Rating NASCAR

By PATRICK CARNEY
Every major sport has seen a dip in its ratings at one point or another with one exception and I’m sorry to report that it is not NASCAR. The NFL seems to be the only sport that continually wins the ratings game.

This week NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen International for the 22nd race of the 36 race season. Of the 21 races run so far this season only two (Las Vegas and Texas) have topped the previous year’s TV rating. This is a trend that seemed to begin sometime during the 2004 season — oddly enough, the same year The Chase for the Championship began.

The 2006 TV ratings only showed a marked improvement over the 2005 ratings in three races (the Daytona 500, Martinsville in April and Talladega in Oct.) during the entire season.

The two races this season that improved over their predecessor of 2006 did not best the ratings they received in 2005.

The 2007 NASCAR ratings hit their peak right out of the hauler at Daytona this year with a 10.1. Excluding the Dover race, which was moved to Monday because of rain, Pocono in June drew the smallest audience with a 3.0. The lowest rating of the entire 2005 season was at Dover in Sept., when a mere 3.8 tuned in.

Many reasons — better yet, excuses — have been given for the fall in TV ratings. As I mentioned, some say the NASCAR purists lost interest when NASCAR changed to The Chase format. Likewise, the entrance of the foreign manufacturer Toyota has also been blamed for a loss of fan support.

Another reason for the shrinking TV numbers may go no further than the TV itself. The rise in cost across the board in NASCAR has fans paying the price in the form of more and more TV commercials. Of the average four-hour race, one quarter of that is filled with repetitive ads that have viewers seeking their entertainment elsewhere.

Dale Earnhardt Sr., who had a loyal and very large following, departing stars like Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace and soon to be departing Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd and Sterling Marlin are all “old-school” drivers that fans have had a hard time finding replacements for. The loss of these stars, combined with the entrance of the more polished driver has many long time fans tuning out.

Long races that have numbing portions in the middle have the casual fan speeding past NASCAR and on to something else. Speed has also contributed to the slowing of viewership. Higher speeds have stretched the field and made side-by-side racing a rare occurrence.

Later and later, start times could also be the culprit. What use to be a noon start has now moved to 2 p.m.

NASCAR can make all the excuses it wants, but the fact is that fewer people are watching. TNT’s attempt to up the ratings of its Daytona coverage by running it commercial free failed. TNT received a 3.8 for its efforts and ESPN was not the answer NASCAR was looking for either. Since Chicagoland, ESPN has garnered a 4.0, 4.1 and a 3.8 last week at Pocono. As far as ratings go, roadcourses tend to draw fewer viewers than their oval counterparts. Watkins Glen is an 11-turn roadcourse that will see another decline in the ratings.

I’ll never stop watching, but NASCAR has to stop the bleeding soon. Shorten the races and the season, slow down the cars and the commercials and quit telling me everything is fine because it isn’t.

My pick this week is for Juan Montoya in the No. 42 Dodge.

Patrick S. Carney can be reached via e-mail at nascarney@theintelligencer.net