Action On Track Isn't Helping NASCAR Attendance, Ratings

Rubbing is racing.

Popularized by the movie Days of Thunder dramatizing stock-car racing at its most cartoonish, the axiom might be the easiest way to explain NASCAR's rise from regional phenomenon to national platform.

"The bare essence of the sport is, 'He crashed me, so I crashed him back,' " Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage says. "That's the appeal."

But after a first half of the 2010 Sprint Cup season filled with slam-bang feuding -- primarily the row between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski but also boiling between Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano-- and unpredictable finishes, it hasn't caused a spike in the rooting interests of NASCAR.

Based off feedback from a 12,000-member fan council (created by NASCAR and surveyed regularly online) that demanded more action, a series of rule changes were implemented over the past 18 months -- double-file restarts, multiple attempts at overtime finishes, a return to the traditional spoiler. It's resulted in first-half records for leaders, lead changes per race and green-flag passes.

"The gods in the NASCAR control booth made some great moves, and it seems to have produced much better racing," longtime racing promoter and consultant H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler says, "but it is bombing at the box office."

According to NASCAR estimates, attendance has dropped in 14 of the first 19 races of the season, and the average crowd of 99,853 projects to 3.6 million -- which would be nearly a million off the total in 2003, the last season before the Chase for the Sprint Cup made its debut.

Another less-than-capacity crowd is expected for Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (whose 257,000 seats could be less than two-thirds full and off last year's 180,000 pace). Meanwhile, TV ratings remain mired in a slump with TNT closing its six-race schedule down 9.1%.

"I wish that it had an immediate effect on attendance and the audience, but it appears there's a bit of a lag," says Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development. "I can't believe people wouldn't be here watching if they knew what they were going to see. But it's going to take time to have an effect."

The recession can be blamed in part, given that NASCAR demographics say its fan base is middle class, but some of the erosion predates the downturn.

As a way to goose interest in his sport, NASCAR chairman Brian France has hinted at overhauling the Chase, the 10-race championship run that closes the season. Citing a need for more "Game 7"-style moments, everything from adding knockout-style eliminations to ensuring a one-race playoff for the championship is being considered. The Chase currently resets the top 12 in points, seeds them by wins and uses the same consistency-based points system to determine the champion. The past two seasons, Jimmie Johnson virtually had clinched the title entering the finale, and aside from its first two years, the Chase hasn't delievered a multiple-driver battle for the title as intended.

The playoffs have had a positive impact on the viewership in other sports. The NFL (102%), NBA (158%) and Major League Baseball (425%) all posting large postseason ratings gains over the regular season last year. All three leagues posted a triple-digit gain over the regular season with a championship game or series. In NASCAR, the 10 Chase events last year shown on ABC earned a 3.5 rating that was down from Fox's 5.1 during the first 13 races and was a drop from 3.8 during the 2008 Chase.

Julie Sobieski, ESPN's vice president of programming & acquisitions who handles its business relationship with NASCAR, says the network believes there'd be an opportunity for increases in NASCAR viewership with a format change. ESPN and ABC broadcast the final 17 races of the season, starting with Sunday's Brickyard.

"Anything that really puts the emphasis on winning in every race throughout those playoffs increases the drama for fans, knowing everything is on the line every single race," she said. "That's something we support as an opportunity to get the NASCAR fans excited again and the casual sports fan as well."