Speed channel, This channel is lame!! Options

[kart54]

Let's see, for all you F1, Cart and IRL Fans.
Dario Franchitti-Nascar, Jacques Villenueve-Nascar, Juan Pablo Montoya- Nascar, Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Lewis, Tracy, Andretti -all looking for a full time Nascar ride. The kids I occasionally race with in karting all talk about going to the Bondurant school, F3 in europe and then maybe coming back, moving to the south and getting a Nascar ride. Like it or not, that's the popular route these days.

Jacques comments at last weekends Talladega race were very telling in my eyes. He was asked why he was coming to Nascar. His response was "to race with the best drivers in the world" and that F1 was very boring due to the lack of competition and passing. He said "it's fun if your out front but very boring otherwise".

I road race in SCCA, I work at the Long Beach Grand Prix for SCCA, Nascar at Sears Point and I worked the phoenix F1 races in the old days. The most entertainting by far is watching the skill required to throw a 3200 pound, 800 horsepower race car around Sears Point from 15 feet off the track at turn one.

You couldn't pay me enough to watch an F1 race anymore. Boring doesn't describe it. Same for Champ car, ALMS, IRL and Petit Lemans. I hate that that's what its come down to but the other series have decided that competition doesn't matter. Nascar has been smart enough to figure out that it matters very much and they work it. No, I don't like all the advertising but it does bring in the cubic dollars necessary to fund the racing. As far as advertising goes what do you think it is when a Ferrari or BMW is out front in F1 or Jake Raby is on this site talking about his latest engine? In F1 they don't just say that some car driven by some guy is out front. In that respect, Nascar and F1 are the same.

Oh, and let's talk constructors in Nascar while were at it, Penske, Roush, Felix Sabates, Gibbs, A.J Foyt, any of those names ring a bell for you guys? The best engineers in the world are presently in Nascar along with arguably the best drivers. They are getting more out of these cars than anyone ever thought possible. On Sunday those engines ran 8800 rpm for 500 miles. That's a pushrod V-8 with a carb.
Nascar not only knows how to turn left they also road race too bad the road racers can't figure out how to turn left.

The last NASCAR race I attended at California speedway I went with three other individuals, all road racers, all professionals in one field or another. The days of the red neck have been gone for along time, but I will admit Nascar thinks it has to be true to that base. I think there are probably, at least from what I've seen on this site, a higher percentage of rednecks driving 914's then there are remaining as Nascar fans.

As of next year Nascar has dropped all of the beer and tabacco sponsorships for its series and will now have nothing but technology companies in their place. They are realizing what their new base is and adjusting for it. To bad CART, IRL, and some of the other series didn't make that same adjustment.

Attendance figures? the numbers mentioned in the post above would only account for a typical one mile Nascar oval. Bristol now holds 165,000 and is sold out for the next five years and that does not include the corporate suites. Brickyard 400 attendance is normally over 400,000 each year and that is at the track. The figures for TV go into the millions.

Having said all of the above, I will say of all the series the ones I really miss are Trans-Am in its heyday and Lemans and Daytona when they meant something. Unfortunately, their demise was an inability to understand marketing and the changing views of the American and European peoples.

Randy Andell
SCCA Porsche 914 G production

[Scott Carlberg]

Villenueve may have said "to race with the best drivers in the world", but I think the ONLY people who think nasCRAP drivers are the best in the world are.... nasCRAP fans/people.

When I hear these single-seat drivers talk about Why they are heading there, I hear them talking about the NUMBER of races, NOT to race vs the Best Drivers in the world.

When the regulars routinely complain about the 2 road-courses they travel to, because they want to JUST make left-turns, THAT does Not make you Best in anythng.................................................................. in my opinion.

[turboman808]

As I am learning all to well it's not about bringing you a great product or show to watch. It's a game of numbers. If they thought for a second putting the anouncers in pink tutus would increase the audience 10 fold you better believe they would do it.

If they slowly moved it over to being the Barbie channel they would do that as well.

What I also find is even people who say they like car racing don't watch car racing like they say they do. It's a case of they like the idea of saying they do they just don't really.

[scotty b]

As I am learning all to well it's not about bringing you a great product or show to watch. It's a game of numbers. If they thought for a second putting the anouncers in pink tutus would increase the audience 10 fold you better believe they would do it.

If they slowly moved it over to being the Barbie channel they would do that as well.

What I also find is even people who say they like car racing don't watch car racing like they say they do. It's a case of they like the idea of saying they do they just don't really.

I like sex

[VaccaRabite]

When the regulars routinely complain about the 2 road-courses they travel to, because they want to JUST make left-turns, THAT does Not make you Best in anythng.................................................................. in my opinion.

Or, think about it this way. As a Nascar driver, you have an obligation to learn and train to drive the fastest and smartest in a very public field. The races that matter the most are all ovals. Its your job to be the fastest person around that oval, and the competition is extremely fierce. You are tuned for an oval. The car is tuned for an oval.

Then you are faced with running one or two road races. It is as different as night and day. Your car may not be tuned right for it. Your training is specialized in a different sort of race. Yet you are still expected to race at your best and win.

I'd probably complain too.

I don't follow Nascar, but I understand and appreciate it for what it is.

Zach

[woobn8r]

I think the France family realizes that there are some of us that don't prefer the left turn scene....thats why the Daytona Prototypes exist in their present form...it's not anywhere near the NASCAR level, but it's growing. (the formula works)
I still go tho the church of F1 on those Sundays and I can find more excitement than sitting in the bleachers watching a "pitchers dual" down at the ball yard. I suppose you have to respect the each nuance to respect the spectacle.

But the topic was Speed Channel sucks...and I can't agree more.
I miss the DTM, 23 of 24 hours of LeMans, WRC, BTCC, Australian touring car and even the jet boat races....
I raced with Tom Hnatiw (Dream Car Garage) and co-drove with Jeff Lorriman (Sportscar Revolution) and believe me....they are ROAD RACE GUYS!
Apparently there is a new channel in the works to bring that stuff back. I sure hope it finds it's legs soon.

Oh... BTW, Franchitti, Villeneuve, Monytoya, Tracy, Andretti...all past their "best before" date....Fellows (one of our locals here) just never had the funding to make the BIG time (he may also be too tall to fit an open wheeler)...All just want to race with the best drivers-where they can still get a pay cheque....IMHO.

[Thack]

What about the alleged planned finishes in NASCAR or the mysterious items thrown on the track to bring out a yellow flag on the last laps to bring the field together? It's hard to have credibility when you see these tactics.

[jhadler]

"to race with the best drivers in the world..."

Hmm, he may have said that, but my perspective is this: NASCAR, like all other big league motorsports, is about MONEY. Getting butts in the seats, and eyes on the tube. Without them, it's a Spec 7 race at the Glen (which, by the way, tends to have better racing than F1 these days. but I digress.).

What is the draw for these drivers to go to NASCAR? It's not just the number of races (which is huge compared to F1), but it's about competition. The parity is so great in these NASCAR fields ('cause it is, for the most part, a spec series), that any one could win any given race, and the driving competition is fierce throughout the field. Jaques was pretty right on about F1. If you get in front, it's your race to loose, and if you don't, it's can be a "boring" 200 mph parade. NASCAR is CLOSE competition, frequently to the point of contact (isn't that the point of NASCAR anyway?). And drivers who want that kind of competition, and still want to collect a large salary, will be drawn to NASCAR. NASCAR is the ONLY profession racing organization in the US that is operating at a profit (and a rather large one at that). The next closest is SCCA Pro racing, and they're ONLY loosing a couple hundred thousand a year. It's a big step down to the millions upon millions dollars that CHAMP and IRL are hemorrhaging every year, not to mention others. Getting a ride in NASCAR is big money, and it's secure money.

As for Speed Channel? NASCAR owns them lock-stock-and-barrel. Why bother to call it Speed Channel, just call it the NASCAR channel and be done with it. But it's where the money is these days. Biggest sport in town, and huge money to go with it.

As for my personal opinions of NASCAR?

[nomex]
NASCAR is, much like F1, all about "the show". And every effort will be made to make the "show" more entertaining, and get more people to pay money to watch. Some fo the contrivances they have come up with are absurd, but it keeps people watching. Every person from coast to coast can complain about how ridiculous is it to deliberately slow the field just so there can be an "exciting" finish. But they come back next week to watch it again. F1 isn't immune either, it just takes different forms.

As for which series I prefer? Well... It used to be F1 was the BIG one for me. But I have to admit, F1 has become really boring. I love F1, and fully admit that it is not as close competition as NASCAR. I love F1 because they let technology take the lead there. NASCAR on the other hand, uses some archaic technology that can't be found on a single road going car sold these days. And they badge the cars as models of street cars? When was the last time you saw a V8 powered, rear wheel drive Ford Taurus??? Outside of NASACR? Never. And the ironic twist of this "American" race series? The only model represented in the field that is ACTUALLY built in the US is the Toyota Camry.

But the technology in F1 has caused the sport to suffer as well. The capabilities of the cars are so great, that passing has become an exception, not the norm. That makes for an awfully boring race. It's more like a Time Trial these days. Qualifying is actually pretty interesting now. They keep making changes to the rules to make more competition, but they don't do the one thing that could REALLY make the racing good again. Get rid of the carbon-carbon brakes. Go back to metallic brakes, and you have overtaking under braking again. The braking zones will stretch out, and there will actually be some room, and some time, for drivers to DO something.
[/nomex]

Hurm... I seem to have rambled on a bit... Sorry 'bout that...

Anyway, Speed is the NASCAR channel because NASCAR has the money to make it so. As for other motorsports? WRC is available on my local "altitude" sports network, so I might imagine it was available elsewhere as well. But there's another can 'o worms too...

-Josh2

[toomanyinkc]

I remember well when it was SpeedVision, as do these people:

http://www.theracingnetwork.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=165

http://www.theracingnetwork.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=27


NASCAR is the WWF of racing
It's a good show, but it shouldn't be confused with the real thing.

[andys]

Speed Channel: A whole evening of back-to-back episodes of Unique Whips!!!!
I really don't understand how they have an audience for such mind numbing shows.

Too much NASCAR? Too much of anything is well, too much!

Andys

[PeeGreen 914]

Speed Channel: A whole evening of back-to-back episodes of Unique Whips!!!!
I really don't understand how they have an audience for such mind numbing shows.

Too much NASCAR? Too much of anything is well, too much!

Andys

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[914werke]

Nascar not only knows how to turn left they also road race too bad the road racers can't figure out how to turn left.

What a joke not only do the teams struggle to conform the spec series cars to handle on a road coarse but rather than elevate the skills of the "best racers in the World", to be competitive on those coarses, with a few exceptions the teams resort to using "specialists" (IE Roadrace ringers) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

[jgara962]

I rarely even check to see what's on Speed anymore. It's like MTV, they are only interested in showing programs and have lost the connection to the origins of the channel. They do have F1 still, but I usually just watch it to be watching it. I agree with everyone else, it is probably the most boring form of motorsports there is. They do still show some good things, but they are on at either 2:00 in the afternoon during the weekdays.


As for Villenueve, Montoya, Fellows, Said, Tracy all going to NASCAR, those are all drivers at the end of thier careers, and Franchitti was the best in a series of 2nd rate drivers.

[beech4rd]

Nascar does not own Speed. It's a subsidiary channel of Fox- remember earlier this year when the F1 races were on Fox (I think Canada, Indy,France? and Monte Carlo). Formula 1 insists on a broadcast deal that ensures that at least 4 races per year are shown on a "broadcast" channel as opposed to a cable/satelite broadcaster in what seems to be a futile effort to engage the U.S. motor racing fans. Fox is owned by News International, the largest shareholders and controlling family being that of Rupert Murdoch. He likes things to be Fair and Ballanced. Which means appealing to the largest possible audience. I don't believe they care what they carry as long as lots of people watch it. That said, let's be grateful for the commentary staff on F1- Hobbs, Madgett, Windsor and Bob the Bore, who are so knowledgeable- who'd heard of klag before David Hobbs brought it up? They can make a boring procession of cars at least interesting and sometimes downright captivating.
Rarely does Speed actually show a Nascar race- they show the pre-race show, the trucks, the other than Nextel stuff, but the big races are always on Fox
Chris

[914werke]

Speed channel sucks!
That said, Im glad I have it otherwise Im not sure where
I'd get my WSB and MotoGP fix.
Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC ya right!

Heres one for ya: "These Guys make Racecar drivers look like the biggest Sissies!" Red Bull Toyota #84 Nextel Cup Driver A.J. Allmendinger, after a Weekend at the Red Bull USGP @ Laguna Seca (From NASCAR Scene)

[woobn8r]

I suppose since F1 in Canada is carried by TSN (The Sports Network) I only have to watch SPEED during the commercials.....it's good for somthing.

And what ever happened to Alain De Cadenet? We only ever see him at B.J. in Scottsdale.....

[championgt1]

Last Sundays programming. 19 straight hours of Pimp my Ride. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif)

What a fricken joke!

[1968Cayman]

Stopped watching it as soon as they partnered with the France family- the executioners of stock car racing.

[scotty b]

I thing 3 years qualifies

[BigDBass]

I've been watching HD Theatre infinitely more than Speed for the last 1-2 years. Lot of car (and motorcycle) content on certain nights. Some of it is annoying but, hey, it's car content nonetheless!