Backseat Blonde - Opposition to the Chase Still Lingers Among Fans

January 17, 2005

Opposition to the Chase Still Lingers Among Fans
By Allison Wagda

Just one year ago this week, NASCAR rocked the racing
world with a drastic new playoff-based championship
system.

Architected by a new generation of corporate marketers
in Daytona and influenced more by Hollywood-style
happy endings than dirt tracks in Louisiana, the initial reaction was almost
resoundingly negative from the media, drivers and fans.

But criticism bounced harmlessly off of NASCAR’s leaders, who smugly sat back
and said “just wait and see.” They were confident the backlash would be short-lived;
indeed they likely planned to take some flack over the changes.

However, many commentary writers continued to chastise the concept of a Chase for
the Championship for several months (NASCAR’s snappy nickname for the playoffs).
And many of NASCAR’s top stars openly and repeatedly expressed disdain for the
Chase, keeping newswires busy. Fans started e-mail campaigns and threatened
boycotts, and it seemed like NASCAR might just have a revolt in progress.

Yet NASCAR corporate kept to the party line. In June, Brian France was already
hyping it during a media teleconference, saying “…you're clearly seeing the benefits
as we hoped they would be concerning the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel
Championship…it's going to be what we all hoped for, a lot more excitement, a lot
more drama, a lot more fan bases energized as a result of the system.”

He wasn’t worried at all.

Because he knew something we didn’t. They had a plan. Of course they had a plan.

First, the chatter from the garage suddenly subsided. Drivers, if not enthusiastically
endorsing the Chase, stopped slamming it or just refused to comment. Rumors
(that to this day remain unsubstantiated) began swirling that NASCAR had issued
some sort of directive to the drivers regarding their open criticism.

Tony Stewart, an early outspoken critic of the Chase, said in July, “For so many years
now, the Cup series was about winning the title based on the guy who has the most
points in 36 races and was the most consistent. It’s just a change in time and I’m not
really sure if my opinion counts in the equation anymore; especially when I’m not part
of the decision. I’m not sure it really matters how I feel about it. It is what it is right
now and I think it could be a positive thing for our sport. I can see where I had ideas
where it could be a negative to it but we’re going to sit back and wait and see what
happens. I’m not sure if any of us like it or dislike it, we can’t do anything about it at
this point, just ride it out and see how it works out.”

Would anyone like to dance? I’m suddenly in the mood…

Without a steady stream of pithy driver quotes, reporters had little fodder to fan the
flames of discontent. Plus, they had to contend with another phase of NASCAR’s
plan: distraction.

I’ve worked in public relations long enough to see how well NASCAR kept the
newswires buzzing with “big” stories in 2004. We had more controversy and change
this season than I’ve ever seen in the past and that can’t possibly be accidental. A
schedule realigning The Rock into retirement, the addition of a green-white-checkers
finish, NASCAR’s internationalization efforts in Mexico (a Busch points race no less),
a new track planned (and derailed) in Seattle, a new Staten Island swamp someday
intended as a short track, the resolution of an fan-instigated lawsuit giving Texas
Motor Speedway a second date, a major sponsorship change allowing hard liquor
into the sport, the Car of the Future, bottlegate, a points fine for an inadvertent curse
word…all of these stories during a normal year could have been the “story of the
year.” They are all that big of a deal.

Why so much in so little time? Is Brian France simply the most decisive leader in the
history of NASCAR? Is it possible he has sat on the sidelines all these years
simmering with ideas and just couldn’t wait to shake it all up when he got to the top?

I doubt it. Sure, some of the stories were the result of well-conceived planning or
predetermined events. The Rock was doomed already, and new venues have been
already under consideration for years. But everything seemed either reactionary or
rushed. The best they could find in the New York market was defunct oil tank farm
reportedly resembling the bayou more than Madison Avenue. Green-white-checkers
went from rumor to reality in about a week (in the middle of the season!). Oft times it
seemed as if changes were being implemented on the fly without anyone really
knowing the full scope of a change.

Plus, in my opinion, it was no coincidence that news of an overhaul of qualifying was
leaked or when NASCAR hinted pit stops might be fixed so the speed and agility of
tire changers would cease to be a race factor. Both are sure to be controversial.

What was the rush to feed the media, unless the media needed a diversion?

So first NASCAR, somehow, leashed the drivers, and then put out news and more
news each week.

And they waited. They knew they could generate interest around the Chase. It has
ready-made drama all built in. Who will make the top 10? Who will be the first to
eliminate themselves from the playoffs by wrecking? Can they make a comeback?
Oh boy oh boy we’re down to the final race and we have five possible winners.

They KNEW this would happen. That’s why no one at NASCAR panicked when the
world seemed against them early on. The drivers sway the fans too far? Perhaps
remind them how they earn their paychecks. The media seems a little negative?
Throw them another juicy bone to chew on.

Then watch the Chase formula work. And it did. I will give NASCAR credit where it is
due. They created a new championship system that, thanks to a contraction of the
points with just ten races to go, virtually ensures a fan the best in reality TV - a battle
to the end filled with intrigue and compelling storylines including the maximum
number of drivers.

But it still sucks. If I wanted contrived entertainment, I’d go to Disneyland not Daytona.
NASCAR fans get all up in arms when some random sports reporter dares make a
case that NASCAR is not a sport, yet the more NASCAR tinkers with competition to
suit its ratings commitments the less it resembles a real sport (I do believe drivers
are athletes however). Excitement alone does not offer legitimacy. Only be
developing a system that ensures the best driver wins the title can we even begin to
approach legitimacy. And it doesn’t have to be boring.

Urgh.

Okay, I’m not going to rehash all the reasons why I think the Chase is a farce (you
can read here and here and here. But on the one year anniversary to what I
sometimes feel may be the beginning of the end of NASCAR as we know it, I want to
reiterate a fact that Internet polls support – many fans remain disenfranchised by the
Chase.

The mainstream media can embrace it (with the exception of a few noble and
intrepid reporters whom I admire greatly), and drivers may accept it or pretend to
(notably excluding Ryan Newman The Brave), and I’m sure there are some fans who
love it (likely Kurt Busch fans or those easily distracted by shiny objects –
oh…OHH…just kidding…hate mail not necessary), but message boards and polls
and my e-mail inbox overwhelmingly show the majority of fans continue to abhor the
Chase.

In only a few weeks, we’re going to see just what an effect that might have on the
success of the season. Reportedly advance ticket sales are down at both Daytona
and Fontana, and although NASCAR may get away with their claim that residual
effects of the Florida hurricanes are scaring away would-be 500 attendees, that
doesn’t explain Southern California (the landslide and the dam break are far, far from
Fontana).

But the real story will lie in the television ratings. Will 33+ million viewers tune into the
Daytona 500 like 2004? More? Will Las Vegas be able to reverse last year’s 13%
viewership decline or will the bleeding be worse?

Could NASCAR really lose more fans than it gains from the Chase? Or will NASCAR’
s most ardent fans be left behind as a new generation of NASCAR fans jump on the
Chase bandwagon?

I for one will continue to watch races week after week, but it doesn’t mean I am happy
about it. But rather than let the Chase continue to frustrate me, I’ve taken on a new
season philosophy. I’m just going to enjoy each race for what it is. Standings,
schmandings, I don’t care. Maybe I’ll even turn down the volume.

I’m simply going to watch racing, hype and hoopla be damned.

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