NASCAR TO ASK DRIVERS TO SLOW DOWN

April 25 2009

Daytona Beach, FL – Car racing has always been about speed. Ever increasing horsepower and structural design have allowed cars to be pushed to ever greater extremes and with that the popularity of the sport. No racing league has shown the level of growth that NASCAR has had over the last 15 years but now, with a stranglehold on the public consciousness, and concerns about ever decreasing levels of advertising revenue, the organization may be forced to slow down.

Like most publishers in these rough economic times, NASCAR has seen significant erosion in the revenue being generated from advertising, a form of revenue that has not only driven growth but also become a significant part of the look of the sport. With that decline in revenue NASCAR officials, sponsors, and owners are looking at ways to reduce the speed on the track in hopes of saving money that normally goes into repairing damaged cars and fuel being burned.

“Like ordinary Americans, businesses need to tighten their belts in order to remain vital and alive. Cutting down on non-essentials is fundamentally important when you go through low revenue
phases. Simply put NASCAR has a choice, cut back, or cut out and I think very few people would like to see fewer cars in the field. Having two or three cars racing each other on a track wouldn’t really be all that appealing,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “NASCAR has become a perennial so once the economy improves the organization will be able to bring back some more of the flourish but for now it’s just impractical. It may even be detrimental to have that kind of excess especially as people struggle with basic things like keeping their own gas tanks full.”

Among the proposed changes to the upcoming season the league is considering placing speed signs at all turns and implementing penalties for drivers who exceed the speed limit, similar to the system in place on most public roads.

“There will be a lot of resistance from drivers and fans but as long as they realize it’s only a temporary situation they will be able to adjust. The alternative of course isn’t very appealing because NASCAR is going to have cut somewhere, and on the field is the best place to do that,” said Scrape TV Sports analyst Mark Marvins. “Other areas they could trim are in the pits or in emergency personnel but the latter at least would probably be ill advised if they aren’t able to keep the speed down. Things will be different for a little while but they will go back to normal eventually and everyone is just going to have to wait it out, just like they will in their regular lives. After all seeing their favourite drivers die on a weekly basis isn’t really a sound option either.”

NASCAR has already begun placing rumble strips and speed humps on the tracks of a number of major events and has begun integrating speed fines into the scoring system. Reportedly drivers who exceed the posted limit will not only be fined during the course of the race, but will have a number of points taking from their overall standing.

“Some drivers will go over, that’s just the way people are, but if they can implement enough procedures and show the drivers that they are serious about punishing those who go over they will be
successful in keeping them in line,” continued Marvins. “The challenge of course will be keeping all those fans that that they have worked so hard to build up over the last 10 to 15 years. Speed though may not be the deciding factor in any potential decline. NASCAR fans are as much a fan of the advertising as they are of the actual races and at this point there is little the league can do about that.”

NASCAR officials are currently seeking sponsors for the speed signs and rumble strips before implementing them on all courses.

Alexi Orton, Sports Correspondent

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