Fryer's Five: Atlanta
Where was everyone?
That's the question NASCAR and Atlanta Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith had to be asking after Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 failed to fill the grandstands on an unseasonably warm, sunny day. Some observers estimated about a third of the seats went unfilled, including gaping sections of emptiness that were impossible to hide.
It's not really surprising, though. The economic crisis has hit almost all professional sports, and as entertainment dollars are carefully counted these days, many of NASCAR's venues won't be able to avoid taking a hard hit.
Plagued by spotty weather and mediocre racing, Atlanta has not been a great draw for some time now and the belt-tightening going on across America only compounded the problem. Ticket sales for AMS lagged behind all winter for the facility that can hold 125,000, and the final attendance total could have been an unmitigated disaster if not for price reductions that offered a $39 seat, student tickets for $19 and a better-than-expected walk-up crowd because of the weather.
But it's not clear who is to blame for the no-shows. Atlanta president Ed Clark can only work with what's in front of him, and much like Auto Club Speedway, his West Coast counterpart, the product he's got to market just isn't that great.
The race was effectively ruined when Jimmy Watts, the gas man for Marcos Ambrose, chased a loose tire onto the grassy median between pit road and the race track. With Watts less than a football field away from cars hurtling in his direction, NASCAR was forced to throw a caution that trapped all but six cars at least one lap down less than a third of a way through the race.
There were 12 cars on the lead lap when Kurt Busch crossed the finish line, and chances are it would have ended that way even without Watts' gaffe. Only 13 cars finished on the lead lap a year ago, and the number had only increased by five in November's Chase race.
Fans will undoubtedly point to the dramatic green-white-checkered flag finish – yes, that was exciting racing – and the fact that cars teetered on the 200 mph barrier as fact that it was a good event. But no matter how you dissect it, a mere 12 cars eligible for the victory is not good competition. Regardless of the economy or the weather, that kind of racing will never fill the stands.
Here's five things that those who did show up learned Sunday:
1. NASCAR's stars are acutely aware of our country's economic struggles:
All those empty seats didn't go unnoticed by the drivers, who should be commended for the efforts they've made in trying to reach the fans during these dark times. And no, this isn't about Jeff Gordon tightening his belt during the offseason by occasionally flying commercial.
This is about Busch, who moments after his first win of the season, remembered to give a sympathetic nod to the struggles of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers. Or to the drivers who offer their services to track promoters across the country, or make an effort to thank the fans who did make it out to the track.
"We are far from immune from what's going on in our economy," said third-place finisher Carl Edwards. "It's too bad there aren't more fans in the grandstands, but I feel like my responsibility … is to go out there and race as hard as we can, deliver for our marketing partners and deliver for our fans, and do the best we can and hope the economy comes back up and those stands get more full."
Sure, most of them have multimillion dollar contracts that insulate them from the constant worry of how they'll pay the mortgage this month. But that doesn't mean they aren't concerned about the economy.
General Motors' annual report last week said auditors have raised serious doubt about the automaker's ability to continue operating, and a collapse could have far-reaching effects on its many NASCAR programs. In addition to financial cutbacks to teams and drivers, the job loss could be crippling to the country.
"Every time you turn on the news, you're petrified," Tony Stewart said. "When I sit there watching the news, I'm begging to turn the channel so I'm not so depressed."
2. Martin Truex Jr. is one tough dude:
Having never had of a kidney stone, it's impossible to imagine what Truex went through this weekend. But he suffered through excruciating pain during Saturday's practice sessions, then rode by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
Diagnosed with a kidney stone, he could only wait for it to pass and hope he was healthy enough to race Sunday.
Was he ever.
The stone passed Saturday night, and Truex settled in for a season-best 10th-place run. He said after that he was pain-free all day Sunday, but described a harrowing ordeal from the day earlier.
"The biggest problem was when I had to come into the garage (Saturday) and they had to change stuff. I was bent over in pain and I couldn't stand it," he said.
Truex might have had a better finish if not for the final caution, brought out when Robby Gordon shredded a tire in the closing laps. He was seventh at the time, headed to the pits for a four-tire change, but a bad stop forced his crew to only change two.
Fourth on the final restart, he lost six positions over the final two laps.
3. Winning the Pit Crew Challenge doesn't translate into race victories:
We learned a week ago in Las Vegas that Brian Vickers is probably going to win some races this season, and Sunday might have been his best chance to date. He likely would have caught Busch if not for the final caution with four laps to go, but he was still in good shape when he headed to pit road running second.
And that's when last year's championship-winning pit crew let him down.
The No. 83 crew had a slow stop and Vickers had dropped to sixth by the time he got back on track. It was an uncharacteristic performance for the team that won the Pit Crew Challenge last year, and cost Vickers any chance at racing for the win.
Vickers only made up one spot in the two-lap overtime sprint to the finish, enough to give him his first top-five of the season and leave him wondering what could have been.
"We would've finished first or second, or wrecked trying," Vickers said. "We obviously had the better car there at the end. I was really hoping it would stay green. It was going to be a great race to the finish with Kurt and I."
Regardless, Vickers finished with his third consecutive top 10, which has him sitting 11th in the standings headed into the off weekend.
4. The Truck Series might be the most competitive in NASCAR:
Side-by-side racing, multiple lead changes and thrilling finishes. It's everything the Sprint Cup Series longs for, but that action is instead routinely found in the Camping World Truck Series.
Kyle Busch pulled out a dramatic victory Saturday at Atlanta, racing from third to first over the final laps and holding off Kevin Harvick and Todd Bodine for his second consecutive win. It might have been proof that Atlanta can host exciting racing.
The Truck fields are usually an equal mix of NASCAR veterans and newbies, with some Cup stars sprinkled in, and it creates an anything-goes mentality. The moves are more daring, sometimes even reckless, and the consequences can be catastrophic.
Because the operating budgets are so much smaller than the Cup Series, the competition is much closer even with declining manufacturer support. It's the one series that can be counted on for a down-to-the-wire championship race, and it's the one race a weekend where the passion for racing really shines through.
5. Fox has gone way overboard with Digger and Friends:
OK, the camera angle was fresh new technology when Fox introduced it, and the cartoon gopher that popped up was stomachable, at first. But Fox has given "Digger" a life of his own and it's just too much.
Seriously, is there anyone over the age of eight who actually likes Digger?
There's a pre-race cartoon – on Sunday, Digger had to woo his girlfriend with a song about NASCAR to prevent her from leaving her for a Formula One-loving rival – an onsite Digger that apparently lives in the infield, constant marketing and nonstop promotion.
But the final straw came during Busch's victory lap. As he rounded the track backward, checkered flag flying out his Dodge window, announcer Mike Joy totally crossed the line.
"I see the basis of a new Digger cartoon right here," he said with a laugh.
Huh? In the moments after an exciting finish, Joy was thinking about a cartoon gopher?
Fox Sports boss David Hill is unabashed in the moneymaking opportunity he saw with Digger and all the merchandise the gopher could produce. But enough is enough. The network has allowed the gimmick to monopolize its coverage at an unprofessional level.
The broadcast is supposed to be about sport, and in a push to sell stuffed gophers, Fox has totally lost its perspective.
