks it up. Back when it wasn't, ESPN picked up Todd Parrott (Dale Jarrett's crew chief) dropped an MF-bomb that ESPN (a cable channel, not OTR broadcast subject to FCC guidelines) carried live. NASCAR fined him.

The teams aren't allowed to have any communications that NASCAR cannot monitor. It's been several years ago, but Kurt Busch got penalized, and he said over his radio that NASCAR could lick his salty balls. That got him an extended penalty in the pits.

When Brad Keselowski was live-tweeting the infamous Juan Montoya jet-dryer delay, NASCAR banned drivers from carrying their phones with them in their cars.

[NWI_Irish96]

He thought his mic was off. So... that lets you be racist? True colors.

Oh dear that's an awful response. Should have just apologized.

He did apologize. And he and Bubba Wallace have talked about the incident. Bubba has accepted the apology.

As for scanner traffic, it's usually on a delay these days when TV picks it up. Back when it wasn't, ESPN picked up Todd Parrott (Dale Jarrett's crew chief) dropped an MF-bomb that ESPN (a cable channel, not OTR broadcast subject to FCC guidelines) carried live. NASCAR fined him.

The teams aren't allowed to have any communications that NASCAR cannot monitor. It's been several years ago, but Kurt Busch got penalized, and he said over his radio that NASCAR could lick his salty balls. That got him an extended penalty in the pits.

When Brad Keselowski was live-tweeting the infamous Juan Montoya jet-dryer delay, NASCAR banned drivers from carrying their phones with them in their cars.

NASCAR is a sponsor driven sport.  No sponsor is going to touch Kyle Larson for quite a while, despite the apology.

In a team sport, you can get off with a brief suspension if you show genuine contrition.

[LM117]

NASCAR has postponed the Martinsville races.

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2020/04/17/nascar-statement-2020-schedule-update/

[Max Rockatansky]

NASCAR has postponed the Martinsville races.

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2020/04/17/nascar-statement-2020-schedule-update/

How in the hell are they going to get all 36 races in?  They would have to double header weeks like they did back in the 1950s and 1960s.  I guess it could be done if the geography was planned out appropriately.

[mgk920]

And then we have this (so called) 'pop culture' from the record industry . . . it's been a vile eye and ear opener since at least the early 1990s!



Can anybody say "hypocrisy"???



Mike

[NWI_Irish96]

NASCAR has postponed the Martinsville races.

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2020/04/17/nascar-statement-2020-schedule-update/

How in the hell are they going to get all 36 races in?  They would have to double header weeks like they did back in the 1950s and 1960s.  I guess it could be done if the geography was planned out appropriately.

Many of the postponed races are at tracks that have a 2nd race in the back half of the schedule, so they can just do Saturday/Sunday doubleheaders.  For those that don't, you're probably looking at Wednesday night races.

[SP Cook]

NASCAR is in a different situation from most any other sport.  NASCAR in the middle of an unprecedented in the history of all sports decline in popularity.  In the great scheme of things, most sports are about where they were a decade ago, and it is reasonable to believe they will be about the same position a decade from now.

But not NASCAR.  Years of mismanagement, idiotic gimmick rules, and a basic disdain for its core fan base have caused its TV ratings to plummet in a way no other sport ever has, not to mention its live gate problems outlined by the destruction of seats at almost every track. 

Now, NASCAR is in the middle of a massive overbid set of TV contracts, signed by Fox and NBC when the sport was far more popular.  Contracts that will not be repeated.

Thus, for every other sport, 2020 sucks.  But all they are really out is the year.  They all will make money in 21, and on into the future.  But for NASCAR, 2020 is a year of overbid it will NEVER get back.  When the TV deal finally runs out after the 24 season, it will start the 25 season, and from then on, getting maybe a tenth as much $$.  Thus, NASCAR will do everything it can to runs all its races this year, be that doubleheaders, weeknight, racing until Christmas, whatever. 

 

[Roadgeekteen]

NASCAR is in a different situation from most any other sport.  NASCAR in the middle of an unprecedented in the history of all sports decline in popularity.  In the great scheme of things, most sports are about where they were a decade ago, and it is reasonable to believe they will be about the same position a decade from now.

But not NASCAR.  Years of mismanagement, idiotic gimmick rules, and a basic disdain for its core fan base have caused its TV ratings to plummet in a way no other sport ever has, not to mention its live gate problems outlined by the destruction of seats at almost every track. 

Now, NASCAR is in the middle of a massive overbid set of TV contracts, signed by Fox and NBC when the sport was far more popular.  Contracts that will not be repeated.

Thus, for every other sport, 2020 sucks.  But all they are really out is the year.  They all will make money in 21, and on into the future.  But for NASCAR, 2020 is a year of overbid it will NEVER get back.  When the TV deal finally runs out after the 24 season, it will start the 25 season, and from then on, getting maybe a tenth as much $$.  Thus, NASCAR will do everything it can to runs all its races this year, be that doubleheaders, weeknight, racing until Christmas, whatever. 

Well besides the XFL. Covid literally killed that.

[Max Rockatansky]

NASCAR is in a different situation from most any other sport.  NASCAR in the middle of an unprecedented in the history of all sports decline in popularity.  In the great scheme of things, most sports are about where they were a decade ago, and it is reasonable to believe they will be about the same position a decade from now.

But not NASCAR.  Years of mismanagement, idiotic gimmick rules, and a basic disdain for its core fan base have caused its TV ratings to plummet in a way no other sport ever has, not to mention its live gate problems outlined by the destruction of seats at almost every track. 

Now, NASCAR is in the middle of a massive overbid set of TV contracts, signed by Fox and NBC when the sport was far more popular.  Contracts that will not be repeated.

Thus, for every other sport, 2020 sucks.  But all they are really out is the year.  They all will make money in 21, and on into the future.  But for NASCAR, 2020 is a year of overbid it will NEVER get back.  When the TV deal finally runs out after the 24 season, it will start the 25 season, and from then on, getting maybe a tenth as much $$.  Thus, NASCAR will do everything it can to runs all its races this year, be that doubleheaders, weeknight, racing until Christmas, whatever. 

That's why NASCAR really stands to gain more by getting going than the other sports.  If they got no-weekly racing going they would have the sports market cornered for a bit.  They had a pretty good thing going with e-Racing but Kyle Larson might have screwed the pooch on that.  Then again people might be interested still to see someone else says something dumb. 

Really once one sports league gets going the others probably won't be too far behind.  Money does start to talk at some point and it appears to be getting to it. 

[SP Cook]

Really once one sports league gets going the others probably won’t be too far behind.  Money does start to talk at some point and it appears to be getting to it. 

Yeah.  Leaving out the mega-mistake that the Triple Crown owners made, the first sport back is probably going to be golf.  The ultimate non-contact sport.  Then motor sports, which is again a closed community.  I don't see why the NBA and NHL would not just call it a year, other than greed, but they won't.  I think football season starts on time and with fans.   JMO

[formulanone]

Thus, for every other sport, 2020 sucks.  But all they are really out is the year.  They all will make money in 21, and on into the future.  But for NASCAR, 2020 is a year of overbid it will NEVER get back.  When the TV deal finally runs out after the 24 season, it will start the 25 season, and from then on, getting maybe a tenth as much $$.  Thus, NASCAR will do everything it can to runs all its races this year, be that doubleheaders, weeknight, racing until Christmas, whatever. 

Just an example of how much legal wrangling might occur over the cancellation and postponement of activities. The drivers are usually locked into their teams by contract, the sponsors pay for their appearances on the track (or promotional work), the teams make the money off sponsors and prize money, the tracks have no revenue stream, and the fans can't see anything because most folks won't watch last/any year's race*, because the TV ad time is fallow.

Everything will essentially come down to the weakest-worded contact becoming the scapegoat. Someone who forgot the "pandemic" or "national emergency" or "Act of God" clause.

* seems like a good time to play a random event from some race years ago. But NBC isn't going to show ESPN's old events with Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons at the helm, with Doctor Jerry Punch in the pits, so forget it.