Rea White: Shorter races would serve everyone well
COMMENTARY
A lot has been made of the potential for smaller fields in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009. While that is certainly a valid source of concern, there is one thing in NASCAR that could use some trimming – the length of races.
Some of the series races seem to be rather long, something that does nothing to enhance competition within an event. It would be hard to argue against shortening any event in NASCAR, though the length of some could be unchanged without altering the impact of those races. It wouldn’t be right to trim them all, though.
But it appears that many of the 500-mile events – excepting the Daytona 500 as a nod to tradition – could be trimmed 50 to 100 miles with no negative impact. In fact, the argument can be made that it could actually enhance the fans’ experience.
One might think people would feel cheated if they paid the same money for less racing, but I don’t believe that would be the case. A strong argument could be made that less would actually be more in racing, that allowing fewer laps in the event could actually enhance the competition within it.
I think fans would be as willing, if not more so, to buy tickets for races that might feature more action earlier in the event. I think television advertisers would be willing to pay a bit more for spots knowing that the racing action will be tighter and that fans will view the entire race. It’s common now for fans to write letters to publications stating they only tune in for the final portion of a race, anyway, knowing that’s when the action will start.
So why not shorten a few races? Not to pick on any track, but there are some where the drivers themselves question why the event isn’t a bit shorter, some that last well beyond the three-hour mark on a regular basis. Certainly time constraints shouldn’t be the key consideration when determining race lengths, but why not consider the pace of the event?
With less laps to work with, drivers would need to move to the front of the field at a faster rate, the pace would increase and the middle stretches where the field strings out would be shorter in length and more costly for those losing pace in that segment.
The sense of urgency would increase, the lulls would decrease and the overall product just might be enhanced – something that would benefit NASCAR and all of its partners.
Clearly, it’s not as simple as saying that races should be shorter and then just cutting laps here and there. But it’s certainly something worth considering – and a step that could enhance racing for everyone.
