Nascar isn’t the only national racing series trying hard to lose fans and racers. It was just announced that like nascar, NHRA drag racing is dumping ESPN to go to obscure, extra cost, cable only networks Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. Yeah, those 2 channels aren’t available without paying a lot extra. And they aren’t available at all in some markets. The reason??? I’m not sure. ESPN did a fair job of broadcasting NHRA, and at least most cable providers carry ESPN. Sounds to me like the major racing series are allowing themselves to be put on the back burner so that FSI, FS, and NBCSN can build their subscription numbers. Interestingly, i’ve noticed lately that golf is on every weekend on at least one of the 3 broadcast networks, and it was on 2 of the three last weekend. And golf already has it’s own cable network, The Golf Channel.
Along with that, there has been a HUGE backlash against SNOKO ( thanks Larry Mac ) taking over as the official gas of NHRA. Racers are forced to use the gas, and they are having nothing but problems getting the SNOKO to even work. The new gas has even had problems passing tech inspection at the track. The racers have been told to go ahead and use it and they have been promised they won’t be bounced because the fuel specs don’t match. This is what can happen when one company forces racers to use it’s product only.
You do realize NBCSN is part of the generic cable package, right? And FS1 and FS2 are a part of the cable box combo that come included with it through bright house. I think it’s $30 a month for a cable box?
I don’t know about your cable packages, but mine DO NOT include FS1, FS2, or NBCSN unless you purchase the special sports packages. While $30.00 a month might not be much for a high roller like yourself, it’s still $30.00 a month.
But my point, which you took great pains to avoid addressing, is that nascar, F1 , and now NHRA seem determined to lose tv viewers by allowing their races to be moved to channels that far fewer fans get. Why should golf be broadcast to everyone with an antenna or the most basic of cable, while racing, gets moved to a guaranteed lower audience?
What makes you think that these racing series are dumping these channels. Maybe the series are being dumped. Maybe these racing series rating are down so much that showing reruns of curling out passes them.
In fact, i’ve thought about that from the beginning of these switches. I was, and am, hoping that’s not the case. I’d sure hate to believe that golf is a bigger tv draw than pro auto racing. I’d prefer to think that the new channels are using the popularity of auto racing to build their subscriptions.
Golf isn’t doing very well either. We all complain about what is wrong with our sport and grasping to make it better, golf is doing the exact same thing, both on the pro level and locally, just like auto racing. I think I read the other day in an article that at it’s height in 2006 ish there were 32 million golfers, now there are 23 million. A course closes every two days in the US and only twelve opened or re-opened last year?so if you think our sport is suffering I’d have to say golf is at least as bad or worse. I still say the economy is a huge factor, anyone that says it isn’t listens to our liberal media too much. I’m not saying it’s the only factor, golf has many as well as auto racing, I’m just saying it is a major one. Just my opinion.
“Liberal media” this and that. A lot of golf courses are built to sell homes. So once the houses are sold, the builders don’t care if the course folds a few years later. I grew up in a small town in the panhandle with 3 18 hole courses, and about 4k people. There were only 3 short tracks in the entire panhandle (5 flags and 2 dirt tracks). Anyway, the point is, I don’t think you can compare racing to golf, just bc of the “golf front” real estate angle. But wow, imagine “race track front” property! Too bad that didn’t catch on
The only thing the real estate market did for short track racing was to get rid of the tracks.
Back up in Long Island we used to have Freeport Speedway, Islip Speedway, Riverhead Raceway and Bridgehampton Speedway, All of them are gone except for Riverhead Raceway.
[QUOTE=exnyer;163159]The only thing the real estate market did for short track racing was to get rid of the tracks.
Back up in Long Island we used to have Freeport Speedway, Islip Speedway, Riverhead Raceway and Bridgehampton Speedway, All of them are gone except for Riverhead Raceway.[/QUOTE]
Dont count on the 'Head being around much longer. There is talk circulating about building a new track in an alternate location so they can build something on the Riverhead property.
That would not surprise me in the least, they have been trying to get rid of that track for a long time, the real estate is hot out there especially with the outlet shops out there, it is only a matter of time before it becomes another strip mall or housing unfortunally. It is a shame it is a popular track with alot of history and character.
Wayne Anderson wants to build a new track a little west of town in the woods so not to bother anyone, but it just won’t be the same as The Head! That place is so great!