Auto Racing

[Vrede too]

(post: childish gibberish)
(signature: obsessed butthurt )

Awww. , Useless. So much for "Ignored". You fail again. Plus, Useless, you've been busted too many times for anyone to believe you're not reading my posts, anyhow. It's just your excuse for cowering. Awww.

[O Really]

So it could be "Dumb Headlines" except it's too sad for frivolity. Headline(s) from several sources have said something like:
"NASCAR legend Bobby East fatally stabbed in California; police searching for suspect"

One referred to him as "NASCAR Icon"; others as "Top NASCAR Driver."

Well, he was a good USAC driver, and it's sad he got killed getting gas, but his NASCAR career was less than stellar. He never raced in the Cup (top) series, ran only 11 races in Xfinity (best minor league) with no top 10 finishes, and ran 30ish times in the truck series, with one top 10 and one pole.
At age 37, he was never going to be a star. Makes you wonder if those who wrote of his murder even follow the sport.

[O Really]

Ok so even if you don't like oval racing, you gotta enjoy this. Daytona, 2.5 mile high bank track. Ass is hauled at close to 200mph. Nascar officials apparently forgot that just a little rain on a paved surface with oil and scum build-up makes it like ice, so they were slow to put out the caution flag when it started to rain. Almost every effin' car in the race crashed. Not all were totaled, but almost everybody was in that one wreck.

Who knew it rained in Florida in the summer?

[O Really]

Clearly not a very popular sport here, as the last post seems to also be mine almost 4 years ago.
Still, I'll mention the sad demise of Kyle Busch at age 41 - love him or hate him, he was one of the best of his generation.

I don't follow NASCAR racing much any more, although I had an interest long ago. It's popularity has dropped overall in recent years, what with mostly generic cars, personality-challenged drivers, and yawner races. But in light of that, one would think the people who run it would be trying to build interest, yes? Let's listen to the strategy conversation: "So we've got a drop off in fans - stands are half empty, TV ratings and revenue are down, and younger people aren't following us. What can we do? I've got an idea - let's take the longest race of the year, the one on Memorial Day weekend, with the added twist of racing day-into-dark and broadcast it only on Amazon! Wow, Homer - that sounds like a winner. Nothing like intentionally cutting down our audience and pissing off a large number of the fans we do have."

[Vrede too]

Clearly not a very popular sport here, as the last post seems to also be mine almost 4 years ago.
Still, I'll mention the sad demise of Kyle Busch at age 41 - love him or hate him, he was one of the best of his generation.

Since COVID, fatal pneumonia that eventually progresses into sepsis for an otherwise healthy 41 year old is almost unheard of.

I don't follow NASCAR racing much any more, although I had an interest long ago. It's popularity has dropped overall in recent years, what with mostly generic cars, personality-challenged drivers, and yawner races. But in light of that, one would think the people who run it would be trying to build interest, yes? Let's listen to the strategy conversation: "So we've got a drop off in fans - stands are half empty, TV ratings and revenue are down, and younger people aren't following us. What can we do? I've got an idea - let's take the longest race of the year, the one on Memorial Day weekend, with the added twist of racing day-into-dark and broadcast it only on Amazon! Wow, Homer - that sounds like a winner. Nothing like intentionally cutting down our audience and pissing off a large number of the fans we do have."

Fuck Bezos!

I've never been a fan. I find it boring.

Tbh, the way to increase viewership is more crashes, preferably fatal. Just on this page you posted about a massive wreck and an off-track stabbing. We Americans do love gore.

[supesalemgr2]

Clearly not a very popular sport here, as the last post seems to also be mine almost 4 years ago.
Still, I'll mention the sad demise of Kyle Busch at age 41 - love him or hate him, he was one of the best of his generation.

I don't follow NASCAR racing much any more, although I had an interest long ago. It's popularity has dropped overall in recent years, what with mostly generic cars, personality-challenged drivers, and yawner races. But in light of that, one would think the people who run it would be trying to build interest, yes? Let's listen to the strategy conversation: "So we've got a drop off in fans - stands are half empty, TV ratings and revenue are down, and younger people aren't following us. What can we do? I've got an idea - let's take the longest race of the year, the one on Memorial Day weekend, with the added twist of racing day-into-dark and broadcast it only on Amazon! Wow, Homer - that sounds like a winner. Nothing like intentionally cutting down our audience and pissing off a large number of the fans we do have."

Nailed it with "personality driven" drivers. The sport is dependent on interesting drivers. The loss of Kyle Busch tales away one of those more interesting racers. It is too bad most folks don't understand how talented those drivers are.

[O Really]

Tbh, the way to increase viewership is more crashes, preferably fatal. Just on this page you posted about a massive wreck and an off-track stabbing. We Americans do love gore.

I'd disagree that fatal crashes would be helpful, but more fender-banging that potentially leads to crashes would be. Part of the problem, though, is the rigidly enforced sameness of all the cars and the high skill level of the drivers ends up with a lot of a pack driving around. "Back in the day" there were always underdog underfunded cars with a "Rocky" sort of driver that created some interest as well as providing unintended entertainment. At the same time, there were factory-backed cars with people like Richard Petty and Cal Yarborough driving them that tended to get a couple or so laps up on the field. Now it's like watching toy cars.

[O Really]

Nailed it with "personality driven" drivers. The sport is dependent on interesting drivers. The loss of Kyle Busch tales away one of those more interesting racers. It is too bad most folks don't understand how talented those drivers are.

Same as all individual (not team) sports. Golf, tennis, etc., none can collect a fan base just because of "home" location like football/baseball teams can do. If personalities are bland, interest will be too.

[O Really]

I've never been a fan. I find it boring.

Auto racing is a lot like baseball in some ways. In order for it to be interesting on TV, you have to go see it in person sometime. It's a vastly different experience from TV. And you have to pick up some interest in one or more drivers. That's harder to do now than it was in years past. Drivers now mostly avoid controversy and generally keep conflicts with other drivers low key. And they all have pre- prepared out of the box speeches for their interviews. Goes something like this: "The (sponsor name, sponsor name) (car model) was running real good today. The (sponsor name, sponsor name) crew was great in getting this (sponsor name, car model) up to the front. ...yada." Long gone are the days when Dale Earnhardt was being interviewed by a reporter who asked "You've won this race before, Dale, but what is your main strategy today?" Earnhardt, with a perfectly straight face: "I'll probably just stand on it and turn left."

[GoCubsGo]

About sums it up.