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A NASCAR BLOG BY Dave Exum

NASCAR needs its own network

Oct 5
The folks over at Speed channel are probably not going to like me for this, but in all honesty, NASCAR really needs to start thinking about creating its own network based on a similar model like the National Football League has.

Imagine coming home from a long day at work and flipping on your television set to the NASCAR Network. Hey, pro football junkies certainly get all the football they want through the NFL Network. Why can’t something like that work for NASCAR?

I’m not knocking Speed and truly enjoy all of its auto racing-related program. The thing I don’t like about Speed is that some of the programming it offers has got absolutely nothing to do with NASCAR.

NASCAR doesn’t even need to sink millions of dollars into building television studios. It can contract the work off to ESPN and Speed and have all the programming put under one umbrella or something like that.

Not only can NASCAR take advantage of the host of broadcasters that currently work for ABC, ESPN and Speed, it can also show old NASCAR races, NASCAR-related films like “Days of Thunder” or “Talladega Nights” and documentaries. NASCAR could also televise press conferences from each track every weekend.

Another thing NASCAR could do is showcase races from previous years during the week leading up to each race. Take for instance Talladega Superspeedway, which is on the schedule this week. Wouldn’t it be great to see Dale Earnhardt’s last victory of his career, the 2000 Winston 500. Personally, I’d love to see Ron Bouchard’s thrilling 1981 win at Talladega when the kid from Massachusetts beat out Darrell Waltrip for the one and only Winston Cup victory of his career.

NASCAR could also start broadcasting individual races on the NASCAR Network as the NFL Network does with some games during the NFL season.

NASCAR remains one of the largest spectator sports in the country. That’s perfect for television, and the creation of the NASCAR Network would be perfect for the sport.

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Comments

9 responses to "NASCAR needs its own network"
  1. 1
    Arthur Trim said:
    Oct 5, 2008 at 7:23 AM

    Then we could 24/7 of ultra hype & spin on everything fron race cars to shoe laces! That would be exceedingly grand! Just what we need!!

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  2. 2
    Timothy Schultze said:
    Oct 5, 2008 at 7:47 AM

    Sure and just think of the mega bucks they could make off that lame brain idea they could call it the Dale and Dale show staring Dale and Dale guest staring Dale and Dale I think i can find something else to do.

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  3. 3
    Ronald Schwalbe said:
    Oct 5, 2008 at 8:52 AM

    SPEED TV ORIGINALLY was created for all kinds of racing - - Unfortunately, it's NA$CAR side shows have eliminated MANY of other fine fun racing events from being televised. Sprint car racing - lower class stocks - weekly short track shows - Swamp buggys - Tuesday nite at Charlotte with the Bandeleros, Legends, etc USED to be a weekly traditions - - instead -we get "talk shows" with a bunch of people screaming and hollering so you can't hear the commentators and waving their signs to distract us from the view - -sad - - like watching a bunch of twelve year olds at a concert. They USED to have shows that featured a driver and his family at home so you could get to know them. No longer - - Instead we get "screamfests" ! The "Rutledge" segments are a complete waste of electrons - pityful and childish garbage. NASCAR wouldn't DARE show the old races - to see cars slidin' on bias-plies and actually RACING ??? With NO 4-6 lap yellow flags every single time a piece of tape hits the track ? Watching the team (and Johnny Reb at Darlington) ride the hood of the winning car to Victory lane instead of these scripted Circus acts - - they couldn't risk showing why NASCAR was once growing at exponential speed until - -until---- they (and we all know who) turned it into the Sunday nap time it's become.

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  4. 4
    Go 29 Harvick said:
    Oct 6, 2008 at 9:16 AM

    LMAO at Timothy - that is sooooo true !!!!

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  5. 5
    del brown said:
    Oct 6, 2008 at 9:18 PM

    The folks over at Speed Channel aren't the only ones that think thus us a really dumb idea. Imagine coming home from a long day at work and flipping on your television set to a lot of NASCAR propaganda. Just what you need - more of Helton et al putting a NASCAR spin on the latest bout of mismanagement and rule waffling. Or even more grainy, washed out ancient film clips of way past events. Thanks but no thanks - I'll pass on that faster than a Cup car going full tilt at 'dega lapping a snail.

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  6. 6
    Lindsey Jacobs said:
    Oct 9, 2008 at 11:49 AM

    I think it would be great, if correctly executed. I like the idea of showing past races, and I do wish they would bring back things like NASCAR 360 so we could get to know our favorite drivers and their families. NASCAR having it's own network would also free up Speed to go back to showing all forms of racing, including grassroots racing, and we all know that is beneficial for everyone involved. So, if done the right way, it could be a wonderful thing!

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  7. 7
    Beverley Aiken said:
    Oct 10, 2008 at 8:02 AM

    It would be a good thing since you never know whether or not the race will be on a station provided by your cable company

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  8. 8
    Jack Keough said:
    Oct 10, 2008 at 9:25 AM

    Hey Dave, are you drinking the NASCAR coolaid or what there are quite a few fans who are unable to get speed channel which is unfortunate, now you want to give NASCAR the idea of making coverage a pay per view so that most fans will not be able to see coverage have you been watching the economy and also try to go to a race that you have to pay for all of the expenses not have it on an expense account then ask why you want to give NASCAR another reason to stick their hands deep into our pockets get real

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  9. 9
    Andrew Briscoe said:
    Oct 10, 2008 at 3:07 PM

    I don't think NASCAR really needs it's own network. What it has now is a good thing: the start and finish of the season are on local TV channels, with the "summer stretch" or whatever it's called being on Cable channels. Granted, this causes true fans that don't have cable/satellite (or whose cable provider doesn't understand that some local TV station's cable counterparts should really be in the basic package) to miss some races, but it works. You aren't stuck with the same announcers for the entire season. A NASCAR network would not only alienate FOX, TNT, and ABC/ESPN whose billion dollar contracts to air NASCAR races would be cut, but it would be bad overall for the NASCAR fans that want some variety. I say that NASCAR allow multiple channels to broadcast the races, ALL of the races, so that if someone likes the Fox commentator and can't stand the TNT commentator, they can avoid it. DirecTV's Hotpass is nice and everything, but it either needs expanded to all 43 drivers or something- 4 drivers that change weekly just doesn't cut it. In short, NASCAR Network wouldn't be a good thing. The NFL Network isn't pleasing many fans- DirecTV is (was?) the only TV provider that had rights to air the network, which killed a lot of fans abilities to see it (and the big games they air only on that channel). NASCAR would end up killing itself by having a NASCAR Network that ran like the NFL network. Keep the races on local TV stations.

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