An Outside View Time for NASCAR to think outside the box

It may not come as a surprise to anyone but racing is now our nation’s number one spectator sport. It has surpassed baseball, football, and basketball in its climb to the top of the sports entertainment world. With its increased popularity, NASCAR faces some unique challenges. How does it meet the growing demands of fans who want more races? And they don’t want to just be able to see them on television. They want to be able to see their favorite drivers up close and personal. NASCAR officials have a tricky balancing act ahead of them. How do they offer more races without opposition from their drivers who already think the season is too long and demanding? The ten-month season is longer than any other major sport and it places real strains on family relationships. How do they offer races to fans in new markets without alienating their traditional strongholds? How do they create opportunities for the younger drivers without pushing aside those established drivers who helped make racing the sport that it is today? Questions, questions, questions but what about answers? Does it surprise you that I might just have a few? But will anyone listen to some fool sports columnist from Seymour? NASCAR must first get serious about looking at those venues that have more than one race each season and consider moving some of them to new markets. Super speedways have already been built in Nashville and Northern Kentucky and are just waiting for NASCAR dates. There are plenty of avid racing fans in these areas dying to get their chance to spend their hard-earned dollars but NASCAR has snubbed its nose to them so far, afraid to take a race away from one of the tradition-rich sites. Now I admit that some venues are so steeped in tradition that I wouldn’t suggest a change. For example, NASCAR stops at Daytona twice each year and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. But do we really need two races each at New Hampshire, Richmond, and Pocono? At the risk of being accused of blasphemy by those thousands of race enthusiasts who make the trek to Bristol twice each year, I don’t understand why fans in the Tri-Cites area deserve two races while those in Nashville get none. Why do fans in Darlington get treated to two events while those in Northern Kentucky continue to be shut out? From a marketing standpoint, it just doesn’t make sense. But let’s get to the heart of what I see as the real solution to the problem. Currently, there are 36 stops on the NASCAR circuit. I say NASCAR should expand that number to 40. Now, hold onto your steering wheel, Jeff and Rusty. I’m not suggesting that you have to drive in 4 more races each year. Just hear me out. Drivers could be more like golfers and pick and choose the races they want to enter. Tiger Woods doesn’t play in every PGA event and I see no reason that Sterling Marlin has to run in every NASCAR race. Let’s say drivers could enter a maximum of 36 races each year. That way, NASCAR maintains the integrity of the Winston Cup Championship. Everyone is competing based upon the points they earn in the 36 races. To keep the drivers from being too selective, NASCAR would have to require that each driver race on so many short tracks, so many super speedways, and so many road courses each year but other than that let them choose. You can do this without lengthening the season to any great extent, which would alleviate drivers’ fears. There are now three open dates that could be used so we would only extend the season by one week. Or shucks, instead of 40 races, we will run 39 and we don’t extend the season at all. I know many of you are already taking pot shots at my crazy idea but it’s not all that whacky. More cities and more fans will get to see a race, which can only help NASCAR’s popularity grow even more. New markets mean more money and, when you cut to the chase that is the name of the game. Drivers will get to take some time off during the season, which I admit they deserve. Being able to get away from racing an extra week or two each season will help the drivers stay razor sharp. And it will give more young drivers an opportunity to race. If Junior and Jeremy pass up Bristol, that leaves two slots for young, hungry drivers, which makes for even better racing. Oh sure, there are some kinks that would have to be worked out but the plusses outweigh the negatives. Right now, NASCAR is a victim of its own creation. It must find a way to quench the thirst of millions of adoring fans. Compared to the difficulties being faced by some other sports, this is a good problem to have. NASCAR just has to be willing to think outside of the box.