NASCAR NATION

Second most watched sport in the United States. Number one sport in Attendance, billion dollar contract renewal with the networks, can NASCAR do anything wrong? As it stands right now, there were 200 thousand people in Texas last week and a 150 grand in Bristol not too long ago. Had Texas put 100 thousand more seats, then one hundred thousand more people would have showed up. Forget about the fact that there is another race there later in the season. This is NASCAR country and nobody is stopping it. Literally.

The sport is growing exponentially at an alarming rate. It’s the biggest cult phenom in the United States. Wherever you go, you have to watch NASCAR when it’s on television and attend a race when it comes to within 100 miles of where you live. What happen? What happen to the southern regional sport that drew local die-hard fans? All of a sudden NASCAR is experiencing the highest ratings they’ve ever gotten for the Daytona 500 in New York City and Los Angeles?? This wasn’t supposed to be the case. This was a good old boys club. Football is a religion. Baseball is a tradition. NASCAR? It’s quickly creeping up on both of those and etching its own market and niche.

There are countless factors as to why this happened and some are likely more accurate than others. Lots of crashes, a new breed of American heroes lost in other sports through scandals and bad behavior, great marketing, good racing. All these warrant some attention. Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise? Hey, you never know. Could have helped. The Brickyard 400 where Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event? The split between the IRL and Champ Car, leaving the market open for NASCAR to grab? Maybe. But the bottom line is that NASCAR is able to get hundred of thousands in attendance and many millions more on television to watch big stocky cars go around a track at good, but not incredible speeds for 500 miles!! Many of the NASCAR races take up to 4 and a half hours to complete. That is longer than two basketball games! And in that 4 and a half you can bet a good chunk of it is yellow flag caution period, with cars slowly following the pace car around the track.

Is it the new breed of American heroes that parents all across the States were seeking for their kids? An interesting aspect of NASCAR is the hush hush on salaries and sponsorship deals. Its no secret they make big money. But the exact amount is not usually displayed publicly. The closest we got recently was with the divorce of Jeff Gordon, with his wife threatening to go public with the NASCAR money being thrown around. For what it’s worth, it was estimated that Jeff makes about 1.2 million a month. For a hard working adult to turn on SportScenter and watch as some whiny basketball player complaining about his multi-million dollar salary, then to hear of a free agent in baseball who is seeking whichever team is offering more money or to witness what a quarterback in the NFL got as a signing bonus, its not always easy to digest. In NASCAR, you don’t hear much about money. And to top it all off, these drivers are putting their life on the line every race. Watching the highlights of a baseball game, I seldom worry if the second basemen will survive the game.

NASCAR will have no trouble with steroids, naturally. Aside from the Jeff Gordon divorce from a couple of years back, you don’t hear many drivers getting in off-track altercations with other people or the law. And, let’s not forget, Gordon is not just a driver, he’s a celebrity. He’s hosted SNL, he guests-hosts Regis and Kelly. His divorce was covered on Entertainment Tonight more than it was covered in the inner-circle of racing.

NASCAR winners are always quick to thank their team (after the sponsors, of course). They recognize the hard work of the pitcrew throughout the race and the work of the engineers. The commentators are also very good at pointing this out. The drivers are tired and dehydrated after an event. Some, in the old days, would be on the brink of collapsing after stepping out. Has Manny Ramirez ever broken a sweat? Has Vince Carter?

These drivers, who are increasingly born all over the country and not just in NASCAR-counties anymore, are perfect role models for children. They are clean-cut, well behaved off the track (for the most part) and though sometimes let their emotions get the better of them during an event, they are usually good for an apology the week after.

I also think that people can connect more to NASCAR drivers than most other athletes because of their physical stature. If I am not over 6’3, then my chances of becoming an NBA player are slim. If I am not a huge specimen of a human being, then football is probably not my calling. I would mention ‘roids and baseball, but that would be low. Oops, I just did anyway.

You can be just about any size to be a NASCAR driver. Short, tall, slim, heavier. If you have the skills and the dedication, then it’s an achievable goal. At least it’s perceived as something attainable. These guys are just like you and me. Shaquille O’neal is not like you and me. Well, I don’t know you, but he’s not like me.

This is simply my theory about the growth of the sport. You can argue with it, you can think it’s stupid. But, the truth is, there isn’t one simple reason as to how it got to where it is and most reasons are credible to a certain degree. Either way, NASCAR is something that other sports, universities and businesses can monitor and learn from.