Fast Times
A NASCAR BLOG BY Kris Johnson
2009 is the Year of the Fan
Is it time for season-ending awards already? No, but you know who is running away with that Chase thingy, so we will strike pre-emptively with a postseason award that has nothing to do with drivers or teams.
The 2009 Progress Award, not really prestigious since it was just conceived and wholly devoid of a catchy name or presenting sponsor, is nonetheless very important. More important, the first-ever trophy will go to you, the fans. NASCAR has decided to listen to you again this year and on matters of no small importance.
To wit: double-file restarts.
The racing has unquestionably been improved by this move. And you, the fans, were the driving force behind it.
Don’t believe me?
“We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: ‘Double-file restarts – shootout style’ are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France in June. “This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.”
Not content with just improving the quality of racing, you, the fans, have also dictated when you will see it in 2010.
“NASCAR fans have been asking for earlier and more consistent start times, and we are making this change for our fans, beginning with the Daytona 500 next February,” France said this month. “We are revisiting our sport’s tradition of earlier green flags, and the added consistency will make it easier for fans to know exactly when the races are being televised.”
There are two huge decisions, you, the fans, more or less made.
Now if you could just do something about the car of tomorrow to make racing today appear even better than yesterday, well, your job will be complete.
In the meantime, though, be happy with your progress and the award named after it. As a token of its appreciation, NASCAR is even letting a few of you attend the inaugural postseason banquet in Las Vegas.
Remember to pick up your Progress Award in Sin City.
Kris Johnson
Kris Johnson joined Street & Smith's Sports Group in 2003. He is Assistant Managing Editor at NASCAR Illustrated and SceneDaily.com.
Latest Tweets
Poll PositionView All
After qualifying and the Budweiser Shootout, who is the favorite to win the Daytona 500?
Promotions
-
Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.
-
Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.
Comments
7 responses to "2009 is the Year of the Fan". Post a Comment.
STP43FAN said:
Oct 23, 2009 at 11:16 AMGive us back 50-lead-change races week after week - give us back more new winning teams and new winning drivers and the end to the Hendrick-Roush duopoly - then we can call it the year of the fan.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reportlarisda said:
Oct 23, 2009 at 2:35 PMSTP43FAN, I think you just need to find another sport or lighten up and enjoy the races. You seem really depressed.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reporttinynascarfan said:
Oct 24, 2009 at 10:36 PMare you kidding me? 2009 the year of the fan? you are loopy! There are no double file restarts in the truck series, where they pit twice under a caution. Nascar announces that hedrick is to close to call when it comes to wing measurments, but they do nothing about it. If you get your car in the front of the pack after a restart you are gone until the next caution. And nascar still plays favorites, ie:Brad Kesoloski in the nationwide race involved in 4 wrecks(no penalty), Matt Crafton spun just 2 but he got sent to the back. so we have no consistency in this sports entertainment, who is in the script to win tommorrow anyway, i got a 20 i need to lay down on it. And finally we have no points battle in any major series this year, unless france convinces hendrick to give jimmy a bad car for a race. yeah i can see this year being the year of the fan, the year we bent over and took it from the france's once again.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reportjeff-waybright said:
Oct 26, 2009 at 9:56 AMI have to agree with STP43FAN. Naming 2009 the "Year of the Fan" is crazy. NASCAR has implemented too many other policies that have ruined this sport. IROC style cars that have the same aero problems as the old cars really hasn't improved racing at all. Placing a test ban on teams hasn't allowed the second tier teams the ability to challenge the Hendrick teams. Allowing teams to merge and then associate with Hendrick and Roush is setting NASCAR up for even greater failure in the future - how is racing going to improve when Hendrick and Hendrick associated teams are racing against Roush and Roush associated teams? Selling out to corporate sponsors has also taken the excitement out of racing - instead of watching racers race, we get to watch a bunch of corporate pitchmen race. Corporate pitchmen are too worried about controversy and making their sponsor look bad; racers need to race. All in all, I'm a diehard NASCAR fan that is fed up with the direction that this sport is going. I might just take LARISDA up on her offer here and spend my Sundays watching football...
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reportjeff-waybright said:
Oct 26, 2009 at 10:05 AM...one other thing. I like Jimmie Johnson and think he's a great champion for this sport. However, I don't think what he's doing is good for NASCAR at all. Outside of the 48 team, four straight championships is not good any way you cut it. At some point you have to look beyond the 48 team's competitive ability and advantage and ask what's wrong with the overall competition in the Cup series? Why aren't Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart challenging JJ at all? I believe that JJ's three - soon to four - straight championships in NASCAR is more a sign of the lack of competition than a sign of the 48 teams competitive dominance... It's very un-interesting to watch the NASCAR Groundhog Day racing that's going on right now... Somebody please wake me up when someone other than Jimmie can compete for championships again, please...
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Oct 27, 2009 at 5:15 PMLARISDA - DON'T LECTURE ME OR ANYONE ELSE TO LIGHTEN UP BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO LECTURE ANYONE. Give us back 50 lead changes per race, get rid of the Hendrick-Roush duopoly, give us back real competitive depth - then we can call it the year of the fan.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reportbkbroiler said:
Oct 28, 2009 at 9:04 AMYes it is the year of the fan. The year of the fan not going to the races. Its not just the economy causing this. Most of the reasons are in the above posts.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report