But over the past few seasons, NASCAR has seen ratings slip. Fans have complained about the drivers having no personalities and the racing being too clean.
As NASCAR exploded in popularity in the mid-90s, NASCAR management—led by CEO and Chairman Brian France—became hyper-conscious of the sport’s media presence. As sponsorship dollars outweighed track admission revenue, NASCAR decided to groom its drivers into polished, wholesome, and sometimes rather bland product spokespersons.
NASCAR decide that to get away from the image of “redneck racing,” some of the car-to-car contact and on-track retaliation had to be stopped—after all, NASCAR was now a family sport, and parents wouldn’t want their children to see drivers deliberately causing accidents.
Problem was, NASCAR fans thrive on the feuds between drivers, the on-track duels. So some fans lost interest.
‘Contact Sport’
In an effort to regain some of those lost fans, NASCAR has decided to relax the rules.
In the words of Brian France, “NASCAR is a contact sport—our history is based on banging fenders.”
“It’s time for us to allow the drivers to drive,” France said in a statement on NASCAR.com. “We don’t want the rules and regulations to get in the way of great racing and fantastic finishes.”
Or, as NASCAR president Mike Helton put it, “There’s an age-old saying that ‘If you ain’t rubbin’, you ain’t racin’.’ That’s what the NASCAR fan and the NASCAR stakeholder bought into and all expect now. Our role is to deliver that.”
What Are the New Rules?
So, what does this mean for drivers and fans? Back to the days of fistfights in the pits? Pro-wrestling-style challenges in post-race interviews? Unregulated collisions on-track?
Doubtful. Helton also said, “We are still there looking at the unfolding of the race as it might relate to a driver going too far. There is still going to be a line to cross—it’ll be over-aggressive driving.”
Which points up the problem with this policy: How will it be implemented? Who makes the call?
Every series permits a different amount of inter-car contact, and if the drivers know the rules going into the race, they can drive accordingly.
But if the enforcement of the rules is arbitrary, or uneven, then drivers—and fans—might might be just as unhappy as they were with the more restrictive rules.
NASCAR has been exceedingly non-specific so far.
“What we are encouraging competitors to do is for their characters and their personality—within reason—to be unfolded,” Helton said. Who makes the call on what’s reasonable? If a four-letter word slips out, will there still be a huge fine? How about two, or three? If a driver says, “I’m going to get you,” is that okay? How about, “I’m going to wreck you?”
And how much on-track fender-banging is “rubbing,” and how much is “over-aggressive driving”? Will drivers who thought they were just improving the show, be fined? I can imagine the protests from team managers: “Rubbin’ is racin’, I thought.”
Will NASCAR let the contact go until a really bad crash happens? The current car is so sturdy, safety is not a primary issue, but how many chances will NASCAR want to take?
NASCAR should be applauded for trying to please its core fans. Hopefully they have thought this through a little more specifically than their press statements show.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not endorsed by The Epoch Times. Please contact James Fish with comments.
