{"id":6112,"date":"2018-09-05T16:06:18","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T20:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=6112"},"modified":"2018-09-05T16:08:40","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T20:08:40","slug":"this-is-not-your-fathers-nascar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2018\/09\/05\/this-is-not-your-fathers-nascar\/","title":{"rendered":"This is not Your Fathers NASCAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture this.\u00a0 Sitting in your favorite chair in your living room reminiscing\u00a0to your Grandchildren about the days gone by in NASCAR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is not Your Fathers NASCAR<\/h1>\n

You tell tales of tickets so valuable that people actually included their distribution in their wills. You tell tales of grandstands so packed that track owners\u00a0couldn’t build more seats fast enough.<\/p>\n

You tell tales of Television Networks and Cable Networks bidding huge amounts\u00a0of dough for the privilege\u00a0of broadcasting NASCAR races.\u00a0 Heck, there was a time when racing and predominantly\u00a0NASCAR had its own cable channel.\u00a0 You tell them it was called SPEED<\/strong> and they look at you as if you are ready for a Senior Home.<\/p>\n

You tell tales of days gone by of good old boys running liquor during the week and running fast cars on fast tracks on weekends.\u00a0 Colorful characters\u00a0for sure but drivers most of us could easily relate to.<\/p>\n

You tell tales of sponsors of major products who couldn’t wait to get their\u00a0product\u00a0names on the side of race cars.\u00a0 You tell them about Maxwell House, Tide, Alka Selzer, Kodak and a company called Winston.<\/p>\n

Present Day NASCAR
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Today the news in NASCAR<\/strong> is worrisome at best.\u00a0 Threatening at worse.\u00a0 Tell me how a closing of last years championship team could be described as anything other than worrisome.\u00a0 Martin Truex Jr.<\/strong> and his Furniture Row Racing<\/strong> team will be no more after 2018 after hoisting NASCAR’s biggest prize last season.<\/p>\n

Look, this sport has been trending downward for several years.\u00a0 Some justified that trend as an adjustment period given the retirement of such huge NASCAR<\/strong> stars like Jeff Gordon<\/strong>, Tony Stewart<\/strong>, and Dale Earnhardt Jr<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Some just denied the downward spiral altogether.\u00a0 Heck, when asked about spiralling\u00a0TV ratings, NASCAR<\/strong> CEO Brian France<\/strong>, spewed crap about social media and apps that people are utilizing\u00a0to get their NASCAR coverage.<\/p>\n

No longer can NASCAR and its executives put their\u00a0collective heads in the sand and just like actor\u00a0Kevin Bacon<\/strong> in Animal House<\/strong><\/em> yell from the top of their lungs, “All is well.\u00a0 Nothing to see here.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The Problems<\/h2>\n

There, in fact, is plenty to see here.\u00a0 For the most part, the number of empty seats at most tracks surpass the seats which are occupied.\u00a0 We have television ratings which sometimes equal the number of viewers watching an infomercial in the middle of the night on a cable channel that has 3 digits.<\/p>\n

Sponsor issues?\u00a0 Even the sports biggest superstar, Jimmie Johnson, finds himself losing his longtime sponsor, Lowes, after this season.<\/p>\n

Let’s add a CEO whose behavior at times could be described as a bit odd, off, or even bizarre.\u00a0 His recent arrest for DWI adds to that legacy.\u00a0 All of this spells trouble and its been staring at us for years.<\/p>\n

How does NASCAR Fix this?<\/h2>\n

Greater minds than I are probably hard at work trying to figure this out.\u00a0 Believe me, I’m rooting for them to right this ship.\u00a0 I love this sport and thus far the changes they’ve implemented\u00a0have not made significant improvements where it counts.\u00a0 Ya gotta give NASCAR credit for effort, at least I do.\u00a0 The playoff format, stages and some of their cost-cutting\u00a0measures such as pit crew over the wall reduction, were designed to improve the sport.<\/p>\n

Clearly, with the news, this week of a Championship team folding these measures have not produced the kind of reform needed.\u00a0 The financial cost of running a team needs to be reeled in.<\/p>\n

In Major League Baseball, the NFL, and all major sports there is a cost containment mechanism in place to control expenses.\u00a0 In many of these sports, there is even revenue sharing in an attempt to level the playing field.\u00a0 NASCAR is clearly behind the times in this area.<\/p>\n

For sure, implementing some of these measures will be tremendously complicated.\u00a0 Failing to do so could be deadly.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading.\u00a0 Listen to WTBQ radio on Monday and Friday mornings at 8:45 as I join Frank, Taylor and the Morning Show gang to discuss all the current happenings in NASCAR.\u00a0 1110AM 93.5FM or online at WTBQ.COM.\u00a0 You can also follow me on twitter @JimLaplante<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

MAIN PHOTO:<\/strong>
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>