I was going around the channels the other night and the NASCAR truck race came on from Bristol. At first I thought it must be qualifying or something. The stands were pretty much empty. But no, it was the real deal. What if they had a race and nobody came?
They don't want to admit it but I think NASCAR is in serious decline. I've been a fan since I watched the Daytona 500 on Wide World of Sports way back in the middle 60's somwhere. I'm still a fan, but I think I can see a few reasons why they've lost the magic.
First of all, they've never got past being a white man's sport. That might have worked for them back in the day, but times have changed. Having Pablo Montoya on the starting grid doesn't really broaden your fan base that much. How come the elite ranks of track and field are dominated by non-whites but the upper echelons of motorsport are primarily the domain of the white man? Because historically young white guys could afford cars and their brown brothers across town had to make do with a pair of sneakers?
Secondly, the product too often doesn't have much in the way of drama. I know they've tried to inject a bit of that with the "Chase", but look who is chasing. They may be decent human beings but for the most part they come off as totally interchangeable spoiled young sons of privilege. Junior is the most charismatic guy they've got and he hasn't won anything in years. Mark Martin is a bit of a human interest story simply for being the old dog. Stewart had a bit of buzz about him but I think he messed that up with that Rolling Stone profile he did. I mean, if you're going to hit on under-age girls at the donut shop maybe you should do it when there isn't a reporter following you around.
Third, they got way too far into being owned by the sponsors. The sponsor money makes the show and the sponsors call the shots. It takes millions of dollars a year to field an also-ran team, let alone a winning one. The top guys in golf or tennis are competitive all season long with gear that's worth less than the set of tires that the NASCAR guys have to change after 30 laps. Stock car racing needs to go back to something regular working people can identify with, both in terms of the machinery and the people driving the machinery.
Four, their development leagues aren't developing anything. Half the field or better in every Nationwide race is made up of guys who also run Sprint Cup. It's almost as bad in trucks. You don't see guys on the Yankees squeezing in as many Triple A games as they can just to buff their egos, do you? What is the point of a development circuit if you're going to let it be dominated by people who are already established in prime time?
Finally, and unfortunately this one isn't something NASCAR has any control over, attendance and interest are suffering because the regular working people who make up the fan base are suffering. In that sense the tribulations of NASCAR are a barometer of what's happening in the society at large. Packing up the family, travelling a few hundred miles or more, staying at a hotel for a night or two, and then spending a day at the track all adds up to a mortgage payment or two, a few car payments, a month of groceries.
When the lords of commerce and politics have spent the last thirty years kicking the shit out of the working class, it's no wonder the stands are empty at Bristol.
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