Last night I was flipping channels and stopped at Saturday Night Live for a bit. They went to commercial and a spot for today's Talladega race came on. The announcer talked about 'tune in tomorrow' and so on and finished with, '8 of the 10 drivers in the Chase still have a shot at the title and there's always the threat of The Big One.'
I don't like it, not a bit. Selling accidents to fans is bad business.
I agree, but thats who they are
hell Nascar loves carnage.. anything to get more money is there philosophy.. not actual racing..
NASCAR = Taxi, bumpercars
Pack racing with fenders = bad
Pack racing without fenders = good?
Am I missing something? Shouldn't that be the other way around?
jono
"They are actually paying me to race. What a concept."
-- Andrew Ranger talking about his NASCAR Canada team
Rally driving has the big one from time to time.
Not often do you see 15 to 20 rally cars slamming together at once.Originally Posted by SportscarBruce
Point, Jono.
Ok, I have to admit to a character defect. I enjoy watching the "Big one" in NASCAR races. Some are downright comical. Naturally, I don't want anyone to get hurt, but since I don't really care who wins the NASCAR races, and since they have so many cars anyway, its a highlight for me.
I don't like wrecks in the IRL, since someone could get hurt and it takes so long to clean up the mess.
Randy
"Danica has earned her equipment and her opportunity. It didn't just materialize out of the air. She earned it one piece at a time, starting at 10 years old." Mark Martin
"Life does not imitate art. It imitates bad television." Unidentified TV Talking Head.
You're missing:
Footage of Buddy Rice launching over a following car = good
Footage of NASCAR crash = bad
Not to mention the countless IRL commercials over the years that ended with RBM's car shooting in front of Eddie Cheever's. A crash that broke RBM's leg in a few places.
Lay the criticism on every TV sportscast too, what makes the the news broadcast more often, the side by side finish or a crash of any magnitude?
I guess the difference would be that a one or two car wreck as described is something dreaded and hoped to be avoided in IndyCar racing while 'the Big One' is almost a dead bang cinch to happen every race at Talladega.
Since some people probably didn't watch, Rusty Wallace was glad he would never have to race there again and Mark Martin said that the fans were the only ones who could demand changes that would prevent those type of wrecks because NASCAR isn't going to change, but since NASCAR fans seem to enjoy seeing the pack racing that leads to 'the Big One' it won't happen.
"You can't arrest those guys, they're folk heroes"
"They're criminals"
"Well most folk heroes started out as criminals"
Like it or not, it gets attention. Local newscast I watched tonight led off its sports segment with Talledega. Why? Not one but TWO "Big ones," both shown in their car-flippin' glory.
NASCAR bashing by a minority of race fans has little to do with "the split" or the racing business, but NASCAR's ratings sure do. I call sour grapes.
Anybody know why they had empty seats at Talladega front straight and back? I know it was still a big crowd but is this two weeks in a row?
I wish the whole Talladega Speedway was empty of fans today, then maybe NASCAR would do something about this stupid pack racing. It sucks.
DVR . . . . Life is too short to watch commercials.
I didn't catch but the final 15 laps or so, the Daytona 500 is the only plate race that I can watch flag-to-flag.
Why did they throw the yellow when it was the final lap? I know about the racing to the flag issue but heck this is the last lap! Same thing happened at Watkins Glen for Indycars.
Anyway it was good to see Dale Jarrett and Robert Yates win, both are class acts.
As with many NASCAR tracks, there are very few that sell out any more because of the big TV package that puts it in the fans' living rooms for free and ticket prices to make the "nut."
You mean ticket prices that cost a "nut".
Left one this year, right one next year, and then?
Well, the race lived up to the billing. Plenty of carnage.
Thankfully everyone escaped without serious injury.
Rest in Peace, Miles Nelson
Never forget, 'Mackie' was here.
And the fans love it, whooping and hollering while the cars are still sliding to a stop. I don't get it; I've been at plenty of Indy car races and when there is a serious accident, the place gets like a church.
It's like NASCAR, NBC and the fans don't think these accidents are dangerous, almost like cartoon violence. I don't like accidents, I don't like to watch them and I don't like them being used to promote races and, yes, that goes for the IRL, CC and F-1 as well. Accident footage has no place in promotional montages or in any form of come-on and it damn sure shouldn't be used as the big drawing card.
I have to totally agree with everything you said Jim.
Gee, I must have missed your outrage when for the past five years the IRL wore out the tape of Eddie Cheever's big accident at Texas. Seems to me if you watch the promo pieces that the IRL is by far a worse offender of promotion by mayhem strategy then Nascar.Accident footage has no place in promotional montages or in any form of come-on and it damn sure shouldn't be used as the big drawing card.
Jim, is pack racing good or bad?
From what you're saying, it seems like you're saying it's ok for the IRL to be more dangerous than NASCAR, as long as it's not in a commercial?
jono
Who said anything about pack racing? And Cheever's accident was pretty compelling stuff because it was filmed on an in-car camera - I remember when it happened, I jumped up and stood on the couch.
Showing a 2-car accident as part of an opening montage is one thing. It is entirely another for the network to say, "Watch the race because we're going to have a BIG ACCIDENT. Not just any crash but a HUGE ONE with lots of cars and flames. Maybe even upside down or flying through the air, you know, THE BIG ONE!!!"
What do you think causes "The Big One"!? There wouldn't be a big one to sell if they weren't all bunched together.
jono
I couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately, as you know, the reality of motorsports viewing to the general public is the potential spectre of an accident. Particularly one of spectacular proportion. The danger is a draw. No doubt about it.
It's the reason Michael Waltrip and Scott Riggs's flipping cars got plenty of air time on ESPN last night.
It's the reason boxing is popular, for the potential for nasty knockouts.
It's the reason some people watch football, for the potential to see big hits.
The list goes on.
You and I, and nearly all the others on this board, watch racing for the same reason the "other" type of fan watches boxing, and football.
To see the sweet science of boxing, and it's tactical strategy, lighning quick reactions, and extremely technical elements.
or to see a football game, and witness a great offensive play in football, a great catch, throw, or run.
Racing to me, is about speed, strategy, passing, and the dynamics of fabulous, fast cars at speed.
Unfortunately, it's not that, to many others.
Makes us a mutual admiration society, then.
Or, replace "admiration" with "m**turbation."
Wonder what self-congratulation by a decided minority means in business terms?
Everyone who doesn't watch replays of accidents raise your hand.
Everyone with their hand in the air is a liar.
jono
In NASCAR, the driver climbs out of the car, waves to the crowd, and walks away.
In IndyCar, the safety team extracts the driver from the car on a backboard, reminds him to wave to the crowd, then loads him into an ambulance or helicopter for a trip to the hospital. The lucky ones only have to spend the night there.
Maybe that's why the crowd reaction differs.
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