Rethinking the NASCAR "way."

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. One thing that the powers that be in NASCAR should have discovered over the last couple of weeks is that their traditional, insular way of dealing with issues and controversies has long since exceeded its "sell by" date. In fact, what the NASCAR brain trust should have learned from "Richmond-gate" is that the good old days of having it both ways - aka the NASCAR "way" - no longer applies. In other words, NASCAR can't wallow in generous manufacturer budgets, sponsorship money from corporate America, big-time television contracts and the inevitable red-hot glow of attention from the stick-and-ball media outlets and then turnaround and conduct themselves like it's a little 'ol family run regional racing series based in the Carolinas.

No, when NASCAR bargained for the big time at the onset of the pioneering Winston cigarette sponsorship deal in 1971, the die was cast. And the relentless march to legitimacy and major league sports status began. But that status has come with a price and as I pointed out last week, even though the France family controls the ball and the playing fields (well, most of them anyway) and their natural tendency is to say "our ball, our game, our tracks, like it or leave it" the reality is that the deal they made back in the 70s in their race to become big time - and the steep price associated with it - has now come due.

It was readily apparent during the post-Richmond press conference that Brian France was carefully avoiding the obvious. You could tell that while he was trying to be as politically correct as possible he just wanted to say, "Look, we'll fix this as we see fit and we will all move on from here. And you should too. Everything will be fine." But as the France family has discovered, everything is most definitely not fine. NAPA Auto Parts walked away from Michael Waltrip Racing, and there are rumors that other sponsors - not just within MWR - are questioning their involvement with NASCAR too.

That this is a giant bowl of Not Good for NASCAR and the France family may be the understatement of the year. As I've suggested, what NASCAR has done so far was blunder through a series of decisions that haven't been exactly reassuring to the participants, and I'm talking all of the participants, from the garage area to the auto manufacturers.

So what can be done about it?

For one thing, the NASCAR brain trust has to be more proactive than at any time in their history. This has proven to be difficult for them in the past but this time the need for radical introspection is crucial, and the powers that be in NASCAR should seize this opportunity and just go for it.  

One place I'd start is the schedule. A total revamp of NASCAR's schedule is long overdue and it should hinge on the following key factors: A critical need for a shortened schedule combined with more road races and more "off" dates. Also, I would split the schedule into three distinct segments. Segment  1 (consisting of eleven races), Segment 2 (consisting of ten races) and the final segment - the Chase - will consist of seven races, in keeping with the seven-game championship series for other major league sports (MLB, NBA) in the U.S. Let's take a look...

Proposed 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule, Segment 1

Race 1: Daytona. (There's Indy, Monaco and Le Mans, and the Daytona 500 is one tier below, still one of the world's great races.)

Off: A needed break after Daytona.

Race 2: Phoenix International Raceway. (Not my favorite, but it's too cold to go anywhere else this time of year. And it's only on the schedule once.)

Race 3: Laguna Seca (Mazda Raceway). (And if they have to use rain tires at Laguna, so be it.)

Off: Another off week here.

Race 4: Bristol Motor Speedway. (This track retains both its dates.)

Race 5: Texas Motor Speedway.  (But Martinsville in the spring is out.)

Race 6: Talladega Super Speedway. (Chaotic, ridiculous and flat-out crazy, it still merits two visits.)

Race 7: Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Retains just one race.)

Race 8: Richmond International Raceway. (It fits here too.)

Off: (Two weeks off and Dover only gets one event.)

Race 9: Charlotte Motor Speedway. (The Coca-Cola 600 remains.)


Race 10: Pocono. (Appears only once on the schedule.)

Race 11: Michigan International Speedway. (Only one time for MIS as well.

)


Proposed 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule, Segment 2

Race 1: Kansas Speedway. (One time for Kansas.)

Off: Another break.

Race 2: Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway remains.)

Race 3: Daytona International Speedway. (It will always be the Firecracker 400 to me.)

Race 4: Kentucky Speedway. (Hangs on to a race, but New Hampshire is dropped from the schedule.)

Off.

Race 5: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (The Brickyard stays, for now.)

Off.

Race 6: Watkins Glen International Raceway. (Absolutely stays right where it is.)

Off.

Race 7: Bristol Motor Speedway. (The night race? Of course.)

Race 8: Darlington Raceway. The Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend. (Back where it belongs
.)

Race 9: Dover International Speedway. (One time only.)

Race 10: Richmond International Raceway. (It's too good of a track not to get a second date.)


Proposed 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule, Segment 3 - The Championship Series

Race 1: Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. (The most beautiful natural-terrain road racing circuit in the U.S., "America's National Park of Speed" becomes part of The Chase.)

Race 2: Road Atlanta. (For the first time ever, back-to-back road course races in The Chase.)

Off: (Chicagoland is dropped from the schedule.)

Race 3: Charlotte Motor Speedway. (NASCAR's "home" track deserves to make The Chase.)

Race 4: Talladega Super Speedway. (For the same reasons listed previously above.)

Race 5: Martinsville Speedway. (This short track gets its due in The Chase.)

Race 6: Texas Motor Speedway. (On the way to the finale in Las Vegas, they might as well stop here.)


Race 7: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Forget Homestead, The Chase ends here.)

So, there you have it. Twenty-eight total races. Fewer races - even with the addition of three more road races to the schedule - more off weeks, fewer double visits to tracks and for my money, a cleaner calendar altogether. And the "seven-game championship series" translates easily for the media. The other advantage? Fewer races makes each weekend a real event and that much more special and desirable to attend in person. No, there isn't a dirt race on the calendar. Should there be? Perhaps, but that would mean an even more radical schedule than the one I've just presented.

But then again schedule oversaturation is only one major issue facing NASCAR. The overall credibility of NASCAR as a sporting enterprise remains the overriding concern, and that means that the NASCAR "way" will have to undergo a fundamental transformation. Which means instead of talking about issues endlessly and then doing nothing, which is their wont, NASCAR will have to show the participants that it's a viable entity that's hungry to be relevant going forward.

And that's the High-Octane Truth in the motorsports world this week.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Watkins Glen, New York, July 22, 1972. The Milt Minter/Scooter Patrick Otto Zipper Racing Team No. 33 Alfa Romeo T33/3 at speed in the Watkins Glen 6-Hour endurance sports car race. The duo started in seventh position but would not finish that day. The race was won by Mario Andretti/Jacky Ickx in the No. 85 SEFAC Ferrari 312 PB, followed by Ronnie Peterson/Tim Schenken (No. 86 SEFAC Ferrari 312 PB) in second place and Derek Bell/Carlos Pace (No. 10 Gulf Racing Research Mirage M6 Ford Cosworth) in third.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD