In an attempt to transform in an ever-evolving TV and competitive landscape, NASCAR has announced huge changes in all three series meant to make the first half of every race more compelling and to reward drivers even more for winning races.
Instead of one single race where drivers start and finish after about three or so hours, each race will be divided into three segments where the top 10 in the first two segments receive points, with the regular race for the win at the end.
You can look at all of the changes here, but most NASCAR fans didn’t like the news. That wasn’t shocking, the NASCAR community is very traditional and is resistant to change. So it didn’t really matter what NASCAR put out, fans were not going to like it.
Live look in at all of the #nascar purists… #NASCARchanges pic.twitter.com/XnZLj8vVb9
— Cole Trickle (@ColeTrickle_51) January 23, 2017
This isn’t to say that the fans are automatically wrong. For every good idea like instituting a “green-white-checkered” overtime rule to try and have races end under green flag conditions, there was a bad idea like the dreaded “Car of Tomorrow” that resulted in some bad racing and unhappy drivers. For every good idea like the elimination playoff format, there was that messed up All-Star Race format last year that got everyone from fans to drivers and officials confused.
Fans had two main concerns about the new system. The new system is too confusing and that NASCAR makes too many changes to the point system in recent years. As far as it being confusing, of course anything sounds confusing when it’s first explained. But I’m sure Fox and NBC will have graphics explaining what’s going on and commentators explaining the system all year, to the point where regular viewers will get sick of it. I’m sure after the Daytona 500, fans will figure it out.
As far as NASCAR making too many changes at the same time, there’s an argument to be made. This current “elimination” Chase format was instituted in 2014 and the current points structure started in 2011. So maybe three years between major changes is too soon, especially for a system that has already provided exciting racing. For a lot of fans, NASCAR shouldn’t reinvent the wheel.
The new stages and playoff enhancements, explained. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/7ChDfMxRpI
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) January 23, 2017
But the issues now facing NASCAR has more to do with the changing times of how we consume content than the actual competition. Let’s face it. NASCAR’s audience is trending older and after a while, the fans are going to die off by the thousands with no new fans coming into the sport. NASCAR fans may not like it, but NASCAR needed to do something to improve the product, convert casual fans to diehard fans and to attract new fans, while trying to keep the current diehard fans interested in the sport.
From the fans to the drivers to the heads of NASCAR, everyone realized that the races are WAY too long. Twenty years ago, NASCAR only had to worry about a few cable channels and sports, and NASCAR could get away with a 400- or 500-mile race that lasts three or four hours every week. Now, there are way more cable channels, the internet, online streaming and many more sports competing for viewers along with NASCAR. And since most races have a late race caution that bunches up the field for the final part of a race, why would anyone watch the first half of a race?
Which is why these new changes are a step in the right direction. For one thing, this is a reason for fans to watch more than just the last 20 laps of a race. NASCAR has a problem with the first 3/4 of their races being totally irrelevant because everyone knows that there will be a few cautions to bunch up the cars and keep races exciting to the end. And before anyone blames “millennials” for these changes, the races are too long for all age groups. My father and I are huge NASCAR fans and we both sometimes fall asleep during long races. Especially for a race on a 1.5 mile “cookie cutter” track on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a bit of a chore to stay awake throughout the entire race.
Another, this benefits TV partners Fox and NBC for guaranteeing more commercial breaks during non-green flag sequences. In between each segment, there will be a commercial break and then the pits will open for pit stops. Fans hate green flag commercial breaks and TV partners hate it as well. This won’t eliminate every green flag commercial break, but it’ll at least help producers plan when to place some commercial breaks. And for a sport which has suffered lower and lower ratings while other racing series like IndyCar, Formula 1 and drag racing are experiencing higher annual ratings, it’s a way for NASCAR to stop some of the bleeding.
Last but not least, the racing will be better because the drivers will be motivated to race throughout the entire race. A NASCAR race usually lasts about three or four hours and unless you are a very diehard fan, only the last hour is essentially worth watching because cars will be bunched up due to a late caution. In a series like Formula 1, races are set to go around an hour and a half and have a two-hour limit. IndyCar races last about two and a half hours except for the Indianapolis 500. Because these IndyCar and F1 races aren’t as long as NASCAR races and have fewer cautions, drivers in those series can’t afford to wait around for a caution and have to go as hard as they can at the start. In NASCAR, especially on the restrictor plate tracks, a driver can sit in last place for 3/4 of the race, move up through the field in the final 20 or so laps and take the win. Otherwise, it’s a parade for the first 3/4 of a race and restrictor plate races are some of the most entertaining races of the season.
It remains to be seen whether these changes will actually improve NASCAR racing. Based on what is being done, the reasoning behind it and the expected results, I’m confident that this will help bring new fans and keep as many current fans as possible. No system is perfect, but change is inevitable. And for a sport like NASCAR, these changes may mean survival and prosperity.
