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bob.p...@gmail.com
May 28, 2012, 5:12:07 PM5/28/12
to
Not that I ever cared a great deal about what he's said, but Rusty Wallace is
being quoted now as saying the schedule should be cut back from the current 36
to 32 races.
Assume it was your job to make that cut. How would you do it?
If it were me, the two road races would be the first ones on the chopping block.
I'd lose a race at Loudon for sure, and one of the Pocono races. I'd also cut
one of the Kansas races. Why cut five when you only need to trim four? Easy,
now I've got room to put the Southern 500 back at Darlington on Labor Day weekend
where it belongs.
being quoted now as saying the schedule should be cut back from the current 36
to 32 races.
Assume it was your job to make that cut. How would you do it?
If it were me, the two road races would be the first ones on the chopping block.
I'd lose a race at Loudon for sure, and one of the Pocono races. I'd also cut
one of the Kansas races. Why cut five when you only need to trim four? Easy,
now I've got room to put the Southern 500 back at Darlington on Labor Day weekend
where it belongs.
John McCoy
May 28, 2012, 8:10:41 PM5/28/12
to
bob.p...@gmail.com wrote in
news:7c806af4-8a3a-4f74...@googlegroups.com:
Hmm, an interesting challenge.
I'm with you, not big on the road courses. Especially not
Sears Point, which is a track that's just not at all suited
to the Cup cars.
The other thing that comes to mind is the surplus of 1.5 mile
D-shaped tracks.
So, I'd scrap Sears Point (but keep Watkins Glen). I'd get
rid of the fall Charlotte race (leaving them with 2 - the
600 and the all-star event). I'd get rid of one each at
Kansas and Texas. That gets us down to 32.
And, following your train of thought, I'd get rid of one
Michigan and put the Southern 500 back where it belongs.
I'm not a big fan of the Loudon races, but they get huge
crowds, so someone likes them - I'd keep both. And the
Pocono races were great races back when the teams were
actually allowed to race - in the hope that NASCAR someday
gives up on their silly rules I'd keep both Pocono races.
But if a Loudon or Pocono race did go away, I'd hope it
was exchanged for a race at Rockingham.
John
news:7c806af4-8a3a-4f74...@googlegroups.com:
I'm with you, not big on the road courses. Especially not
Sears Point, which is a track that's just not at all suited
to the Cup cars.
The other thing that comes to mind is the surplus of 1.5 mile
D-shaped tracks.
So, I'd scrap Sears Point (but keep Watkins Glen). I'd get
rid of the fall Charlotte race (leaving them with 2 - the
600 and the all-star event). I'd get rid of one each at
Kansas and Texas. That gets us down to 32.
And, following your train of thought, I'd get rid of one
Michigan and put the Southern 500 back where it belongs.
I'm not a big fan of the Loudon races, but they get huge
crowds, so someone likes them - I'd keep both. And the
Pocono races were great races back when the teams were
actually allowed to race - in the hope that NASCAR someday
gives up on their silly rules I'd keep both Pocono races.
But if a Loudon or Pocono race did go away, I'd hope it
was exchanged for a race at Rockingham.
John
Anna Khonda
May 28, 2012, 10:43:12 PM5/28/12
to
If it were me, and obviously it would never happen,
I would get rid of the four plate races.
The two road races.
One Loudon.
One Pocono.
California.
Michigan.
Add Rockingham.
A MUCH shorter season, or at least more breaks,
would make fans miss racing a little.
The season is way too long to keep interest.
You can't miss something if it never goes away.
--
Dan
A hungry termite walks into a bar and asks,
"Is the bar tender here?"
I would get rid of the four plate races.
The two road races.
One Loudon.
One Pocono.
California.
Michigan.
Add Rockingham.
A MUCH shorter season, or at least more breaks,
would make fans miss racing a little.
The season is way too long to keep interest.
You can't miss something if it never goes away.
--
Dan
A hungry termite walks into a bar and asks,
"Is the bar tender here?"
bob.p...@gmail.com
May 29, 2012, 12:21:50 AM5/29/12
to
On Monday, May 28, 2012 10:43:12 PM UTC-4, Anna Khonda wrote:
> If it were me, and obviously it would never happen,
> I would get rid of the four plate races.
> The two road races.
> One Loudon.
> One Pocono.
> California.
> Michigan.
> Add Rockingham.
You're right. That will never happen. You're talking about lopping off nearly
> If it were me, and obviously it would never happen,
> I would get rid of the four plate races.
> The two road races.
> One Loudon.
> One Pocono.
> California.
> Michigan.
> Add Rockingham.
a third of the schedule. Way too radical a move considering that NASCAR is
now more marketing machine than sport.
> A MUCH shorter season, or at least more breaks,
> would make fans miss racing a little.
> The season is way too long to keep interest.
> You can't miss something if it never goes away.
the heart grow fonder" theory. An off weekend doesn't make me any more anxious
to see the next race. It just aggravates me that there's no race to watch that
weekend.
I honestly don't see the schedule being cut back. I just thought it would be
an interesting challenge to see how others would do it and see if there was any
kind of consensus on which races/tracks have the least popular support.
Anna Khonda
May 29, 2012, 9:15:26 AM5/29/12
to
<bob.p...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> I can only speak for myself, but I don't really subscribe to the "absence
> makes
> the heart grow fonder" theory. An off weekend doesn't make me any more
> anxious
> to see the next race. It just aggravates me that there's no race to watch
> that
> weekend.
Well, if Indy ran 20, 500 mile Indycar races there a year,
I doubt the attendance would be that good after about 3.
If Daytona ran 9, 500 mile races, I doubt the last would
have as many people as the first.
At Loudon, one of the dog tracks on the schedule,
John mentioned they get great crowds.
They do.
But if they raced there 8 times, I doubt they
would get great crowds.
That's live, not tv. understood.
As for tv, you have to look at it from a coverage pov
and not a track specific.
It's a weekend tv show.
And "basically" the show is the same.
It's a race. And there are a lot of them.
I do believe there is an oversaturation point.
And I think NASCAR has hit it.
Perhaps you, look forward to every race, as do some,
but I would say that the newer majority of fans,
don't have that same commitment. There are just other
things to do, other things to watch.
When you know there are 38 or more events on tv,
you know you can miss a few, and still catch up in a week or so.
> On Monday, May 28, 2012 10:43:12 PM UTC-4, Anna Khonda wrote:
>> If it were me, and obviously it would never happen,
>> I would get rid of the four plate races.
>> The two road races.
>> One Loudon.
>> One Pocono.
>> California.
>> Michigan.
>> Add Rockingham.
> You're right. That will never happen.
I know, I said that..
>> If it were me, and obviously it would never happen,
>> I would get rid of the four plate races.
>> The two road races.
>> One Loudon.
>> One Pocono.
>> California.
>> Michigan.
>> Add Rockingham.
> You're right. That will never happen.
> I can only speak for myself, but I don't really subscribe to the "absence
> makes
> the heart grow fonder" theory. An off weekend doesn't make me any more
> anxious
> to see the next race. It just aggravates me that there's no race to watch
> that
> weekend.
I doubt the attendance would be that good after about 3.
If Daytona ran 9, 500 mile races, I doubt the last would
have as many people as the first.
At Loudon, one of the dog tracks on the schedule,
John mentioned they get great crowds.
They do.
But if they raced there 8 times, I doubt they
would get great crowds.
That's live, not tv. understood.
As for tv, you have to look at it from a coverage pov
and not a track specific.
It's a weekend tv show.
And "basically" the show is the same.
It's a race. And there are a lot of them.
I do believe there is an oversaturation point.
And I think NASCAR has hit it.
Perhaps you, look forward to every race, as do some,
but I would say that the newer majority of fans,
don't have that same commitment. There are just other
things to do, other things to watch.
When you know there are 38 or more events on tv,
you know you can miss a few, and still catch up in a week or so.
John McCoy
May 29, 2012, 4:51:38 PM5/29/12
to
"Anna Khonda" <Anna_...@nospam.com> wrote in
news:jq2ekk$jiv$1...@speranza.aioe.org:
> I do believe there is an oversaturation point.
> And I think NASCAR has hit it.
Far beyond it, in truth. The problem is not that there's two
Cup races at most tracks, and thus a Cup race almost every
weekend. The problem is that there's a Cup race every weekend,
and a Nationwide race, and a Truck race. And the three are
pretty much indistinguishable (yeah, the trucks look a tiny
bit different - but basically the same car, same track, same
drivers for all three races).
So the real solution (which NASCAR would never do) would
be to combine all three series into 1, and just race one
race per weekend. There's enough warm-weather tracks that
you could run 52 races a year, always keep the NASCAR
brand on TV, and not leave everyone feeling that there's
better things they should be doing than sitting in front
of the TV all weekend.
John
news:jq2ekk$jiv$1...@speranza.aioe.org:
> I do believe there is an oversaturation point.
> And I think NASCAR has hit it.
Cup races at most tracks, and thus a Cup race almost every
weekend. The problem is that there's a Cup race every weekend,
and a Nationwide race, and a Truck race. And the three are
pretty much indistinguishable (yeah, the trucks look a tiny
bit different - but basically the same car, same track, same
drivers for all three races).
So the real solution (which NASCAR would never do) would
be to combine all three series into 1, and just race one
race per weekend. There's enough warm-weather tracks that
you could run 52 races a year, always keep the NASCAR
brand on TV, and not leave everyone feeling that there's
better things they should be doing than sitting in front
of the TV all weekend.
John
Mikey
Jun 6, 2012, 11:00:33 AM6/6/12
to
<bob.p...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7c806af4-8a3a-4f74...@googlegroups.com...
include more tracks around the country. The reason that attendance is down
is because most fans can only afford one or 2 races a year, and they will
only go to one race at a track per year. There probably are not enough
tracks to have 36 races if you race at each track only once.
Mike
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