Ok, so obviously the deadline is done and since I couldn’t enter anyway I waited until it was over before having my say…and no, I’m not counting this bit as part of the 250 words.
It’s very simple for NASCAR to appeal to a broader audience...do what every other main motorsport category does; have team colours.
F1 has silver for McLaren and red for Ferrari, so why doesn’t NASCAR? Yes it’s exciting to see 43 different coloured cars but it’s not necessary anymore. HMS could run the Dupont colour scheme on all four cars and change the sponsors on each while DEI could use three Bud cars and do the same…it’s not rocket science.
By all means, change the paint scheme each race to keep sponsors happy, but have NASCAR clear it so no teams clash colours. I had to always look twice before knowing if I was seeing Kasey or Dale Jr fly by in 2004 and 2005 since both raced in the same colours for different teams.
And it will make a far easier sight for fans. Yeah we have favourite drivers...but we also have favourite teams, yet what do you see advertised; 90% driver merchandise and 10% team items?
That’s not the way forward.
Motorsport is supposed to be a team business with the drivers being the face of that team, so make it happen. Red Bull have the right idea…the rest need to take a leaf out of their book and fall in line.
RBR have become the 'leader of the pack' by using a single team colour scheme
That’s the only way NASCAR will ever appeal to an audience outside of North America...in 250 words or less anyway.
quite right, but in (pretty much) every other racing series around the world, you recognise the team first, not the driver :P
I know that the red car in F1 is Ferrari. I know the white and red car in IRL is Penske. I know the black car in the Aussie V8's are the Larry Perkins team....if they want to go global they'll have to make it simpler so people don't get drowned in a sea of multicoloured sponsors which constantly change every other week.
I mean that....the only reason they show NASCAR on the news here is if there's a big crash. I tape the F1 for a coworker and he watched the end of a Cup race and couldn't tell me who won. But he said it was a car with a yellow thing on the hood so I had to go "well, what colour was the car?" "oh, uh....not really sure. It had black and red on it though."
He then told me that a white and blue car had a flat tyre near the end near the front so I figured out he was talking about the Dover race, lol
But it got me thinking that it'd be far easier for those who like motorsport (but don't live in the US) to get into NASCAR if you can pick a team by the colour scheme.
I personally don't like the fact that Clint Bowyer doesn't stick with JD all year....I just assumed RCR weren't running that car but they used that blue thing instead, lol
You're idea would probably work for the new fans, and would definitely appeal to a broader fan base outside the US, but I'm not sure it would make any difference for those who watch it and have watched it for decades. It really is a simple process for the teams to put on the "wrap" which is like a big sticker, as they don't paint them much anymore except maybe for exhibition races. So, it wouldn't be a big deal to implement such an idea.
I can also say when I tune in to watch F1 or IRL races, I still just watch the leaderboard to see where the DRIVERS are running, which gives the car number and name of the driver, not the team.
Last edited by HotfootLori on July 25th at 6:25 PM.
lol, fair call, Lori....my perspective will always be skewed towards looking outside the US and expanding fanbase that way :P
and you're right about looking for drivers names (I do the same thing since I'm a religious follower, lol) but a new (potential) fan most likely wouldn't, they'd look at the car instead.
I suppose I'd rather people who don't know much about the sport say "oh, he drives for that team who uses red doesn't he?" than "he's the son of that guy who died a few years ago right?" when talking about Jr.
look at the other team sports....no NFL team use a different colour jersey for each player do they, lol
and how cool would it look to see at, say, the Daytona 500, 4 Dupont HMS cars on the inside line and 4 Shell RCR ones lined up outside coming to the chequer?
Tez - It's a good idea. The reason most teams switch paint schemes is simple - the diecast market. Dale Earnhardt figured out he could sell 2 cars if he had special paint scheme during the year - the standard black and the "special" paint for a specific race. And viola! a new way to wring money of of the fans was born. I'd be worried the rest of the world will follow suit once they figure it out too!
Iowa girl lost me on her worries comment...mimicry....~
But all of a sudden you'd have what appeared to be a powerhouse against powerhouse race...and I think a great idea is born....power in numbers...love cliche's~
geesh...too bad about the rules...great idea and angle~
TEZ: You have way too much time on your hands.. The idea sounds neat but it ain't gonna fly.. Too much individualism with in the teams and sponsors. Re: Jimmy Johnson Lowes, Jeff Gordon Dupont, Motor mouth Home Depot, Denny Hamlin Fed Ex, Dale Jr. Bud, and Truex Bass pro shop.
The sponsors actually dictate the paint scemes for the cars and with their money and clout, I doubt it will ever change. Guess that is what makes NASCAR different from other motor sports sanctions.
What if all the cars of each team had their team's specific color, with the hood open each week for the highest bidding sponsor(s)?
Then, major sponsors are not tied to one team, but have the whole field available for their marketing purposes.
and special event schemes could still be used without changing the base color on the cars.
photo; I agree....and that's exactly the reason why NASCAR will never catch on with the rest of the world. The whole "this is how we do it here" thing does nothing but alienate the series from the others. Being different stops at a point....NASCAR already is due to racing on ovals so really, in the rest of the world's eyes, they're just being stupid by having 43 different coloured cars race each week.
Texas; that's not a bad idea actually....even keep the personal sponsors on the car and have the team scheme too.
Actually, Ron Dennis (McLaren F1 boss) only signs up sponsors who fit in with the colour scheme of his cars....I get the feeling NASCAR works the other way around, lol
Tez: Correct me if I am wrong but I have seen the Aussie V8 series cars and they seem to have multiple color scemes on their cars in the races or is it the fact there are no multiple teams racing in the series?
i just fell off my beer stool and landed here to say, "I didn't spill it"!!!----
1---wish i would have entered the challenge---cuduv won since i am a newbie
2---photo is gonna whoop my buttocks but Jr won't have BUD nomo-and i hear not the 8 as well
3----TEZ-nascar has always tried to alienate themselves from all the others-that is what makes it good and bad-from Photo's "motor mouth Home DEpot"(which was cool big guy), to the X Bud man---got an idea......
ThanX for keepin'it HUSH__ HUSH-we gotta b secretive ya know-sshhhh
HEY---DID I MENTION I WAS GONNA WRITE SUMTHIN 'BOUT SOME DANGED RACIN' THING OR ANOTHER??? I'm sorry, I woke up your wife and kids dang it--come over to my place, it's gonna git a bit louder!!
Tezgm99
Color schemes isn't going to be the thing that'll enthrall the fans. What they want from the start is allout racing from start to finish. And that's it ! Nothingh more or less. The hardcore fans are set in their ways and so somewhat are the hierarchy of the sport. As long as the money comes pouring into their coffers things'll remain the same. It's as the saying goes.........."if it ain't broke it don't need fixin' ".
top; yeah I know they'll never do it....but hey, it's not like anyone important (except for us of course) will ever read this anyway, lol
and the way people are talking, it seems that NASCAR is beyond broken....which is rather strange since I think the racing is real good but anyway *shrugs*
Tezgm99
It's not the racing we ought to as such be worried about. But the actual competitiveness of some of the races. At times it can border on being mediocre and then becomes all the more tedious.
Under the justanotherfan guise I've a new post up an running titled Unlikeliest Sport's Star No One Has Heard Of ! The feature is on Bubba Stewart, Ricky Carmichael abnd Valentino Rossi . If you're up to the reading of it try it out and let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece.
You guys are too kind. When you hear a really stupid idea, why don't you tell the perpetrator so they won't be inclined to say something that stupid again.
mud; they have told me that....and they've also given reasoning to why they think it is.
Our local council does what you're suggesting; tell people "no" and that's it....they're expected to know exactly what they're talking about and why "no".
Oh, and "because I said so" doesn't count as reasoning by the way, lol
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
