CUP Racin' starts in earnest today with the Daytona 500. For most folks the NASCAR season will drag on until the Sunday before Thanksgiving. But for life-long fans of auto racing like myself, the season goes by entirely too quickly. It will be Thanksgiving before you know it and once again I'll be subjected to a long winter without auto racing.
NFL, NBA, MLB and all other stick and ball sports have retained none of my interest. It's probably just as well I'm not interested, as I don't fall into their main TV demographic (spelled $$). No, most stick and ball sports are no longer 'team' sports. Due to TV, they've become personality driven, especially the NBA. Players are known by their first names and are shown on TV sports each nite doing their own thing with no team recognition. B-O-R-I-N-G!
And get this, in stick and ball sports it's your team against one other team. If that team is lethargic one game, you don't have to put out much and still get the win...the fans suffer the loss from lack of performance. If you and your team ain't on your game in CUP Racin', there's 42 other teams ready to whup your ass every week! No night off...fans win each week!
CUP Racin' is the ultimate team sport. The driver gets the press and TV coverage, but experienced drivers are the first to recognize the importance of the race team company infrastructure that designs and builds their vehicles and the team that prepares and services their vehicle for potential success at the track on race day.
It's difficult to be a casual CUP Racin' fan. Casual fans seldom have the basic understanding of vehicle dynamics that make the sport really interesting. Most folks that drive autos today use 'em like basic household appliances. You start it up and let it do its thing until you get where you're going while you try to be as comfortable as possible, paying little attention to vehicle performance. It's kind of like an automatic washing machine. Set the dials, throw the clothes in and come back when it's finished. It either works, or it doesn't.
You can't have that type attitude and be a NASCAR race fan beyond just rooting for your favorite driver personalities...fans of that type, end up taking a nap in the middle of the race because they can't relate to the constant change in race dynamics. No, real racing fans are immersed in ALL the action in detail and are never bored, except during TV commercials.
It would be great to attend every race, but life isn't fair. Some of us have to make do with TV coverage. I have a TiVo DVR that I use to watch the race. It allows me to begin watching after the race is about 1/3 complete. I can fast-forward through the commercials and usually get to the end of the broadcast close to when the live race ends.
TiVo allows me to see all of the race and hear all of the commentary and I can still be fresh for the race wrapup programming. So, the ol' TiVo is programmed to cover the race this afternoon/evening and I can get on with my day until time comes for some serious CUP Racin', today and almost every weekend until Thanksgiving!
JD
No comments:
Post a Comment