want to guard against escalation where one things leads to another," he said. "As a league we are concerned about things that can spiral on you, but I think we are going to be very careful not to stymie the personalities because they are so worried that NASCAR is going to levy big penalties. This an emotional sport and lots of things happen and we have to make sure that their personalities and emotions aren't missed as part of what people like to see about NASCAR."
MM: Notice the use of the imperial “we”. You’re going to be careful, about what? Making sure you continue not to penalize your Chosen Ones too harshly like is usually done? If Driver A, a Chosen One, punts Driver B, who isn’t a Chosen One, Driver A won’t be penalized. We’ve seen it time and again. But if Driver B comes back and punts Driver A, Driver B will be penalized. How about just being consistent with the penalties? And since when did NA$CAR become a league? Baseball and football have leagues. NA$CAR is an association, not a league. And if you look at the various levels of NA$CAR, it’s Cup Series, Busch Series, Truck Series, Weekly Series. Nowhere is there a league. This is just a continuing part of His Majesty trying to put the round peg in the square hole by trying to force racing into the “stick and ball” mold.
You’ve already stymied the personalities and it’s not so much from them being worried about big penalties. A 25 point penalty and $50,000 fine isn’t much of a penalty when you‘re looking at teams with corporate sponsorship than runs in the multi-million dollar range. You’re also worried that some driver might actually offer some fair criticism that might make you look bad, like what Tony Stewart did regarding the Ms Terry DeBris cautions. We can’t have that now, can we Your Highness. You’ve turned them from being a bunch of hot-blooded, emotional, passionate drivers into a bunch of bland, vanilla-flavored clones. The racing has gone from being one of excitement from start to finish into something that should be bottled and sold as a sleep remedy. Racing, which is what it’s supposed to be about, has been moved to the back burner with being a corporate shill and making you look good being moved to the front. That just doesn’t cut it with us fans. We miss the racing, we miss the excitement, and we miss drivers saying what they think.
Here’s another quote from His Majesty that was on The Daly Planet regarding the TV coverage:
KB: "The production and fan expectation they (ESPN) have to be at is much higher than before," said France. "They are finding that out." The way that both ESPN and NASCAR are finding that out is quite interesting. France suggested that fans have become more demanding and vocal since ESPN last covered NASCAR in 2000.
MM: Our expectations aren’t higher than before. We want the same quality of broadcast and commentary that we had before. It’s not higher. We want to see all 43 cars battling it out. We want to see the Big Dogs as well as the Underdogs. We don’t need fancy graphics, poor commentary, idiotic stories which have nothing to do with what we’re seeing, or ridiculous things for the easily amused like the “draft tracker”. We want to see racing. We want good commentary and analysis. We want to see follow-ups. We want to see the entire field take the checkered flag. We want to see post race interviews. Give us what we had back in the ’80’s and ’90’s with the coverage ESPN use to have. That’s all we’re asking for. Is that too much?
And the Scapegoat of the Year for Poor TV ratings is:
MM: While I couldn’t find the quote about it (I‘m still looking for it), apparently King Brian really stepped on his Royal Tallywacker big time. Remember how he has blamed NBC for their poor coverage and how it hurt ratings? Well, this time around he’s trying to use Dale Jr. as his scapegoat by saying that because Jr. wasn’t competitive or didn’t win a race and that this was the reason the ratings were off. Folks, it’s real simple. Even if you took Dale Jr. out of the equation, the racing still didn’t match the hype from HRH or the networks. And since NA$CAR has made the series and race coverage look so one dimensional, of course folks aren’t going to watch. Add to that the boredom that has come about through the poor coverage, commentary, only showing the Chosen Few that NA$CAR says will be covered, and NA$CAR’s own directives regarding not racing the Chase for the Chump contenders.
The race I saw from the grandstands in Atlanta didn’t match what I saw on Tivo. I saw cars that raced well and others that didn’t at Atlanta. I saw “follow the leader single file racing” up front and great racing going on back in the pack. If the networks actually showed everything that was going on and had a competent broadcast crew covering and commentating on the race and showing us what was really going on, then maybe folks would watch the races from start to finish and the ratings would go up. But as long as they continue on their current trend, the ratings will continue on their downward spiral and it won’t matter how good or bad Dale Jr. does. He isn’t in the equation on how bad the coverage is or how boring the races are made to look or how boring they actually might be. The only person to be blamed is you Your Highness. A good leader accepts blame and gives the praise to those who works under them.
Here’s some stuff from Mike Helton about how successful the season was and excuses for why it wasn‘t:
MH: "I think '07 was very successful, probably more successful on the race track than it will get credit for because of all the headlines that took place off the race track, between trying to figure out where Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. was going to land for the first quarter or so of the season, the passing of Bill [France] Jr.," he said. "And the off-track conversations about NASCAR introducing the car of tomorrow, I think, might have taken away a little bit of the tension of what actually what was going on on the race track in its totality for the whole year. But I think '07 was a banner year for us."
MM: 2007 was a success? Race attendance was down even more this year than last, TV ratings were pretty much down by double digits for the most part, especially during the play-offs and the races leading up to them. Concession and vending sales were off to the tune of about $50 million. The ledgers are bleeding red ink and it’s a successful season? The passing of Bill Jr. had nothing to do with poor attendance and ratings. Just another excuse. Trying to blame Dale Jr. for a poor year is just another excuse. The Camry of Tomorrow didn’t live up to its hype. If 2007 was a banner year, then the banner must be red and white. Like a flag of surrender covered in red ink from the “bleeding” ledgers.
MH: "We tweaked it a little bit for '07. We'll let those tweaks settle in and stay there for a couple years," Helton said. "It's funny how we get criticized for moving around too quick, and then sometimes we get criticized for not moving too quick. The thing that we really want to do is leave it alone for awhile and give it a chance and let the garage area get used to it.
MM: Very interesting considering His Highness has been mentioning possible tweaks, then changing his mind, then changing his mind yet again. Come on ladies; let’s sing from the same sheet of music. Are you going to tweak it again next year or not? The play-off system doesn’t work. This is auto racing, not a stick and ball sport. You get criticized when you’re not pro-active on things like driver safety. You get criticized by showing favoritism. You get criticized for your inconsistency with enforcing the rules. You get criticized for not allowing the drivers to be themselves. You get criticized for trying to use revisionist history and to bury the roots and origins of the sport. These are all valid criticisms and should be taken to heart and not blown them off like you and His Highness have been doing.
Here’s a comment by Helton regarding the play-offs and the Chase for the Chumps:
MH: "It's done what it was meant to do, to give NASCAR a platform to determine its championship with a playoff flair to it. We had one of those years this year, and everybody says, 'Well, the tweaks you did to the Chase worked against you.' Now let me tell you: This was Jimmie Johnson's year. We would have had to change the rules every week to have made that [close]. It just was what it was."
MM: You already had a system that worked. It was changed to compete with the stick and ball sports so that the ratings wouldn’t sink too badly during the time when NA$CAR has to compete against the NFL for the TV audience. It failed. It didn’t have flair. It had nothing but artificial excitement and artificial drama. It looked like something that Vince McMahon turns out every week with the WWE. And you did change the rules every week. Or at least changed the interpretation of them every week. Of course, Tony Stewart calling you on the Ms Terry DeBris cautions really threw your tits in a wringer because he upset the manipulation of the races that provided the artificially generated excitement and help save the butts of your Chosen Ones when they got lapped or got into trouble. But you still managed to find ways around it, like spins which were or weren’t given a caution flag. It was what it was. Another year of “Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain”.
Here’s another one regarding the continuing death spiral of the TV ratings:
MH: "I think our curve may have slowed down a little bit, but I don't think we've plateaued," Helton said. There's a lot of things that people point to, and we obviously are not going to bury our heads in the sand and say, 'Well, you know, everything's OK.'
MM: Obviously you have buried your heads in the sand. Of course, some folks say your head is located in a certain body cavity. And you’re right. Things haven’t plateaued. They’re going downhill. Reaching a plateau means things have leveled off. This isn’t leveling off. And HRH keeps saying everything’s OK. Sort of like Kevin Bacon near the end of the movie Animal House screaming and telling folks to calm down and be orderly during a riot situation.
Here’s another excuse for the poor ratings and lack of attendance:
MH: "In today's world, with all of the different opportunities and ways to get information on NASCAR - also with the NFL or Major League Baseball or any other sport - there is talk or at least conversation around maybe the way we have been measuring TV audiences isn't as fair as it used to be. But in the meantime, that's the measuring stick we use. ... If [ratings are] going the wrong way, then you can find a lot of reasons to say it is, but what are you gonna do to turn them back around is the big deal. And that's what we're working on, a lot."
MM: The ratings will continue to go down. They started to sputter when the play-off format was first instituted, but few people paid attention, especially the ones in the Ivory Towers of Daytona. But with going to a system that requires “outside attention”, like a lot of hype and PR, to try to get, maintain, and keep the fans interest, you shot yourselves in the feet. Racing is exciting without the need for artificial stimuli. Just look at the Craftsman Truck Series. No additives or preservatives there and it’s the best racing in the Top 3 tiers of NA$CAR. I mentioned it before, but folks are going to places other than your “official mouthpieces” to get their info because they want opinions that aren’t done at the threat at the loss of credentials and want honesty, not all this PC crap. And just what is the measuring stick? A certain joke comes to mind about 6 inches, but I digress. If you want to turn the ratings around, get rid of the Top 35, get rid of The Chase for the Chumps, keep the officiating legit and above board, quit playing favorites, let the drivers be people, let the drivers say what’s on their minds, and let the teams do their jobs. Then improve the coverage with competent commentary, fewer gimmicks, less hype, and more coverage of the actual race, not just the select few drivers or tidbits you want shown.
Here’s a comment by the Head Henchman regarding the Car of Tedium:
MH: "The teams themselves will get this car to be more and more competitive - deeper and deeper in the field - as time goes on. We saw it the second go around in Bristol [and Richmond], where we went back to and more guys we're more competitive [than] the first time," he said.
MM: It’s going to be hard for them to make the car better considering NA$CAR has pretty much managed to hamstring them. There are two ways to make it better. Let the teams do the jobs they were hired to do or get rid of it altogether. Your just a couple steps away from having a spec car racing series. And should the teams get a handle on the car between now and February, they still have the engine downsizing to go through in 2009 which will once again change everything and cost them more money and time, which the Car of Tedium wasn’t supposed to do. It was supposed to save them money and time. It was supposed to improve racing. It hasn’t. It was supposed to be able to run without a restrictor plate. It didn’t. From what I and a lot of other fans saw at the second Bristol race, the Camry of Tomorrow wasn’t competitive. It turned an normally exciting race into a snooze fest. I know I'm repeating myself from earlier rants, so you better pray for some divine intervention to turn that “sow’s ear into a silk purse” before February and the Twin 150's.
I’m sure there will be more comments and press conference statements released and I’ll be doing what I can to find them and give my two cents worth ($1.289 adjusted for inflation) on them.
Since winter is pretty much here, make sure your vehicle is ready for it. Check your tires, windshield wipers, antifreeze, heater system, and exhaust. And take care of yourself. If you’re not allergic, get a flu shot. There’s also a pneumonia vaccine out there too. If you’re not allergic to it, then get the vaccination. I’ve had pneumonia several times and it’s not a lot of fun. And a great, simple way to reduce getting sick is a simple one your mom taught you. Wash your hands. If you use a public restroom, use the paper towel you dried your hands with the open the door to leave. Also, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you for those times when you can’t wash your hands with soap and water. I know, sounds a bit obsessive-compulsive, but it works. We want you healthy for next season.
Once again, the USO is doing their bit to help
out our troops this Christmas season. They have
a package program going on again to let our
deployed troops know they haven’t been
forgotten. You can find out more about the
program at:
For all of you race fans who have keep me
writing, I want to thank all of you for your support
and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a
happy, prosperous, and healthy 2008. I know it’s
a few weeks off, but some folks are cutting out
and getting ready for Christmas, so I wanted to
catch as many fans as I could beforehand. For those who don’t celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas anyways and that’s not meant to insult you. Just to wish you the same peace, joy, and happiness that those of us who celebrate Christmas enjoy.
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