Just how strong and long will the DP legacy last?

Ok, two races into her season the jury is still out on exactly how long Danica Patrick will race in the Nationwide Series, and furthermore is she a good thing for it? Well, first and foremost, even the NASCAR fan is cognizant of the fact that sponsorship has dwindled and ratings have been down in three consecutive years. However during DP’s first two races events at Daytona and California, ESPN2's coverage is averaging a 2.5 rating -- an increase of 19 percent over last year's 2.1 average. Most of that can be attributed to the record 3.2 rating, an increase of 33 percent from 2009, at Daytona. The mere momentum of an increase in ratings equates to more ad revenue and that’s good for everyone involved, albeit in California TV ratings actually dropped from 1.9 to 1.7 but the Lakers were playing that day. She has also turned some people on to the sport that didn’t know it existed before and now at least have someone to cheer for or a reason to be involved. She recently appeared on "The Ellen Degeneres Show," "The Bonnie Hunt Show," "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and the "Ryan Seacrest Show." She made a guest appearance on "CSI: NY" and is a candidate to be on the cover of Self Magazine. Now I’m not putting her in the same universe as Tiger Woods, but consider how everything from fanship, to sponsors, to total tour revenue increased once he came on the scene. That brings us to the flipside of the coin, does she have the talent to remain a factor in the series other than a curious gimmick, and what happens if/when she leaves? Once again, only two races but she crashed and finished 35th at Daytona and was 31st at California. The two problems with the afore mentioned scenario is one, regardless of how great the novelty, sports fans like winners, (I can’t remember a more beloved quarterback than Doug Flutie and he even was on a Wheaties box, but they guy was know as a overachiever and nice guy but not a winner) and if she doesn’t win something then she could in up the AK lot, (Anna Kournikova, Ace King, etc) they look good but never win. Nascar is not like the other majors in this country and novelty acts don’t last and after a while you wont see many people wearing a “Go Daddy” hat if she can’t break the top 15. Which brings us to point number two, if she builds up the momentum, hype, and fan base then decides it’s not for her either because she isn’t winning or there simply is more money for her outside the sport where she doesn’t have to risk her life twice a month, how tough will it be to fill that pothole? I said I wouldn’t put her in that universe but how happy do you think the PGA will be to see Tiger on the sign-in sheet? Lastly, how do the other driver’s fell who make this sport their LIFE? I could imagine quite a few (and some have let their feelings be known) that there are several teams, drivers, and fans who felt they were doing just fine prior to the DP invasion and don’t believe she has paid the dues of others. Well one thing is for sure, it’s a phenomenon who’s fire has not peaked, but there will be no middle ground. When all is said and done, and when the last chapter of this book is written, either in one year, one decade, or something in between, she will have had an everlasting impact. Do you think DP is good or bad for the sport? Let us know here and in any of the NASCAR quick links.

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Bump in the road causes NASCAR to pass on great opportunity

Every sport has a component that the enthusiast overlook as part of the nuance that a neutralist will recall as a point of contentment. Baseball can be too long and boring to some, while the die-hard will comment on “the game within the game”, football has too many stoppages in play to a soccer fan, if a basketball game has too many fouls it’s just a parade to the free-throw line, we won’t even start on golf or tennis. NASCAR has always been the target of the three majors because it is so different from “team sports”, even though what people outside the circle don’t get is that it is a racing TEAM that wins a race, not just the individual driver. The sophistication of the cars, the preparation that goes into completing a 300 lap race, seems only to be recognized by the true fans of the sport. Not to mention the physical requirements of the drivers themselves, often ignored by most spectators who think that the car does all of the work, and don’t characterize them as athletes to begin with, fail to understand the amount of condition necessary to handle an automobile at that speed multiplied by the G-Force generated. In any case the stage was set for the sport to gain a huge percentage of fans that have never been cognizant to its existence. Unfortunately the returns are in and the grade was below passing. Danica Patrick’s debut in the Nationwide Series at Daytona had accomplished its goal documented by the pure number of viewers (16% drop in ratings to 7.7% year over year) that tuned in to start the race (renamed “The Danica 300’’ because of all the attention), but half way through they were gone and then some due to the stoppages, and the fact that Patrick was knocked out of the race on Lap 69 after getting swept up in a 12-car crash near the front stretch of the 2 1/2-mile tri-oval. The latter is simply part of the sport and is come to be expected. However the poor quality of the actual track itself there is no excuse for. A literal crater in the track (the hole was at least 4 inches deep and more than 2 feet wide in all directions) caused the two extensive red flag stoppages (the first one lasted 100 minutes 45 seconds and the second 44minutes 35 seconds) ruined the flow of the race and drew criticism from the participants as well as the fans. In a sport where sponsorship as dropped off as a byproduct of the economic climate change, it can’t afford to ‘break a leg’ on it’s biggest stage in front of it’s largest audience. Let’s get it together, make the necessary repairs and get it in shape for July as if we’re lucky to get a reprieve then perhaps we can get some of the fans back in the seats and back in front of the telecast that the sponsors want to see before they step back on track. Did the delays dampen your enjoyment of the 300? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.

Lack of Indy finale hurts TV ratings

In a rain shortened Indy 500 Matt Kenseth won his second race in as many starts in 2009, but got his first ever win in “The Great American Race”. It had all the components of the premiere race in America, good drama, a good run, and a major wreck that involved big name drivers, but what it didn’t have is the finality that a big race, and NASCAR needed. The rain shortened 500 didn’t produce what the sport needed to battle a bad economy in recession and battered auto industry. With sponsorship drying up, NASCAR really was counting on it’s showcase event showing fans why they should pay ticket prices and sponsors that the sport is still a great medium to reach audiences. The weather also hurt TV advertising as well as Sunday's event on Fox drew a preliminary national rating of 9.2 and a 19 share, the network said Tuesday. The last rain-shortened Daytona 500 earned a 9.8/21 in 2003. Last year's full race drew a 10.2/20. The drama of the day came when Jr., already a lap down due to a couple of pit mistakes, tried to make up the ground and got tangled up with Brian Vickers causing fray involving nine-cars. After the race Earndardt took responsibility for the pile up by stating "I take full responsibility for what happened on pit road," he said. "It's unfortunate how everything happened. I feel bad for everybody that was swept up in that wreck. But at the same time, it's the Daytona 500. The rain was coming and you have to take risks." Is the “Great American Race” on par with other premiere American sports finals such as the World Series, Super Bowl, and NBA finals? If not, what is missing? Did this year’s Indy live up to expectations? Let us know here and in the NASCAR chat rooms.

INDY 500 Results

POS DRIVER CAR MANUFACTURER LAPS MONEY START LED
1 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 152 $1,315,724 32
3 A.J. Allmendinge44 Dodge 152 $836,563 20
4 Clint Bowyer 33 Chevrolet 152 $632,013 22
5 Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 152 $541,113 30
6 David Ragan 6 Ford 152 $431,163 33
7 Michael Waltrip 55 Toyota 152 $396,238 27
8 Tony Stewart 14 Chevrolet 152 $431,371 5
9 Reed Sorenson 43 Dodge 152 $385,824 34