The Blame Game

by John Chapman on September 27, 2010 · 13 comments

NASCAR (and let’s cut to the Chase, no, not that Chase, when I say NASCAR, I mean Brian France) has been looking for scapegoats to explain the nosedive the sport has been experiencing, both in attendance, and TV ratings wise. When he finally acknowledged that the sport had a problem, it was laid to the economy. Fair enough, no denying that it’s been a big factor, but it’s hard to reconcile this with the declining TV numbers, and the loss of the younger demographics that advertisers crave.

At various times the blame has fallen on the slender shoulders of it’s most popular driver.  Of course I’m referring to Dale Earnhardt,  Jr. Brian has publicly laid the blame for the current decline, to his lack of on track success.

His latest foray into scapegoating has been to blame it on Jimmie Johnson.Damn, this guy  and the rest of the “48” team have done nothing but gone out and win an unprecedented four consecutive (and counting) championships under the Chase format that Brian has thrust upon us. Granted, this domination has not been popular with a large segment of the fans that NASCAR has left, but he is your champion. To publicly diss him like this seems pretty low rent to me.

All this attempted blame shifting makes me wonder if he shaves with an electric razor? After all, you don’t have to look in the mirror, to use one of them.

Let’s take a look at Brian’s stewardship of NASCAR so far. One of the things that he’s credited with is negotiating the unified, by far, the highest dollar TV contract in the sport’s history. So far so good.The problem I have with this, is that I never really felt this was shared fairly with the owners. If you want a good illustration of this, just compare the payout between your average PGA event, and a Cup race.Then factor in the expenses involved for the competitors, Cup vs. the PGA.

Now with the declining TV numbers, all the TV partners are upside down in their contracts. The number of commercials in a typical broadcast, that fans are complaining about are the TV partners attempt to limit their losses. NASCAR gets to "double dip" in this
financial bonanza through ISC. The well known plumbing adage is not the only thing that runs downhill, and as fans, we seem to always be at the bottom of the hill.

NASCAR was founded in 1948 by Big Bill, otherwise known in the France family as the guy who planted the money tree. It’s 62 years are rich in history and tradition. None of this seems to mean much to Brian. The fledgling series got it’s first paved superspeedway ND first 500 mile race when Darlington held it’s first Southern 500 in 1950. This was NASCAR’s biggest, and most prestigious race, until Daytona opened in ‘59. Probably the reason that Daytona became bigger was that it was built and owned by Big Bill. I understand this, but the Southern 500 continued to be it’s longest running and second most prestigious race. That is before Brian tried to kill
the venerable old girl off in 2004, by taking its date, and race and moving it to California.

Darlington was given the Mothers Day date as a replacement. This, after Easter, was considered the least desirable date to have, and until then had always been an open date. The consensus thinking at the time was that date would fail, and allow them to close the place. Well we all know how that turned out. Darlington went from being the track too tough too tame, to the track too tough to kill.
No thanks to NASCAR, but thanks to the fans who rallied to save this historic old track. If I had to pick just one track to see a race,
I wouldn’t even have to think about it. Darlington would win hands down. It’s about as "anti-cookie cutter" as it gets.

His second swipe at tradition, and history, also in 2004, was the Chase. I’ve written enough about this that I really have nothing to add. Brian is stubbornly standing behind this idea, while the TV numbers continue to tank. Nero didn’t have anything on Brian.

One fact is unassailable, when Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in 2001, NASCAR was changed forever. His death brought much needed, and long overdue safety improvements. Improvements that a rash of  prior drivers deaths and serious, career-ending injuries had failed to bring. These safety improvements are the best changes that I’ve seen in the time I’ve been following this sport.

That having been said, I’ve hated to see Cup turned into a spec series. I think those making the decisions, and ultimately
that goes back to Brian, failed to appreciate the impact that the "one size fits all" COT would, and has had on the sport.

Both of these changes seem to demonstrate a total disconnect with the fans, due to all the afore mentioned reasons, owners in both of NASCAR’s top series are struggling financially. Race purses have been cut, and at least the Nationwide series, is in for another 20 percent cut for next year. Fair enough, race purses have always been pegged to gate receipts. As I said, I just don’t think the payouts were ever big enough in the first place.

One thing I’d have to give Brian an A+ for is sucking up every last dollar available. I found one list of "Official Products of NASCAR."
It listed 84 products. Some of these are relatively obscure, but some are companies that used to be primary and secondary car sponsors. With teams continuing to fold, and being replaced with the blood sucking start and park teams, this aggressive scrambling for every last dollar seems short-sighted, and counter-productive.
I’m not even sure that all these products get their money’s worth.

For example, one of these official products is New Pig Wipes.
These are super absorbent shop wipes (and yes, I had to look it up). I’ll bet you didn’t know about their shelling out to NASCAR until now, right? Come on Pig guys, pick a car, and get on it! You’re sure to be mentioned on TV. Look what it’s done for Boudreaux’s Butt Paste and the Tire Monkey.

Another thing on his resume, is opening NASCAR offices in New York and L.A. Big whup, we’ve seen what both of these markets think of NASCAR. Cheer up, Brian. California didn’t think much of the Clampetts either. In fact, I expect they class NASCAR, and its fans about the same.

NASCAR reminds me of the geek in high school. Can’t get the girls he wants, and don’t want the ones he can get.

I know they say you can’t go home again, but it looks like some of the places you outgrew are becoming a better fit again. I expect that the TV cameras could show the grandstands at The Rock, without embarrassment. Of course, I’m just pipe dreaming, for NASCAR to return to The Rock, would require eating a heaping helping of crow, a meal NASCAR hasn’t developed a taste for.

Another line item on Mr. France’s resume is the NASCAR Diversity program. As a fan, what exactly does this mean to me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for diversity, but I believe in the most qualified person having the position, be it a high profile driver, any other position on race teams, or NASCAR itself, for that matter, Wendell Scott managed to make his mark on the sport without any help from Big Bill. In fact, if reports are to be believed, he faced and overcame obstacles from NASCAR itself, as well as promoters and other competitors.

Big kudus to Ned Jarrett for his help of Wendell. My impression of Ned is of a gentleman, both on, and off the track, and this fits right in. When the Mauricia Grant debacle first surfaced, NASCAR’s response was to circle the wagons. This showed just how much work NASCAR has to do in house.

A buzz word in the ’80’s used to be “corporate culture.” The recent flap over recent "secret" driver fines shows me what the corporate culture of NASCAR is from day one, owners were deemed to be "Independent Contractors". The muzzling of owners and drivers seems to belie that. All criticism could be construed as “constructive”…. if it’s true. Expecting something like this to stay "secret" shows a childlike naivety.

The sight of eager fans lining up to spend their money at the teams merchandise trailers must have been more than NASCAR could take. Remember, they already made revenue from these sales through licensing the NASCAR logo, as well as space rental at ISC tracks. That wasn’t enough. So together with Bruton Smith, they formed Motorsports Authentics, which they promptly managed into bankruptcy, costing ISC, SMI, and the teams many millions.

No one single reason for this, but management, or the lack of
it has to be high on anyone’s list. Just plain greed has to be another big reason. The fans aren’t as stupid as some people seem to think. $100-dollar plus die casts, with a one-off paint job seemingly every third race or so. $250 leather jackets, $35 hats. All this stuff, with no secondary market. We just got tired of being ripped off, and quit buying.

I could go on, but what’s the point? The last group to get the finger pointed at them was the media (this was from Tony Stewart, but I wonder if someone pointed him?)  I don’t consider myself as media, but as I’m lucky enough to be able to climb on the soapbox
from time to time, let me address this. I want to write "puppy dog and roses pieces," but first, I’ve got to smell the roses, and see the puppy dogs. However, roses have thorns, and puppy dogs spot the carpet.

My advice to NASCAR, is to quit playing the blame game, and look a little closer to home. Most company’s troubles can be traced to poor management decisions. To fix a problem, first you have to recognize what the problems, and the causes are. As a fan, I’m behind you all the way. I want to see the ship righted as much
as anyone. I’m just having trouble working up to much optimism that current management will ever get it right.

If NASCAR really expects to get back on the right side of this, it’s time to man up.

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No “I” In Team

by John Chapman on September 23, 2010 · 2 comments

Well the Chase is off and running. Most everyone has given their predictions and lists. I agree with everyone who says that this years Chase is more wide open than the last few. With that in mind, here is what I think it’s going to take to hoist the big
trophy, and cash the big check after the "North Cuba" race (not my racial slur, BTW).

This is after all a drivers championship, and the focus is squarely on the drivers. There is not a single driver to make the Chase who isn’t capable of winning it…….. eleven of them just won’t.
Much has been said and written crediting Jimmie Johnson’s 4 Chase championship’s as much to Chad as to Jimmie. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but no one can win a championship without all the cylinders firing. Both literally and figuratively.

In this first Chase race we saw two teams roll the dice with a fuel mileage gamble. The “14” team came up craps, while the “33” team made it work. The 10 race format forces the entire team to stay on top of their game. Starting with practice they need to hit the qualifying set up. If a Chase team is able to snag the pole, even if it doesn’t give them points, it gives them a big leg up for the race.

Starting at the front is always good, for several reasons. The pole sitter has the best shot to lead the first lap, and wrap up the bonus points early. How important is that? At New Hampshire, only four chasers were able to collect bonus points.Leading a single lap in the chase pays five points. Winning a race during the regular season pays 10 Chase bonus points. This puts it in perspective. I don’t necessarily agree with this, but that’s how it is.

Probably a bigger advantage to winning the pole is pit selection.
How important is the number one pit stall? We see it demonstrated every week. When the chips are down on late race yellows, a car that had a big lead going in can lose 4-5 spots- not on tire strategy, but on pit stall position. Going from running at the front in clean air, to being mired back in the pack, totally changes things.
The new restart procedure has tightened things up considerably, but races are still decided by position on the last restart.

As competitive as Cup has become, more and more races are decided in the pits.Remember at Bristol, Kyle Busch beat Jamie McMurray for one reason: because he beat Jamie getting ON to pit road, which allowed him to get off first. I’ve seen a ton of races but I’d never seen that.

Some of the pit stop is driver controlled, i.e., speed, on and off, proper position in the box, as well as having provided good information to the crew chief, so the proper adjustments are made, etc. Much more is out of his hands, getting enough fuel, equipment violations, getting blocked in, collision with another car leaving, (because of the limited visibility of the current seats). Any number of bad things can, and do happen in the pits. If a driver is going to have a bad stop  it needs to be early in the race. A bad "money stop" will kill a drivers chances, perhaps his championship. Pit stops under green is where a great crew can really shine.

Over and above the physical part of a stop, is the strategy. This is more the crew chief. Short pit, stay out, two tires versus four, gas, and go. The driver should have some input, but it pretty much has to be in code. It’s important that the driver knows how the stop is going down.

Another thing that’s not stressed as much as I think it should be, is just plain old fashioned LUCK- both good and bad. Even the best parts break from time to time. Other cars get tangled up and leave a driver no where to go. Teams roll the dice like the “14”  and “33,” coming up roses, or just short.

The 2004 Chase was totally decided by luck. Kurt Busch loses his wheel, just at the entrance to pit road. If it had happened 50 feet further down the track, Jimmie would now be going for six! I know what they say about luck, but sometimes it’s just that.

Another key player, who if he does his job well, gets pretty much
overlooked, is the spotter. Things happen fast under green, if the spotter is just half a tick off with his information, the results can get ugly fast.

It’s the driver who gets the lion’s share of the glory, & money, but they can’t do it without every cog in the machinery meshing perfectly. NASCAR seems to want it’s Championship to be like the "stick and ball” sports. Maybe it’s time to really be like them, &=and award rings to everyone associated with the winner.

That old sports cliché about "no I in team"  is never more apparent.

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The “Big 10” Weekly Driver Rankings

by Jim on September 22, 2010

A testament to how wide open it is at the top is evidenced by how difficult it is becoming to determine a true number one. Good arguments can be made for a number of drivers, depending on the criteria.

THE BIG 10

10. Jamie McMurray- (RE-ENTRY)- Jamie Mac is showing he’s not mailing it in down the stretch. You’ve got to love this guy’s attitude. This whole Chase could become a test session for McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya for 2011.

9. Jeff Gordon- (RE-ENTRY)- His performance wasn’t too bad at New Hampshire wasn’t bad considering what a struggle his day was. The top ten there breaks him out of a run of top fifteens. He still doesn’t look real good right, but he isn’t awful either. Could start a run, but needs to do it quickly.

8. Ryan Newman- (RE-ENTRY)- If you look at it, Newman’s been pretty decent over the last four race, with his 11th place run at Richmond his worst finish in that span. Like JPM, Beak and Jamie Mac, it’s let it rip time for the non-chasers with speed.

7. Tony Stewart- (Down from #6)- That great big sucking sound you here is coming from Tony’s engine. Every race has a heartbreak kid, and here he is from New Hampshire. Like Jimmie Johnson, Stewart has less wiggle room to work with, putting higher stakes on Dover.

6. Jimmie Johnson- (Down from #2)- Not as vulnerable as some would like to think, but not as invincible as others may suppose. A race like this often becomes motivational fuel for a win- something he’s done more than once at Dover.

5. Carl Edwards- (Down from #4)- For Crazy Cousin Carl, finishing 11th at New Hampshire has to be considered a disappointment, though only a mild. He still managed to gain for spots in the points, and he’s got better tracks ahead. He could be a factor down the stretch, but really needs to notch it up, and quick.

4. Kevin Harvick- (Down from #3)- Thanks to Bowyer’s penalty, here’s your new number two in the standings. Harvick is, so far, doing all the things you need to do to contend. Make it two weeks in a row of top tens, and the finish at New Hampshire came partly through attrition, and partly through sheer grit. There are about seven or eight legitimate contenders for this championship, and Harvick is right there at the head of the pack.

3. Kyle Busch- (Down from #1)- If I were J.D. and Joe Gibbs, I’d consider sending crew chief Dave Rogers to a crash course in psychology. Kyle’s temperament will put his people skills to the test every week. Listening to those two is more entertaining than Juniors Dale and Tony squabble like a couple of old ladies. Psyche aside, Busch rallied for a top ten at New Hampshire, and looks every bit the part of a title threat if he keeps his head screwed on right. Good luck, Dave.

2. Clint Bowyer- (Up from #8)- As I write this, I am learning of the whole big blowup over his penalty. I’ll reserve judgment until I hear more. Regardless, it doesn’t erase what Bowyer has accomplished of late. Bowyer Raced his butt off. If I were him, I’d continue that path and race for wins now.

1. Denny Hamlin- (Up from #5)- By virtue of finishing first one week and second the next, Hamlin is displaying anew the raciness had had before his summer slump. Equally as impressive, he kept a calm demeanor while languishing through much of the early race, and then there was that deal with Carl Edwards. You can number me among those who believe Denny can win it all. What he has to do is keep replicating this with consistency. Doing that earns you a mulligan, as Jimmie Johnson can attest (see Texas 2009 for reference).

FALLING OFF THE PACE

Juan Pablo Montoya bobbled just enough to give way to his teammate…Jeff Burton is a little more like City Dog Catcher than Mayor…Matt Kenseth sunk below 20th, further suggesting he’s not among the serious championship threats.

DISTANT THUNDER

This will rile the haters up- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. looked like the Junebug of old Sunday. It’s good to see him smile again…Kurt Busch has to work that much harder as the lone Penske and lone Dodge man in the Chase…David Reutimann is getting his sponsors some decent camera time…props to Sam Hornish for his top ten, and to A.J. Allmendinger for coming close.

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