Viewers Not Sold on the NASCAR Cup Chase

by Valerie Wood

Despite all the revisionist history race fans have been hearing (drivers were coached by NASCAR to downplay their early criticism and adopt the company line) for the past several months, many fans are still not sold on this "Chase for the Cup" thing NASCAR has implemented. Did the entire championship structure really needed to be revamped merely because the new Chairman of NASCAR, Brian France, wanted to try and create a "playoff system" to rival the other major sports. Frankly, if you're going to create a playoff system--then make it a true playoff system. As fans of baseball, football, basketball, hockey and other competitive sports all know, a playoff means that certain "teams" are eliminated from the running. Once they lose, they're outta there. Finished. Kaput. Sent home to lick their wounds and recover. NASCAR's playoff system took the top 10 ranked drivers (ranked in their traditional manner after the first 26 races) and put them in a separate points chase, declaring that these were the ones eligible to run for the championship. Other drivers continue to race them, eligible to win races and make money, but not eligible to vie for the championship. In other words, there are still 43 cars on the track at the beginning of any given race.

If you're going to have a playoff, then you do it right. The other 33 cars not eligible should have been parked for the remainder of the season, so that only those eligible for the championship are competing (that would certainly have been a cost-savings for the teams--and NASCAR claims to be cost-conscious). That's how a playoff system is usually run. In the first "playoff race" at New Hamshire International Speedway, the scenario NASCAR devised already put into play a circumstance in which one of the ineligible-for-the-Cup drivers, Robbie Gordon, did a payback move on another ineligible-for-the-Cup driver, Greg "Bug Eyed Dummy" Biffle* and managed, for all intents and purposes, to wreck two of the ELIGIBLE drivers, Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield -- already severely handicapping both of them in their quest for the championship.

Other, more sinister scenarios may yet surface in these last 9 races. One involves "teammates" of the eligible drivers running interference and managing to wreck the competition of their teammates either covertly or overtly. Then, there are situations where an ineligible for the Cup driver might "spin" and bring out a much needed caution for his teammate. Not fair? They wouldn't do that? Don't count on it. There is a lot of money involved in this sport, and the smaller, less funded teams could certainly receive monetary renumeration in the guise of "sponsorship" and support. Is this a team sport? The jury's still out on that one. When push comes to shove, it just might prove to be just that.

By the way, one of NASCAR's "goals" is to cut a wide swath into the NFL TV ratings. They might be advised to have more exciting racing than was seen in "Race 1 of the Playoffs" at Loudon , New Hampshire on September 19. This viewer watched football, and checked in, from time to time, on the race during commercials. There is such an overkill of "Chase for the Cup" coverage on Speed Channel now that one doesn't need to watch the race. Just catch one of the numerable recaps or discussion shows on afterwards and you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know. There is marketing, and making a good thing better and more attractive--and then there is overkill. NASCAR has reached the oversaturation point with many fans, and the onset of the football season may well prove to be a welcome diversion instead of an annual conflict of interest. NASCAR has gone from a "news famine" sport to a gluttenous inundation of information sport. There's even a 24-hour satellite radio channel for NASCAR, according to the advertisements. Whatever they can possibly manage to talk about for that length of time is something that even a hardcore fan might well find discordant to the ears.

The Loudon Race, on TNT , was much ballyhooed as the first race in the 10-race "playoff." It was among the least-viewed daytime Cup events in the past five years. According to Nielsen Media Research, Sunday's broadcast of the Sylvania 300 drew a 3.4 cable rating, down eight percent from the 3.7 the race generated (same network) last season. The No. 1-rated cable TV show for the week ending Sept. 19 was an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, which drew over 9.3 million viewers. The NASCAR race drew an audience of about 4.2 million. Cable shows which performed better among viewers than the Cup race included a professional program, the TV drama "Law and Order," "NFL Prime Time" and professional wrestling.

It's tough when you're even beaten by Spongebob Squarepants.

*Sterling Marlin's nickname for Greg Biffle.

For information on Valerie Wood's novel, Enforcer, visit http://www.enforcer.fcpages.com/ (Official Website for Enforcer) or http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/14441 (Publisher's Website/read an excerpt).

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