Smoke was in Chicago last night promoting the July night race at Chicagoland. He won that race last year after JJ spun out with less then 50 to go. He was at 10pin bowling alley in the city bowling some frames with local media and disscussing how he feels about Chicagoland and how much a win here means. Really cool to see.
Nascar around here isn’t very big often only around the race do we hear about NASCAR and its frustrating, I know we don’t have any local drivers in the top three series right now, but the only time you hear about it on a Sunday is the 15 second clip of a crash and the winner. I know it’s not a popular sport around here and people don’t ask about did you see the speeds posted at Dover a few weeks back around the water cooler, but this sport is popular and it is growing both in northern markets and around the world. I look forward to the race in Chicagoland becuase its a chance to show off this great city and the suburbs and what we offer to amazing fans and such.
Local media is at the track for pole day and maybe the raceday but it doesn’t top the sports segment becuase baseball is in full swing and Bears minicamp is starting up so to them there is more important sports stories to cover, and maybe they are right, but for the thousands of racing fans that don’t see the race a 15 second blib is not enough. I am not asking for a full fledge hour of nascar but give a driver interview or something. Do justice to racing fans locally. We have tracks around here; Rockford and Milwaukee and dirt and short tracks I would love to see something once in awhile on those drivers gritting there teeth through those races.
I write this because last night a local station went to the clip with Smoke and they cut it off and went to the reporter placing a bet of bowling a strike and the station reporter buys dinner, funny stunt? yes, but I would have loved to hear the rest of the interview. I am not sure if they only asked him 3 questions but thats all they showed, and they cut it off which made me a little peeved.
I know this sounds silly to write about but I feel like if your not in the south or south east racing is a backburner sport which to me is untrue, I would love to see more racing up here not adding more races to schedule but maybe take a few of those duplicate races that seem not neccessary off the race and replace them. Maybe the media would pay more attention to racing in the midwest and northwest.maybe these drivers at in the USAC and ARCA divsions would get more light on them. There are so many sponsorship oppurtunites in this market and its untapped due to low exsposure.
Would it kill the media to cover longer then the winner? probably not? a story once in awhile on racing locally would be great for these teams struggling with higher cost to operate.
All I am asking for is just more then my 15 seconds….
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2.0.5.4/467 Fri Sep 5 03:26:17 UTC 2008
4 Comments
chica20586
Jun 13 2008 11:17
Jmarpar
I know..I get that gas prices has everyone cutting back but people who live as far north as MN and especially NWST are not willing to drive as far. I am not asking for Chicagoland to have two races although we have sold out every year since its inception. but the local media just doesn’t find it as relevant except when the pictures will boost up viewers, IE; Michael McDowells Texas crash.
chica20586
Jun 13 2008 11:13
thats
a great idea!! I am not asking for a whole dedicated sports broadcast but something, it would be nice to see.. When i was in Springfield, IL there sports casters covered the races and they are no where near a major market. I am def. going to write to them. There are so many great stories in racing and I think thats why there is no appeal we only hear the worse of racing the dangerous crashes and such. thanks for the idea and the comment.
JMarPar
Jun 13 2008 11:10
Very good point!
I wish more tracks could be in the North…I love visiting new places! I understand your frustration. Heck, Texas is a big state and we only have one track for NASCAR! California has two races, and they don’t even sell out. We thought we were going to get a track down here in Houston a few years back…in Alvin actually, but if fell through. I hope your voice is heard. Just keep being vocal about your frustrations and maybe someone will listen. I think it would be better to spread NASCAR out to the North and Northwest before we go to Canada and Mexico…but that’s just my take on it.
RDOF_Posse
Jun 13 2008 11:03
You are exactly right
Channels 2, 5, 7, 9 and 32 all are above reporting on NASCAR, they treated it like a joke when I was there (before Chicagoland was built). I find it amazing that they even covered Smoke bowling. I’d seriously consider writing the Program Directors for all the stations WGN, WBBM, WFLD etc. and tell them what you think. Frankly the coverage here in Central VA is only a little better, we get digital over the air broadcasts from three markets Charlottesville, Richmond and DC. NASCAR really isn’t covered in DC at all and only a smidgen more in Charlottesville, Richmond is the best of the three but you wouldn’t even know the Craftsman Truck series exists if you had to rely on their sports reports. Give the PDs a shout it’s the only way they’ll know what you are thinking.