First -- and most important -- are the fans. Ten of thousands of race fans have made plans to attend tonight's "Advocare 500;" plans that involve travel by either air or automobile. Changing a 7:30 start to a 1:00 green flag would cause many of them to miss all or part of the event. As our friends at Kentucky Speedway can sadly attest, selling people a ticket then not allowing them to use it generates considerable (and understandable) ill will among the fan base.
NASCAR's television partners would absolutely oppose the move. ESPN has a full national slate of college football games airing this afternoon, and the NCAA has a contract with the network that is every bit as iron clad as NASCAR's. The only option for ESPN would be to tape-delay the race, recording it as it happens this afternoon, then playing it back this evening. That idea is absolutely a non-starter with both the network and the sanctioning body.
On the radio side, there are additional factors working against a revised start time. Many terrestrial radio stations carry college or high school football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and those broadcasts cannot be pre-empted simply because NASCAR has weather issues in Atlanta. In addition, most terrestrial stations are fully automated on weekends, with no "live body" manning the controls. Those stations have programmed their automation systems to air tonight's Performance Racing Network satellite feed at the pre-appointed time, and with no one on hand to reprogram the system, fans across the country would tune-in tonight and hear "dead air" where the race should be.
Race teams would have to revise their race day transportation plans, bringing in over-the-wall pit crews first thing this morning, instead of in early afternoon, as initially planned. Rescheduling a chartered flight at the last moment is difficult, if not impossible. Rescheduling a commercial flight? Good luck with that.
Changing the start time would create a logistical nightmare for Atlanta Motor Speedway, as well. The speedway has had schedules in place for police, fire and EMS protection for weeks now. All of them would have to be revised on the fly today, with little or no advance notice. Parking attendants, tram drivers, ticket takers, ushers, concession stand workers and rest room attendants would also have to be rescheduled, and running a major professional sporting event on such a "wing and a prayer" is simply begging for trouble.
Nobody likes a rain out, but as fans of an outdoor sporting event, we all understand and accept the risks involved. Once in a while, situations like this happen. And until we learn to control Mother Nature, they will continue to happen.
Hopefully, Tropical Storm Lee will take his time, meandering across the southeast with no particular urgency or speed, making his way to Atlanta well after tonight's checkered flag has flown.
If not, we'll see you tomorrow.
Ok great....so the fans sit in the rain for three days. What the hell is the diff?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the diff? Did you read the story? The point is that NASCAR cannot simply move a race!!
ReplyDeleteI think everyone knew this storm was coming for days and with enough advance notice (lie say, a couple days), most people could adapt to a 1:00 green flag. Now you're talking Tuesday...maybe. I think this inconveniences many more people than starting early would have. You saw major league baseball games in the Northeast moved up last weekend with the approach of Irene. Regarding TV, could ESPN not have broadcast this on ABC? I don't think this would have preempted anything other than rerun movies, infomercials and a tape-delayed broadcast of the LeMans serices race.
ReplyDeleteI agree with RG. There are other sports and events that move their calendar to account for weather. Golf for instance. And they have the same logistical considerations such as trams, parking, attendants...etc.
ReplyDeleteThe first point Dave makes about "the fans" is the worst argument ever. So now "the fans" have to make arrangements to stay for two more days (work days I might add)??? I bet more fans would have been accommodated by an early start than a two day delay.
And the sponsors would have been happier with a tape delay race that might have been watched as opposed to an 11:00 am workday race that practically no one will watch.
If moving the schedule later is going to be the practice, then just say that's the practice. Every point Dave makes has a counterpoint that is as strong or stronger.
there is nothing worse that sitting tghru a rain delay and not even seeing one lap of racing
ReplyDeletei vwas at weatkins glen in august the weather was great right up gtill green flag then it rained and rained finally cancellinfg having had to work the next day bi did not see a nty racing
an earlier starting time is much easier thana delayed one
...selling people a ticket then not allowing them to use it generates considerable (and understandable) ill will among the fan base. That did a lot good as you saw on Tuesday when the seats were empty, mine one of them! Like I don't have ill-will right now?
ReplyDelete...and the NCAA has a contract with the network that is every bit as iron clad as NASCAR's. Wrong the NCAA does not have a contract the member conferences and in rare cases the individual schools have contracts. Iron clad maybe but NASCAR has long paid its debt to ESPN.
Many terrestrial radio stations carry college or high school football on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and those broadcasts cannot be pre-empted simply because NASCAR has weather issues in Atlanta. First Saturday has nothing to do with this issue since the race was scheduled for Sunday and on top of that there was a total of three Divison 1 games scheduled for Sunday, two of which were on ESPN networks. Do some research! It took me about 10 seconds to find the football schedule out for Sunday.
Dave you have to get out of bed with NASCAR, you might be able to dupe the uneducated but its not going to fly with me. The ticket paying fans got screwed by NASCAR, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Speedway Motorsports Inc. and ESPN. Let's tell the truth it is about money and nothing more or less. Your story was nothing more than a farce!!!
Sean, I understand you being angry, and if it makes you feel better to direct that anger at me, have at it. But your command of the "facts," is shaky, at best.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say, "NASCAR has long paid its debt to ESPN," are you implying that the network should (or even could) bump its scheduled lineup of college football games to air a hastily rescheduled NASCAR race? If so, you're simply wrong. The NCAA, its conferences and member schools would sue the pants off ESPN, and they would win.
You claim that "there was a total of three Divison 1 games scheduled for Sunday, two of which were on ESPN networks." That's only in YOUR MARKET, Sean. There were literally dozens of college games broadcast Sunday, as virtually everyone with half a command of the facts knows. And again, the networks (including ESPN) are not going to violate their contracts with those schools, simply because it rained on the NASCAR race.
When you buy a ticket to a NASCAR race, you accept the fact that it is an outdoor event that will not run in the rain. You are also (I would assume) aware of NASCAR's "next clear day" policy concerning rain outs. An educated guy like you should be able to do the math and understand that from time to time, despite everyone's best efforts, races get rained out and postponed to the following day. It can't be helped.
It happens in baseball all the time. Heck, we even lost a couple of football games to the elements last weekend. I understand your need to blame someone for the rain. But in the end, it's no surprise that NASCAR races sometimes get rained out. If anyone screwed you last weekend, it was Mother Nature. Yell at her, if you like. Everyone else did the best they could do under real-world circumstances.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteGood response and well written, but I am going to contest you on the college football game schedule last Sunday. I did make a mistake there were four games that day, I missed the Bethune-Cookman vs Prairie View A&M game that went along with the three other FBS games.
Regardless of college football or other events ESPN and its series of networks could of worked with NASCAR. Yes, I am implying that they could of moved the one college game they carried on ESPN that afternoon to say ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 or ESPN 360 to name a few.
Everyone knew a tropical storm was heading toward AMS, better planning on the part of those putting on the event could of lead to the race being run Sunday afternoon. I knoew you counter that it is not possible but until you try it will never be known.
You have your view, an inside perspective but mine is different that's all. Here is to hoping Richmond is rain free this weekend.
Sean, what will your reaction be when ESPN moves a NASCAR race to ESPN 360 because of a rescheduled college football game?
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteMy reaction would be to hook up my computer to my flat screen TV and watch the race. As I have shared with you, NASCAR has paid its debt to the ESPN/ABC networks.
How did the fans feel when they were not able to see the Richmond pre and post race coverage in certain markets? I have shared this same information with the NASCAR Fan Council, will it make a difference; probably not!
In all honesty thanks for your response, I have been a NASCAR fan for almost 30 years and lately I feel the fans are not being treated with respect by the stakeholders of the sport.
PS - At least you're not a Yankee fan or we would really have problems.