By David G. Firestone
Given all of the construction issues going on in and around my house, I wasn’t going to post this week at all. I need a break, and unless something major happens, I won’t be posting next week. With that said, something happened this week that warrants all of our attention.
To quote Jayski:
“USA Network receive a .84 rating with 1.717 million viewers for Sunday’s South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The race was the number 2 sporting event of the day and the best viewership since Darlington on Labor Day weekend.”
Oh really? Second most watched sporing event of the weekend? Bullshit! First off, any of the NFL games on Sunday did more viewers than NASCAR at Las Vegas. Second, and I can’t believe I’m saying this…THE NHRA OUT DREW NASCAR BY 348,000 PEOPLE! Seriously, the Texas NHRA FallNationals was the most watched racing event of the weekend, and the most watched NHRA televised event of all time!
For those who want to cry about how NASCAR is on cable, whereas the NHRA was on broadcast, save it. Both NASCAR and the NHRA were running opposition to the NFL, and their numbers are so much better than either one. Here is the fact of the matter. NASCAR has proven that they are not the draw they once were. Between the NHRA and F1, NASCAR has to reexamine all of their current strategies, since it isn’t working.
I also don’t want to hear about the new ratings system. If this is in fact a more accurate system than the previous version, then even fewer people are watching NASCAR than previously thought. Sports ratings are up almost across the board, almost. If I am in a position in NASCAR, I’m really worried right now.
While there are rumors to changing or even eliminating the playoff system, it’s clear the damage has been done both internally and externally. All the old school fans that NASCAR has alienated are gone, and will never come back. With the fact that in the last 20 years three new generations of Cup Series cars have been implemented, to the financial detriment to the teams. If Hendrick Motorsports can’t turn a profit, how do the smaller teams fare?
20 years of bad moves, bad decisions, and bad leadership have come back to haunt NASCAR, and the TV ratings reflect it. The end may be in sight, and I’m wondering how soon it could arrive.
Sources Cited:
The Driver Suit Blog 