#the descent from casual motorsport fan

[tinseltownie]

Watching F2 for my son Ollie Bearman

Accidentally fell in love with Kush Maini and will be rooting for him for the rest of the season

[alonzohwurth]

Aric Almirola- A Good Signing For Stewart-Haas Racing?

A song once opined that a “ch-change could you good.” Aric Almirola- a NASCAR journeyman will hit the reset button when he climb inside the cockpit of the 10 at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. Surprised? I am only slightly.

What do you think when you think Aric Almirola? A casual fan may think “who?” Other thoughts spring to mind like “nice guy,” “doesn’t make trouble,” or maybe “he’s ok, I guess.” My earliest memory of Almirola was back in the days of the Busch Series where he started a race for Joe Gibbs, he was leading at Milwaukee, and the team made him get out of the car for Denny Hamlin- who had flown in from Michigan- to finish it for ‘sponsorship obligations.” I always felt like he got hosed there.

Aric Almirola has been racing full-time at the top since 2012. In 242 races, he has one win- in a rain-shortened race- 11 top fives and 31 top tens. Not bad. It doesn’t elicit superlatives, but the numbers are good enough to say he doesn’t suck. In middling equipment at Richard Petty Motorsports, the Floridian of Cuban descent has finished inside the top twenty for the season three times.

All this build up is to say no one would argue that Aric Almirola doesn’t have a place in NASCAR. As he takes over Danica Patrick’s ride, it will be interesting to see if he can improve on her performance. I can hear you critics now, and I’m just not going to go there. He’s a solid driver. I just wonder what you all may be thinking about who got passed over to take Aric Almirola.

Most notably, 2003 champion Matt Kenseth appears as though he will be sitting out 2018. While he’s announced he’ll be on the sidelines, you have to know that he would have jumped at the chance to take the 10 car.

My question is this: should SHR have taken Kenseth over Almirola? Is Kenseth over the hill? Has he ruffled too many feathers with the Joey Logano dust-up to enjoy widespread acceptance? I really don’t know myself.

Let’s not forget Carl Edwards is still out there, and so is Greg Biffle. We’re just saying there are other, perhaps more accomplished options out there. Perhaps they’ve decided they don’t miss it.

Whatever the case, Aric Almirola has a new opportunity with an organization that’s further along than RPM. We’ll really see how much of the 10 team’s performance had to do with the polarizing Patrick, and how much of it may have been the sometimes it seems like Stewart-Haas Racing may be spread too thin. For my part, I hope he does well. How much success he will enjoy remains to be seen. There shouldn’t be too much pressure. The bar he has to clear to improve the 10 team’s performance isn’t terribly high. It sounds harsh, but let’s face it: it’s not.

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[junker-town]

NASCAR’s troubles aren’t over yet, but there is finally reason for optimism

With retiring stars as well as declining attendance and TV ratings, the opening months of the 2017 season have been a struggle.

All the makings for a transformative race were in place, one that would give NASCAR a much-needed boost following a week where the sport’s most popular figure announced his pending retirement and a string of races produced uninspiring television ratings.

And on the track, Richmond International Raceway delivered last Sunday, hosting one of the better Monster Energy Cup Series races of the season. A classic short track battle with no shortage of passing, three- and sometimes four-wide action, plenty of dramatic twists, a host of notable names in contention, and a finish in doubt until the very end.

So why then were the grandstands sparse and the television ratings disappointing?

Why did only an estimated 30,000 show up to watch, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch? Why did the Toyota Owners 400 equal the least-watched spring Richmond race since 2001, according to Sports Media Watch? Why did one team executive team tell SB Nation he spent Monday and Tuesday calling sponsors to assuage concerns that the sky wasn’t falling and NASCAR was still a worthwhile investment?

Throughout the week there have been no shortage of theories volleyed on social media and talk radio as to why Richmond was a bust at the ticket office and a dud on television. The list of reasons includes:

--An unseasonably warm Virginia afternoon with the temperature in the low 90s for a race that before 2016 had annually been conducted on Saturday night. “I mean, it's 90 degrees and coverage on TV is pretty excellent,” third-place finisher Denny Hamlin said. “It's tough to sit in the bleachers when it's 90.”

--Three Cup races in the same region within a five-week span was asking too much of fans and spread them out among Richmond, Martinsville Speedway (April 2), and Bristol Motor Speedway (April 24).

--The current schedule featuring 38 races over 41 weeks (36 point races, plus two exhibitions) is simply too robust with too many races having distances that exceed three hours; a less than ideal combination in an age of instant gratification.

What further steps can NASCAR take to combat what is now a decade-plus slide?

--Consumers having more options than ever before, and with America no longer considered a car culture hub, tuning in or watching a race on television of any kind isn’t appealing. Evidence supported by roughly 7,000 spectators attending an IndyCar race Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway, according to The Associated Press.

Each offers varying degrees of justification, yet outside of the weather, none could be considered unforeseen. Which leads to the question: What further steps can NASCAR take to combat what is now a decade-plus slide?

Hamlin tweeted his list of the three most important things he would like to see changed within the sport, while Brad Keselowski stressed it was time for the industry to collaborate and come up with fresh concepts to spur a turnaround.

1. Schedule (32 events,weeknights, 2.5 hour race length) 2. Get cars (sideskirts,quarter panels) off the ground 3. Upgrade track facilities https://t.co/ieYi5Zcclq

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 2, 2017

“The sport is bigger than 1 person & their specific ideas,” Keselowski tweeted. “My answer- 1). Industry must work together 2). Be bold 3). Take nothing 4 granted.”

As if it wasn’t already apparent, any and all ideas should be on the table.

But what makes the situation exasperating is that NASCAR made a concentrated effort to seek outside council on ways to improve. Soliciting feedback and being open to change is something the sanctioning body has made considerable strides in, polar opposite of the iron mentality it had for years and years.

Last summer, pushed by drivers, NASCAR went with a lower downforce aerodynamic rules package for this season that better allows drivers to showcase their skills. Most pronounced, this past offseason saw NASCAR executives, drivers, car owners, network executives, and track promoters unite in an unprecedented showing of collaboration to combat the growing list of issues within the sport.

From that came the implementation of a three-stage format that incentivizes drivers with bonus points that apply toward the championship so that they push hard from green flag to checkered flag in every regular season race.

Across the board both changes created the intended effect. Stage racing has stimulated the middle portions of races that before often saw drivers prefer a conservative approach, and the new rules package is a large contributor as to why the on-track product is improved with increased passing. At Richmond, there were 2,495 green-flag passes, compared to 2,083 green-flag passes in the same race the year previous, and 1,688 green-flag passes in 2015.

And yet, while none of the decision-makers expected an immediate bounce back and stressed time was needed to cultivate new fans and demonstrate that NASCAR was a sport on the upswing, concrete evidence is lacking to suggest such a rejuvenation is afoot.

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are NASCAR’s future stars.

In fact, conventional wisdom suggests the downturn will continue.

Nine races into the season, ratings and attendance have not only not improved -- or at a minimum, flattened out -- they’ve continued to dip. Six of eight Cup races (not including the one-day postponement at Bristol) have suffered viewership declines. Last week, Speedway Motorsports Inc., the operator of eight tracks that host a combined 13 Cup races (including the non-points All-Star Race), reported a first-quarter profit loss where revenue from ticket sales dropped by 4.5 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

Soft attendance will likely continue into next year with Dale Earnhardt Jr. announcing last week he will retire from full-time competition at the end of the current season. NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver joins Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, and Tony Stewart as superstars who’ve all walked away within the past two years, and tracks have already cited the retirements of Gordon and Stewart as reasons for fewer people buying tickets.

NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France spoke confidently at Richmond that the sport he oversees is experiencing the same trials and tribulations other professional leagues are facing. Consumers have more options than ever before, sports no longer remain atop the priority list of many -- especially for millennials -- and while there are new avenues to view games and races, that doesn’t counteract all those who’ve cut the cord.

"We're not isolated here," France said. "Every sport is trying to unlock the new consumption levels and fan interest by a younger demographic. Of course we love our core fan and everyone does, but every sport is thinking carefully about how to reach the millennial fan to get them excited about their sport."

All fair points and a sound, levelheaded mindset to have amidst a search for tangible solutions.

The optimism is not unfounded, but Monster Energy is the key.

Along with the enhanced racing brought about by the three-stage format and updated aero package, NASCAR has an impressive crop of young drivers that it can build around for years to come. Many times over, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have demonstrated they are outwardly talented, much in the fashion Stewart and Gordon did before them.

Within the industry the hope is Monster Energy, the new entitlement Cup Series sponsor, will be the bridge that brings NASCAR to a fresh, younger audience that may not have familiarity with stock car racing. The energy drink company is expected to be the conduit that effectively markets the 24-year-old Larson and the 21-year-old Elliott into the crossover stars NASCAR is lacking following the departures of Gordon, Edwards, Stewart, and soon, Earnhardt.

Being NASCAR’s biggest partner is a role Monster has grown increasingly comfortable with, after an initial ramp up period brought about by the deal between the two parties not being finalized until December. Monster’s fan zone display at various tracks has included an appearance by Rob Gronkowski at the season-opening Daytona 500, a stunt motorcycle shows, MMA fights at the upcoming All-Star Race.

It’s these initiatives NASCAR is banking on to draw new and younger fans to the track, while also offering long-time fans more bang for their buck when attending a race. That Monster signed only a two-year contract (with options) raises concern about the long-term viability of the partnership, though any boost even in the short-term is welcomed.

Whether NASCAR ultimately emerges from its current descent to become a major sports property again will be determined not so much on the track, but off it. Competitive racing can only go so far, and just as Gordon and Earnhardt carried NASCAR to unprecedented heights on their megawatt personalities, Larson and Elliott will need to do the same.

The harsh reality, however, is Larson and Elliott are still not close to being the next mainstream breakout stars NASCAR desperately needs. They may each be brilliant behind the wheel, but they have a long way to go in the charisma department that compels the casual observer to watch them race on Sundays. And if neither can’t assume that mantle, then the television ratings and attendance figures seen at Richmond will become the norm. A standard no one within the industry is prepared to deal with.