racer2c
02-21-05, 11:57 AM
I caught many of the pre-race hype machine that was plastered on the news outlets. I saw one on CNN that had to be at least five minutes long. The reporter on the scene in Daytona, was re-iterating what seems to be the press mantra this year in that NASCAR has become ‘mainstream’. No longer is it the redneck, Southern good ol’ boy club, now it is a multi-billion dollar elite sporting entity that ranks right up there with the NFL. She even went on to say that because of it’s stature as a premier American sports entity, NASCAR’s next area of focus was to become ‘America’s Favorite Pastime’. I could have sworn America already had a favorite pastime, but leave it to NASCAR to supplant the established and make it their own.
Of course Fox News had a segment. They basically just used all of NASCAR's new catch phrases that I heard about one million times over the weekend, one being that Daytona is the “Center of Motor-sports” and another being that the 500 is “America’s Greatest Race”. Which I admit is a better slogan, if but a very pretentious one, than “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” which I always felt was demeaning.
I turned on the pre-race show, which I found to be long in the tooth with not much ‘story’ to it as some of the great Indy 500 races (to put a comparison on it). The NFL Super Bowl atmosphere they were trying to convey was rather lame. The ‘talent’ was mid-grade and I couldn’t believe that many times the director would cut to the camera that was getting hammered by the wind. He couldn’t even keep his object in site and yet they stayed with that camera for 30 seconds at a time. They even used it when the racing started which I though was incredibly amateurish. The close up shots of the infield ‘dancers’ was a melting pot of racial backgrounds. But yet, a camera scroll through the field of racers showed a certain consistency that NASCAR will need to change if it truly wants to become ‘mainstream’. If NASCAR wants to play with the big boys they’ll need to step it up on the production level also. And with the billions of dollars they have, there’s no excuse for shoddy camera work and dinner theater warm up acts.
The race. What can I say about plate racing. It sucks. Period. For them to have their ‘biggest race’ a plate race just shows that they know their fans will buy into anything. Now I know NASCAR is in a predicament that other series face in that rising speeds increases the danger etc, and to have 42, 3400lb tanks screaming around the high banks of Daytona at 240mph would probably cause the last ‘Big One’. Speaking of which, I’m assuming that NASCAR has already copyrighted the moniker of ‘The Big One’ as many times as I heard and saw it’s use this weekend. The CNN scroller said ‘so and so avoids The Big One’. Yes, it was capitalized. NASCAR understands the drama of crashes and the highlight reel this morning was full of truck, Busch and Cup crashes. Rather sad if you ask me.
My concern about NASCAR’s rise to ‘mainstream’ which I debate, as mainstream means you and your neighbors and co-workers talk about it even though they don't 'follow it'. Mine don’t. Not at all. The streets in my town are empty on Super Bowl Sunday, yesterday, here in NASCAR crazy Virginia, there was less traffic than usual, but not the ghost town it is during the Super Bowl. But my concern is knowing that corporate America is falling all over themselves to be a part of the NASCAR program. NASCAR is doing everything it can to ‘prove’ it’s a AAA entity and will plow over anything and anyone to achieve that goal. The chicken little side of me believes that the NASCAR juggernaut is too far ahead for even a unified open-wheel series to challenge. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if NASCAR was all there was in the US for auto racing in ten year. Maybe less. Thank again for fixing open wheel racing Tony.
The NFL does it best, the MLB does it classier, the Indy 500 has more tradition. NASCAR comes off to me as a wanna be who’s trying to hard and it shows.
I went to my local market yesterday to get some beer and Sunday snacks and the young check-out girl said “gettin’ ready for the race eh”? I said with a smile, with my CART jacket on, “no, I prefer Champ Car and Formula 1”. She gave me a blank stare and didn’t say another word. And that’s just how NASCAR wants it.
P.S. I forgot to mention that one on site reporter this AM called yesterdyas race "one of the most exciting Daytona 500's in history". Wow, I'd hate to have watched the boring ones.
Of course Fox News had a segment. They basically just used all of NASCAR's new catch phrases that I heard about one million times over the weekend, one being that Daytona is the “Center of Motor-sports” and another being that the 500 is “America’s Greatest Race”. Which I admit is a better slogan, if but a very pretentious one, than “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” which I always felt was demeaning.
I turned on the pre-race show, which I found to be long in the tooth with not much ‘story’ to it as some of the great Indy 500 races (to put a comparison on it). The NFL Super Bowl atmosphere they were trying to convey was rather lame. The ‘talent’ was mid-grade and I couldn’t believe that many times the director would cut to the camera that was getting hammered by the wind. He couldn’t even keep his object in site and yet they stayed with that camera for 30 seconds at a time. They even used it when the racing started which I though was incredibly amateurish. The close up shots of the infield ‘dancers’ was a melting pot of racial backgrounds. But yet, a camera scroll through the field of racers showed a certain consistency that NASCAR will need to change if it truly wants to become ‘mainstream’. If NASCAR wants to play with the big boys they’ll need to step it up on the production level also. And with the billions of dollars they have, there’s no excuse for shoddy camera work and dinner theater warm up acts.
The race. What can I say about plate racing. It sucks. Period. For them to have their ‘biggest race’ a plate race just shows that they know their fans will buy into anything. Now I know NASCAR is in a predicament that other series face in that rising speeds increases the danger etc, and to have 42, 3400lb tanks screaming around the high banks of Daytona at 240mph would probably cause the last ‘Big One’. Speaking of which, I’m assuming that NASCAR has already copyrighted the moniker of ‘The Big One’ as many times as I heard and saw it’s use this weekend. The CNN scroller said ‘so and so avoids The Big One’. Yes, it was capitalized. NASCAR understands the drama of crashes and the highlight reel this morning was full of truck, Busch and Cup crashes. Rather sad if you ask me.
My concern about NASCAR’s rise to ‘mainstream’ which I debate, as mainstream means you and your neighbors and co-workers talk about it even though they don't 'follow it'. Mine don’t. Not at all. The streets in my town are empty on Super Bowl Sunday, yesterday, here in NASCAR crazy Virginia, there was less traffic than usual, but not the ghost town it is during the Super Bowl. But my concern is knowing that corporate America is falling all over themselves to be a part of the NASCAR program. NASCAR is doing everything it can to ‘prove’ it’s a AAA entity and will plow over anything and anyone to achieve that goal. The chicken little side of me believes that the NASCAR juggernaut is too far ahead for even a unified open-wheel series to challenge. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if NASCAR was all there was in the US for auto racing in ten year. Maybe less. Thank again for fixing open wheel racing Tony.
The NFL does it best, the MLB does it classier, the Indy 500 has more tradition. NASCAR comes off to me as a wanna be who’s trying to hard and it shows.
I went to my local market yesterday to get some beer and Sunday snacks and the young check-out girl said “gettin’ ready for the race eh”? I said with a smile, with my CART jacket on, “no, I prefer Champ Car and Formula 1”. She gave me a blank stare and didn’t say another word. And that’s just how NASCAR wants it.
P.S. I forgot to mention that one on site reporter this AM called yesterdyas race "one of the most exciting Daytona 500's in history". Wow, I'd hate to have watched the boring ones.