A die-hard race fan - one of those guys who had posters on his bedroom wall as a kid - recently said: “They’ve lost me. “
He was talking about NASCAR.
He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he’d grown tired of the sport he loved so much in the past, but he had.
Sure, there was a reference to the Car of Tomorrow as being a “matchbox car” and diminishing differences between the manufacturers. And he talked about the sometimes ungodly length of races, but the conversation seemed to focus on one point: He’d grown tired of NASCAR.
This is not the typical fan, mind you. This is a guy who has been to the big races, has been around the sport, and, I believe loved it.
He’s not so much in love these days for reasons he can’t figure out.
While only one guy, who shall remain nameless, he does seem to represent at least some portion of the NASCAR fan base these days.
Drivers admit to noticing some empty seats in the stands at raceways. Those free seats didn’t exist a few years ago when every story about NASCAR pointed at growth going into the stratosphere. For a while, race tracks couldn’t keep up with the demand for new seats. Not anymore.
TV ratings indicate there’s some slippage, too. While numbers in New York for most races, and for the season, have been running ahead of last season’s pace, that’s not the case everywhere. On a national basis, some races are recording double-digit decreases year-to-year.
The length of the season has been cited before, but a poll at Wednesday suggested the February to November length was “just right. “
Others also note - Carl Edwards aside - there isn’t a dominant personality in the sport any more, one like, oh, the late Dale Earnhardt. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are great drivers, and true champions, but they just don’t carry the impact Earnhardt had.
| 
|