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A NASCAR BLOG BY Art Weinstein
How would NASCAR ‘fix’ a race?
First, I do not believe NASCAR “fixes” races, or somehow manipulates the outcome to fit some need on its part.
That said, many fans apparently do. And Tony Stewart weighed in on the issue this week, saying about NASCAR on his Sirius radio show, “I don’t know that they’ve run a fair race all year.”
So how would NASCAR “fix” a race? Just imagine this scene near the end of a race:
NASCAR Official A: “Uh oh, Tony Stewart is going to lap Jeff Gordon. Quick! Find a piece of debris.
NASCAR Official B: “Um, why do we want to help Gordon? Many fans don’t like him.”
Official A: “I don’t care, just find some debris.”
Official B: “Won’t that be very obvious, if we throw a caution flag and there is no debris?”
Official A: “Who’s going to figure it out?”
Official B: “Well, in case you haven’t noticed there are 125,000 fans out there, not to mention TV cameras everywhere. And 42 other drivers and team owners will complain if we do something unfair.”
Official A: “So what? We need one of those Hendrick drivers to win. That’s good for business, when the same drivers win almost every week.”
Official B: “You’re crazy. NASCAR has been around for 60 years. Why would we risk losing our credibility, and put a multibillion-dollar business at risk, just to help a certain driver?” (On the track, Stewart passes Gordon to put him a lap down.)
Official A: “Now look what you’ve done. We’re going to get fired.”
Obviously, the above conversation would never take place. Unfortunately, too many fans believe otherwise. And now one of the sport’s top drivers has expressed his doubts about NASCAR.
NASCAR’s credibility is under fire, and the sanctioning body needs to figure out how to repair its image.
Art Weinstein
Managing Editor Art Weinstein has been covering NASCAR since 1995 and has worked at NASCAR Scene for 11 years.
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