GEN 6: SO FAR A NEW CAR, BUT THE SAME ISSUE
“I hate to be Denny downer, but I just didn't pass that many cars today. That's the realistic fact of it.” It’s an interesting observation from Denny Hamlin, the driver who had to race his hiney off to finish third at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix. Reigning Sprint Cup champ Brad Keselowski agrees, ““It’s harder than ever to pass. You have to be really good. The cars are so aero sensitive.”
Getting the entirety of NASCAR Nation to agree on much is like trying to herd cats, but it goes without saying that the consensus after two races is that the new car looks a ton better than its predecessor, but the racing all too well still tends to resemble what was seen in the race car formerly known as the Car of Tomorrow.
To be fair, the racing season is young and the races we’ve had have been at two entirely different kinds of tracks; tracks that have their own separate racing issues. With Daytona, you have the restrictor plates and the recent work on the surface. At Phoenix, you have another re-tooled track, but a much smaller, flatter path. With both Daytona and PIR you have tracks where the reviews regarding racing tend to be pretty mixed.
Coming up, Las Vegas may offer the most realistic glimpse of what is to come. At a mile and a half, this track offers looks much like the bulk of the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. For this fan, its become a case of hoping for the best, but bracing for the worst. This comes from an observer who is a much easier sell than some, who have been tearing their hair out for years with the quality of racing in NASCAR.
To be honest, some of the challenges experienced so far aren’t a huge surprise. You can test until the cows come home, but testing is not racing. The good news is 34 more points paying races make for a long season, and plenty of of opportunity to come up with a fix.
It brings to mind an old adage taught to novice salespeople. We were taught to “under-promise,” and “over-deliver.” This, frankly, is where NASCAR tends to be its own worst enemy. What is wrong with coming out of the gate and saying, “Look fans- we all agree this new car looks better, we’re doing some different things with what this car is made of, but like a rookie driver, this car is in its rookie season, and we’ll tweak as we go until we hit the happy medium.” We’re all big boys and girls here. I think we can accept that, can’t we?
It just seems like the whole situation could be made better by offering a truly honest assessment of the situation, instead of becoming a real life version of “The Emperor's New Clothes.” (Ugh. Brian France and Mike Helton cast as the emperor? Now there’s a thought that will make you spew your coffee).
The deal is, the new car is a big improvement on many scores over the old one. With that said, it never was the silver bullet, and should never have been presented that way.
In fact, I am an optimist by nature, and if we can put a man on the moon, fixing the aero problem can’t be a completely impossible task, can it? No doubt they’re working on it, and for my part, I’m fine with that. Let’s keep soldiering on, put some good minds on it, and not insult the fan’s intelligence in the meanwhile.
That…..would be a good start.
Other articles by Jim McCoy include.....
Phoenix: A More Realistic Look Into 2013
Larson, Park Make It A Battle Alright
What About NASCAR Racing In Heats?
Jim McCoy is a radio and television sports reporter/ play-by-play announcer who lives in Oregon with his wife and three children. When not busy with those interests, he likes chatting up all things NASCAR with his fellow fans.
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COT not COY. Sorry. Washed my hands and can't do a thing with them.
I think when NASCAR makes decisions they seem to do it in a box. The racing product should be number one as it is what drives everything else. NASCAR has a unique business model, and I understand it's very dollar sensitive. What I do not understand is why business and racing can't align better. The variable contributing to the product are Track Surface, Tire, Aero Package, Motor, and Chassis setup. NASCAR along with ISC & SMI control the track surfaces. NASCAR and Goodyear along come up with tire combos. NASCAR and NOW the manufacturers determine the aero package. The teams are free to work within the rules on motor and chassis. Parity is important, but only to a point. The whole idea is to pass people. NASCAR needs to open up the box for the teams more, and that will allow for better racing. Competition breeds racing, but the box is too tight. The ONLY place where there is NO competition in those variables are the tires. Bring in 1-2 more tire manufacturers and allow them to test and come up with their own tire for each race. Then let the teams decide which ones to buy at the track. Some teams will choose different ones each race and others will be all Goodyear teams. It will allow for more competition based decisions and better racing. To me the tires are the answer and the simplest one to implement.
I was excited as could be for the start of the race in Phoenix. After 10 laps I could see the trend of no passing and that it would turn into a pit stop and fuel race. This is not racing boys, just follow the leader until the end. I took a nap, and went for pizza, then watched the last 20 laps which even weren't exciting other that to see who would run out of fuel and Denny Hamlin cutting the corner to move up. The time for improving the product on the track was in the offseason not during the season.
You make valid points, but as you say, NASCAR has for the past several years, overpromised and underdelivered. They have systematically worked to get the casual fan at the expense of the long time fans. It's one thing to be interested in growing the fan base, which makes long term sense. What doesn't make sense is destroying your existing "customer base" with the changes.
The difference between a company making smart decisions vs dumb ones can be epitomized in the example of what happened when Coca Cola rolled out its New Coke to great fanfare. It landed with a resounding THUD. Coke made the very fast and smart decision to bring BACK the product that had made it popular - even if it rebranded it Coke Classic. Coke, unlike NASCAR through various media and talking heads, didn't keep insisting that it's customers were "stupid" and if we'd just drink the kool aid, we'd realize how wonderful it all is.
I like your Emperor's new clothes analogy. I've been saying that for years.
NASCAR has a very small window of opportunity to grab and hold the fans interest. It is a long season and I'm no longer willing to invest the time and money that I once did. Fans like myself and others I've spoken to, who used to watch every minute of practice, qualifying and racing, now tune in for the green flag (if it's convenient) and come back for the last 20 laps (when it might be interesting), its not a sign of good things.
There was an article in Reuters about the impact of the downturn of the US economy on the sport, but they also mentioned that it is not ONLY the economy that is the issue. NASCAR has made poor decisions and it is hard to get people to spend their $ and time on something that isn't all that interesting any more.
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What you've got with the supposed Gen 6 is a COT chassis with a new front fascia, new rear plastic bumper, and new sheet metal. All the handling problems that existed with the original COT still exists which means we're going to have a lot of single file racing until they go to the shorter tracks like Martinsville and Bristol. At Martinsville they'll have to fight for position and at Bristol they'll ride around 2x2 until the last 10 laps and then we might see some actual racing.
What the drivers have said to the media, under NASCAR's watchful eye, doesn't match what they've said away from them. They are far from happy with the alleged Gen 6 and have said that it handles worse than the original COY. So the remedy ( alleged Gen 6) for the boring racing which dominates the circuit is not going to cure it. It's going to make it worse.