A tongue in cheek look at auto racing and economics.
If Fox Sports wants to boost their NASCAR Sprint Cup ratings, they should run a weekly contest dedicated to Dale Jr. To enter, send in your name, address, phone #, and age to Fox Sports. To win a person will have to watch the entire race closely. A Fox network employee will call one entrant weekly and ask for the following:
The number of times Dale Jr. missed his pit box + the number of cars he took out in the race + the number of people he blamed his ill fortune on, other than himself (this could include other drivers, crew members, and NASCAR). Winners will receive an all expenses paid trip for two to one of the 2010 Sprint Cup races at Pocono or Dover. Trip packages will include airfare, deluxe accommodations, two race tickets, AND a trip through the Sprint Cup garage area escorted by Larry McReynolds and Kenny Wallace, including a 30 second stop at the 88 garage, where you will be allowed to gawk, but not speak or take photos.
I have a friend who wants me to do a blog title “Are the Waltrips what is wrong with NASCAR?” Personally I thought Darrell was a good driver and have no problem with him other than “boogety.” Michael is penalized by NASCAR’s weight rules including just car, not car and driver (i.e. the cars don’t all weigh the same). This fan does like A.J. Allmendinger though.
I woke up at 3:45 a.m. this morning with an idea for a government bail-out of the grassroots racing industry. Because I am a fair person, I included both dirt and asphalt tracks and tracks that run only sprint cars. Auto racing is closely tied with automobile manufacturing and we know how much money GM and Chrysler have already received. I contend that most race tracks are as poorly managed as GM and Chrysler. Promoters go to meetings in Reno and Daytona every year and keep coming back with the same ideas they had twenty years ago. Most people associate grassroots racing with blue collar workers and Lord knows that portion of our society needs a helping hand right now. So, here is my plan:
There are approximately 1,200 local race tracks in the United States. Because of weather-it gets a little to cold to race in the Northern U.S. in winter-most tracks schedule 20 races a year. They always lose a few races to rain, but in my plan, Mother Nature is not going to cost any track any money. My plan is based on the average nightly attendance at a track. Say an eastern Nebraska (or Iowa or Ohio) track averages 500 fans a night. 500 fans x 20 nights of racing=10,000 in attendance. 10,000 x $10 per person attending=$100,000. That track would get an economic stimulus check of $100,000.
Say a track 15 miles south of the above mentioned track averages 1,500 fans per night. 1,500 fans x 20 nights of racing=30,000 in attendance. 30,000 x $10 would =$300,000. This track would get an economic stimulus check of $300,000.
I estimate my plan would cost only $240,000,000 and it would ensure that we would not lose any local race tracks this season. Tracks in turn could offer specials that would allow the millions of local race fans a cheap family night out, and with all the distressing economic news we could all use that.
I started this out tongue in cheek, and as High Priest of the Church of I Wish Race Promoters Would Actually Promote it was meant to be a knock on year after year of same old from track owners. However, my plan would cost only 1/3,500 of the current economic stimulus plan, and mine would actually do some good. So, contact your Congressman or Senator and let him know you are for this “grassroots” issue.
Thanks for stopping by. And I really was just kidding about contacting your Congressman.