Overall attention spans are dwindling in sports. In an age where everything needs to happen sooner, rather than later, Motorsports can no longer be this three-hour long show where the breaks are seldom. It doesn’t help the fans and it doesn’t help the sport.
Take for example Dover International Speedway, a track that has a long history with the sport. It’s no secret that attendance has diminished over the past decade. 400 non-stop laps just doesn’t sound too appealing any longer. Back in the 60’s or 70’s a 400- or even 500-lap event was an insane task, where it really was this battle between man vs. machine. Skip forward to today, these drivers are all in top shape and the cars are worked on by the top engineers in the country. By splitting the race into segments, it gives the fans the opportunity to see a race in spurts, hopefully with even more excitement.
Third, the regular season has never really been given the true spotlight it deserves. For far too long the focus has been on the final 10 races or the final race of the season. Not much attention has been given to the other 26 or so races in the season. With these new changes, it is putting more emphasis on the regular season. Wins mean more than ever, as those crucial points could be the difference between being crowned the regular season champion or not.
That means, the second race at Atlanta means just as much as Richmond in September. The July New Hampshire race means just as much as Chicagoland at the start of the playoffs.
Last, this helps the fans sitting at home who are watching the race. Before there really was no break in the action. Take, for example, the Daytona 500 or the Ford 400, where every lap is exciting and every lap you want to see more, then out of nowhere you’re interrupted by a commercial. You’re missing what could be crucial laps for your favorite driver.
NASCAR stated Monday that the TV partners (FOX and NBC) have worked with NASCAR since the beginning to make their show a much more fan-friendly broadcast, meaning the TV networks are going to do everything in their power to try to show more racing and show the commercials during the breaks in between the segments.
All of this is geared toward making the ‘typical’ race fan more prone to watching more of the season.
While this is all a lot to digest, it will get easier as the season goes on.
As I sit on the sand, similar to the sands that built this sport, I am excited for a new tomorrow and a tomorrow that will bring about the best in the sport the likes of which we have never seen before.
While it is okay to admire where the sport was, it is time to be excited for where we are going.
The sky is not falling. If anything, it’s brightening like never before.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Race Chaser Online, the Performance Motorsports Network, Scorpion Radio Group, their sponsors or other contributors.
About the Writer
Rence Brown is Race Chaser Online’s West Coast-based correspondent, who currently resides in California and carries a deep passion for NASCAR, but is a follower of multiple forms of auto racing across multiple disciplines.
Brown, 23, is going back to school to pursue a journalism degree at Pierce College.
Email Rence at: rcorencebrown@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @RenceTheFence
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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