Fan Commentary

Fan Speak - Part Three (Race Broadcasts)

by Grandstand Bob

In last week's column, I asked fans to send me suggestions about what NASCAR could do to quell fan discontent and to bring back fans who are feeling alienated. I intended to write a column based on this feedback, but the responses were so overwhelming and well stated, that I really couldn't say it any better myself. Thus, I'm turning over the next six columns to the fans.

I would put this all in one column, but it would take 24 pages to do that. Grandstand Bob Instead, I've separated the comments into different categories. First, I've listed the general comments. Following that, I'll list comments related to attending races, Internet broadcasts, rules, television and tradition. These comments will appear in successive days, so make sure that you keep coming back to ARS Racing Outlet to check.

All of these are straight from fans. I didn't edit a word, but I did cut out names and addresses to protect fan privacy. If I didn't list your comments, please don't be offended. I tried to avoid repetition, so I couldn't include everyone's writing, though I did read each and every message. Thanks for your participation, and make sure that you check back each day this week to read what fellow fans are saying.

Race Casts

-- I'm not in an area that broadcasts the qualifying either on tv or radio. Whenever possible I'd go to NASCAR.com and "watch" and listen to the qualifying there. Unless it's been moved to a place I haven't found I can no longer do that.

Suggestions? Make it a tier level thing. Simple Timing and Scoring Page that refreshes itself to remain ad-supported. Then offer perks at various cost.

-- I agree that they are wrong in charging the hard working fans money to listen to Racecast, that USED to be my way of keeping up with qualifying (since it isn't always on TV, and it is during working hours) Now, I refuse to pay even MORE money to NASCAR just to see how all the drivers are qualifying. I think NASCAR is getting too greedy ( like they need to?) and when all is said and done all they care about is the money. I guess they forget what the Bible says about "money being the root of all evil" They are alienating their fan and our going to end up losing a lot of them if they don't stop. Don't EVEN get me started on their on track fiascoes! They have made it embarrassing!

And Racecast - my back was up too, but right now I'm working on weekends (CPA) and it was the only way to keep in touch - I thought. Yesterday was the first time in 4 weeks I have had the audio part. 2 emails to racecast/NASCAR about it, no response, not even an automatic acknowledgement. And check the NASCAR newsgroups - the disenchantment is growing fast.

-- Just read your article and support for this issue is growing stronger every day. A large number of fans, as you are probably aware, are organizing a boycott of nascar.com for the Bristol race this weekend. We are tired of the money grabbing and want to be heard. The sponsors and media are also not happy with this latest pocket liner. I received an e-mail from a high profile sponsor and he told me that about 30 sponsors met with NASCAR regarding the same issue. Other web sites have been ordered to stop posting live qualifying times because nascar.com has exclusive rights.

You asked for suggestions in your article; here is mine: Charging for racecast is ok, but leave the video/audio highlights and MRN broadcast free. These could be payed for by advertising (and from what I have heard there are advertizements on them even if you pay for it!!! Seems wrong doesn't it!).

-- I would like to see NASCAR, as a gesture of good faith to it's loyal fans, take a stand with Ted Turner and say Racecast has always been free and must remain so.

-- I used to listen to the MRN broadcast on NA$CAR.COM. This was a way of getting me excited and pumped for the races. I won't pay, therefore I'm weaning off the excitement trip.

-- I suggest that NASCAR offer a FREE, less-complicated version of "live race timing and/or car positioning" that will allow us poor folks the chance to see where cars rank during the race; even if it is 10-15 laps behind the pace.

Any comprehensive list of the 43 cars would be better than nothing!

I will BOYCOTT NASCAR.com until they do something about the racecast issue.

-- Racecast is just a complete fleecing of the fans. To think that they would charge me to watch a short video of my favorite driver after he wins a race or gets wrecked by a Rookie driver. What does the sponsor of my favorite driver think when I can't see him speak bearing the colors and logos of the sponsors who foot the bill?

I used to sometimes track qualifying from my desk at my office for the fun of it. I can get it at jayski a few minutes later until this is over. Maybe Jayski could get some more advertisers and provide quicker data? He never ripped me off!

Listening to driver radios while the race is going on can be interesting but there was always a delay so you had to listen with your mind in split-screen. I can live without that.

My personal reaction to this "Fiasco of Greed" is I won't go to Nascar's website until this is over. I won't watch any of the Nascar "sideshows" on tv until this is over. I won't schedule my Sunday around the drop of the Green flag until this is over...Did you know that when you tape a race you can fast forward through all of the commercials....Really, I did it last Sunday! I heard there was a funny new commercial by one of the sponsors....something about a song about "bad to the bone"...Oh well I missed it.

And when I am asked if my company should renew our PSL's at Texas Motor Speedway next year I won't say like last year "We must....this is the best form of racing in the country" until this is over.

PS - I can go to the IRL website and see everything unrestricted, and I did! Did you know Penske has moved back to IRL from CART....that could get pretty exciting. A.J. Foyt is there too.

-- I read your article, "Which Straw Will Be The Last?", and have this to say. Number one, NASCAR.COM should not only offer Racecast for free again, but should do that and "throw us another bone" as an apology for the way this change came about. After all, it wasn't just their greed that irritated me, as NASCAR is known far and wide as a greedy bunch, but the way the went about doing this. For example, NASCAR.COM knew well in advance of the beginning of race season that this was in the works. They could have mentioned it on NASCAR.COM and gathered some opinions before commiting to it.

Another complaint that I have is that they also could have chosen a software program that would work on Windows 95 machines, something that the Real One Player doesn't do. That leaves me and countless other Windows 95 users without any choice in the matter. Even if I were willing to pay for it, which I am not, they made it a moot point to even consider it because it won't work. They have prevented me from using it at all. Even though I would watch races live last year, I would also use Racecast as well, like many people did. But people in Europe depended on it as the only way to keep up with a live race. And even though the system was buggy, it worked well enough to use anyway. Now not only have they decided to make people pay to use it, they made it where it won't work for me at all. I was pretty upset about that. Now I don't go to NASCAR.COM anymore for anything. I searched the Internet for other sources of NASCAR news, which is how I came across your article. Some people have said "Boycott NASCAR.COM during the upcoming weekend of the Bristol race", but I asked them "Why not all the time?"

Then there is the matter of a marketing agency hiring people to go to privately owned and operated NASCAR fans message boards and post little blurbs of praise for Racecast. Or at least by all outward appearances, that is what is going on. They pick a thread and try to get in on the conversation a little, then add that they saw something about the topic on Racecast, then shift gears to how great Racecast is, and that everyone should try it. I am a Moderator on one of these message boards, and a member of several others, and in contact with some other Moderators of them as well, and there have been several different people (or one person with different user names is also a possibility) using the same network to promote Racecast on these message boards. I have traced the IP address for a few of them with #####, and all of them are using a network that appears to be registered to a marketing firm, #####.

At first I thought this may be some small Internet Service Provider, but after a few traces of supposedly different people, and comparing them to IP addresses of people on other message boards that I obtained from other Moderators that I know, I noticed the IP addresses were always the same, #####. I also noticed that the IP range this company has registered was too small for an ISP, ranging from #####, which means they have 31 addresses reserved. Note that the only number block that changed was the last of four, from xxx.xxx.xxx.64 to xxx.xxx.xxx.95. This implies that they are all on a 31 user Internet Network, or more likely, 30 terminals (or clients), and one master server. I have a similiar system here at home, but it works differently as it is not a commercial system. I used reserved private IP addresses of ##### (the server) to ##### (two clients), then connect the home network to the internet, from which all three systems on my network use the one IP address assigned to me by my ISP. Their system addressing implies that this is a company which has reserved a specific numer of addresses for their own network which could be used as individual addresses on the Internet, or as one internal network. Not to mention, I never heard of a marketing company that was an ISP, much less one that small.

Now the fact that they are trying to promote Racecast doesn't bother me. It is the fact that these people are registering for forums that specifically state that advertising on the forums is not allowed, then going on these forums and pretending to be just "regular folks" talking about racing, and it always leads back to one thing, plugging Racecast. If they want to advertise on the Internet there are many ways to do it. Banners, popups, etc... Why don't they try one of those methods? To me, this sort of thing is getting awfully close to that last straw you mentioned. I was pretty irritated about this Racecast business before, but this really makes me mad. In addition to problem posters on our message boards, and believe me there are enough of those, now we have to babysit these marketing people too?

So that's what I have to say. Sorry if I seemed to be ranting on and on... I know you asked for suggestions, but I really don't know what they should do other than give us back what we once had, and apologize for trying to be so greedy. Mainly I wanted to let you know about this marketing thing, so you could maybe look into it, and report on it if you chose to do so. I believe people should be aware of this.

Grandstand Bob Profile and Past Columns

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.