Posted on 05/15/2012 11:48:09 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has been considered Americas fastest growing sport, quickly becoming a national phenomenon. But a new economic study shows even NASCARs powerful engines havent been able to keep up with the Obama-era economy.
The study, from the pro-market think tank Public Notice and Race Fans 4 Freedom, finds that the economic downturn of the last several years has directly affected how NASCAR fans watch and enjoy their sport. Since 2009, race attendance per year has fallen below 4 million people, and the number has been declining severely as the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. The cost of attendingwith higher gas prices, less disposable income, and diminished financial securityhas increased.
According to the study, the value of the sport, too, is threatened by the poor economy, with the stock prices of racing team companies plummeting in the last five years and sponsors pulling back on funding cars....
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
They sacked the ‘hat man’ and it all went wrong thereafter.
“All them crackers need to feel the pain, like the black man did for enduring 400 years of slavery!”
I can make a much better case that whites have been in slavery since so much of what we work for is stolen by our government to give to others.
I have a honeymoon rental cabin in Tennessee.
Business sucks balls...
I think you guys both nailed it. You could also add “horrible TV commentary.” I loved DW as a driver but he is AWFUL in the broadcast booth. If “unlistenable” isn’t in the dictionary, it should be, with DW’s picture next to it.
We had Brickyard 400 tickets every year for 18 years; excellent seats, too. But IMS really isn’t suited for NASCAR, or maybe you could say the COT is definitely not suited to IMS. Either way I found myself taking a nap between laps 80 and 130. Well hell, for that I’ve got a much more comfortable sofa at home that doesn’t cost near as much. We finally gave up our seats after the 2010 race. And we’re not the only ones.
Used to be we didn’t miss too many races on TV, either. My boys used to line up their die-cast cars on the floor and have their own race while the real race was on. Those days are a distant memory.
Obama is happy that the bible thumpin’ bitter clingers are suffering.
I’m a casual fan. I am tired of hearing about ethanol. Moochelle at Homestead was a travesty, and then Carl Edwards went to be a part of the idiotic “Let’s Move” gathering of thousands - how much did that cost us?
NASCAR must address the 450 miles of fake racing and staying out of trouble then 50 miles of let her rip.
I would give points for every lap based upon position and for the last lap give significant bonus points.
This would force the drivers/crews to do their damned best every lap and fight for every position.
As they run 43 cars, pay 43 points for first place every lap minus one point for every position back. Maybe the last lap multiply that by 5 or 10.
That number of points per lap will have the fans on the edge of their seats.
Just look at the the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, when was the last time Jerry Jones had a sell out, even though the Cowboy fans know for a fact that their team is going to the Super Bowl?
“It does not get anymore exciting than sprint cars on dirt. (sprint CARS that is, not Sprint Cup) “
Regarding Sprint cars, when they run, they are exciting. When they stall they suck.
-PJ
What little stock money I made has dried up and I have added more stuff to the galleries.
“How about if you’re not in the lead lap by the last 50 miles, you’re out of the race? Only the lead lap continues to the finish?”
I once thought that would work, since it would keep the clunkers off the track and out of the way of the competitors. However, with this rule you can guarantee a fake caution every time the leader gets within 10 car lengths of Dale Jr’s rear spoiler.
I sort of involved in sports marketing and research and yes a lot of sports stadiums and events are thin.
I quit caring about glorified drving in a big circle back in the early 80s and I was a teen then.
NASCAR is unwatchable, too many effects, too many stupid people as on air talent, too much hype, and too much social commentary on every trivial nothing aspect of the drivers.
When the big ethanol push came I figured it was only a matter of time before NASCAR started to go really downhill.
Top Gear has revived a little interest in Formula 1.
Bingo.
Give me a good 25 or 30-lap feature with lots of passing and dicing for position for the whole race.
None of this hanging back to see what happens.
No pit stops = no pit strategy.
Balls out for the entire race.
...and a little dirt on your french fries is good.
Even the live threades for the races here at FR have fallen off greatly. Wasn’t all that long ago these threads would generally be in the 500-1000 reply range. This year;
Daytona - 691
Phoenix - 185
Las Vegas - 245
Bristol - 142
Fontana - 144
Martinsville - 223
Texas - 220
Kanxax - 120
Richmond - 119
Talladega - 153
Darlington - 86
Granted, some of this fall-off may have to do with some of the personalities of those who were on these threads, but still, NASCAR has to take some of the hit.
That’s just the white devil speaking through you ;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.