March 26th, 2010 
Journo In the last two decades NASCAR’s leadership has taken great pains to expand the sport to just about every region of this country. East to West, North to South, the once regional sport hosts events all over the country – including events in the nation’s largest media markets. On top of that, NASCAR has active offices in New York, and perhaps more importantly for the sport’s image, Los Angeles.
There are people working for NASCAR right now to get the sport and the sport’s talent placed into mainstream scripted and unscripted television programs. Yet for all that work, NASCAR continues to have this image as having a redneck, racist, ignorant fan base.
Take this example from the brain trust of the Mobile Press-Register’s sports desk:
What is NASCAR doing saying “The Pledge of Allegiance” before the national anthem? They’ve never done that before. Now they’re showcasing some right-winger singer. Is NASCAR getting political? I know they cater to the uneducated, uninformed white male. There is a term called a NASCAR dad, and basically that is a manual laborer who isn’t educated. But why do they have to patronize with “The Pledge of Allegiance?”
Apparently saying the Pledge of Allegiance is purely a political act. And what’s so wrong with the NASCAR dad? Whoever wrote this has an incorrect conception of the term (check this out); and a lack of basic research skills. Even so, since when is it a bad thing in this country to be blue collar?
As absurd and ignorant as I think this little tidbit was, I think it speaks to a larger problem for the sport. How after all these years of work and expansion do we find ourselves as the continued butt of jokes.
I was watching NBC’s 30 Rock last week and was taken aback to hear the show take a shot at the sport. I won’t get into the back story (the quote is 15:03 in), but one of the characters said, “I wish I could help you, but I can’t sleep with a black guy; I’d lose my endorsement deal with NASCAR.” What!?!
I know NASCAR isn’t condoning this sort of thing, but they’re not helping it. Anybody remember Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby? Sure it’s a funny movie, but it’s everything that’s wrong with NASCAR in the mainstream. It’s been widely reported that one team owner refused to take part in the film, saying it would set the sport back 25 years. And it probably wasn’t a far off concern. It certainly didn’t do the sport any favors. This movie amplifies every ridiculous and ignorant stereotype surrounding NASCAR. This isn’t/wasn’t good for the image of this sport.
For those not involved with or interested in NASCAR, this type of thing reinforces all those stereotypes they associate with it (we’ve all heard them). Personally, this had me wondering if this is what Hollywood and the rest of the world thought about NASCAR.
For a sport very concerned with reaching wider audiences across the country, NASCAR sure does do a good job of alienating itself. It’s like two steps forward, three back. I don’t get it.
Reviving, or reworking the NASCAR image is something NASCAR needs to address as they pull themselves out of this current rut. I believe it’s important to do internally (which I think they’re working on) and externally in the media. If they want to attract new fans, and not drive the casual fan away, this, I believe, could go a long way. Whatever they do though, I think it’s hard not to realize that this is a problem.
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Apologies in advance – my response contains a lot of generalizations, and I know there are exceptions, but I think it’s mostly true.
The vocal fan-base reinforces a lot of the stereotype that you object to. Just try opening a political topic on any fan website and wait for the responses. It won’t be long before intolerant opinions predominate. God forbid anyone advocates a liberal view.
Yes, NASCAR needs to try to change it’s image somewhat, but it’ll be hard to do when the fans aren’t really open to anyone different than themselves. Many fans really don’t want NASCAR to expand, or so they say, they’d much rather it remain a regional sport like they envision it was in “the glory days”.
I live up in minnesota. there are not very many nascar fans around. people ask me all the time when im wearing my carl edwards hat, why are you a nascar fan? are you a redneck? i just shrug em off and go about living. but it just bugs me that my favorite sport is made fun of so much! in minnesota we had 1 nascar store. 1! and at the end of 2009 it closed due to not enough business! i was a regular shopper there so it bugged me a little. anyway just sayin nascar doesnt have the respect it needs
But Journo…this is NASCAR’s charm!!!
Lets be honest..the races are mostly a four hour predictable snooze fest. But it is part of our Sunday afternoons and we love it. However, it is probably not for everyone.
If the races were more exciting they would attract more fans.
Besides, how can you not love some of Jeff Foxworthy’s humor. You know you’re a redneck when: “You think the last line of the Star Spangled Banner is..GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!!! Or…”You name your son Dale Jr…and your name’s NOT Dale!
Maybe NASCAR needs to fix the racing not it’s image. Maybe it doesn’t. Let’s not take this too seriously.
I just don’t want to see a 5-peat!!
Talladega Nights was a spoof and not to be taken seriously, no more than either Blades of Glory or Anchorman were meant to be taken as representative of their respective subjects.
As for getting upset by what ignorant liberals say and think about NASCAR, they are the ones with the problem. Just as they’re doing with the Tea Parties, they’re blasting an entire group because we dare to not do and think the same way as they do. Their problem, not ours. And what is with the reference to ‘mainstream’? That implies NASCAR fans are on the fringe of society. There are some NASCAR fans who are (as is the case with any group of more than ten people), but as a whole? That’s not even close to accurate.
As far as NASCAR’s thinking they need to expand (whether geographically or its audience), they often have trouble remembering that expansion usually means changing in a significant way the product that the existing fan base likes (basic marketing: if the non-fan liked NASCAR the way it is, they wouldn’t be a non-fan, would they?). NASCAR has a good thing going with its existing fan base and they’re screwing with a good thing if they try to go after the likes of Tina Fey.
Why should there be the Pledge of Allegiance before the race? Nascar lost that “privilege” when it moved racing from the south and started going to Mexico, Japan, and Canada and anywhere else they thought they could make a buck.
There are people from all over the world in the stands and in the pits. Why should they pledge their allegiance to the United States? It is for the show, not because it is grass roots.
Yes, I am an American, and I do pledge my allegiance, but I won’t go to Canada or some other country and do the same, and I wouldn’t want to feel like an outcast while others are standing there pledging to their county and I am not.
And no, I have nothing against the Stars Spangled Banner prior to the event. I am an American First!!
Obviously, the Mobile Press-Register is ignorant of anything outside their preconceived notions. I am a BIG NASCAR fan from way back. I have a MBA and work as a programmer/analyst for a major corporation. So much for uneducated. I spent 26 years in the US Air Force serving my country and am proud that NASCAR flaunts their patriotism.
Steve: It doesn’t bother you that, because you choose to spend your Sundays watching cars go in circles, you are lumped into a ridiculous stereotype? I think the point Journo was trying to make by using Talladega Nights as an example, is that people who don’t know anything about racing that watch that movie will only have their preconceived notions of NASCAR fans strengthened. The actual breakdown of the demographics of NASCAR fans is very different then what the preconceived stereotype would have you believe. And if non-NASCAR fans don’t realize we are all not drunken manual laborers, don’t you think it’s going to hurt the sport’s ability to sell sponsorships to keep the sport and it’s teams going?
safemike1: So you are okay with the our National Anthem being played, but you aren’t okay with the Pledge of Allegiance? Nobody said it was required that those in attendance needed to stand and say it along with their fellow race-goers.
Steve, how about the chance that NASCAR can have a whole range of fans? If I (a long-time Democrat who thinks Obama too far to the right) can sit next to you and enjoy a race, why not enjoy that commonality? Can’t we agree to enjoy our love of the sport and leave all the other stuff for others to argue about?
Personal taste is a funny thing. I like NASCAR, golf, the NBA, country music, and opera. Go figure.
TC: no, it doesn’t bother me, why should I get bent out of shape because someone else is ignorant? My self-esteem is based on who I am and what I do and not at all affected by what some snob thinks of how I spend my time. And it’s ridiculous when someone complains if a character in a movie is shown as less than 100% positive that is demeaning to the group that character happens to be a member of. Movie characters aren’t real, they’re not supposed to be taken as totally representative of whatever group they happen to be a member of. Talladega Nights poked fun at some aspects of NASCAR, I didn’t go home thinking I needed to find myself something else to do on Sunday afternoons. As for sponsors, let’s give them some credit: they’re going to sign on if they think their sales are going to go up, and they’re smart enough to base their decision on the reality of NASCAR and not the caricature. And those who are dropping out are doing so because they haven’t gotten the bounce for their bucks and not because they’re afraid to be associated with a bunch of redneck racist white trash (oops, is that redundant?)
Doug: no chance am I going to sit next to an Obama fan. Oh never mind, I do, I’ve got them in my own family and I do sit next to them at family dinners. Heck, if NASCAR fans can let me come and sit next to them, given that I’ve never chewed tobacco, I’m not married to my 1st cousin, I don’t hunt, I not only went to college but have a degree and I don’t go to church before heading home to watch NASCAR, I guess I can make room for you on the uncomfortable benches they call seats. Of course, since I don’t ask about the political leanings of those sitting next to me, I won’t know it’s you, will I?
You can’t argue with ignorance, but here goes anyway. If I were in Canada or any other forein country I would stand, or whatever the custom, out of respect for where I was and it would not offend me. Also I remember reciting the Pledge each morning as a start to the school day. That was somehow “redneck”. Hopefully one day the opinions of hollywood freaks will be recogonized for what it is – ignorance. If the actors couldn’t sucessfully role play I wonder what they would do to earn a living?
I was at Bristol, I thought it was cool that we did the Pledge of Allegiance before the race. I actually wondered why more sports don’t. I think Mobile Press-Register’s sports desk is confusing patriotism with politics.
If I was in Canada and they said their Pledge before an event, I would stand like the rest, but I wouldn’t say it (hard to when you don’t know the words). I see it no different then standing during the National Anthem of another country.
I think most people would look at Talladega Nights as a spoof clear and simple. Yes they played the stereotype but that is what a spoof is. I looked at it as NASCAR was popular enough / well known enough that they did a spoof on them. Doing a spoof is a form of a complement. Like Steve mentioned in #4 “Talladega Nights was a spoof and not to be taken seriously, no more than either Blades of Glory or Anchorman were meant to be taken as representative of their respective subjects.” I for one never took any of those movies as Documentaries, I took them for comedy pure and simple.
I’m a geek, but I didn’t think Revenge of the Nerds made geeks look bad, or any other time they spoof geeks. I laugh right along with my fellow non-geeks. I get more upset when it’s suppose to be a serious movie and they have a stereotype geek in it.
I would be more upset with Days of Thunder (or other serious / non-comedy movie) getting things wrong. They do much more harm, since people will think that is the way it is since it’s a serious movie, not a comedy.
TC:
I don’t know anything about Figure Skating, but I don’t think Blades of Glory is what it is really like in Figure Skating (at least I seriously hope not!!!). It was done as a spoof plan and simple.
Steve: Fair enough. For the record, I don’t necessarily disagree with you on most of your points, I just like to play devil’s advocate once in a while.
I do think though that some companies don’t get involved in NASCAR because of their perception of what the fanbase is. And I don’t think it would be a bad thing if NASCAR decided to do something about trying to change those perceptions. There are a ton of all different kinds of people who enjoy racing and that includes women, minorities, white collar, blue collar, educated, uneducated, etc.
I mostly agree with what Steve said. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more people to become fans and enjoy the sport. But I’m tired of many changes to the sport itself, chasing after new fans while, let’s face it, turning off many in the existing base. I think old sponsors have had trouble with that themselves, they counted on that kind of loyalty. With so much shifting, new sponsors could be leery. I’ve been a fan since 70′s, growing up in PA/NJ & the bunch of tracks around there as well as into New England. My dad worked on Fords his whole life. Been called a berry-picker, but never a redneck! I graduated college. My son, a huge NASCAR fan with team aspirations, is going to college to study mechanical engineering. Maybe NASCAR needs to focus efforts on an ad campaign that accurately portrays it’s 21st Century audience!
So, are you saying Talladega Nights was not real? Shucks!
I thought Carl Edwards was in fact Cole Trickle’s arch nemesis Rowdy Burns:(
Interesting points of view all around, as it is interesting to attend races in person in the northern and southern states. Being from Canada, and having no problem identifying a spoof from the real thing, you can also tell the difference between similar qualities of fans — long-term knowledgeable vs. short-term fairweather. IMHO the group that NASCAR’s braintrust was trying to attract beginning in roughly 2005, have since gone or been weeded out, and really weren’t worth keeping. But I digress…
Some folks, depending on their location, upbringing or isolation, could stand to learn a little more about where ALL makes and models involved in NASCAR (now and in the future) were/are produced.
At Watkins Glen, I sing along with the American national anthem (and have known the words since I was a very small boy) and have no issue with the pledge of allegiance. I appreciate their playing of the Canadian national anthem, although getting the tune and words right at the same time seems to be an annual challenge. Our country should be so outwardly patriotic. We’re still saying ‘sorry’ for winning the most gold medals at the Vancouver Olympics.
Pint being…pick up the international directory of racing facilities and see how thick it is. If racing wasn’t so popular (with NASCAR at the top of the heap), the tracks wouldn’t be in business.
Sorry for the rant! (There I go apologizin’ again)
Proud Canadian redneck, if that’s the title to wear. To me, the term ‘redneck’ evolved from hard working but pasty-skinned folks bent over in the fields in the centuries before sunblock.
If you’re a race fan, you’re “our people” and we will agree to disagree on who/why we support it…but we’re there!
The words NASCAR and ‘Mainstream’ do not belong in the same sentence.
NASCAR is the antithesis of anything remotely connected with the mainstream.
NASCAR has its own brand of charm, which would be better placed on its own little planet…….far, far away.
My two cents on sponsors dropping out: I think a lot of sponsors jumped in because, like most advertisers, they didn’t want to miss out on what was being described as ‘the place to be’ (much as advertisers are jumping to the web today). Unfortunately, dollars spent on advertising don’t necessarily translate to increases in sales and a lot of the new and even some of the older sponsors finally figured out they weren’t getting a bang for their bucks… so they’ve left the sport… but not because there is anything wrong per se with NASCAR fans.
It’s a very sad day in this country when we can’t say the Pledge of Allegiance just to be saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Why do people have to try to act like there’s some sort of hidden motive? Sometimes I think a lot of liberals are just paranoid. (Why else would they so frequently work so hard to silence their opponents?) Maybe it’s because many of their ideas really aren’t that good after all but they don’t want people to figure that out.
TC- It doesn’t bother me at all that the media is lumping me in to a category. Who cares what other people think? Friends and family are all that count. As for attracting more sponsors? Like who? What is a white collar sponsor versus a blue collar ?? Most of the team’s sponsors are products we all use. I don’t drink but we all shave, buy gas, need car insurance, eat, go to the big hardware giants, the big office supply stores and use a communications carrier. I agree with Steve…companies are too business savy to pass on great advertising. If sponsorship is a problem now it probably is a reflection on the current economy… not NASCAR’s image.
all i know is that i will always be a nascar fan no matter what anyone tells me or thinks of the sport! nascar is abviously something or it wouldnt be in its 62nd year!
“I do think though that some companies don’t get involved in NASCAR because of their perception of what the fanbase is.”
T.C., gotta disagree with you on this one. Any (serious) company interested in advertising or sponsoring a car knows exactly who is watching NASCAR. The demographics are broken down by just about every cateogry you can think of from race to age to income/education, etc. This material would be provided to them by their agency buyer.
@ Steve, I agree with your posts.
I’ve read in the past that NASCAR fans are educated and make pretty good money. Of course, the media will always go with the redneck angle.
Funny, NFL, MLB & NBA fans aren’t portrayed as steroid users or criminals.
The reason NASCAR is the butt of a lot of jokes is because NASCAR keeps these cars dummed down. Archaic 3600 lb carburated V8′s driving a solid rear axle with a 60′s vintage 4 speed trans. A rear suspension lifted from a 40 yr old pickup truck. Cookie cutter 1.5 mile tri ovals. I could go on if you want. Cars that look nothing like their street bound counterparts, ignorant sounding rednecks broadcaasting the shows. It’s endless.
Steve, for the record, the “Tea Party” movement is organized my ignorant conservatives. Not, “ignorant liberals”.
I really don’t want to get into a political argument here, and I have my doubts that TC or Journo will even publish this remark, but I think the pledge of allegiance has no place in Nascar, or in schools, or anywhere outside of the military.
mmm, I have a master’s degree, live in Illinois, work in higher education, I am an atheist, not a Republican (or a Democrat!), I like heavy metal music, don’t hunt or fish, I don’t drive a truck, I don’t watch professional wrestling, the list goes on. Does this not make me a Nascar fan?
T.C., Journo, and Readers,
“Talladega Nights” did not bother me in the least because it’s clearly a parody, and it skewers not just the NASCAR fan and industry but also the effete liberal crowd and gays. It’s like Don Rickles, he gets on everyone.
I participate in the Zogby online political and marketing polls. It asks a lot of questions about who I voted for last election, how I define myself politically, what religious beliefs I observe, whether I or someone in my household is a union member, and other related topics. One question that is always asked of me is, “Are you a NASCAR fan?” (I’m not sure if everyone gets that question or if it’s triggered when I define my politics in terms of liberal or conservative.)
It’s a proven fact — documented by journalism organisations and sociologists — that a majority of journalists define themselves as liberal. (The reason given is a primary motivation to become a journalist is to uncover information. The thought is conservatives are generally not interested in muckraking.) So the generalization by the newspaper is understandable.
I don’t have a problem with the Pledge of Allegiance being recited before races. I do have a problem with the invocations as many of them mention Christ and it seems to me that’s exclusionary to Jewish NASCAR fans. I’m not trying to be argumentative; the friend who got me to follow NASCAR seriously is a Jew who met his gentile wife at his weekly country line dance. (The most serious religious disagreement they have is he’s a Ryan Newman fan and she loves Jeff Gordon. They’re expecting a son and I wonder who he will like!)
I think NASCAR needs to spend a bit of coin on a PR/marketing campaign to show that the fanbase is more than just the stereotype. Let’s see more ethnic fans. (In the San Francisco Bay Area, I have seen a few young African-American males wearing NASCAR jackets. Most of them are black Dale Earnhardt 3s and Kyle Busch M&Ms. I have engaged a few of them in conversation and they don’t seem to know much about NASCAR, they just like the jacket, although a year ago, I did meet a young man wearing a green 88 Amp jacket who knew more about Junior than I did!)
Steve, I think a lot of advertising money is spent defensively just to keep the product name near the top of your consciousness, so the company can maintain its market share. If you’re not advertising but your competition is, you can lose just by not being present. It’s a lot like the Cold War. There’s also a morale-building effect on your company employees and clients.
Finally, thanks, Rain, I don’t want to see another 5-peat either, which is why I’m mostly off Cup this year.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
I am proud to pledge my allegiance to
my flag and country at any opportunity.
Read the words. Why would anyone who lives here, and benefits from our country, have a problem saying them?
No other country in history is like our great United States. I have lived a great life here. I love my country. I despise certain men who have done some stupid things, but I love my country.
All societies have issues, but this country has given more opportunities to more diverse people than any other country in history. Who knows what the future holds, but I know that my life has been great because of the United States of America. I am grateful to the great men who founded our country at great risk to themselves for my ( and your ) benefit.
Why would any U.S. citizen have an issue saying this?
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all”
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!
In today’s PC world the only 2 groups that can be made fun of with impunity are Southerners and the OJ jury.