Hot 20 over the past 10 – What do we want when we watch NASCAR on television?

We have been watching our sports on television for decades. Baseball, football, basketball, and (for Canadians, at least) hockey coverage began in the 1950’s. NASCAR did not arrive as part of the national television consciousness until much later. There were the bits and pieces of major races on Wide World of Sports since 1960, a race from South Carolina’s half mile Greenville-Pickens track was broadcast in its entirety in 1971, and there was the 1979 Daytona 500. By 1985, all the races were being broadcast and we have bitched and complained ever since.

As a former sports broadcaster, I can tell you that the job of the guy in the booth is to describe the action and to entertain the audience. If they care, they’ll tune in, but it is the announcer’s job to keep them tuned in. ESPN did not bother to extend their contract past 2014 because of falling ratings. Might I suggest that, by in large, they have failed to deliver on their job description. If those who call the race come across as bored, we will leave. Many of us record the race, so bumping it to another channel makes us leave. When an announcer opens his mouth and he has nothing to say we do not already know, he has just provided yet another reason for us to leave. Give an audience a reason to leave, and they often will take you up on it. You could say ESPN is the American Idol of NASCAR racing.

Even then, even if you build it, they might not come. In my opinion, TNT delivered, but the ratings did not. To be fair, not everyone shares my high estimation of the trio in the booth or the track side reporters that network boasts. They are what you call wrong, for if I am afraid to change the channel due to what I might miss them saying, they are doing the job. Not every race can have the lead changes of Daytona or Talladega, or the fender bending that is Bristol, In those times, you need folks who keep you watching, as Monday Night Football did back in the day. How bad were TNT’s ratings? Well, they had an average of 4.2 million fans per broadcast in 2007 and 2008, jumping to 5.5 in 2009. Since then, they have steadily dropped, down to an average of 4.68 million viewers this season. Not great, but still better than when they started, and year by year better than the ratings ESPN ever garnered.

Too many commercials, some say. I say, what commercials? I set the PVR and start watching about two hours later, so I do not watch any commercials and I pop past Brad and Rusty. Ten years ago, sponsors at least tried to entertain us in promoting their products. Remember those UPS spots with the big brown truck and Dale Jarrett? How about the NAPA commercials with Michael Waltrip, especially the one with the broken up little model race car from Bristol? It even got me to do some research on that crash. I mean, I learned something. That was then. Since they no longer try, I no longer bother to watch them. Problem solved.

We can follow a race on the Internet, listen to satellite radio, or we can read or run or make out or do all those things one does that trump watching a race on television. Still, as long as they do not drive us away with jacked up prices on re-branded cable networks (that is a hint, Fox Sports), some how forcing me to watch those commercials or listening to Brad and Rusty, or providing more announcers who fail to do the job, or having NASCAR institute a rule change stupid beyond words, a bunch of us will still be watching. However, do not take us for granted. I can always write about baseball.

Until that time, we continue to watch the wheel men every week. Ryan Newman’s replacement of his 32nd place performance at Talladega with the Indianapolis win moves him up seven positions among the hot drivers over the past ten events. Kasey Kahne jumps six, while Kevin Harvick takes over the leaderboard. He might have only picked up 26 points last Sunday, but that was better than the five he replaces from Talladega. In comparison, Jimmie Johnson only picked up four points (2nd at Indy in place of his 4th at Talladega) while Clint Bowyer drops one point. Going the other way, it should be no surprise that by finishing last at Indianapolis Jeff Burton did himself no favours as they head to Pocono this Sunday.