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We don’t do a lot of posts about the TV coverage around here, because we don’t see much of it live and there are some great sites out there that do a better job (like TDP). But there was a news item this week from ESPN that I thought warranted a little TNI TV talk.
Starting with next weekend’s Brickyard 400, Allen Bestwick will take over as the regular play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Cup Series broadcasts. He replaces Marty Reid who will continue to do the Nationwide and IndyCar races. Bestwick will be joined in the booth by NASCAR veterans Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree, creating what I think will be the strongest broadcast booth in NASCAR.
It seems like in the past, NASCAR always had a surplus of really good play-by-play announcers for TV coverage. Names like Chris Economaki, Ken Squier, Eli Gold, Bob Jenkins and Mike Joy come to mind. It didn’t matter what channel you were watching, there was always somebody really knowledgeable leading the broadcast. Fast forward to more recent times, and things have been different. Outside of the FOX crew, we’ve seen quite a few different PxP guys for NASCAR coverage. Both ESPN and TNT have struggled to nail down that most important spot.
All three networks that carry Cup Series races have taken their lumps from fans in recent years, and to some extent they always will because races are tough to cover with so much happening at once. But for ESPN the move to Bestwick should improve broadcasts dramatically. Bestwick is a veteran and a pro when it comes to covering NASCAR events, having been around the sport since 1986. He’s done everything from play-by-play, to studio shows, and reporting from pit road. And putting him with smart, well spoken guys like Jarrett and Petree will really elevate ESPN’s coverage.
From the little bit of reaction I’ve seen around the internet following the move, it appears as though most are excited by it. And it’s good to see ESPN listening to those watching its broadcasts. I think they will definitely be glad they did.
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Ratings. Ratings. Ratings.
For the last several seasons following the highs and lows of TV viewership in NASCAR has been as much a sport as the action on track every weekend. From NASCAR’s height in 2005 to its lowpoint last season the sport’s media latched onto the storyline of NASCAR’s decline.
The weekly reports of the overnight ratings, the stories about attendance, the surely inexplicable double digit drop in ESPN’s viewership at the end of last season. The sky was falling in all around us and NASCAR faced a future certain to be as bleak as open wheel racing in the United States. Can you imagine having to PAY to get your sport on TV?
And then finally we saw something at Daytona that has continued for the last 13 weeks – a leveling out of the ratings. When FOX ended their run the week before last, they reported a 16% increase year over year. This past weekend TNT reported flat ratings year over year for Pocono.
Suddenly TV ratings have taken a backseat, and NASCAR is looking OK. I know I’m more concerned about exactly what pieces of jewelry Richard Childress took off before he went to pounding on Kyle Busch.
Sarcasm aside, the ratings increase over last year was bound to occur at least in some instances thanks to the pavement issue at Daytona and the rain outs we experienced through the first 1/3 of the 2010 season. Even with that bit of information though, consider that ratings returned to 2009 levels and saw increases of that key 18-34 male demographic by 20% year over year.
These are all things to feel pretty good about. Especially considering NASCAR’s eight-year $4.8 billion TV deal comes up in 2014.
The fact is, TV ratings like all things are cyclical and are very dependent upon who is playing, who is winning and what the storylines are. With 10 very different winners in 14 races and all the feuds and fighting you can handle, this season has provided plenty of intrigue and interest.
And thanks to that, the ratings have been a non-story, even in their improved state. It’s just not as much fun to talk about when you can’t tie them to the impending apocalypse.
As with every sport, NASCAR is far from perfect and has a long way to go to return to the glory days of the mid-2000s. But things could definitely be worse right now. 8.6 million people are still tuning in every week; we don’t have to worry about collective bargaining agreements or work stoppages; we don’t have Lebron James or any “decisions,” and, for the most part, the personal lives of our athletes don’t play out in tabloids or on front pages.
Best of all though, with ratings in a more stable place we can move on to more important things, like the racing. Here’s hoping this trend continues.
The top-ten in Sunday’s Cup race was a diverse group. The drivers came from nine different teams, three different countries, all four manufacturers, and they ranged in age from 27 to 40. And your winner? Well, he was doing backflips.
On Saturday, it was an old face in victory lane and a history making moment by a new face (at least in NASCAR) just a few spots back. There was even a fight in the garage on Friday night – too bad there weren’t any photos.
Add to those moments 20-year-old Trevor Bayne winning the Great American race for the sport’s oldest team, and fan favorite Jeff Gordon ending a 66-race winless streak and you have three weeks of fantastic storylines.
NASCAR President Mike Helton agrees saying:
“It’s been entertaining“
NASCAR has a lot of positive momentum right now. That undoubtedly has played some part in the big TV ratings bump (up double digits in each of the last three weeks) and sellout crowds. And with the backdrop of the “Millionaires vs. Billionaires” fight in the NFL and lockout fears in the NBA, NASCAR’s looking pretty good right now.
The fact is, the product is as good as it’s ever been. Races are close, the competition is close and the personalities have made it all pretty entertaining. And wouldn’t you know it, good storylines and good numbers all mean a more positive atmosphere throughout the sport. People are feeling good about the 2011 season.
Even with all the positive feelings there is a bit of apprehension given what everyone has been through for the last several seasons. After all, we’re just three positive weeks in to years of tough times.
“The energy around [the sport] feels good,” Helton said. “The numbers are supporting it, but you don’t want to get too comfortable too quick. You certainly hope that things continue to progress.“
Not helping matters though is this off week for the Cup and Nationwide Series. Fox isn’t happy about it – and you better believe with this momentum NASCAR isn’t too thrilled with it either.
Still, while the season is young and I’ll admit it’s a little early to be calling a turn around, I’m cautiously optimistic – what we’ve seen so far is a very good place to start.
The way the media, TV executives and even NASCAR executives spoke at the end of the season, you would have thought the world was crashing in on us. Every week there were stories of 20% and 25% ratings declines on ESPN. Everyone with a platform to do so was asking why people we’re tuning out in droves. It didn’t make sense. And ESPN stood firm that the move from ABC to the cable network shouldn’t make a difference. That surely couldn’t have contributed. Or could it?
Consider this:
The Rose Bowl’s move to cable drew ESPN’s highest preliminary rating for a non-NFL game. TCU’s 21-19 win over Wisconsin on Saturday earned an 11.7 overnight rating, down 15 percent from the 13.8 for Ohio State-Oregon on ABC last year.
The Rose Bowl’s move to cable drew ESPN’s highest preliminary rating for a non-NFL game.
TCU’s 21-19 win over Wisconsin on Saturday earned an 11.7 overnight rating, down 15 percent from the 13.8 for Ohio State-Oregon on ABC last year.
That’s strange. The highest preliminary rating for a non-NFL game, but still down 15 percent from the network (it’s the lowest overnight rating for the Rose Bowl since 2003)? I wonder what happened? Perhaps it’s that the audience for ESPN is smaller than ABC? And wouldn’t you know it:
ESPN is available in about 13 percent fewer homes than ABC.
Those numbers (15% and 13%) sure match up well. As a side note, it’s worth noting ESPN/ABCs only NASCAR ratings increase this season was a race that was moved from ESPN to ABC – Bristol.
There are many out there who have worked to debunk the effect of moving sports from the networks to cable (I apologize for not being able to find one of the articles right now). And there may be some good arguments, but for whatever reason the evidence continues not to support it – or maybe people don’t like watching sports on cable as much as on the networks.
Now obviously ratings were probably still down this season for NASCAR on ESPN. But it makes a little more sense that the ESPN declines were more in line with the other broadcast networks. 10-12% is a lot better, and a lot easier to understand, than a sudden 20-27% decline.
While there certainly is a story to be told about ratings declines, I continue to believe the anomalous numbers we saw with ESPN had to do more with the move than with the product. If the audience information is excluded, the year-over-year numbers absolutely look worse than they are.
I know this is going to continue to be a popular storyline in 2011 – and let’s be honest, it will be a storyline until they bottom out – it’s my hope though that this storyline and others can be reported with more clarity and candor in 2011. While NASCAR does have its issues, let’s keep in perspective this is still the second most watched sport in America.
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The NASCAR teams have a home game this week, as both the Nationwide and Cup Series will take to Charlotte this weekend. As the teams look forward to sleeping in their own beds this week, we’ve got the 96th round of reader questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Dan:
Great web site and lots of inside information a must every day. The question that I have is the following. Why on the TV broadcast after the race I notice that the teams are removing the new shark fin spoilers from the roof, rear window and trunk lid. Why remove these items at the track and before loading the cars into the haulers? I have seen it several times?
To be honest, I’m not 100% sure on this answer, but I believe it’s because the shark fin is too tall for the trailers. The fin on the rear window sticks up above the roof line, and the cars just barely fit into the trailers as they are. – T.C.
2. From Rowan:
Hi guys, great site, love it. Do you think Kenny Francis will stay with the number 9 team @ RPM next season? In Australia we have series called the Masters for cars that raced back in sixties and seventies. Do you think NASCAR would introduce a series similiar where we could see those old Dodges, Plymouths, Torino s and Chevys back on the track again in battle? And last question Owen Kelly drove the Road America race is he still racing in the U.S.?
Thanks Rowan! It was all but announced this weekend Kenny Francis would go to Red Bull with Kasey Kahne (you probably already saw that). How exactly that’s going to work beyond next season remains to be seen. To your second question, I don’t think so. It would be entertaining for sure, but I’m not sure where they would get equipment. There are actually people who have classic race cars and race them in exhibition races – it’s not sanctioned by NASCAR though. As far as Owen Kelly, he drove for Baker Curb Racing at Road America, but I’m not sure if he’s done any other racing in the US since then. Maybe someone else knows? – Journo
3. From Steve:
I know you’ve said that all drivers at the Sprint Cup level have talent. But in your view, which drivers have the talent to get more out of their car than a so-called average driver? And which drivers seem to get less out of their car than would seem right given their equipment, support, etc.?
I think it’s a two fold thing: what can a driver get out of their car, and what they can communicate about their car. Kyle Busch is very good at both of these things. And look at Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis as a team that is good at both of these things (given their situation). In my opinion, Martin Truex is a guy who struggles to communicate and get everything out of his car (in comparison to his peers). – Journo
4. From Kim:
I don’t know what a crew chief makes, but seeing fines of $150000 takes my breath away. When a crew chief is fined for an infraction, do they have to pay it in one lump sum?. Do they pay it personally? Does the team pay it? Does it have to be paid before they come to the track for the next race?
Those fines are generally paid by the teams. NASCAR does allow for payment plans to be set up though should a team not be willing (or able) to pay a fine. As far as when fines have to be paid, as I understand it (section 12-3 in the rulebook) fines are to be paid promptly, but if that’s not possible they must be paid before NASCAR will approve the following year’s license for the person who received the fine. – Journo
5. From Thenewme:
Is ESPN TV trying to create the feeling that we are live at NASCAR races? They are doing a good job because we cannot hear the announcers. The mix of track noise is killing the commentary. We just turn the sound off.
Among the issues in an ESPN broadcast I’ve noticed that too. It’s called ‘nat sound’ – and I agree it is often too loud. It is kind of like you’re at a race though, you can’t hear the PA announcer over the cars – you can’t hear the broadcasters over the race. – Journo
6. From Mike:
Do you have a real idea how the 6 man over the wall crew is going to work next season? Have you talked to any of the truck guys about it? Does the fuel can act differently? Who is making the adjustments now?
It won’t be drastically different than what we have now. Stop times may slow down some early on, partially through inexperience and partially because the new cans don’t dump as quickly. But give the teams some time with it, and improvements will be made. You will still have five guys changing the tires, and adjustments will be made by the rear tire carrier. – T.C.
7. From dwiltone:
Something I have thought of a few times before. Is there at any time, short of loading and unloading, any reason for anyone other than the drivers to actually drive the race car? How about an older car? I mean. Ya’ll do what you do because of your love of racing. Ever have two seats in the car just to give the guys a spin so to speak? Thanks you 2.
There are times when cars will be driven around the shop complexes, but usually not at the race track. When cars are moved at the track, they are always just pushed around by the teams. For those guys who really want to experience a race car, most just go out and race. There is pretty good percentage of guys who either raced previously or still race, whether it be latemodels, go carts, or something similar. – T.C.
8. From Gabriella:
A newbie question: I’ve figured out that there’s a sub-race off pit road, but what I don’t understand is how those drivers flying out of pit road merge? E.g., what if the leader at the caution is the mighty Jimmie Johnson, who decides NOT to pit: where does he fit in the restart? Thanks!
They don’t really have to merge. At the end of pit road is a line, and the cars are put in order by who gets to the line first, second, third, etc. And if there are cars that are on the lead lap, but don’t pit, they stay behind the pace car and any cars that pitted line up behind them. So if JJ is running 5th, but he stays out and everyone else pits, JJ is the leader. – T.C.
9. From Denny:
I know every year we have all of these great rumors throughout the season. I was wondering if you are hearing any rumors of a major Cup/Cup Lite team making a manufacture-swap for 2011? Also been meaning to ask this question and this goes back to Chicago’s Cup Race. I am sure I heard one of the announcers mention either during or after the race that winner, David Reutimann’s #00 was running a new, improved intake manifold from TRD. Wouldn’t this take a long approval process from NASCAR? What was the deal with this?
The only team in either the Cup or Nationwide Series that I am fairly certain will switch manufacturers is the new Turner Motorsports. From what we’ve heard, the team will switch all the old Braun Toyotas over to Chevrolets. Other than that, I believe all the other teams are sticking with what they’ve got. To your second question, I didn’t hear anything about Reutimann using a new intake, but it’s certainly possible. Any new engine part would definitely have to go through an approval process by NASCAR, but I doubt it would be overly lengthy. - T.C.
10. From Fireball:
Are you aware of any team trying a four or three stud wheel. This would seem to speed up pit stops, but obviously less redundancy if a nut were missed?
I’ve never heard of a team trying a wheel with less studs. It’s certainly against NASCAR’s rules to use something like that, and I highly doubt NASCAR would ever approve something like that for competition. Outside of faster pit stops, I don’t really think there is an advantage to using a four or three stud wheel. – T.C.
11. From Mike:
Two questions: 1. What do you think are the chances we’ll see NASCAR at the new F1 track in Austin? 2. Have you heard anything about the future of Robby Gordon Motorsports or Robby’s career in NASCAR?
I would say probably not too likely (if they do actually get it built). It would require ISC, SMI, Dovor Motorsports, the Mattiolis, or Indianapolis to give up a date. I don’t see any of that happening. I’ve heard (I don’t know how good the info is) Robby is close on a sponsorship deal for all of his racing endeavors, but nothing is done. We’ll see. – Journo
12. From markh:
I noticed at Fontana the 18 team working on Kyle’s car under a canopy next to the hauler. What’s up with that? I’ve seen that on the Nationwide side before, but never on the Cup side.
They do that with a few of the Cup teams on their side of the garage, and I’m not really sure why. According to the Auto Club Speedway website, they have 100 garage stalls, so you’d think they could fit them all. For whatever reason though, the way they have the Cup garage area set up, that’s just what they have to do to to fit everyone in. -T.C.
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
The Chase heads west this week for a little racing action, California style. While we dream of surf and sun, here are more of our answers to your NASCAR questions. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Christa:
I don’t normally bash the race broadcast, but the coverage by ESPN on Sunday was HORRIBLE!! Cutting to commercial during green with 10 to go is inexcusable. My question is this, any chance NASCAR can pressure them to put on a decent show? Or do you think outcry from the fans is the only solution? I’ve already sent them an angry email to do my part, but I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
NASCAR can certainly put pressure on them to change things, but at the end of the day it’s ESPN’s call. I really hate to say this, and I’m not necessarily advocating it, but the best way to show ESPN you don’t like their product is to tune out (or DVR it). The emails and letters don’t hurt. They’re looking at it right now anyway thanks to the large ratings declines over the last three races. You aren’t alone in your feelings on this – if you ever check out The Daly Planet this has been a constant complaint from many viewers. In fact JD did a writeup on the ESPN ratings issue today. – Journo
2. From Jeanette:
Hi guys. Perhaps you can settle a discussion that took place while my boyfriend and I were watching qualifying recently. When a crew chief tells the driver after his lap “P-4″ or “P-whatever”, does the P stand for position? provisional?
Whoever said it stood for position is the winner. The crew chief, or spotter will tell the driver p whatever to let them know where they stand in qualifying, practice, or the race. – Journo
3. From Anonymous:
Hey guys, love the website! Keep doing what you’re doing! This may seem like a silly question but I often notice after a race that when pit reporters are doing postrace interviews, many times the drivers are already changed into street clothes. Are the drivers fast in the shower in addition to being fast on the track or do the TV producers ‘collapse time’ and make things look like they are happening quicker than they really are? Many thanks!
Thanks! No silly questions here. No time collapse, the drivers you see who have changed have enough time to go back to the hauler (generally they do it in the lounge) to change out of their firesuits. – Journo
4. From brian:
Years ago Petty put Wilson in the 44 car after he retired. He had to change the number back to #43 b/c the NASCAR rule was if you don’t use it you lose it. Why isn’t the same with the #3. It is always said Childress has the #, but if he isn’t using it why can’t someone else use it?
Technically, no team owns a number. NASCAR owns all the numbers and grants permission to the teams to use them. So really, if somebody wanted to use the number, they could petition NASCAR to get it. However, I think nobody asking to use it is more of a respect thing than anything else. – T.C.
5. From Michael in SoCal:
Hi guys. I just watched this week’s Whelen Southern Modified race on Versus and there was mention of Langley Speedway winner, Tim Brown, who was going to race at Tri-County Speedway. Jack Arute & Jimmy Spencer mentioned that Brown, who works for Michael Waltrip Racing, was called out to Phoenix by MWR for testing there. I thought testing was banned at any track where the top three series race? Any insight as to what this was all about? Thanks.
Just because he was called to Phoenix to do a test doesn’t necessarily mean they were at Phoenix International Raceway. I don’t recall any Goodyear tire tests there this season, so I doubt that’s where they went. I would imagine that the test was at the Toyota Proving Grounds in Wittman, AZ. The facility is about an hour and a half outside of Phoenix. – T.C.
6. From David:
With all the Nationwide series rookies getting the boot do you think that NASCAR needs to have contracts like the NFL or NBA???
You’ve got to feel for these guys, but the structure of NASCAR makes it difficult to have a labor union like you see in the NFL or the NBA. The drivers are independent contractors in NASCAR – they work individually for teams, who at the end of the day have no stake in the sport as a whole – which is quite different than other major American sports leagues where the owners make up the league. I think there is an argument to be made that these guys need more protections, but how exactly to do that I don’t know. – Journo
7. From Jon:
I have a few questions… but before I begin first I wanna say I love the blog, I’ve written in a few times and you guys always answer my questions! You guys do a 100x better job than NASCAR PR LOL. 1. I was looking at some old race results at racing-reference.info and noticed in ’95 and ’96, both races (when phx featured just 1 event) had 44 cars. why? when/how did nascar decide on the 43 car field # and what dictated the # before? 2. i’m pretty sure i’ve read this somewhere/heard it on a broadcast, but i’m not 100% sure. let’s say two guys tie at the end of the season w/ the same # of points. the driver with the most wins gets the better spot in the points, right? do they have tiebreakers to determine who takes the higher spot in points after wins (if they are still tied)? 3. why hasn’t nascar considered running more nationwide one-off events? if they want to get cup regulars out, woudln’t it make more sense to run the events in tandem with say a truck or arca or IRL event, at a venue where the cup series isn’t? if they did this more than just the 3 times a year (i think?) that they do this now, to say like, 9-10, wouldn’t it be way more likely a regular would win rather than a cup series regular? i’m just looking for slightly easier “fixes” for the Nationwide series, as opposed to some ridiculous idea of leaving Cup regulars out of the points championship.
For a much better explanation of why we have 43 car fields, and the situation you mention at Phoenix, check out this piece by Dave Rodman from the 2002 season. In regards to ties in the point system, the NASCAR rule book says that if two drivers are tied, the tie will be broken by which driver has the most first place finishes. If they are still tied, it then goes to second place finishes, third places finish, and so on and so forth. If a tie still remains after that, “the driver having the highest finishing position first during the current season prevails.” And to your question about more standalone events, I honestly have no idea. The Nationwide/Busch Series did used to run more events by itself, but over the course of the last decade or so, most of the schedule has been changed to run in conjunction with the Cup Series. It’s probably more about drawing more fans to the track and offering more entertainment for a weekend than anything else. – T.C.
8. From Craig:
Does NASCAR give directives to the broadcast teams about what to talk about or what not to criticize? Example, when it comes to 1.5 mile tracks, fans call them “cookie-cutters”, but I’ve seen broadcasters go out of their way to attack that term. I saw that again today with John Roberts on Speed saying “don’t call them cookie-cutters”. Is there some NASCAR PR campaign to defend 1.5 tracks, since they’re a focus of fan criticism?
If NASCAR hears something they don’t like they’re probably going to let the broadcast teams know, but there is no edict from on high telling the broadcast teams how to behave. I think more of what you’re seeing is the teams being hyper-vigilant about what they’re saying so as not to diminish the product that their employer is paying a lot of money to broadcast. With the way ratings are ESPN knows better than anyone they don’t need a negative narrative from their broadcast team. – Journo
9. From Robert:
If KBM closes, where do you think Rick Ren will go? No one in NASCAR, would let a crew chief like this go to waste.
It really depends on Rick Ren. I don’t know what his motivations are, or what type of position he would want (crew chief or director of competition like he is now), but I’m sure he could probably have any job in the Truck Series that he wanted. There would certainly be no shortage of teams beating down his door to get him. Don’t be so certain that KBM is closing next season though. Even if they don’t run every race, I wouldn’t be surprised if KBM still existed in some form next year. – T.C.
10. From Billy:
How does NASCAR’s approval process for new drivers work?
Drivers must submit a resume to NASCAR for consideration. Brett Bodine, who works as NASCAR’s Director of Cost Research makes most of the decisions about who gets approved for what. Usually, drivers must start out in a lower series on tracks a mile and under, then they will get approved for 1.5 to two mile tracks, and finally the superspeedways. It’s totally a judgement call on NASCAR’s part however – drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Danica Patrick were approved for bigger races much quicker because of their past experience. – T.C.
11. From Robert:
Any rumors or ideas as to what is going on at RCR in regards to a second truck team? Rumors had it for awhile that his other grandson, TY, would sit in a truck next season.
As far as we have heard, RCR is working toward having two Truck Series teams next season, one for Austin and one for Ty. It’s interesting to note though, that Ty won’t turn 18 in time to run Daytona. His birthday is February 27th, so he wouldn’t be able to make his series debut until the March 12th race at Darlington. – T.C.
In a world where perception is everything, ratings and attendance have become big topics of discussion among NASCAR fans and insiders. Ratings in particular have been of interest to those in control of the sport. But the picture on that front is less than clear. With fluctuating numbers and ratings looking better from the top-down who knows what’s going on in NASCAR’s national series.
As has been talked about this week and last, the ratings for the last two Cup races have been down – way down. According to Nielsen, ratings at New Hampshire were down 28 percent and at Dover 22 percent year-over-year. It’s the apocalypse, right? Well maybe not.
Something no one has really been talking about is that the races in previous years were on ABC (a network channel where one would assume there is a larger audience), not ESPN. TC talked with our friend John Daly over at the Daly Planet and he thinks this isn’t an issue – he thinks the product is the problem. To some extent I think he’s probably right. It’s hard to reconcile though why ratings have suddenly been down quite so much in the Cup Series.
Consider this: before New Hampshire there were slight declines for the races at Richmond (on ABC this year and last) and Atlanta (on ESPN this year and last). At Bristol though the race was shown on ABC this year, a change from ESPN in years prior. The race actually saw a ratings increase year-over-year. Is that because it was on network TV instead of cable? I tend to think that’s possible, if not likely.
Even though these last two weeks look to me like anomalies, it is true ratings as a whole have been down again this season in the Cup Series. Why exactly that is, is hard to say. This isn’t the case across the board though.
With fan discontent churning, you’d expect to see declines everywhere. It’s not happening though. The ratings in the Nationwide Series have been flat year-over-year – this despite it being a series dominated by Cup regulars.
Even more interesting though is the case of the Truck Series which has actually seen an overall ratings increase over the summer after taking hits early on because of rain delays. This is occurring despite the fact there are only five to 10 competitive trucks on a weekly basis.
Now obviously there are overall audience disparities between the three series, but I still have to wonder why the two lower series are growing, or at the very least maintaining their audiences when their larger counterpart is not. Is it the politics? Is it the personalities? Are races too long? Has the Cup Series just become overexposed? Is there an increasing number of ‘avid fans’ looking for more racing? Is the racing better? Is the coverage better? I unfortunately have far more questions than answers.
Even with the pre-race show, watching a Truck race on Speed really has the feel of Cup Series broadcast 15+ years ago. It’s simple, refreshing, and light hearted – plus the races are usually done in a couple of hours. Even the Nationwide Series broadcasts aren’t quite as overdone as the Cup races. I have no idea if this explains the ratings though.
I’ve been watching this top-down trend for a while and I find it fascinating, but don’t have any idea why it’s happening. Maybe you all do?
Road racing returns this weekend as the Cup and NNS cars head up to Watkins Glen. While they are turning left and right, and doing backwards pit stops, the truck series takes on the Nashville Superspeedway. As we work through another week, here are more reader questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Garry:
How often do you AND your driver practice the exact routine of the car pulling in and out of the pit stall? How many times does it take to be perfect? When you are working with a new driver or at a tougher track (like Bristol) do they allow you extra time to practice a lot? Is it true that “pit mates” (drivers in ajoining pit stalls) try to coordinate their stops, to stay out of each other’s way? It seems so many things can go wrong. Do you have any good stories about bad blood rivals who are battling and then winding up next to each other? ( e.g if Horse face and lil Brad wound up next to each other. It might make things interesting)
You won’t find most drivers at the shop driving the pit stop car for practice. Some teams will use their development drivers or just a shop guy to do the driving. Once most guys get to a certain point in their career, practicing getting into and out of the pit stall just isn’t necessary I guess. And the only real example of a track that sticks out where we might do some extra practice is for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen because the pit stops are backwards. Other then that, the rest of the tracks get the same amount of prep usually. In terms of pit road neighbors, you try as much as you can to coordinate stops, but often it just isn’t possible. The hope is that the guys around you are either on a different lap or fall out early, so your driver has a clean path in and out. And there are plenty of times where teams end up pitting next to each other and things get ugly. There have been instances where crew members have thrown lugnuts and other objects at an opposing driver as they come by, pit boards have been hit by drivers, there have been plenty of shoving matches, and there is always going to be a ton of yelling when things go south. – T.C.
2. From Bill:
Why not let the cars that make the chase all race together and have another race for the other cars. Nascar asks the other cars to move over and not race the chase cars. This makes for poor racing and the other cars cannot win.
I’m not really sure what the question is here, but NASCAR doesn’t ask other cars to roll over for the Chasers. In fact Jamie McMurray, a non-chaser, won the race at Talladega during the Chase last season. – Journo
3. From Michael:
Regarding Tool sponsorship. Mac, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. Are the tools given to the teams, discounted, or on loan? Or is each team contract different with each vendor?
The contracts can be different, but for the big teams, when the team itself needs tools, they are usually given or highly discounted. Remember though, the guys who work in the shop use their own tools and must pay for all of their own equipment. With the shop guys, they are usually given a discount, but nothing is free. – T.C.
4. From Marty:
After watching the wide array of tire strategies at Pocono I offer you this question… Has anyone ever taken 3 tires in a pit stop? How about just 1 tire?
Not that I’ve ever heard of. Getting one tire takes the same amount of time as it does to get two, as does the time for three versus four. So it wouldn’t really make sense. Plus, it would give the car really odd handling characteristics to have grip at one corner, but not the others. - T.C.
5. From Jackie:
On Sunday’s race, I noticed that start and park teams would come in and then go back out on the track – Why? Do they not want to be listed as last or are they trying to better their position? At what point in the race do the start and park teams say enough is enough and call it a race?
Most are trying to just be able to finish a little better. Remember most don’t have pit crews, so if they are going to run longer then a tire/fuel run, they’ve got to do something to change tires and add fuel. A few minutes in the garage can do the trick. And the agendas will vary by team. Some of the bare bones operations will just run a few laps because they are fine with last place money. Others might be attempting to make more money, and score more points, so they may stay out longer. – T.C.
6. From Debbie:
While watching the Pocono race a driver, I want to say Denny Hamlin, but don’t quote me on that, said his tires were over rotating. How can that be and what does that mean? Thanks!
I’ve never heard a driver say his tires were over-rotating. I have heard them say that about their car though. If a car is over rotating, it just means it’s loose in the corners. – T.C.
7. From Kevin:
First off, the 48 dumped the 2. Everybody who has ever watched a race with bump drafting knows you dont do it unless your wheels are straight. The 48 was turning left the entire time and clearly turned the 2. No question about it. Kurt should have gone and kicked some ass. I am sure he will in coming weeks. Secondly, how great was the racing at the end of the race? For about 20-40 laps there we saw some of the best racing of the season. All through the pack. I am so tired of the people complaining, if they didn’t like the racing right after the rain stoppage then they should just quit watching, b/c it won’t get much better. Finally, do you think the recent success of two tire stops is due to the flat nature of the last two tracks? I imagine someone taking two tires at say, Vegas, will suffer a lot more due to the speed all the way around the track. I do enjoy the mixing of strategies though.
To your first point, I don’t think Jimmie dumped him, I think Jimmie got sloppy and made a poor decision. To your second point, I couldn’t agree more. I think we have had stellar racing this season. And to your last point, the two tire strategy works when everything comes together right. Certainly tire wear is a factor, but how many laps are left, who took four versus two, and how many all play a role. It has played a role the last two weeks. – Journo
8. From steve:
Any idea what was going on with Brian Pattie and Montoya, especially Pattie’s barb that Montoya needs to come to Charlotte to practice pit stops? How redfaced do you think ESPN is that they had zero cameras on Sadler? But for his crash sneaking into the Busch coverage, they would have had nothing at all on one of the worst wrecks in NASCAR this year.
Montoya screwed something up, and they had a 17 second stop (I would imagine he messed up getting into the box), so Pattie called him out. Montoya was then upset that Pattie called him out, and he was upset about losing track position because they got four tires. JPM is notorious for his ability to express his feelings. To your second question, I think it’s the nature of the beast. This sort of thing is the nightmare of every sports television director – missing that key play (or in this case a wreck) because they didn’t have a camera – but it happens because you just can’t have cameras everywhere. I’d be willing to bet there have been some serious discussions this week about how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. – Journo
9. From Lost in Texas:
Anything new in the Jeremy Mayfield case?
I haven’t heard anything new. The last I heard was that Mayfield’s legal team had asked Judge Mullen to reconsider his ruling, a formal step before they can appeal to the 4th Circuit Court. – Journo
10. From Kipp:
T.C.- This is a great outlet and source of information and discussion. Thank you for you and Journo’s efforts. With the recent fine given to Denny Hamlin, have you worried any about potential fines or punishment coming from NASCAR for operating on this forum?
Thanks Kipp! Glad you are enjoying what we do. And no, neither myself nor Journo is worried in any way about being fined or punished by NASCAR. We operate a very fair website, and if they ever took exception to something we wrote, all it would take is a simple request, and they could post a rebuttal here. Also, I think it’s important to note that NASCAR didn’t fine somebody in the press, it was drivers. If they did ever try and penalize a media member, it would come to light pretty quickly. And, as our regular readers know, we’ve been very critical of NASCAR at times (see Tuesday’s blog post), and they have yet to even bother contacting us. – T.C.
11. From derek:
Why does a crew member use a propane torch to heat the tire up and then scrape it?
The crew guy is using the torch and the scraper to clean off any build up on the tires so the tire specialist can get an accurate reading of the tire’s tread depth after a run. When a car is running around the track, especially under caution and heading to pit road, the hot tires will pick up rubber and all sorts of other things. Cleaning them allows the teams to figure out how much rubber was actually worn off over the course of a run. – T.C.
12. From M. Sauter:
With the season winding down, and sponsors signing or leaving, when should Kahne fans begin to panic?Right now, he has no ride and no sponsor.
There isn’t a point you should start panicking. Kasey will be in a car next season. Where that’s at is still yet to be seen, but Kasey will absolutely be driving somewhere next season. Rick Hendrick didn’t sign Kasey to sideline him. Don’t worry! Everything will be worked out…eventually. – Journo
As NASCAR continues to look for ways to improve the sport, both on and off the track, one area I believe they are missing a huge opportunity is with their online content. While there are plenty of articles, blog posts, and video clips available at NASCAR.com and the many other racing related websites, NASCAR is trailing most of the other major sports with their live streaming options.
NASCAR’s current online presence is controlled by Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems, and has been since 2001. In 2008, the two entities extended their online deal through the year 2014. This puts Turner in direct control of NASCAR’s official online footprint.
Currently, outside of the six races that TNT’s RaceBuddy is available online, NASCAR.com’s online offerings are pretty scant. TrackPass offers scanner audio, timing and scoring data, limited MRN/PRN broadcasts, and some weird virtual racing animation called RaceView. There are also some short feature shows and racing highlights available each week. There is however, no way to watch races streaming live online, view archived race footage, or even listen live to MRN and PRN broadcasts and shows.
And compared to the other major American sports, NASCAR is still in the digital ice age. For example, while they don’t offer live streaming video of games online, the NFL does have live online streaming audio for all 32 teams. Major League Baseball has their MLB.TV package that allows fans to watch every regular season game live online, and they’ve been doing so for years. The NBA offers League Pass Broadband that allows viewers to watch 40 games a week live online including full DVR features, plus every game from the season is archived and available at any time to watch in full replay. Even the NHL has Gamecenter that offers live online games, plus they just added a new archive of old and classic games that are available for download. Everyone else seems to get it, except NASCAR.
The biggest obstacle appears to be that NASCAR has several partners in terms of broadcasting, and getting them all to agree on a fair package might be difficult at best. But the one key factor that could change everything is NASCAR. It’s their product in the end, and if they wanted it done, it could get done.
Just to give you and idea about what the networks think, earlier in the season when asked about streaming races online, FOX’s David Hill said that they would not do it, so as to protect their local affiliates. After reading that, and knowing the difficult situation that network television is in, I can understand his position. What’s interesting to note however, is that while he’s not okay showing NASCAR races online for fear of harming his local affiliates, he’s certainly okay “harming” them by allowing Major League Baseball to stream every single game online with it’s MLB.TV package while FOX continues along as part of $3 billion TV contract with MLB that runs through 2013. Good one David.
What NASCAR needs is a comprehensive online package that would allow fans to pay a subscription fee for everything mentioned. Allow them access to live audio and video of press conferences, practice sessions, qualifying, and races online. Make RaceBuddy available for all 36 races. Give them access to listen to all of the MRN and PRN broadcasts and shows. Want scanner audio for every driver you? You got it! Offer several different packages at different price points, and let them choose what they want. There is so much activity going on during the week and at the races on the weekend, and it could all be available for consumption, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, right on NASCAR.com. Cha ching, cha ching!
NASCAR needs new ways to connect with their fans, and they are always looking to expand the sport’s reach. They have a golden opportunity lying right in front of their faces to accomplish both, and they have chosen to ignore it. Somebody please explain this to me.