You just can't fix stupid

S

STLMSR

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NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series revealed a brand-new feature that has never been seen in motor racing, and based on that fact alone, it's worth asking how the NCWTS found value in an idea Formula 1, IndyCar, and every other major championship left on the cutting room floor.
Announced during NASCAR's pre-season Media Tour on Tuesday, the NCWTS will actually schedule caution periods this season using a countdown clock. For those who are familiar with motor racing, a caution period is traditionally used when a problem arises-a car has crashed and needs to be retrieved, harmful debris is on the racetrack, or some other issue has necessitated a temporary halt to the action. With the new NCWTS caution clock, those halts will happen every 20 minutes, regardless of whether it's needed.
And if a genuine caution period happens during that 20-minute countdown, NCWTS officials will tend to the stricken car or debris (or whatever), then restart the 20-minute clock once the race goes back to green. The clock starts when the race starts, starts again on restarts and, as a race-to-the-finish bonus, it will be turned off during the final 20 laps of the race.
 
I don't understand what they're trying to accomplish by doing this. If they want the races to last longer why not add laps? Sounds like a stupid idea to me.
 
OK I had my son explain it to me now I do understand but like u said u can't fix stupid this is absolutely rediculouis
 
NASCAR has evolved into a joke. It is all bout patty-cake with TV and sponsors. Once I was a hardcore viewer who tuned in weekly. I havnt wasted my time watching a race for several years.
 
back when my late wife would watch till Jr. broke then go fix dinner--lately I watch till Jr.--Carl or Danaca are done then I go jump on NETFLIX-----been binging on the ARROW---the smoke is blazing hot n I do not mean TS
 
You know the cable networks can track when people switch off or change the channel, right? So NASCAR gets ahold of those stats and sees that after about 20 minutes of follow the leader train racing viewers switch off in droves. NASCAR's answer to keeping people switched on is throw a caution and bunch the field up in the hopes that a big crash or something on a restart will keep people interested.

Sports and racing on TV has moved beyond mere competition providing the excitement. Now that there are so many ways to track and analyze what people are doing in their homes watching this stuff, it is going to be manipulated even more to keep people from switching the channel.

NASCAR doesn't care about keeping the old time race fan happy, they are modifying the content to try and attract younger viewers with much shorter attention spans (due to youtube, vine, Facebook, Twitter, etc exposure among other things). While the old guard may not like it, NASCAR racing is just like any other made for TV program and it is going to change to try to survive in the future.

I am absolutely certain there is way more to this than just some guy sitting around going "hey, here's an idea!" I am pretty certain a lot of analytics went into this to try and attract and keep a younger generation watching. Just keep in mind that NASCAR isn't trying to sell a race to you any more, they are trying to create a product that will keep an audience tuned in so they can sell the audience reach to their advertisers. And that advertising money is what keeps the thing afloat.

I am certain NASCAR is doing their homework and a lot of legwork to see what keeps the viewer tuned in and watching. So their entire approach is going to be to create what the viewer wants to see, which is mostly something exciting whatever that is. Side by side racing, passes for the lead, fights in the pits or crashes, whatever it is, NASCAR is going to try and manipulate racing to provide that spectacle.
 
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STLMSR said:
NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series revealed a brand-new feature that has never been seen in motor racing, and based on that fact alone, it's worth asking how the NCWTS found value in an idea Formula 1, IndyCar, and every other major championship left on the cutting room floor.
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I'll tell you why. Audience demographic. Those other forms of racing you mention attract a different crowd than NASCAR and throwing a caution every 20 minutes would make them turn it off. With NASCAR, something NOT happening to bunch up the field and breed some racing has that effect.
 
they should have heat races, and last chance B mains. That would break it up into 20 minute parts so they get the commercials in and then have a 50 lap A main.
 
People who are watching will be thinking in XX minutes NASCAP is going to throw that caution flag and that's when I will go to the bathroom and get something to eat They will NOT be watching the commercials from the bathroom. If I bought time for my commercial it would NOT be during that caution flag I want my commercial seen
NASCAP has been losing fans both in the stands and on TV for some time and this will NOT get those fans back. NASCAP needs get out of the way and let the racers race JMO
 
One thing all of Nascar's rules manipulations over the last 15 or so years has done is make me crave the dirt track action even more than before. Used to be a nearly full time Nascar watcher but now just watch bits & pieces and some weeks not at all. I'd rather pay $20 to watch a dirt race on PPV!
 
STLMSR said:
People who are watching will be thinking in XX minutes NASCAP is going to throw that caution flag and that's when I will go to the bathroom and get something to eat They will NOT be watching the commercials from the bathroom. If I bought time for my commercial it would NOT be during that caution flag I want my commercial seen
NASCAP has been losing fans both in the stands and on TV for some time and this will NOT get those fans back. NASCAP needs get out of the way and let the racers race JMO
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TV commercials are always the bathroom breaks for most shows. That's not what NASCAR cares about. They care about Joe's Crab Shack, Tommy's Big Ball Pit, NAPA, AUTOZONE, Billy Bob's Basket Emporium and all the other logos on those cars going around in circles and on the billboards at the track and under the screen scrolling along while the race is happening and plastered all over the crews during pitstops etc. Getting those names in front of people on TV and KEEPING those people watching the race and not walking away for good after 25 laps are what its all about.

People who sell TV commercials are busting their butts to make the commercial interesting enough to keep the viewer in place during the breaks. NASCAR isn't selling TV commercials. They are selling to companies to put their logo's on race cars going around in circles, and when those cars going around in circles turns into a boring train race, people switch off and advertisers see their money being wasted sponsoring these cars and drivers because no one is watching for long.

The commercial "bathroom break, didn't see the commercial" viewer isn't what NASCAR is trying to go after with this. If anything, this move puts them at odds with the TV folks for the very reasons you state, people watching can actually plan ahead to walk away and know when to come back. Just like every other TV show.

What NASCAR is trying to do is get the people to COME BACK after the break to see the restart and watch the crash. And to make those things happen more often to keep people interested. Like I said before, people who like watching traditional racing aren't going to like this, but this change isn't to keep those folks happy. Its about getting more people to watch the whole race instead of the opening 20 laps and the last 10 and DVR the rest just in case something happens worth watching later and never watching the whole thing unless something big happened.

I like the idea of heat races, semis and a feature format to keep people interested. Why NASCAR can't go to that format and make the night a series of shorter sprint racers flat out instead of these longer races is beyond me. I get it, during the original years of racing the longer races were meant to be a test of endurance, who could last that distance and stay strong, but that challenge is long gone. Nowadays these guys runnning 500 miles isn't a big deal at all. I would love to see NASCAR go to a short track format.
 
No track, series, or entire sport, for that matter, will survive without changing to meet current fans' interests and demands. The chase has helped NASCAR's end of season popularity immensely. They're not afraid to take chances with big changes. The old guard won't be around forever. They have to find ways to attract and keep new fans interested. Dirt track racing is no different. Most all tracks are losing attendance and support. If we don't take a look at ways to attract younger folks and keep their attention more tracks will just keep closing. You have to applaud NASCAR for trying new things to keep their races interesting. Without that they'd be on the path to out of business just like a lot of dirt tracks are.
 
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