The View from Here: The Business of NASCAR

If last weekend’s fiasco in California did anything, it showed everyone — including NASCAR — that the current Sprint Cup schedule simply needs the same major overhaul that NASCAR gave its cars with the COT(oday).

OK, weather notwithstanding, look at the fallout of racing on Monday in California and having to be in Las Vegas by Friday morning (make that realistically Thursday late afternoon). And that’s after nearly two weeks in Daytona.

Look deeper into the schedule — Texas, Phoenix and Talladega start April. Then in June, there are back-to-back races at Pocono, Michigan and California (Infineon), ending the month in New Hampshire. Doesn’t get much better at the end of July and beginning of August with Indianapolis, then Pocono, Watkins Glen and Michigan. Then the season ends with Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead-Miami.

Bottom line is that any one of these venues is susceptible to terrible weather over a weekend that could disrupt travel schedules — and yes, attendance and TV viewership. But more importantly — especially in times of high gas prices — can’t NASCAR cut these teams some breaks by setting a schedule that doesn’t have them criss-crossing the U.S. week after week?

It’s possible but frankly NASCAR doesn’t seem interested in teams, drivers, or fans.

And that’s the view from here!

Jon