Tradition

By DAVID GREEN

It's popular nowadays to criticize NASCAR for mistreating its traditional fan base. In many respects, the criticism is easily justifiable. Without argument, the sport has moved on to a new era. The question, really, is whether doing so has been good for NASCAR's business and good for the sport of stock car racing overall -- and that's not quite so easy to assess.

Sure, it's easy for the individual to decide whether it's good for him or not. It's almost as simple for the individual fan to decide whether changes are good for his favorite driver, team, car make, and so forth. But such anecdotal observations often don't provide any insight into the heart of the matter.

The most significant changes NASCAR has legislated involve their decisions about traditional venues such as Darlington, North Wilkesboro and Rockingham, the entry of Toyota into Nextel Cup competition and the Chase format for the Cup championship.

Abandoning Wilkesboro and Rockingham and snuffing the tradition of the Southern 500 are things traditional race fans have not taken lightly. You don't have to be a xenophobe to have some strange feelings about Toyota in NASCAR. And the Chase has, quite fundamentally, changed the way the Cup Series champion is determined.

The first change, though, paved the way for NASCAR to expand to new markets -- which, by the way, included some long-time traditional fans -- without expanding its schedule to 40, 50 or more race dates.

Television has perverted the way we evaluate and avail ourselves of various products, processes and services; Formula One major domo Bernie Ecclestone dismisses the spectators at F1 races as "the studio audience." However, personal exposure to the product, and not just television coverage, is essential to the long-term health of stock car racing. The sport can expand its base by adding television-watching fans, but part of what those fans watch on their TV screens is the passion of fans who are at the track, in person, involved in the sport in a way you just can't be in your living room.

The second is going to become less and less of an issue as time goes on and images of Japan and Germany as World War II enemies continue to fade. A dozen years ago, when a Honda-powered car first appeared at Indianapolis, it drew more than its share of boos and catcalls from fans. A Japanese brand in the Winston Cup Series of 1994 would have been unthinkable.

The remnant of 1940s-style nationalism, by the way, is not strictly an American social phenomenon. The success of recently retired F1 ace Michael Schumacher, a German, got the chilliest reception of all in Great Britain. Talk to some British racing fans, and you get the definite impression that they equate Schumacher with a Luftwaffe pilot in the cockpit of an ME-109, taking aim at some brave Royal Air Force lad in a Spitfire.

But Toyota, Honda and other non-traditional brands are becoming more and more integrated into American society. There may very well be some demonstrations of disapproval when the Camrys show up in Daytona in February, but this will pass.

Perhaps nothing Brian France has done has angered fans as much as the Chase for the Cup. All the complaints have been discussed to death and they won't be dissected here (at least, until or unless Keith Ott chooses to post a caustic comment). But a champion is whatever the sport determines. And, regardless of what critics think, say or write, the Chase has NOT diminished interest in the NASCAR championship.

Many of the changes NASCAR has made are incidental and/or superficial. That's not to suggest the changes haven't been controversial, or that no one should have the right to criticize. But a lot of the stuff people argue about or complain about is largely irrelevant -- kind of like the designated hitter in baseball. I'm old-school. I disliked the DH when it was introduced and I still dislike it. But while it may have changed managerial strategies and affected the careers of a number of individual players, I don't really believe it has fundamentally changed the game.

There's little question that, even with hardly any true sellout crowds and slightly sagging TV numbers, Nextel Cup racing is a huge success. The only real, substantive question is how today's popularity is going to translate in the long run.

For a report on that, turn to the medium of your choice -- in about 10 or 20 years.