They've been blaming their half empty race tracks on the economy, but what is their excuse for their tv ratings taking a beating? Could it be that Americans are tired of watching grown men drive in a circle? Or could it be, that Nascar foolishly made the failure formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr the face of it's sport? Either way, how much longer until we can start throwing dirt on this dead event?

jockeyb4u said:

When did Nascar make Jr. the face of their sport? Is his image in the logo like Jerry West in the NBA logo?

[Edited 6/2/09 8:20am]

weused2luvhim said:

[Bait Snipped - June7]

They've been blaming their half empty race tracks on the economy, but what is their excuse for their tv ratings taking a beating? Could it be that Americans are tired of watching grown men drive in a circle? Or could it be, that Nascar foolishly made the failure formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr the face of it's sport? Either way, how much longer until we can start throwing dirt on this dead event?

jockeyb4u said:

It's a simple question.

jockeyb4u said:

I think it's two things: (1) the economy; and (2) NASCAR isn't the flavor of the month any more.

But it's still a damn great sport, and going to a NASCAR race is a thrill not to be missed.

weused2luvhim said:

And it has a simple answer. Nascar has put all it's eggs in one basket(Dale Jr) and now they have yolk all over their face. No, they haven't put his face on their offical logo yet, but if anyone was to dare view one of these races they would have a heavy dose of Ron Howard Jr shoved down their throat.

RodeoSchro said:

How is the economy affecting tv ratings? Can people not afford the electricy that is required to power their televisions for 3 hours?
Have fun at the race, and let me know if they do something besides turn left

jockeyb4u said:

When did Nascar make Jr. the face of their sport? Is his image in the logo like Jerry West in the NBA logo?

jockeyb4u said:

Yeah, I guess that would only apply to the half-empty stadium part.

They do a LOT more than just turn left. I used to think that too about racing, but then I went to an Indy 500. Wow, what an experience! I learned that racing is so much more than just turning left.

Then I went to some NASCAR races, and it was just as fun. The race experience is unlike anything else in sports. People start showing up at the track on MONDAY, and camp out all week. You have to see it to believe it.

weused2luvhim said:

No, but NASCAR's popularity is very much driven by its drivers, since they are the ones that people recognize, even though there are racing teams, crew chiefs, etc. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was promoted as the most favorite driver in NASCAR, even though other drivers have lapped around him in actual performance (Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt and Kyle Busch). His father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., was one of the two greatest drivers in NASCAR history (the other was Richard Petty) before he died in a crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001. A lot of his fans jumped over to support Dale Jr., but while he won the Daytona 500 in 2005, he has yet to win the Sprint Cup (the overall yearly championship).On top of that, he is having his worst year ever this year, and he just had his crew chief replaced last week.

As for the ratings being down, some of that has to do with Dale Jr's failures, some of it has to do with the economy souring people on watching millionaire racers riding around in circles while people struggle to put gas in the car, and part of it has to do with the viewership going back down to its base in the USA South. Having said that, its ratings still runs laps around the NHL, MLS, WNBA, and college basketball outside of the NCAA tournament, and it only lags slightly behind the NBA and college football.


[Edited 6/2/09 8:55am]

728huey said:

He was voted the most popular driver in Nascar by the fans. Not by Nascar. I'm sure they had much rather Jimmy Johnson be the most popular driver.

jockeyb4u said:

You have yet to answer the question. How is Jr. the face of Nascar? Does Nascar run FOX? Do they run TNT? Do they run ABC/ESPN? If they do I wasn't aware of these mergers.

weused2luvhim said:

Jockey are you going to explain this or not?

The man.

weused2luvhim said:

Who controls Nascar's promotions? How many events have Nascar promoted that didn't involve Jr's face or car? He is the face of Nascar, plain and simple! And do you really think that Nascar didn't ask for these stations to hype Jr before, during, and after the race?

weused2luvhim said:

Who controls Nascar's promotions? How many events have Nascar promoted that didn't involve Jr's face or car? He is the face of Nascar, plain and simple! And do you really think that Nascar didn't ask for these stations to hype Jr before, during, and after the race?

RodeoSchro said:

To each their own, I went to a Nascar event once and will never be back. I was harrassed the entire time because I wore a hat that supported a driver that was better that Dale Jr. By harrassed I mean, called a fag, beer thrown at me, screamed and cussed at the entire day. Plus the fact I was bored to tears! The Indy however, is much more watchable and in my opinion takes much more skill!

jockeyb4u said:

LMFAO, was it a Gordon hat?

I wore my Gordon visor at a race in Talledega. Man, Junior could be elected governor of Alabama. Talk about hostile territory!

Most people were cool, though. Whenever a Junior fan talked shit to me, I'd usually ask him how many championships HIS guy had won. But this one guy just looked me in the eyes and said, "The family has won seven, thank you very much". To which all I could do was tip my hat.

jockeyb4u said:

LMFAO, was it a Gordon hat?

I wore my Gordon visor at a race in Talledega. Man, Junior could be elected governor of Alabama. Talk about hostile territory!

Most people were cool, though. Whenever a Junior fan talked shit to me, I'd usually ask him how many championships HIS guy had won. But this one guy just looked me in the eyes and said, "The family has won seven, thank you very much". To which all I could do was tip my hat.

RodeoSchro said:

jockeyb4u said:

I'm pretty sure Fox owns the rights to broadcast the races in a way that best benefits them. They paid a lot of money to do so. The way you explain then I guess the cartoon Digger is actually the face of Nascar. They do have a Digger cartoon that gets more face time in the pre-race than any of the drivers. Maybe this is causing the poor ratings. What do you think?

weused2luvhim said:

So...you're blaming a cartoon golpher on Nascar's problems?

jockeyb4u said:

Using your logic the gopher or golpher which ever you are talking about is about as close to the face of Nascar as any one of the 43 drivers on any given race day. It gets more face time.

weused2luvhim said:

Well, he is a better driver than JR! So if deny my claims that Jr isn't the face of Nascar than tell me, who is? Which driver gets the most face time, which driver does Nascar use the most in its promotions? Please show me some stats and shut me up!

I was harrassed the entire time because I wore a hat that supported a driver that was better that Dale Jr. By harrassed I mean, called a fag, beer thrown at me, screamed and cussed at the entire day.